Grammar through Social Media : Learning Grammar from Instagram and TikTok Captions-Is It Possible?

As Swan (2016) notes, “reviewing and fixing mistakes can reinforce correct grammar rules.” A study by Evans (2013) in Language Awareness in Social Media even found that “learners who actively corrected grammar errors on social media retained rules better than those who only studied them in books.” This means that social media can act as a virtual classroom, giving constant exposure to real world grammar.

Ilustrasi: Media sosial sebagai ruang interaksi digital yang semakin dekat dengan kehidupan sehari-hari. Sumber: Digitale Ethik.

Tips for Using Social Media to Practice Grammar

If you want to get the most out of social media for grammar practice, here are some tips:

• Follow Educational Accounts Pages like @grammar_girl and @englishwithlucy provide daily grammar tips.
• Analyze Captions – Pay attention to sentence patterns, word order, and verb tenses in captions.
• Engage with Comments – Practice writing responses with correct grammar and ask for feedback.
• Use Grammar Apps –Tools like Grammarly can help you in crafting error-free posts.
• Don’t just scroll – Take notes, save interesting captions, and even try rewriting them to better understand their grammar.

Personally, I love saving captions that use unique expressions or sentence patterns. Sometimes, I even try rewriting them to see how the meaning changes. It’s like creating my own mini grammar excercises.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram and TikTok might not replace traditional grammar books, they can definitely complement your learning. Social media provides real-life language examples that feel relevant and relatable. However, this doesn’t mean you should ditch formal study altogether. Grammar books and structured lessons are still essential filling knowledge gaps and reinforcing rules.

The key is to combine both approaches. As Thornbury (1999) highlights, “mixing formal instruction with authentic language exposure creates a well-rounded learning experience.” So, next time you’re scrolling through your feed, don’t just like the posts, learn from them too!

References

• Murphy, R. (2019). English Grammar in Use. Cambridge University Press.
• Swan, M. (2016). Practical English Usage. Oxford University Press.
• Thornbury, S. (1999). Teaching Grammar in Context. Macmillan Education.
• Evans, M. (2013). Language Awareness in Social Media. Routledge.