The single most complaint students of English face is the number of contradictory rules and exceptions in the English language, and for this reason it is a good idea to attend basic English grammar lessons. The language features more homographs, homonyms and irregular spellings than most dialects. It is often a word's multiple meanings or a word's same sound but different spelling that frustrate the learning process.

English is infamous as one the most difficult languages to master, as many people struggle when learning. Foreigners or natives who wish to become proficient in English need to develop a good understanding of the basic principles of grammar, so that they can communicate more effectively. Grammar sets the standard for the way the language is communicated, and it involves recognition of the role of words, as well as proper structuring of sentences. It combines words, expressions, and sentences in an orderly manner to make communication more comprehensible.

To make the subject more accessible to students, language teachers have developed different methods of structuring basic English grammar lessons. While some teachers focus on grammar as a set of forms and rules, others are influenced by theoretical work on the difference between language acquisition and language learning.