MODULE 1: THE FOUNDATION STONE (The Grammar Gene)
Welcome, future English ninjas! Let’s be honest. When you hear the word “grammar,” what comes to mind? Dusty books? A strict teacher circling red ink on your exam paper? Endless, confusing rules about “articles” and “prepositions” that make you want to close the book and watch TikTok instead?
If you nodded, you’re not alone. For decades, English learning in Bangladesh has been trapped in a prison of monotony. We’ve been taught to memorize, not to understand. We learn English like we learn the periodic table—a collection of random facts to be regurgitated in an exam and promptly forgotten.
But what if I told you that the problem isn’t you? What if your struggle with English isn’t about your intelligence, but about a fundamental wiring difference between Bengali and English? What if you have a hidden “Grammar Gene” in your brain, just waiting to be activated with the right key?
This series, English Alchemy, is that key. We’re not just learning grammar; we’re hacking the language. We’re going to use science, Bangladeshi contexts (from rickshaw-wallahs to Rocket Chat), fun games, and real-life examples to transform grammar from your biggest fear into your most powerful tool.
Ready to begin? Let’s dive into the foundation.
🔹 Chapter 1.1: Brain vs. Grammar – The Science of Why Your Bangla Brain Rebels Against English
Have you ever said, “I am going to bazaar” instead of “I am going to the bazaar”? Or written, “She has *a* good knowledge” instead of “She has good knowledge”?
These aren’t random mistakes. They are predictable, systematic errors. They are the direct result of a clash between the Bengali Brain OS and the English Brain OS.
The Science: Bengali OS vs. English OS – A Coding Analogy
Think of your first language, Bangla, as the default operating system (OS) installed in your brain from birth. It has its own coding rules—its own syntax, grammar, and logic. English is like a new, powerful software application you’re trying to run on that existing OS. Sometimes, the codes conflict.
Let’s look at the three biggest areas of conflict for a Bangladeshi learner:
1. The Article Anarchy (The, A, An)
English OS: Is obsessed with specificity. It demands to know: Are we talking about any random thing (a, an) or the specific one we both know about (the)?
Bengali OS: Doesn’t have dedicated words for “a” or “the.” Specificity is often understood from context. We say, “Boita dao” (Give me the book), assuming the listener knows which book. We don’t say, “The boita dao.”
The Clash: Your Bengali OS sees the extra “the” as unnecessary baggage. It’s like adding a redundant instruction in a code. So, your brain simply deletes it, leading to errors.
2. The Preposition Puzzle (In, On, At)
English OS: Uses prepositions with strict, sometimes illogical, rules. You’re in a car but on a bus. You’re at home, in the kitchen, on the balcony.
Bengali OS: Often uses a single, powerful word: “-e” or “-te.” Bile-e (on the fence), ghor-e (in the room), bus-e (on the bus). One preposition to rule them all!
The Clash: Your efficient Bengali OS tries to map its simple “-e” onto all English prepositions. This is why you might say, “I am in the bus” instead of “on the bus.”
3. The Word Order War (Subject-Verb-Object)
English OS: Follows a rigid Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. The verb often changes based on the subject (He plays, They play).
Bengali OS: Is a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) language. The verb comes at the very end. “Ami bhat khai.” (I rice eat). Also, the verb doesn’t change as much with the subject.
The Clash: Your brain is wired to place the verb at the end. This leads to direct translations like, “I cricket play,” which is incorrect in English. The “s” in “He plays” is another piece of code that the Bengali OS frequently ignores because it doesn’t exist in our system.
So, are you doomed? Absolutely not! Understanding this clash is the first step to solving it. You’re not “bad at English”; you’re just running a software compatibility issue. And we have the patch for that.
Fun Quiz: “What’s Your Language Personality?”
Are you a Grammar Rebel, a Cautious Translator, or a Natural? Take this quick quiz to find out!
When you see a sign that says "Fresh Milk Avilable," your first thought is:
a) "Available" is spelled wrong. I should tell them.
b) I understand what it means, but it looks a bit odd.
c) I don't even notice the spelling. I just see "fresh milk."You want to say, "আমি গতকাল বাজারে গিয়েছিলাম" in English. You:
a) Think: Subject (I) + Time (yesterday) + Object (bazaar) + Verb (go) -> "I yesterday bazaar went."
b) Pause and slowly construct: "I... went... to the... market... yesterday."
c) Say instantly and correctly: "I went to the market yesterday."Your biggest fear when speaking English is:
a) Making a silly grammatical mistake (like using the wrong preposition).
b) Not finding the right word and getting stuck.
c) The other person not understanding my accent.
Mostly A’s: The Grammar Detective. You notice mistakes everywhere! You have a keen eye for detail. Your challenge is overcoming the fear of being wrong. Remember, communication is key, perfection comes later.
Mostly B’s: The Cautious Translator. You think in Bangla and then translate. This is the most common style. Your mission is to start thinking in small English chunks instead of translating word-for-word.
Mostly C’s: The Meaning Maverick. You focus on getting the meaning across, even if the grammar isn't perfect. This is a great strength! Your goal is to now refine your grammar without losing your natural flow.
Deshi Twist: The "Banglish" Patrol – Spot the Error!
Grammar isn’t just for exams. It’s alive all around us! Let’s look at some classic “Banglish” from our daily lives. Can you spot the error and fix it?
The Newspaper Headline: "Government to built new bridge."
Error: The verb form after “to” should be the base form (infinitive), not the past tense.
Fix: "Government to build new bridge."
The Restaurant Menu: "Chicken Fry with Aalo Bortha."
Error: Nouns used as adjectives are generally singular. Also, spelling.
Fix: "Chicken Fry with Aloo Bhorta."
The Facebook Meme: "My salary is credit. Time to treat my friends."
Error: The passive voice is needed here. The salary is credited by the bank.
Fix: "My salary is credited. Time to treat my friends."
The Rickshaw Banner: "University going student available."
Error: Missing article and awkward phrasing. A compound adjective like “university-going” needs a hyphen.
Fix: "A university-going student available." (Though the meaning is still very Banglish!)
The Shop Sign: "Shoe's and Bag's."
Error: The apostrophe (’) shows possession, not plurality. This is a very common mistake.
Fix: "Shoes and Bags."
Activity: Become a Banglish Detective
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to become a language detective for the next week.
Task: Collect 5 examples of “Banglish” from your daily life. Look at:
Shop signs in your local market.
Advertisements in newspapers or on billboards.
Social media posts or memes.
Notices at your university or local coffee shop.
Document: Take a photo or write them down in a notebook.
Diagnose and Fix: For each one, write down:
The Banglish Sentence: E.g., "Fresh Milk Avilable."
The Error: Spelling mistake + missing article.
The Correct Sentence: "Fresh Milk Is Available." or "We have fresh milk."
This isn’t about making fun of anyone. It’s about training your brain to notice patterns. The more errors you can spot in the wild, the less likely you are to make them yourself. You are rewiring your brain’s OS!
🔹 Chapter 1.2: Words Are LEGO Blocks – Building Your First Sentence
Now that we understand the why, let’s talk about the how. How do we build a sentence? Most teachers say, “Learn the rules of Subject + Verb + Object.” Bor-ing!
Let’s use a metaphor every Bangladeshi understands: Cooking a Perfect Biryani.
Think of words as your raw ingredients: rice, meat, potatoes, spices (ginger, garlic, bay leaf, cardamom). Individually, they are just items. But when you combine them in a specific order and with the right proportions, you create magic.
A sentence is exactly the same.
Nouns (like rice and meat): The main substance. The people, places, or things. (Dhaka, student, cricket, phone).
Verbs (like the cooking fire): The action. What happens? (go, play, eat, study, is).
Adjectives (like spices): They describe the nouns, making them flavorful. (beautiful Dhaka, serious student).
Adverbs (like the cooking technique - dum phukht): They describe the verb, telling how the action is done. (study hard, play well).
The Biryani Recipe for a Simple Sentence:
Start with the Pot (The Subject): Who or what is this sentence about? (The student).
Add the Fire (The Verb): What is the subject doing? (The student studies).
(Optional) Add the Spices (Adverbs/Objects): How/Where/When? (The student studies hard for the exam every night).
If you put the ingredients in the wrong order, you don’t get biryani. You get a mess. “Hard the exam for studies student every night” is just a jumble of words. The ORDER is everything.
Game: The Sentence Biryani Challenge
Let’s practice. Below are some word blocks related to classic Bangladeshi scenarios. Your task is to drag and drop them in your mind to create a correct, meaningful sentence. The answers are at the end of this chapter.
Scenario 1: The Dhaka Traffic Jam
Word Blocks: [the traffic, moves, in Dhaka, very slowly, during rain]
Scenario 2: The Cricket Fever
Word Blocks: [Shakib Al Hasan, a famous, is, Bangladeshi, cricketer]
Scenario 3: The Evening Routine
Word Blocks: [often, my family, on the balcony, in the evening, sits]
Scenario 4: The Kacchi Bhai Experience
Word Blocks: [delicious, the beef tehari, was, extremely]
Scenario 5: The Power of Social Media
Word Blocks: [uses, the young generation, social media, widely]
How did you do? This is the core of sentence construction. It’s not about memorizing rules; it’s about feeling the natural flow, the biryani recipe, of the English language.
(Answers: 1. The traffic in Dhaka moves very slowly during rain. 2. Shakib Al Hasan is a famous Bangladeshi cricketer. 3. My family often sits on the balcony in the evening. 4. The beef tehari was extremely delicious. 5. The young generation widely uses social media.)
🔹 Chapter 1.3: Your First 100 Power Words – The Vocabulary You Actually Need
You don’t need to memorize the entire dictionary. You need the right words for the right contexts. The following 100 words are extremely high-frequency in the daily life of a Bangladeshi, from a Class 3 student to a job holder. These are your foundation LEGO blocks.
The Hack: The Sound Connection
Notice how many English words you already know because they sound almost identical to their Bengali counterparts! Your brain already has a database. We’re just activating it.
Let’s Categorize Them for Easy Learning:
1. The Daily Grind (People, Places, Things):
People: Student, teacher, father, mother, brother, sister, friend, boss, colleague, customer, child, people.
Places: Home, school, college, university, office, market, shop, hospital, road, street, city, village, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Chittagong.
Things: Book, pen, pencil, phone, computer, internet, money, salary, bill, food, water, rice, fish, vegetable, time, day, week, month, year.
2. The Action Heroes (Verbs):
Go, come, eat, drink, sleep, wake, study, learn, teach, work, earn, buy, sell, pay, give, take, help, need, want, like, love, know, think, see, watch, talk, speak, tell, ask, answer, call, use, open, close, start, finish.
3. The Flavor Makers (Adjectives & Adverbs):
Adjectives: Good, bad, new, old, big, small, hot, cold, fresh, beautiful, important, easy, difficult, poor, rich, happy, sad, busy, free, right, wrong.
Adverbs: Here, there, now, then, today, tomorrow, yesterday, always, often, sometimes, never, well, badly, quickly, slowly, very, too.
See the Sound Connection?
Computer -> কম্পিউটার (Kompiutar)
University -> ইউনিভার্সিটি (Unibhersiti)
Problem -> প্রবলেম (Probleem)
Bus -> বাস (Bas)
Phone -> ফোন (Phon)
Ticket -> টিকেট (Tiket)
You already know hundreds of English words! The barrier is not vocabulary; it’s the confidence to use them in correctly structured sentences.
Your Mission Before the Next Article
Complete the Banglish Detective Activity. Find 5 errors and correct them.
Review the 100 Power Words. Circle 20 words you use every day. Try to use them in one simple sentence each. E.g., "I go to school." "I use my phone."
Think About the Clash. The next time you make a mistake, don’t get frustrated. Ask yourself: "Was this a clash between my Bengali OS and English OS? Which rule was it?"
A Message to You
You have taken the first and most crucial step. You are no longer a passive learner blindly following rules. You are a language hacker, understanding the core programming of English. Remember, fluency is a journey, not a destination. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to be slow. The goal is to keep moving forward.
In our next article, we will dive into the magical world of The Parts of Speech. But we won't just name them. We will see them as a superhero team, each with a unique power, working together to defend the city of "Meaning" from the villains of "Confusion." We'll use examples from Bangla movies, HSC exams, and office presentations to make it stick.
Get ready for more fun! Stay curious.
Next Article Preview: MODULE 2: The Grammar Superhero Squad (Meet the Parts of Speech)
Chapter 2.1: Noun: The Celebrity (People, Places, Things & Ideas)
Chapter 2.2: Verb: The Action Hero (What’s Happening?)
Chapter 2.3: The Supporting Cast (Adjectives, Adverbs & More)
Interactive Game: "Build a Super Sentence" about the Padma Bridge.
Deshi Deep Dive: Why we confuse Nouns and Verbs in English (e.g., "I did a complain" vs. "I complained").
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