Well I have identified these to be the weakest elements of my command of Irish so far. I have started looking at verbs alright, but I am in need of exercises. Like I have ok-decent command of verbs, but I need challenges now to get better. Same with the relative clause.

The MacMurchaidh grammar book has questions but no answers, and I will need to compare my answers to the correct ones..

Does anyone know of interactive or some such online questionnaire type thing where you can test yourself?

Or any general tips about how to go about it, lbd't

Ranganna.com has a very decent on-line course in grammatical accuracy (Cruinneas sa Ghaeilge) with interactive exercises that give you instant feedback. There's a whole unit on relative clauses in that course. It's behind a pay-wall, though: http://www.ranganna.com/

(Disclaimer: I have been involved in the building of that website.)

But note: ranganna.com is dealing in "Standardized Irish", which includes things unnatural to Gaeltacht Irish. As I pointed out on another thread "cad atá" seems unnatural - well I have evidence from Donegal, Kerry and Cork on this, but not from Galway (although I would welcome evidence from Galway, and I would accept the verdict even if it proved me wrong). Sa tsiopa would be marked wrong on that site. So would t'athair. So would "a bheas". You just have to know when dealing with sites like that that they are not dealing with the real Irish of native speakers. Of course, it is boring for people to keep raising this issue - but the issue just will never go away - and there is no reason why it should. Unless of course caighdeán 2.0 is designed to bring the standard closer to, say, natural Galway Irish? Let's hope so!

I think I'll do that ranganna course, as I desperately need exercises and corrections. At this stage I would so love to be back in the classroom learning these things- I'm lazy when it comes to grammar!!

Davidw- if ranganna in caighdeán, then let it be. I'm focussing on a dialect like yourself and it is more work but I'll go along through ranganna.com and then check up with Ó Siadhail and here if I'm not sure, and that way I'll have my canúint as well.

Sounds like a good approach Sineadw. Did you say you are in Dublin, by the way? Gaelchultúr runs some good classes in Dublin that may concentrate on the grammar points you're interested in?

I was in Dublin for a few months last year but then had to move back to Galway so sadly not the same amount of classes available here. Ranganna.com will be good though!

Really? Sineadw that's awful. Galway ought to be the most Irish city in Ireland and the one place where it is easy to learn Irish! Well, I hope you remain on Daltaí and share your knowledge here!

There are classes, and loads of places to speak Irish, this is about grammar things so naturally there would be less classes. Less demand.

''Cad atá'' isn't used in Galway, for starters they don't say ''cad'' but ''céard''.

Unregistered Guest, thank you for your information.

Sineadw asks if anyone knows of "interactive or some such online questionnaire type thing where you can test yourself?"


Check out www.studybase.com and www.studybase.com/moodle

quote:

the one place where it is easy to learn Irish!

Wouldn't it be easier in the Gaeltacht? Ie. when you may hear more Irish than English ? Aran Islands, An Cheathru Ruadh, Toraigh...