I have a disadvantage!  I'm trying to learn Chinese without studying much in grammar books.  I found it far too challenging to study: 1) the meaning of Chinese characters, 2) the pronunciation of Chinese characters, 3) how to write Chinese characters, 4) how to organize Chinese characters (grammar) all at the same time.  So I took a different approach.  I decided to learn how to speak Chinese first.  For the first few years I mostly used language tapes to learn the sounds of Chinese.  Then I started studying flashcards.  Then I wanted to start to read and write (like a child does), one word at a time.  Gradually, I began to speak and write sentences.  Grammar has been a low priority, but now I need to start studying more grammar.  This method has made it much easier for me to learn Chinese!  Now, when I start with a basic book for "Chinese I" I find it much easier because I can pronounce and read most of the words.  I find studying grammar is much more effective this way.  The problem?  I've only started studying grammar, so my "writing" skills are more advanced than my grammar skills.