# Syntax City — Grammar practice > Interactive grammar and syntax practice app for elementary and middle school students. (iPhone/iPad app by Smarty Ears.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/syntax-city/id561981400 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Smarty Ears](https://appshunter.io/developer/348779167) - Category: Education, Games, Family - Price: $24.99 - Rating: 3.50/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 11 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 139 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-11-02 - Data updated: 2026-06-01 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/syntax-city/id561981400/reviews.md ## What is Syntax City? Syntax City – Where Grammar Comes to Life Welcome to Syntax City! As the mayor of this great city, I must warn you — we take our syntax very seriously here. When Syntax City was founded, our mission was to create a place where verbs agree with their subjects, tenses are always correct, and pronouns live in perfect harmony. Now, you and your students are invited to explore the city — where learning grammar becomes an adventure! Syntax City is an interactive, evidence-based app designed by speech-language pathologist Barbara Fernandes, M.S., CCC-SLP. Created for children in elementary and middle school, the app teaches English grammar and syntax through themed locations, animations, and play-based learning — perfect for speech therapy or classroom use. Explore 8 Grammar-Focused Locations Each area of the city targets a specific grammatical goal, with 415 questions across multiple levels of difficulty: • Gym: Do / Does (3 levels, 50 questions) • Beach: Third Person Singular (1 level, 50 questions) • Bakery: Was / Were (3 levels, 52 questions) • Ski Resort: He / She (2 levels, 50 questions) • Farm: Irregular Past Tense (2 levels, 59 questions) • Grocery Store: Has / Have (1 level, 51 questions) • Park: Is / Are (1 level, 50 questions) • Zoo: Regular and Irregular Plurals (3 levels, 54 questions) Each phrase is professionally narrated and paired with high-quality visuals that support comprehension and engagement. Engaging, Evidence-Based Learning • Multiple levels of difficulty adapt to each student’s learning pace • Visual cues reinforce comprehension and grammar recognition • Record and playback feature helps children hear and self-correct syntax • Positive reinforcement with animations, coins, and treasures • 127 collectible rewards across all locations motivate consistent practice After 10 gold coins, students unlock a treasure — each themed to the location they’re practicing. All earned treasures are stored in the player’s personal trophy case, which can be shared via email or printed. Built for Therapy and Classrooms Syntax City supports 1–5 players per session, allowing flexibility for individual or group practice. Students can work on one or multiple grammar targets at a time — creating nearly endless session combinations. Use two-finger zoom gestures to navigate the city map and assign players to specific locations. Each player’s goals, scores, and rewards are tracked individually. Powerful Data Tracking Just like all Smarty Ears apps, Syntax City offers detailed progress tracking: • Tracks accuracy, goals, and performance for each student • Provides color-coded graphs for visual progress review • Displays session summaries and goal mastery trends ## Key features - 8 grammar-focused locations - 415 questions across multiple difficulty levels - Evidence-based learning by a speech-language pathologist - Record and playback for self-correction - Collectible rewards and trophy case - Detailed progress tracking for individual players - Supports 1-5 players per session ## Recent user reviews (10 of 11) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/syntax-city/id561981400/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Very good app but lacks needed repetition... *2019-06-09* The language students SLPs work typically require A LOT of repetition before they begin to understand taught concepts. So, it would be valuable to them if this app repeated the sentences once touched. That way students would be able to hear the verbal model time and time again. Otherwise, it’s just me repeating the sentence over and over before they can record themselves. They have already heard me talk. Now I want them to hear the same thing from someone else (i.e., the app). ### 3/5 — Hard to use with group therapy *2015-10-20* It's a fairly good app to work on syntax but it's not easy to use in a group setting. ### 3/5 — Needs work. *2015-10-07* I am an SLP, who has used this app and a hundred others a few times but I have not visited all the areas of Syntax City. I wish there was an index at the beginning if the app to remind me of the choices in grammar targets. I used the Has/Have part of it today. There wasn't enough contrast in the white/gray words on the white background. We couldn't read most of the sentences. I wish a person could go to settings and remove some of the sentence items that wouldn't be targeted the first few times through... Like "they will have finished shopping"... Or some kind of craziness. I also don't want to hear the intro every time I turn it on so I want a setting to turn it off. ### 3/5 — Great app, would like a pre-test *2014-05-13* This app is great. It would be so much more useful if it had an overall pre-test with a few items from each category that I could use as a baseline! ### 4/5 — Pretty good *2013-08-24* Kids enjoy it. A little challenging for non-readers, as they have to remember the sentence long enough to try all the options, or remember all 4 sentences after I have said them so that they can choose the correct one. ### 5/5 — Awesome app *2013-03-03* I was excited when I purchased this app because I had not been able to find many apps to specifically work on syntax. My students love this app and find it highly engaging. They ask to use the iPad and want to "play" this app over and over again to work on their syntax goals. ### 5/5 — Very good app *2013-03-02* Great app to work on syntax for my students. The students love the trophies. Better than cards I always used. ### 5/5 — Love this app!! *2013-01-06* I love this app and my students love it too! I like how each student within a group can work on a different objective in the same session. The kids love that they can see their own pictures, or choose a cartoon person. The different locations within the city keep things fun and exciting! The only thing I would like to change would be adding more options such as is/are, I/me etc.Please make more apps like this one! ### 5/5 — Syntax City *2013-01-06* My students with autism really like this. I use it for independent review of concepts. I like that it tells me how long the student spent on each activity and I can set up a profile for my whole class. ### 4/5 — Great App! *2012-11-08* Smarty apps, thank you!!! I love this app! It's fantastic to find some therapy material that target those aspects of language that you rarely find material for! Love that motivation it gives the learners to keep going! ## Frequently asked questions about Syntax City ### What age group is Syntax City designed for? Syntax City is designed for children in elementary and middle school, with an age rating of 4+. The app offers multiple levels of difficulty to adapt to each student's learning pace. ### How does Syntax City teach grammar? Syntax City teaches grammar through interactive, themed locations, animations, and play-based learning. Each area targets specific grammatical goals with professionally narrated phrases and high-quality visuals. ### What kind of progress tracking does Syntax City offer? Syntax City provides detailed progress tracking, including accuracy, goals, and performance for each student. It offers color-coded graphs for visual progress review and displays session summaries and goal mastery trends. ### Can Syntax City be used for multiple students? Yes, Syntax City supports 1 to 5 players per session, making it flexible for individual or group practice. Each player's goals, scores, and rewards are tracked individually. ### What are the specific grammar topics covered in Syntax City? Syntax City covers topics such as Do/Does, Third Person Singular, Was/Were, He/She, Irregular Past Tense, Has/Have, Is/Are, and Regular/Irregular Plurals, with questions distributed across 8 themed locations. ### Does Syntax City have ads? No, Syntax City does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application designed for focused learning without interruptions. ### What devices is Syntax City available on? Syntax City is currently supported on iPad devices. The app was last updated on December 31, 2025, with version 6.1. ### How much does Syntax City cost? Syntax City is available for a one-time purchase of $24.99. This grants access to all features and content within the application. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 6.1 — 2025-12-31 We have enhanced our report card screen to make th data clean to see! ### 6.0 — 2025-10-12 We’ve made exciting improvements to make Syntax City even better for your students: • Updated visuals and smoother animations for all locations • Enhanced voice recordings and clearer audio feedback • Improved data tracking and reporting features • Optimized performance for the latest iPad models and iOS versions • Bug fixes and general enhancements for a smoother learning experience Thank you for using Syntax City to make grammar learning fun, interactive, and effective! ### 5.0 — 2023-03-22 We have updated the video tutorial, and fixed a few small deprecations on the code to keep Syntax City Running Smoothly. ### 4.0 — 2019-02-12 Enhancement for iOS 12 ### 3.2 — 2016-11-23 Fixes the bug that crops text. ## Apps similar to Syntax City | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Teach Your Child - Countries](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/teach-your-child-countries/id1189021500) | 2.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [First Phrases HD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-phrases-hd/id473894018) | 4.2 (12) | $15.99 | Education | | [SentenceBuilderTeen™](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sentencebuilderteen/id465018367) | 3.0 (2) | $5.99 | Education | | [StoryBuilder for iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storybuilder-for-ipad/id377631532) | 3.4 (7) | $7.99 | Education | | [kiss Coloring Book : love your princess - Color me](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kiss-coloring-book-love-your-princess-color-me/id1203763760) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Pony Coloring Book for kids - My Drawing free game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pony-coloring-book-for-kids-my-drawing-free-game/id1199335860) | 3.7 (3) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Smarty Ears - [WhQuestions](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/whquestions/id348905092) - [FonoLógico Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fonologico-pro/id353252255) - [iPractice Verbs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipractice-verbs/id356668882) - [R intensive Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-intensive-pro/id371200389) - [Articulation Assessment ToolKt](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/articulation-assessment-toolkt/id371280343) - [Expressive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expressive/id398345416) All apps by Smarty Ears: https://appshunter.io/developer/348779167 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*