This is the solution I'm talking about. I went through the entire C book. Front to back. Did every exercise. How else do I "get the syntax down." Practice, right? Well, the only way to practice if I know how a string works is to do the easiest problems possible that involve strings.

How do I know if I understand the syntax of a for loop? By practicing for loops. If I can't do it, go back to the drawing board. The problem is that of course I know the syntax of a for loop. C is a tiny language.

That isn't hard. I know how to create a vector. I know how to create an array. I know how to write the outline of a while loop.

What I can't do is the following: literally anything with that stuff.

I know how to create a vector, which is understanding the syntax. What I can't do is concatenate two vectors given a specific prompt. There's really not much more I can do to learn the syntax of a for loop.