Club English

Ham-Handedness, Courtesy of Blogger

2011-09-02T20:37:00.002-05:00

I received notification that one of my older posts (from nearly four years ago) was taken down by Blogger because it had received a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) complaint.

This is a false accusation, as the post in question consisted entirely of original material and I, being the sole author, am in fact the owner of the copyright.

Until and unless this issue gets resolved, I will not be posting articles here on Club English.

Tips for Remembering English Spelling

2011-06-06T21:15:00.003-05:00

Are you having trouble remembering how certain English words are spelled? You’re not alone! Native English speakers often have trouble with spelling, too. English has phonetic rules – rules dealing with pronunciation. (For an example of this, see #2 in this post about irregular verbs for some common phonetic rules that affect irregular verbs.) If you learn some of these rules, you will find that they will help your spelling as well as your pronunciation! However, there are also words that don’t follow phonetic rules.

What can we do about these words that don’t follow the phonetic rules? Fortunately, there are some “memory tricks” (or mnemonics) that can make it easier to remember. I’ll show you a few memory tricks that are helpful for remembering English spelling.

For example, sometimes it’s confusing whether a word should have “ie” or “ei.” Should we spell “recieve” or “receive”? “Piece” or “peice”? “Pie” or “pei”? There is a spelling rule for this! (And it’s an old rule – it’s been around a long time.)

“i” before “e”
Except after “c”
Or when sounded like “a”
As in “neighbor” and “weigh.”

Now, there are exceptions to this rule, like “science” and “ancient” and “height” and so on. You might want to put them on a “special cases” list. Then you can use flash cards to work on these. (More about flash cards in a little while!)

There are other tricks to help remember how to spell confusing words. In particular, there are some words that are pronounced the same way but have different spellings, like “red” (the color) and “read” (as in “Tom read a book last night.”) These types of words are called “homophones.” How to remember which one is which? Let’s look at an example.

“Principal” (the headmaster of a school) and “principle” (a rule) are homophones – they’re said the same way, but they have different spellings and therefore different meanings. We can remember that “principal” is a person, because

A principal is a prince of a pal.

(A “pal” is a friend – like a “pen pal,” or a friend who you write letters to.)

Sometimes acronyms (a word made from the first letter of each word – or almost every word – in a sentence) are helpful in remembering confusing spellings. “Affect” and “effect” are not homophones, but many times when they are spoken, their pronunciations are so similar that it’s easy to confuse the two. How to remember which spelling is which?

The acronym RAVEN comes to the rescue:

R – Remember
A – Affect
V – Verb
E – Effect
N – Noun

This helps us to remember that we spell “effect” with an “e” when we are using the noun, and we spell “affect” with an “a” when we are using the verb.

Sometimes, it’s just difficult to remember how a certain word is spelled. Is it “oshin” or “ocean”? “Wensday” or “Wednesday”? Acronyms can help here, too.

OCEAN: Only Cats’ Eyes Are Narrow
WEDNESDAY: WE Do Not Eat Soup DAY

Other tricky spellings can be remembered with short and/or silly sentences:

“Beleive” or “believe”? ==> Do you beLIEve a LIE? (The “i before e” rule also works here.)

“Acceptable” or “acceptible”? ==> ACCEPT a TABLE.

Here is a list of commonly misspelled English words:

accidentally
accommodate
achieve
because
believe
calendar
conscientious
definitely
effect / affect
embarrass
embarrassment
excellent
existence
gauge
grammar
harass
hierarchy
indispensable
inoculate
it’s / its
lose / loose
millennium
miniature
minuscule
mischievous
misspell
noticeable
occurred
occurrence
pastime
perseverance
precede
preceding
privilege
publicly
questionnaire
rhythm
separate
separately
supersede
their / they’re / there
then / than
weather / whether
weird
withhold
your / you’re

Other Tips for Spelling

What about words that don’t have any easy rule or tricks to remember their spelling? What do you do then?

Make a list of “problem words” – words that you keep on misspelling. These you will probably have to practice until they get into your long-term memory. Flash cards are an excellent way to do this. You can use a flashcard program (like the one found here). The nice thing about using a program like this is that it focuses on the cards that you have trouble remembering. It quizzes you more frequently on these, so you don’t have to spend as much time with cards that are easier for you to remember.

You can also make your own flashcards and carry these with you. Then you can work on them whenever you have some spare time. Make some cards out of paper that’s a little bit heavier, so they won’t tear so easily. (In the US, we often use “index cards” when we make flash cards.) On each card, write a word on your spelling list. On the back side of the card, you can write what the word is in your native language.

After you’ve written all your spelling words on the flash cards, you will have a stack of spelling word flash cards to work on. Flip them over so you see the word in your native language.

Start: Read the first card.

Step 1: Say what the word is in English.

Step 2: Spell it out loud.

Step 3: Check yourself.

a. If you spelled it correctly, put it in the “good” pile.

b. If you did not spell it correctly, or if you had to think longer than a few seconds to remember how to spell it, put it in the “bad” pile.

Step 4: Pick up the next card, and go back to Step 1.

Read all the flash cards in your stack of spelling words until you get to the last card. When you finish going through the stack, you’ll have two piles: the “good” pile and the “bad” pile. You can put the good pile aside and leave them for tomorrow. Take the bad pile and go through them again, like the first time. Words that you spell correctly go in the good pile, words that you don’t spell correctly go in the bad pile.

Keep on repeating with the bad pile until all the cards have moved from the bad pile to the good pile. You’re done for the day!

Repeat this process every day. As you improve, you should notice that the bad pile gets smaller day by day, even on the first time you go through the pile.

If a card is in the good pile for several days in a row (for example, every day for a week), you can move it to a “once a week” pile. You know these cards fairly well now, so you don’t have to review them every day – once a week will be often enough. If you forget how to spell one of your “once a week” cards, move it to the bad pile for your daily review. Eventually, though, all your cards will move to this “once a week” pile.

In the same way, you can create a “once a month” pile. These are cards that are in the good “once a week” pile for several weeks. This pile will have cards that need review only once a month. If you forget how to spell a card in the “once a month” pile, move it back to the “once a week” pile. By the time a card moves to the “once a month” pile, it has gone into your long-term memory. This means that you know it fairly well, and you don’t have to review it so often. You’ll probably remember it for the rest of your life!

Good luck with your spelling!!

House Repairs: The Main Line

2011-06-01T21:38:00.005-05:00

A few months ago, when winter was coming and the weather was turning colder, we had a main line clog. The main line is the pipe in a house’s plumbing that takes all the household water waste and sewage and sends it to the city’s sewer system. It is the only pipe that does this for the whole house. Everything that goes down the drain, or is flushed down the toilet, goes out under the house through this main line and into the city sewer.

Now imagine what happens when this main line has a clog, or a blockage. When you take a shower, the water goes down the drain, but underneath the pipe is clogged. The water has no place to go, and it backs up through the pipes. When you wash your dishes or your laundry, the water has no place to go, and it backs up. When you flush the toilet, the water has no place to go, and it backs up. Not a pleasant situation!!

There are different reasons why the main line might be clogged. Sometimes the roots of trees growing near the house might grow through the joins of the pipes. A join is where two sections of pipe come together. Tree roots function to provide the tree with water, so the tree roots naturally seek out sources of water. Toilet paper and other solid waste can then get easily caught in the tree roots. This causes a blockage. Unfortunately, this scenario is not unusual, especially in an older house like ours. An older house is more likely to have an older style of pipe that is more susceptible to this type of thing.

So we had a main line clog. The water was backing up in the sink in the basement. We couldn’t wash dishes. We couldn’t wash the laundry. We couldn’t take a shower. We couldn’t flush the toilet. If we did any of these things, sewage would back up into the sink in the basement. Actually, we had had main line clogs before, about every other year. So we tried what had always worked in the past: a plunger, a plumber’s snake, and chemicals.

The first thing we tried was a plunger – a basic tool that is handy to have around the house. It is a suction cup on the end of a stick. It is very effective for unclogging minor clogs, like when someone tries to put a few too many potato peelings down the drain. Since a plunger is a suction cup, it can be used to create a vacuum. The vacuum dislodges the blockage and sends it on its merry way, through the plumbing and out into the city sewer. Plungers work best when the clog is not that deep in the pipe. If the clog is too far away from the drain opening, then the plunger is ineffective. We tried using a plunger on the clog, but it was no use. There was just as much water in the sink as before.

We then tried a plumber’s snake. A plumber’s snake is another basic tool. It is like a metal rope or coil that can be fed, or inserted little by little, into the pipe. In the picture you see here, a man is feeding a snake through a special valve called a clean-out valve. The clean-out valve is the primary access that you have to the main line. A snake is used by ramming, or pushing forward and pulling back repeatedly, against the clog. This will help to dislodge the blockage.

Some snakes may have an electric motor. Some also have an auger, or a type of drill, to cut through tree roots and other things that may be causing the blockage. Plumber’s snakes usually come in lengths of 25–50 feet, so they are more effective than plungers when the blockage is farther away. But if the blockage is out even further than the length of the snake, or if the pipe has become so narrow that the blockage simply cannot be rammed through, then a plumber’s snake is of no use, either. The plumber’s snake couldn’t budge our clog – the water was still standing in the sink.

So we had to resort to the big guns: chemicals. At the hardware store, you can buy a very strong base. This base reacts with fatty substances like grease or similar things. These are likely to “build up” or accumulate on the inside of the main line, very similar to plaque build-up in a person’s arteries. When plaque builds up in a person’s arteries, it can cause a stroke or a heart attack. When grease and other things build up on the inside of the main line, it can cause a clog.

So you can get this strong chemical and pour it into your pipes through the clean-out valve. Then you let the chemical sit overnight. This allows the chemical to work, and it will “eat through” the clog. Then, in the morning, you turn on the hot water and let it run for several minutes. This flushes out the chemicals and whatever was clogging the system. Now the clog is dissolved, and your drain flows freely once again. Like I said, these chemicals are very corrosive. They “eat away” at the pipes, so they’re not something that you want to use too frequently. But we had always managed to get things working again with this solution, and once every other year is not that often.

This time, however, the chemicals did not work. We tried two or three applications with little or no success. This clog was especially stubborn, and especially serious. We had no choice. We needed to call a plumbing service that specialized in cleaning out main lines. We looked online for a company that did that type of work, and contacted them.

The plumbing fellow came out the next day and took a look at our situation. He explained the basic reasons why a main line might be clogged. He also explained that this was not unusual for a house that is as old as ours. (Our house was built in the 1930s.) Then he explained that the chemicals were not very good for older pipes, because they were so corrosive. Using these strong chemicals could actually cause more problems later on.

The plumbing fellow took some special equipment into our basement. He used this equipment to try to pinpoint the clog and find out exactly where it was located. The special equipment was a type of camera attached to a long, flexible line. He fed the camera in the main line, and on the little TV screen we could see waste water and other stuff in the main line. But the clog was so bad that it was difficult even to see precisely where the clog was.

It turned out that the clog was outside the house. Actually, it was between the house and the city sewer that runs underneath the middle of the street. Later on we found out that some decorative shrubs contributed greatly to this clog. These shrubs were planted outside the house by the foundation, so they interfered with the plumbing pipes. But at the time we didn’t know that. We could only guess. The plumbing guy told us what our options were. We decided to have the plumbing fellow replace the section of pipe outside our house. That’s where the clog was. Also, the old clay pipes were broken or deteriorated, and needed replacing anyway.

As long as the plumbing fellow was digging around our plumbing pipes, we also had him install an external access to the main line. Most houses are now built with such an access. But ours did not have one since it was built so long ago. This new external access would make it much easier for any future clogs to be cleaned out.

So we had our main line clog taken care of. But since the plumbing was so old, there was another potential problem: the old iron pipes in the house could fail to work. If that happened, we’d be back where we started. The old iron pipes would continue to deteriorate. Eventually they would fail, causing more clogs or other plumbing problems. We could be lucky and go for several years without any more incidents. Or we could be unlucky and have another serious plumbing problem within a month or two. No one can predict when these things will happen. But there was a strong chance that something would happen at some point. The plumbing fellow explained that the pipes should be lined with a special plastic coating. This would prevent further deterioration. It would also make the pipes practically as good as new.

Nobody likes to spend extra money, especially on something like plumbing or other house repairs. It would be more pleasant to take that money and go on a nice vacation, or buy a digital SLR camera, or something like that! But it was something that needed to be done, especially if we wanted to move sometime in the near future. A house with known plumbing problems is much harder to sell than a house without plumbing problems. So we decided to go ahead and have this other plumbing issues fixed as well. We set up a date, and the plumbing fellow came back on the agreed date to line our pipes.

Since then, we haven’t had any more plumbing problems :) . Whoever buys our house will be a lot luckier than we were. We took care of this major plumbing problem for him!

Some Hints on Learning Irregular Verbs

2011-02-11T15:47:00.004-06:00

All languages have irregular verbs. English is no different. There are no shortcuts in learning irregular verbs. They have to be memorized. But there are some things that you can do in your study to make them easier to remember.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Group the irregular verbs by the following patterns:

A – A – A:
These are verbs that don’t change from the base form for either the simple past form or the past participle.

Examples:

cost / cost / cost
hurt / hurt / hurt
hit / hit / hit

A – B – B:
These are verbs that change from the base form for the simple past and the past participle, but there is no difference between the simple past and the past participle.

Examples:

tell / told / told
think / thought / thought
build / built / built

A – B – A:
These are verbs that change from the base form for the simple past, but then the past participle is the same as the base form.

Examples:

run / ran / run
come / came / come
dive / dove / dived

A – B – C:
These are verbs that are different for all three: base form, simple past, and past participle.

Examples:

break / broke / broken
swim / swam / swum
write / wrote / written

2. Another way to group verbs – by the change from the base form to the other forms, especially their vowel changes.

==> Key concept – This vowel change often (but not always) represents a change in pronunciation:

Base form: -a-, -ea- (pronunciation /ei/ or /i/)
Simple past: -o- (pronunciation /oʊ/)
Past participle: -o_en (pronunciation /oʊ_ɛn/ )

Examples:

break / broke / broken
speak / spoke / spoken
steal / stole / stolen
wake / woke / woken
weave / wove / woven

Base form: -aw, -ow, -y (pronunciation /ɔ/ or /oʊ/ or /ai/)
Simple past: -ew (pronunciation /u/)
Past participle: own, -awn (pronunciation /oʊn/ or /ɔn/)

Examples:

blow / blew / blown
draw / drew / drawn
fly / flew / flown
grow / grew / grown
know / knew / known
throw / threw / thrown

Base form: -i- (pronunciation /ɪ/)
Simple past: -a- (pronunciation /æ/)
Past participle: -u- (pronunciation /ʌ/)

Examples:

begin / began / begun
drink / drank / drunk
ring / rang / rung
shrink / shrank / shrunk
sing / sang / sung
sink / sank / sunk
swim / swam / swum
spring / sprang / sprung
stink / stank / stunk

Base form: -ink, -ing, -uy, -ight (pronunciation /ɪŋk/ or /ɪŋ/ or /ai/ or /ait/)
Simple past: -ought (pronunciation /ɔt/)
Past participle: -ought (pronunciation /ɔt/)

Examples:

bring / brought / brought
buy / bought / bought
fight / fought / fought
think / thought / thought

Base form: -i- (pronunciation /ai/)
Simple past: -o- (pronunciation /oʊ/)
Past participle: -i_en (pronunciation /ɪ_ɛn/)

Examples:

arise / arose / arisen
drive / drove / driven
ride / rode / ridden
rise / rose / risen
smite / smote / smitten
stride / strode / stridden
strive / strove / striven
write / wrote / written

Base form: -ell (pronunciation /ɛl/)
Simple past: -old (pronunciation /oʊld/)
Past participle: -old (pronunciation /oʊld/)

Examples:

sell / sold / sold
tell / told / told

Base form: -i- (pronunciation /ai/)
Simple past: -i- (pronunciation /ɪ/)
Past participle: -i_en (pronunciation /ɪ_ɛn/)

Examples:

bite / bit / bitten
hide / hid / hidden
slide / slid / slidden

Base form: -ind (pronunciation /aind/)
Simple past: -ound (pronunciation /aʊnd/)
Past participle: -ound (pronunciation /aʊnd/)

Examples:

bind / bound / bound
find / found / found
grind / ground / ground
wind / wound / wound

Base form: -ee-, -ea- (pronunciation /i/)
Simple past: -e_t, -ea_t, -ed (pronunciation /ɛ_t/ or /ɛd/)
Past participle: -e_t, -ea_t, -ed (pronunciation /ɛ_t/ or /ɛd/)

Examples:

bleed / bled / bled
breed / bred / bred
deal / dealt / dealt
dream / dreamt / dreamt
feed / fed / fed
feel / felt / felt
flee / fled / fled
keep / kept / kept
kneel / knelt / knelt
mean / meant / meant
meet / met / met
plead / pled / pled
sleep / slept / slept
speed / sped / sped
sweep / swept / swept
weep / wept / wept

Base form: -ake (pronunciation /eik/)
Simple past: -ook (pronunciation /ʊk/)
Past participle: -aken (pronunciation /eikɛn/)

Examples:

forsake / forsook / forsaken
mistake / mistook / mistaken
shake / shook / shaken
take / took / taken

Base form: -ea- (pronunciation /i/)
Simple past: -e-, -ea- (pronunciation /ɛ/)
Past participle: -e-, -ea- (pronunciation /ɛ/)

Examples:

lead / led / led
leave / left / left
read / read / read

Base form: -ear (pronunciation /ɛr/)
Simple past: -ore (pronunciation /ɔr/)
Past participle: -orn(e) (pronunciation /ɔrn/)

Examples:

bear / bore / borne
swear / swore / sworn
tear / tore / torn
wear / wore / worn

Base form: -i- (pronunciation /ɪ/)
Simple past: -a- (pronunciation /ei/)
Past participle: -i_en (pronunciation /ɪ_ɛn/)

Examples:

bid / bade / bidden
forbid / forbade / forbidden
forgive / forgave / forgiven
give / gave / given

Base form: -i-, -a- (pronunciation /ɪ/ or /æ/)
Simple past: -u- (pronunciation /ʌ/)
Past participle: -u- (pronunciation /ʌ/)

Examples:

cling / clung / clung
dig / dug / dug
fling / flung / flung
hang / hung / hung
sling / slung / slung
slink / slunk / slunk
spin / spun / spun
stick / stuck / stuck
sting / stung / stung
string / strung / strung
swing / swung / swung
wring / wrung / wrung

These have no vowel change, or vowel shift, but have a change in consonant.

Base form: -d
Simple past: -t
Past participle: -t

Examples:

bend / bent / bent
build / built / built
lend / lent / lent
make / made / made
send / sent / sent
spend / spent / spent

These are similar to the above, except they have no final consonant in the base form. The simple past and past participle are done as above, but note that the -y in the base form is changed to -i before adding the final -d.

lay / laid / laid
pay / paid / paid
say / said / said

These also have no vowel shift – they are regular verbs. However, there is an optional –t instead of –ed for simple past, past participle (note that those ending in –ll are reduced to one “l” when using –t for past tense):

burn / burned, burnt / burned, burnt
learn / learned, learnt / learned, learnt
dwell / dwelt, dwelled / dwelt, dwelled
smell / smelled, smelt / smelled, smelt
spell / spelled, spelt / spelled, spelt
spill / spilled, spilt / spilled, spilt
spoil / spoiled, spoilt / spoiled, spoilt

These are regular in simple past and past participle, but when the past participle is used as an adjective or in passive sentences, then the –n form is more common:

hew / hewed / hewn, hewed
mow / mowed / mown, mowed
prove / proved / proven, proved
saw / sawed / sawn, sawed
sew / sewed / sewn, sewed
show / showed / shown, showed
shear / sheared / shorn, sheared
sow / sowed / sown, sowed
strew / strewed / strewn, strewed
strike / struck / stricken, struck
tread / trod / trodden, trod

Using / BE + -ing / to Express Future Events

2011-02-06T21:43:00.002-06:00

You can use BE + -ing to talk about something in the future. Here is the sentence pattern:

SUBJECT / BE + -ing / OBJECT / (TIME)

Note:
The (TIME) component is optional. You can include the time to give more information, or to emphasize that you’re talking about the future.

Examples:

Go:
We / are going / on vacation / next week.
We / are going / on vacation.

(“next week” is informative.)

Play:
John / is playing / tennis / Saturday.

(Here, “Saturday” is not only informative, but it emphasizes the future. Without “Saturday,” we might think John is playing tennis right now.)

Bake:

I / am baking / a cake / tonight.

(Also emphasizes the future to avoid confusion with the present continuous.)

Use the following verbs and try writing some sentences talking about the future by using BE + -ing:

1. Speak
2. Bring
3. Drive
4. Do
5. Eat
6. Have
7. Call
8. Come
9. Take
10. Pitch

My sentences:

1. Professor Lee is speaking on statistics at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
2. Tom and Jane are bringing potato salad to the picnic.
3. Jack is driving the school bus for tomorrow’s field trip.
4. I am doing laundry tomorrow night.
5. Are we eating bacon for breakfast tomorrow?
6. They are having waffles for lunch next weekend.
7. She is calling the doctor’s office first thing in the morning.
8. Mr. Smith is coming on the six o’clock train.
9. The class is taking pictures for the yearbook tomorrow.
10. Bob Feller is pitching for the Cleveland Indians next year.

Weather Report: Tons of Snow!!

2011-02-02T21:21:00.007-06:00

Blizzard

When talking about the weather, a "blizzard" is a very heavy snowstorm with high winds. Usually, though, people say "blizzard" when they want to indicate that it snowed a lot.

We had a blizzard last night. We had lots of snow (20.3 inches, over 50 cm), and there were high winds. The high winds created big snowdrifts. A snowdrift is a pile of snow made from blowing wind. There was so much snow that it was hard to push the door open.

Snow was piled high everywhere. We shoveled all morning (close to 4 hours) just to dig out the driveway and clear the sidewalks. It was a lot of hard work. The snow is heavy, and then to get it out of the way, we had to lift it up and throw it in piles. If you need some exercise, shoveling snow will give you a good workout!

Tonight, it is supposed to get very cold. The weather forecast says that temperatures could get down to 12 below zero Fahrenheit (almost -25 C). With the wind, it can feel even colder - maybe 30 below (-34 C). We call this "windchill" - when it's cold and windy, it feels colder than what the thermometer actually says.

Happy New Year! 2011 Resolutions

2010-12-31T20:54:00.002-06:00

Every year I make resolutions (which I prefer to think of as "setting goals"), with a track record of limited success. This year is no different: I have been thinking about what sort of things I'd like to accomplish this year, and have written them down in a rough draft. What's new (and hopefully improved) for this year is that insofar as possible, I am appending to each goal specific, actionable steps to help me achieve that goal; e.g., if one of my goals is to complete my writing projects, I have under that goal "Write a minimum of 1000 words a day."

I think that this approach will be especially helpful for those who are learning another language. So, for example, if you want to improve your English in 2011, don't just write "Learn more English" as your resolution. Instead, write:

(example 1)

Increase my vocabulary

Learn 100 new words a week
==> Learn 15 new words a day
==> Spend 20 minutes a day learning vocabulary
==> Read one English story a week

(example 2)

Improve my grammar

Complete XYZ workbook
==> Work on N sections a week
==> Spend 30 minutes a day doing the workbook

I think this gives you a good idea of setting not only specific goals, but thinking about the specific steps that are necessary for achieving your goals.

What are your goals for English? Think about them, and then think about what steps you can take towards those goals. Make your steps realistic and practical, and you'll be more likely to achieve them.

For some, this might seem like a no-brainer, and, indeed, I have heard before the advice about being specific in setting goals. But the "a-ha" insight for me lies in not only being specific about the goals themselves, but in getting specific about the steps necessary to achieve those goals. It forces me to think more clearly about the goals - thus, the goals are more realistic, giving me a better chance at success.

Culture Focus: Groundhog Day

2010-02-04T12:09:00.003-06:00

February 2 was Groundhog Day. It is not an official holiday. It comes from an old tradition. People watch and wait for a groundhog to come out of his hole in the ground.

According to folklore, if the groundhog sees his shadow, he will be scared and go back into the hole. This means that we will have six more weeks of winter.

On the other hand, if the groundhog does not see his shadow, he will stay out of his hole. This means there will be an early spring.

In the United States, the most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This groundhog was made famous in the movie “Groundhog Day.”

Another name for “groundhog” is “woodchuck.” There is an old joke about the woodchuck:

Question: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Answer: He’d chuck all the wood a woodchuck could chuck!

Here, “chuck” means the same as “throw.”

Grammar Basics: Unit 32 – must (Solutions)

2010-02-03T14:40:00.002-06:00

Exercises

Complete the sentences. Use “must be” and one of the following verbs.

Example:

Your sister had a new baby? Congratulations! You must be (hungry, happy, tired)!
==> You must be happy!

Jack worked all night. He must be tired.
It must be windy. I see everyone is using an umbrella.
Class is canceled today. Mrs. Smith must be sick.
John just sits on the couch and sighs. He must be bored.
Mary gets straight As every semester. She must be very smart.

Complete the sentences. Use “must” and one of the following verbs.

Example:

Everything in Susie’s room is pink. She must (hate, like, know) the color pink.
==> She must like the color pink.

Miss Brown teaches two kindergarten classes every day. She must have the patience of Job.
Tom studied for six hours last night. He must know all the material well enough for the test by now.
The Jones have a large vegetable garden. They must eat plenty of fresh vegetables in the summer.
Jane used to have long hair, but now it’s short. She must have gotten a haircut.
Jack seems to know so much. He must read a lot.

Complete the sentences. Use “must” and one of the following verbs.

Example:

You are going to Disneyworld for your vacation? You must (take, give, bring) a lot of pictures.
==> You must take a lot of pictures.

Hospital visiting hours are over. You must go home now.
All passengers must have their passports ready when going through Customs.
In most states, you must be 21 to drink alcohol.
You must sign this form before submitting it to the office.
You must do your homework if you want to pass the test.

Complete the sentences. Use “must” or “must not”.

Example:

Jack never goes out after work. He (must / must not) like socializing.
==> He must not like socializing.

Matt rides a bike every day, even in the winter. He must not have a car.
Jane has the flu. She must not feel very well.
Tom works at the zoo. He must like animals.
Grandpa needs a magnifying glass to read the paper. He must not see very well.
Mary’s pie has won a blue ribbon at the county fair. She must be a good cook.

Grammar Basics: Unit 32 – must

2010-02-02T16:00:00.006-06:00

“must” is used with another verb in its infinitive form. “must” does not change for either person or count.

Pattern: I / you / he, she, it / we / they “must” + V (inf. form)

The negative “not” comes between “must” and its verb:

“must not” + V (inf. form)

“must” is used in two different ways:

1 – to indicate something that we believe to be true
2 – to indicate that doing something is an obligation or necessity

1 – must: belief that something is true

In this sense, it is very similar to “probably”:

John dislikes driving, so I think he must take the train to work. (I think he probably takes the train to work, since he dislikes driving.)
You haven’t eaten all day? You must be hungry! (You are probably hungry!)
I called the Petersons, but no one answered. They must not be home. (They are probably not home.)
There are several newspapers on the neighbor’s driveway. They must be on vacation. (They are probably on vacation.)

2 – must: something is an obligation or necessity

You must be quiet in the library.
All drivers must stop at a red light.
If you want dessert, you must finish your dinner.
It’s quiet hours now in the dormitory. You must not play loud music.

Note: “must not” can be contracted: “mustn’t”

You mustn’t play loud music.

Note: We can also use “have to” in the positive sentences above:

You have to be quiet in the library.
All drivers have to stop at a red light.
If you want dessert, you have to finish your dinner.

For the negative, use “should not”:

It’s quiet hours now in the dormitory. You should not play loud music.

If we need the past tense, we use “had to” and not “must”:

You had to be quiet in the library.
All drivers had to stop at a red light.
If you wanted dessert, you had to finish your dinner.

Exercises

Complete the sentences. Use “must be” and one of the following verbs.

Example:

Your sister had a new baby? Congratulations! You must be (hungry, happy, tired)!
==> You must be happy!

Jack worked all night. He must be (hungry, happy, tired).
It must be (cold, raining, windy). I see everyone is using an umbrella.
Class is canceled today. Mrs. Smith must be (sick, hungry, short).
John just sits on the couch and sighs. He must be (busy, hot, bored).
Mary gets straight As every semester. She must be (dumb, very smart, tall).

Complete the sentences. Use “must” and one of the following verbs.

Example:

Everything in Susie’s room is pink She must (hate, like, know) the color pink.
==> She must like the color pink.

Miss Brown teaches two kindergarten classes every day. She must (know, have, like) the patience of Job.
Tom studied for six hours last night. He must (know, write, see) all the material well enough for the test by now.
The Jones have a large vegetable garden. They must (drink, wash, eat) plenty of fresh vegetables in the summer.
Jane used to have long hair, but now it’s short. She must (have, be, seem) gotten a haircut.
Jack seems to know so much. He must (write, read, talk) a lot.

Hospital visiting hours are over. You must (go, leave, stay) home now.
All passengers must (eat, have, read) their passports ready when going through Customs.
In most states, you must (have, be, am) 21 to drink alcohol.
You must (close, look, sign) this form before submitting it to the office.
You must (do, listen, work) your homework if you want to pass the test.

Complete the sentences. Use “must” or “must not”.

Example:

Jack never goes out after work. He (must / must not) like socializing.
==> He must not like socializing.

Matt rides a bike every day, even in the winter. He (must / must not) have a car.
Jane has the flu. She (must / must not) feel very well.
Tom works at the zoo. He (must / must not) like animals.
Grandpa needs a magnifying glass to read the paper. He (must / must not) see very well.
Mary’s pie has won a blue ribbon at the county fair. She (must / must not) be a good cook.

Educational Focus: Report cards

2010-01-26T17:23:00.003-06:00

Most high schools have recently finished the first half of the school year. We call this the first semester of the school year. Like colleges and universities, high schools base their courses on a half-year, or semester, system. Some schools (usually grade schools) use a quarter system instead of semesters. Either way, mid-January still marks the middle of the school year. The fall semester starts at the end of August (or, sometimes, the beginning of September) and ends either in December (for colleges and universities) or mid-January (for high schools). At the end of each semester, students usually take a cumulative final exam. This cumulative final exam tests the students over all the material that they were supposed to learn for that semester. After the students have taken the tests and the teachers have graded the tests, the teacher will calculate the semester grade and record it in the student’s report card.

Nowadays, report cards are generated by computer and mailed directly to the student’s parents. Before school had computers, student report cards were written by hand on a card. The card had lines on which were written the student’s name, the teacher’s name, the class, and all the subjects which the student had. Typical subject would be arithmetic (math, or mathematics), history, science, social studies, English, art, music, and PE (physical education).

The possible grades that a student could get in a subject were A (best grade), B, C, D, or F (worst). Letter grades could also be given a “+” or “–” to indicate “somewhat above” or “somewhat below.” Thus, the entire range of grades, from best to worst, would be: A+, A, A–, B+, B, B–, C+, C, C–, D+, D, D–, F. A grade of “F” indicates failure. A student who got an “F” is said to have “flunked.”

Sometimes, a report card might also have a separate space for “effort.” Here the teacher indicates how hard the student worked to earn his grade. This mark for effort is not really a grade. It is a comment about the student’s attitude to the parents. So, a student might have gotten a “C” in a subject, and an “A” or “1” for effort. This tells the parents that the student had put forth his best effort anyhow. On the other hand, a student might have gotten an “A+” in a subject and yet received only a “2” or even a “3” for effort. This would indicate that perhaps the student needs to be challenged more. Maybe the class is too easy for him!

When report cards were written by hand, the teacher passed out the report cards for the students to take home. The students had to take the report cards home to show their parents. One of the parents had to sign the report card. Then the student brought it back to school and returned it to the teacher. At the end of the school year, the parents did not have to sign the report card. Since school was over, the student could keep the report card. For the final report card, the teacher would write at the end something like “Promoted to Grade 5” to indicate that the student successfully finished Grade 4, and could start the next school year in the next higher grade.

Writing Assignment: Going skating (Solution)

2010-01-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

1. Where is this family skating?

They are skating outside.

2. How many people are skating in the picture?

There are three people skating in the picture.

3. Is anyone skating backwards?

No one is skating backwards. They are all skating forwards.

4. Is anyone doing a figure eight?

No, no one is doing a figure eight.

5. Is anyone making a crossover turn?

No, no one is making a crossover turn.

6. Can the baby skate?

No, the baby is too young to skate.

7. What is the baby doing instead of skating?

Instead of skating, the baby is riding in a push sled.

8. What is the father doing?

The father is pushing the baby in the baby sled while he is skating. He is also holding the hand of the big sister.

9. What type of skates does the father have?

The father has either hockey skates or figure skates.

10. What is the mother doing?

The mother is holding the hand of the big sister while she is skating.

11. What type of skates does the mother have?

It looks like the mother has hockey skates. Women’s figure skates are usually white.

12. What type of skates does the big sister have?

The big sister has beginner skates, or double-bladed skates.

13. Can the big sister skate by herself, or does she need help?

No, she cannot skate by herself. She needs help in learning how to skate.

14. Is it cold in the picture?

Yes, it is cold. The water is frozen.

15. Is anyone wearing a scarf?

Yes. The mother is wearing a head scarf to keep warm. The baby is also wearing a scarf.

16. Who is wearing a hat?

The two girls are wearing hats.

17. Who is not wearing a hat?

The father is not wearing a hat. He does not have anything on his head to keep warm. The mother is not wearing a hat, but she still has something on her head to keep warm.

18. What do the people have on their hands to keep their hands from getting cold?

The people are wearing mittens and gloves to keep their hands warm.

19. Is the family skating on an ice rink, a river, a lake, or a pond?

The family is not skating on an ice rink. They are outdoors, skating on a river or a lake.

20. How much snow is there on the ice?

There is no snow on the ice.

21. What must be done if there is snow on the ice and someone wants to go skating?

If there is snow on the ice and someone wants to go skating, the ice must be cleared and the snow shoveled off.

22. How thick should the ice be for it to be safe for skating?

The ice should be at least 8 – 10 cm thick for it to be safe for skating.

23. What happens if the ice is too thin to skate on?

If the ice is too thin to skate on, it is dangerous. The ice could break, and the skater could fall in and drown.

24. Why are there cracks in the ice?

There are cracks in the ice because ice expands as it freezes.

25. Is it safe to go skating if there are cracks in the ice?

If the cracks are from the ice expanding as it gets colder, it is usually okay to skate on. If the cracks come from someone breaking the ice to open it up for water, it is probably not safe to go skating there.

Paragraph: Going Ice Skating

Have you ever been ice skating? What was it like? Was it outdoors, or at a rink? Did you fall down a lot when you first learned to ice skate? If you have never been ice skating, write about what you think would be fun about ice skating (or what would not be fun, if you don’t like it).

When I was younger, I grew up near a river. In the summertime, we went swimming, fishing, and boating on the river. But in the wintertime, the river would freeze over, and then we could go ice skating. My father would always check the ice first to make sure it was thick enough and safe for skating. If there was snow on the ice, we had to shovel it off before we could go skating there. We could make as big as rink as we wanted, but a bigger rink also meant that there was a lot more snow shoveling to do before we could skate there.

When I first learned to ice skate, I had double-bladed skates. They were strapped on over my snow boots. The double blades made it easier for me to become accustomed to skating on the ice. After I got better at skating, I could skate on single blades. Then I wore an old pair of hockey skates that had belonged to one of my brothers. The hockey skates had a blade attached to the bottom of the shoe, so I had to take off my boots, put on the skates, and then lace them up tightly to wear them. Since it is difficult to lace skates when wearing mittens or gloves, I had to take off my mittens when I laced up the skates. It was very cold, and by the time I finished putting on my skates, my fingers were numb. I couldn’t wait to put the mittens back on.

As I got better at skating, I learned how to skate backwards and skate around corners using a crossover turn. I never had any lessons, so I don’t know how to do anything fancy like a figure eight or spins. But at least I can skate without falling down, and I can skate fast enough to have some fun. I enjoy skating, and look forward each winter to being able to go out and get some exercise and fresh air.

Writing Assignment: Going skating

2010-01-16T15:33:00.002-06:00

Vocabulary

(ice) skates
Hockey skates
Figure skates
Speed skates
Double-bladed skates
Blade
Shoe
(shoe) lace
Cold
Jacket
Glide
Push
Crack
Thick
Thin
Lap
Rink
River
Lake
Pond
Shovel
Crossover turn
Backwards
Push sled / baby sled
Hat
Coat
Jacket
Scarf
Mittens
Gloves
Boots
Hood
Figure eight

1. Where is this family skating?
2. How many people are skating in the picture?
3. Is anyone skating backwards?
4. Is anyone doing a figure eight?
5. Is anyone making a crossover turn?
6. Can the baby skate?
7. What is the baby doing instead of skating?
8. What is the father doing?
9. What type of skates does the father have?
10. What is the mother doing?
11. What type of skates does the mother have?
12. What type of skates does the big sister have?
13. Can the big sister skate by herself, or does she need help?
14. Is it cold in the picture?
15. Is anyone wearing a scarf?
16. Who is wearing a hat?
17. Who is not wearing a hat?
18. What do the people have on their hands to keep their hands from getting cold?
19. Is the family skating on an ice rink, a river, a lake, or a pond?
20. How much snow is there on the ice?
21. What must be done if there is snow on the ice and someone wants to go skating?
22. How thick should the ice be for it to be safe for skating?
23. What happens if the ice is too thin to skate on?
24. Why are there cracks in the ice?
25. Is it safe to go skating if there are cracks in the ice?

Paragraph: Going Ice Skating

Have you ever been ice skating? What was it like? Was it outdoors, or at a rink? Did you fall down a lot when you first learned to ice skate? If you have never been ice skating, write about what you think would be fun about ice skating (or what would not be fun, if you don’t like it).

Grammar Basics: Unit 31 – can and could (Solutions)

2010-01-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

Exercises:

Using the given clues, write sentences using “can.” If there is a question mark, make a question using “can.”

Example:

Tom / sing well ==> Tom can sing well.
She / speak Italian / not ==> She can’t speak Italian.
John / poker / ? ==> Can John play poker?

Walter can drive a car.
We can’t come to the party.
I can ice skate.
Can you swim?
Bill can go to the picnic.
Can we go on vacation this summer?
They can’t buy a house.
Can you shut the window?
Sally can cook dinner.
Tim can’t stay up late.

Determine whether to use “can” or “could” with the given verb in the following sentences.

Example:

I wasn’t busy, so I (come) to the party. ==> I wasn’t busy, so I could come to the party.
Dan is sick. He (go, not) to the football game. ==> Dan is sick. He can’t go to the football game.

After eating a whole pizza, James was full. He couldn’t eat another bite of food.
Louis is blind. He can’t read that book.
Mark is in high school, so he can attend summer camp this year.
We couldn’t go swimming at the outdoor pool because there was a thunderstorm.
We have finished packing, so we can leave on our trip as soon as you’re ready.
John didn’t finish his homework in time, so he couldn’t go skiing with us.
On a clear day, you can see forever.
We had an extra seat in the car, so we could give Mary a ride to the train station.
If you’re tired, you can take a quick nap before dinner.
The weather was nice, so we could go camping at the state park last weekend.

Grammar Basics: Unit 31 – can and could

2010-01-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

“can” is used to indicate the ability to do something. It is used with a verb in the infinitive form:

can + V (inf.) …

Examples:

I can play the piano.
Shelia can ride a bike.
The twins can play chess.
We can go to the museum tomorrow.

Note: “can” is the same, regardless of person and number. First person singular, third person plural – it doesn’t matter :).

To make a question, switch the order of “can” and its subject:

Can you play the piano?
Can Jack ride a bike?
Can they play checkers?

To negate, put “not” between “can” and its verb: “can not”, which is written as one word ==> “cannot”

I cannot lift this heavy suitcase.
They cannot come because of bad weather.
Sam cannot speak Chinese.

Note: “cannot” is usually contracted to “can’t.” Thus we have:

I can’t lift this heavy suitcase.
They can’t come because of bad weather.
Sam can’t speak Chinese.

All the examples we’ve given thus far use “can” or “can’t” in the present or future tense. To speak of ability in the past tense, we use “could” (“could not” or “couldn’t” for the negation):

The neighbors were noisy, so I couldn’t sleep at all last night.
James could eat a whole pizza when he was a teenager.
They could stay up all night when they were in college.

Other Notes:

1) Sometimes “can” / “can’t” is used for permission rather than ability:

You can’t use your cell phone in the library.
Tom can’t go visit Becky. He has to whitewash the fence.
Can I have a drink of water?

2) In asking permission, “could” is a more polite form to use than “can”:

Can I have a drink of water? ==> Could I have a drink of water?
Can my friend sit here? ==> Could my friend sit here?
Can you open the window? ==> Could you open the window?

Exercises:

Using the given clues, write sentences using “can.” If there is a question mark, make a question using “can.”

Example:

Tom / sing well ==> Tom can sing well.
She / speak Italian / not ==> She can’t speak Italian.
John / poker / ? ==> Can John play poker?

Walter / drive / a car
We / come / to the party / not
I / ice skate
You / swim / ?
Bill / go / to the picnic
We / go on vacation / this summer / ?
They / buy a house / not
You / shut / the window / ?
Sally / cook / dinner
Tim / stay up / late / not

After eating a whole pizza, James was full. He (eat, not) another bite of food.
Louis is blind. He (read, not) that book.
Mark is in high school, so he (attend) summer camp this year.
We (go, not) swimming at the outdoor pool because there was a thunderstorm.
We have finished packing, so we (leave) on our trip as soon as you’re ready.
John didn’t finish his homework in time, so he (go, not) skiing with us.
On a clear day, you (see) forever.
We had an extra seat in the car, so we (give) Mary a ride to the train station.
If you’re tired, you (take) a quick nap before dinner.
The weather was nice, so we (go) camping at the state park last weekend.

Culture Focus: Refunds & Exchanges

2010-01-13T08:05:00.002-06:00

Usually, when people buy a gift for someone else, they try to get a gift that is suitable for the recipient. If they want to give some clothes as a gift, they try to get clothes that are the right size. They try to get clothes that are in the style that the recipient likes. If they want to give a book, they try to get something from a favorite author. If they give some music as a gift, they try to get something from a favorite band. Sometimes, though, it is difficult to know exactly what kind of present would make the recipient happy. This means that sometimes, despite our best efforts, a present is not always what the recipient likes. Because of this, people often give a gift receipt along with the present. A gift receipt makes it easier for the recipient to exchange the gift or get a refund.

What is a gift receipt? In general, a receipt is a piece of paper from a store that shows 1) when something was bought, 2) what price was paid for the item, and 3) from which store the item was purchased. A gift receipt contains all this information too, except the price of the item is coded. Why is the price coded? We consider it impolite to let a person know how much was paid for the present, so gift receipts are coded to hide the price.

So, if a person is unhappy with a present he’s gotten, he has two options: 1) He can exchange the present for something more to his liking, or 2) he can get a refund.

1) Exchange

Sometimes, the person likes the present, except it is the wrong size, wrong color, etc. He can take the item and the gift receipt back to the store. Then he can pick out a present that is the right size, right color, etc. This situation is easier for the clerk, since there is generally no difference in price between the original present and the exchange. Usually, the clerk will scan the information from the receipt. Then the clerk will scan the information from the exchange. This is so the store’s inventory will remain accurate and up-to-date. The clerk will probably make a note of the exchange on the receipt.

Sometimes, the person will want to exchange the old present for another item that is completely different. For example, maybe a person got a sweater as a gift, but they want to have a pair of shoes instead. In this case, the clerk usually treats this as two separate transactions: one return, and one purchase. The clerk scans the gift receipt for the original purchase information. The person returning the present will get a store credit equal to the amount paid for the original purchase. This credit is then applied to the purchase of the new item. If the cost of the new item is less than the cost of the original present, the person will get a refund for the difference, or get a store credit. If the cost of the new item is greater than the cost of the original present, the person will have to pay the difference.

Both cases are good from the store’s perspective, because the sale is saved, and the customer is happy. It is a “win-win” situation: both sides benefit from the deal.

2) Refund

Sometimes, the person likes nothing about the present. He would rather have the money instead of the present. In this case, he can be refunded the price of the gift. The clerk will scan the information about the original purchase and determine how much money the person will get back. From the store’s perspective, this is not a good thing, because it is the same as a lost sale. But the store will do it anyhow, because it is good for customer relations: “The customer is always right.”

Grammar Basics: Unit 30 – might and may (Solutions)

2010-01-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Exercises:

Use the given words to respond to the following questions, using the phrase “I don’t know / I’m not sure. I (He, They, etc.) might…”

Example:

What are you doing this afternoon? (store) ==> I don’t know. I might go to the store this afternoon.

Where is Tom going for vacation? (Florida) ==> I’m not sure. He might go to Florida.

What are you going to eat for lunch? ==> I’m not sure. I might have soup or salad.
Is Mary coming to the party? ==> I don’t know. She might have to work.
When are you going to go to the library? ==> I don’t know. I might go after class.
Did Bill and Jane name their new baby yet? ==> I’m not sure. They might have named him James.
What’s the weather supposed to be like tomorrow? ==> I’m not sure. It might rain.
Where is Mark going to college? ==> I don’t know. He might be going to the University of Illinois.
Does Sally have any pets? ==> I’m not sure. She might have a cat.
What color is Jill’s car? ==> I don’t know. It might be blue.
How many books do the kids have to read for the summer program? ==> I’m not sure. They might have to read 15 books.
Where would you like to go on your dream vacation? ==> I don’t know. I might like to go to Switzerland.
How old is John’s son? ==> I don’t know. He might be six.
Where did Tom and Susan move to? ==> I’m not sure. They might have moved to Colorado.
Is there butter or margarine in this cookie recipe? ==> I’m not sure. It might be butter.
Where does Jim work? ==> I don’t know. He might be a salesman for a manufacturing company.
How fast can Tina type? ==> I’m not sure. She might type as fast as 80 words per minute.
Where are the newlyweds going for their honeymoon? ==> I’m not sure. They might go to Hawaii.
Who is the greatest basketball player? ==> I don’t know. It might be Michael Jordan.
What present are you going to give your mother for her birthday? ==> I’m not sure. I might get her a box of chocolates.
What is the name of Barbara’s older son? ==> I don’t know. It might be Christopher.
Who’s calling on the phone? ==> I’m not sure. It might be the doctor’s office.

Grammar Basics: Unit 30 – might and may

2010-01-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

“might” is used to indicate possibility. We use it when we are not certain if something will happen.

Pattern:

might + V (infinitive) …

I might cook spaghetti tomorrow night.
Be careful! You might slip and fall on the ice.
He might get a job working at the gas station.
We might see a movie next weekend.
They might close the store early.

Note: “might” is the same, regardless of person and number. First person singular, third person plural – it doesn’t matter :).

To form the negation, put “not” between “might” and its infinitive verb.

Negation:

might not + V (infinitive) …

I might not get to the appointment on time.
You might not make the team if you don’t practice.
Who knows, it might not rain tomorrow anyhow.
We might not see him again for a long time.
They might not be able to afford it.

“might” is often used with “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure”:

A: What are you going to eat?
B: I’m not sure. I might try the salmon.

A: Have you decided where you’ll go for your honeymoon?
B: We don’t know. We might go to the Bahamas.

A: Do you know if Tom is coming?
B: I don’t know. I suspect he might not make it.

Recall:

“am going to” indicates certainty – something will happen.
“might” indicates uncertainty – we do not know if something will happen.

Tom is going to stop by later. (He will certainly come).
Tom might stop by later. (Maybe he will come, or maybe he won’t. We don’t know.)

I am going to take a nap after lunch. (I am so tired, I will certainly rest.)
I might take a nap after lunch. (I don’t know. I have a lot of work to do, so maybe I will do that instead.)

When we are talking about uncertainty, we can use “may” instead of “might”:

Tom may stop by later = Tom might stop by later.

Exercises:

Use the given words to respond to the following questions, using the phrase “I don’t know / I’m not sure. I (He, They, etc.) might…”

Example:

What are you doing this afternoon? (store) ==> I don’t know. I might go to the store this afternoon.

Where is Tom going for vacation? (Florida) ==> I’m not sure. He might go to Florida.

What are you going to eat for lunch? (soup or salad)
Is Mary coming to the party? (have to work)
When are you going to go to the library? (after class)
Did Bill and Jane name their new baby yet? (James)
What’s the weather supposed to be like tomorrow? (rain)
Where is Mark going to college? (University of Illinois)
Does Sally have any pets? (cat)
What color is Jill’s car? (blue)
How many books do the kids have to read for the summer program? (15)
Where would you like to go on your dream vacation? (Switzerland)
How old is John’s son? (six)
Where did Tom and Susan move to? (Colorado)
Is there butter or margarine in this cookie recipe? (butter)
Where does Jim work? (salesman for a manufacturing company)
How fast can Tina type? (as fast as 80 words per minute)
Where are the newlyweds going for their honeymoon? (Hawaii)
Who is the greatest basketball player? (Michael Jordan)
What present are you going to give your mother for her birthday? (box of chocolates)
What is the name of Barbara’s older son? (Christopher)
Who’s calling on the phone? (doctor’s office)

Educational Focus: Snow Days

2010-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Many places in the United States get snow in the winter. If it is very cold, like this year, even states like Texas or Florida can get snow. Sometimes there is so much snow that is it difficult or dangerous to drive. If this happens, schools often declare a “snow day.” When a school has a snow day, classes are canceled for that day, and children don’t have to attend.

How much snow is necessary to get a snow day? It depends. In southern states like Texas or Florida, drivers are not used to driving in snow. Also, most southern towns would probably not have snow plows or other equipment to clear the roads of snow. Consequently, even only a few centimeters of snow would create dangerous driving for most drivers in southern states. Children living in these states would most likely get a snow day if there were only a few centimeters of snow.

Northern states like Minnesota or North Dakota, though, are accustomed to winter driving with lots of snow, so a few centimeters of snow would mean nothing to them. Snow plows come and clear the roads, but sometimes they only put out salt or gravel if it is a minor amount of snow. Children living in these states would probably not get a snow day if there were only a few centimeters of snow. It would have to snow a lot more – maybe 15 cm or so – before the schools would consider granting a snow day. If there is a lot of wind, though, the snow can form big drifts, which would make the roads difficult or dangerous to drive. So if there is drifting snow, children would probably get a snow day.

Sometimes a snow day is declared because the weather is very cold, instead of because of the snow. Some Januarys have several days where the temperature stays below -25 degrees Celsius. Even the high temperature of the day doesn’t get above -20 – that is extremely cold!! In these cases, it is too cold to walk to school, or to wait outside for a school bus to come. So sometimes schools will also cancel classes due to extreme cold.

Of course, most children enjoy playing in the snow and having a day off from school. And you can be sure that if a student hasn’t studied for a test as much as he should, he will fervently hope for a snow day to give him some extra study time!

Writing Assignment: At the Post Office (Solution)

2010-01-10T08:00:00.003-06:00

1. In what place are these two people?
They are in the post office.

2. Where is the man standing?
He is standing behind the counter (behind the window).

3. What is he doing?
He is handing the woman a small packet.

4. Where is the woman standing?
The woman is standing at the counter (at the window).

5. What is the woman doing?
She is taking the packet from the man.

6. Why might the woman have gone to the post office?
She may have gone to the post office to buy some stamps.

7. What kinds of things may be bought at the post office?
At the post office, a person can buy stamps, envelopes, boxes, padded envelopes, tape, and other mailing supplies.

8. What can people do at the post office besides buy stamps and other mailing supplies?
People can pick up their mail from the post office. They can mail a letter or parcel. They can have letters and packages weighed. They can get official government forms, like passport applications and tax forms.

9. Are there other people also at the post office?
We don’t see any other people at this post office.

10. What do you do if there are other people waiting in line?
If there are other people waiting in line, you have to wait for your turn.

11. What can the man behind the window do if he has to do something in back?
If he has some task to do in the back of the post office, he can put a sign at his window.

12. What would the sign say?
The sign would say “Next Window Please” or “Will Be Back Soon.”

13. On what days is the post office open?
The post office is open from Mondays through Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays.

14. When does the post office open?
The post office usually opens at 8 a.m. or 8:30 a.m.

15. When does the post office close?
The post office usually closes at 5 p.m. On Saturdays, it usually closes at 12 noon, or 12:30 p.m.

16. On what holidays does the post office close?
In the US, the post office is closed on federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday (President’s Day), Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

17. What is the name of the person who delivers the mail?
The person who delivers the mail is called a mailman, a postman, a mail lady, or a mail carrier. Other people who work for the post office can be called postal workers. The head of the local post office is called a postmaster.

18. What happens to the mail of a person who has moved to a new house or apartment?
If a person has moved, his mail will be forwarded if he has filled out a “change of address” form. If he has not filled out a change of address form, it will be marked “undeliverable” and returned to sender.

19. What happens to the mail of a person who is on vacation?
If a person goes on vacation, he can request that his mail be held until he returns from vacation. He can then go to the post office and pick it up. To have his mail held, he must fill out an “authorization to hold mail” form.

20. How is international mail usually sent?
International mail is usually sent via airmail.

21. What kind of hobby do some people have with stamps?
Some people collect stamps for a hobby.

Paragraph: At the Post Office

Write a brief paragraph about the last time you had to go to the post office for something. What did you do there? Were there other people there too? What are some other reasons why you usually go to the post office?

Just before Christmas, I had to go to the post office to buy some stamps. I had to mail my Christmas cards, and I wanted to get the special Christmas stamps available at the post office. The Christmas stamps came out in October, and came in two sets. One design had Madonna and Child (the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus). The other set had four different designs: a reindeer, a snowman, a gingerbread man, and a nutcracker. Each set comes in a booklet containing 20 stamps. The stamps have self-sticking adhesive on the back, so they do not need to be licked.

There were a few people already waiting in line at the post office. Some people had Christmas cards and Christmas packages that they wanted to mail. The packages had to be weighed before the proper postage could be put on the package. People mailing packages had to tell the postal worker if there was anything breakable, perishable, or hazardous. They also had to fill out a form if they wanted to have the package insured.

Some people came to the post office to pick up their mail from their post office box. Some people came to the post office to buy some boxes or other mailing supplies for their Christmas packages. Some people were planning on going somewhere for Christmas vacation, so they filled out a form to have their mail held until they came back.

In the lobby of the post office, there is also a bulletin board with some “wanted posters” on it. If there are dangerous fugitives that are wanted by the FBI, the local post office will have their pictures put up on a wanted poster. The people on the wanted poster do not look like they are very nice people. I hope that I never seen them walking down the street somewhere.

Writing Assignment: At the Post Office

2010-01-09T13:36:00.002-06:00

Vocabulary

Post office
Teller
Clerk
Window
Counter
Stamp
Envelope
Post card
Postmark
Bulletin board
Form
Waiting line
Postmaster
Mail box
Post office box
Address
Return address
Parcel
Mailing supplies
Package
Packing
Tape
Label
Padded envelope
Wanted poster
Ahead (in line)
Take a number
Next window
Mailman
Mail lady
Postman
Postal worker
Mail carrier
(vacation) hold on mail
Forward the mail
Return to sender
Postage paid
Postage due
Special delivery
Book of stamps
Sheet of stamps
Air mail
Stamp collecting

In what place are these two people?
Where is the man standing?
What is he doing?
Where is the woman standing?
What is the woman doing?
Why might the woman have gone to the post office?
What kinds of things may be bought at the post office?
What can people do at the post office besides buy stamps and other mailing supplies?
Are there other people also at the post office?
What do you do if there are other people waiting in line?
What can the man behind the window do if he has to do something in back?
What would the sign say?
On what days is the post office open?
When does the post office open?
When does the post office close?
On what holidays does the post office close?
What is the name of the person who delivers the mail?
What happens to the mail of a person who has moved to a new house or apartment?
What happens to the mail of a person who is on vacation?
How is international mail usually sent?
What kind of hobby do some people have with stamps?

Paragraph: At the Post Office

Write a brief paragraph about the last time you had to go to the post office for something. What did you do there? Were there other people there too? What are some other reasons why you usually go to the post office?

Grammar Basics: Unit 29 – will, Part II. (Solution)

2010-01-09T11:39:00.002-06:00

Exercise: In the following sentences, choose either “will” or “going to” to make an appropriate sentence.

Example:

I’m tired, so I think I (will / am going to) go to bed. ==>
I’m tired, so I think I will go to bed.

A: What are you doing tomorrow night?
B: We (will / are going to) go out for dinner and watch a movie. ==>
We are going to out for a dinner and watch a movie.

1. It snowed a lot overnight. I will shovel the driveway before I go to work.

2.
A: I have a ton of work to do.
B: That’s all right. We will help you.

3. I’m confused. I think I will ask Sam to explain these instructions to me.

4.
A: Have you done your homework yet?
B: No, I will do it later, I think.

5. I’m tired. I think I will skip exercising today.

6.
A: Are you going to do anything this weekend?
B: No, I am going to stay home and get caught up on my reading.

7. Someone’s at the door. Will you answer it?

8.
A: What are you doing after lunch?
B: I am going to go ice skating. Want to come?

9. Mother likes flowers, so I think we will get her a colorful bouquet for her birthday.

10.
A: This room’s a mess.
B: Don’t worry – I will clean it up.

11. Do you know how expensive that wine is? If we buy that for the party, it will cost a fortune!

12.
A: We’re having a potluck this Saturday.
B: Okay. I will bring a salad.

13. I’ve finished reading my library books. I think I will return then and get some more.

14.
A: Why are you baking so many cookies?
B: I am going to gift wrap plates of cookie and give them away as presents.

15. We didn’t get a Christmas tree this year. We will get one next year, okay?

16.
A: The car’s low on gas.
B: I will fill it up on my way to the store.

17. I’m hot. I think I will go swimming to cool off.

18.
A: The plants need watering.
B: I will do it as soon as I’m done washing these dishes.

19. I will give you a call tomorrow, okay?

20.
A: I have a taste for pretzels.
B: I will bake some.

Grammar Basics: Unit 29 – will, Part II.

2010-01-08T10:25:00.005-06:00

Many ESL students are confused about “will” and “going to.” Both are used to indicate future events. But their connotations are slightly different.

going to: "going to" is used when a person has already decided to do something. After you have made your plans to do this or that, you use “I’m going to …” when you tell somebody about your future.

will: "will" is used at the moment you have made your decision. For example, someone might say, “The phone is ringing.” You could respond, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it.” You would not say, “I’m going to get it,” because you did not make your decision until the phone started to ring.

Another example: Someone asks, “Who wants to go with me to the store after lunch?” Up until now you had not considered doing that. But after someone asks you, you think that it would be something you are interested in doing. So you decide to go along, and you respond, “I will.”

If some other person asks you (even only 5 minutes later), “What are you doing after lunch?” you would then respond: “I am going to the store.” You would not say, “I will go to the store.” Why? Because your decision was already made before the other person asked.

Here are some more situations where “will” is used instead of “going to”:

Person A: It’s cold in here.
Person B: I’ll turn up the heat.

Person A: We need some more milk and eggs.
Person B: I’ll go to the store later today and pick some up.

Person A: I’m bored. I think I’ll go for a walk.

Person A: You look hungry. I’ll fix you a sandwich.

Person A: The roads are so snowy and icy today, I don’t think we’ll go to the museum.

Exercise: In the following sentences, choose either “will” or “going to” to make an appropriate sentence.

Example:

I’m tired, so I think I (will / am going to) go to bed. ==>
I’m tired, so I think I will go to bed.

A: What are you doing tomorrow night?
B: We (will / are going to) go out for dinner and watch a movie. ==>
We are going to out for a dinner and watch a movie.

1. It snowed a lot overnight. I (will / am going to) shovel the driveway before I go to work.

2.
A: I have a ton of work to do.
B: That’s all right. We (will / are going to) help you.

3. I’m confused. I think I (will / am going to) ask Sam to explain these instructions to me.

4.
A: Have you done your homework yet?
B: No, I (will / am going to) do it later, I think.

5. I’m tired. I think I (will / am going to) skip exercising today.

6.
A: (Will you do / Are you going to do) anything this weekend?
B: No, I (will / am going to) stay home and get caught up on my reading.

7. Someone’s at the door. (Will you / Are you going to) answer it?

8.
A: What are you doing after lunch?
B: I (will / am going to) go ice skating. Want to come?

9. Mother likes flowers, so I think we (will / are going to) get her a colorful bouquet for her birthday.

10.
A: This room’s a mess.
B: Don’t worry – I (will / am going to) clean it up.

11. Do you know how expensive that wine is? If we buy that for the party, it (will / is going to) cost a fortune!

12.
A: We’re having a potluck this Saturday.
B: Okay. I (will / am going to) bring a salad.

13. I’ve finished reading my library books. I think I (will / am going to) return then and get some more.

14.
A: Why are you baking so many cookies?
B: I (will / am going to) gift wrap plates of cookie and give them away as presents.

15. We didn’t get a Christmas tree this year. We (will / are going to) get one next year, okay?

16.
A: The car’s low on gas.
B: I (will / am going to) fill it up on my way to the store.

17. I’m hot. I think I (will / am going to) go swimming to cool off.

18.
A: The plants need watering.
B: I (will / am going to) do it as soon as I’m done washing these dishes.

19. I (will / am going to) give you a call tomorrow, okay?

20.
A: I have a taste for pretzels.
B: I (will / am going to) bake some.

Culture Focus: Getting a Driver’s License

2010-01-07T12:28:00.002-06:00

In most states in the US, 16 is the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license. Some states are lower. For example, 14-year-olds may get a driver’s license in South Dakota. New Jersey is at the other extreme, requiring drivers to be at least 17 years of age. Also, most states require that student drivers take and pass a driver’s education class before they are eligible to take an official driver’s licensing exam from the driver licensing facility, or DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), as it is called in many states.

A driver’s education class typically has two parts. The first is a classroom component, where students learn about driving safety and “rules of the road” (laws regulating drivers). The second is a practical component (“behind the wheel”), where students practice driving with an instructor. In some classes, students must spend several sessions on a “simulator,” or mock car, before they are permitted to drive an actual car on the road. A student driver must successfully pass both components of driver’s education. He must also spend a minimum number of hours driving outside of class. Then he is given some sort of certificate to verify completion of the requirements and eligibility for taking the official driver’s exam, or “road test.” (When I was in school, we called this a “blue slip,” because it was blue.)

At the driver license facility, the student driver registers and waits for his turn to take the road test. An examiner will go in the car with him and give him various driving tasks to do. The examiner might ask him to drive down a certain road or turn left at a stop sign. The examiner might ask the student driver to parallel park by a curb. The examiner might even ask the student driver to do a three-point turn or a two-point turn. The examiner carries a clipboard with a checklist, and notes how the student driver did. He will check to see if the student driver performed the requested maneuver correctly. He will check to see if the student driver used turn signals properly. He will check to see if the student drove in an unsafe manner, and so on. If the examiner is satisfied with the student’s driving, he will pass the student. Then the student can exchange his “blue slip” for an actual driver’s license.

For adults who already know how to drive, a vision test and a written test (based on the “rules of the road”) are usually required in addition to a road test. The vision test is to make sure the driver can see well enough to drive. In Illinois, the requirement is 20/40 vision or better, plus peripheral vision (140 degrees). If the driver’s vision is not 20/40, he must wear glasses while driving. The glasses should correct the vision to 20/40 or better. The written test is not very hard. It consists mainly of sign recognition, and rules pertaining to specific situations (for example, does a driver commit a moving violation if he passes a stopped school bus?). Driver license facilities have booklets available for study. These booklets list the rules of the road that all drivers are expected to know. Studying these booklets gives a person enough knowledge to pass the written test.

After passing all the necessary tests, the student can get his driver’s license. He hands in all the paperwork and waits. When it’s his turn, the official will call his name and take his picture. After a few minutes, his driver’s license is finished, and he is now a full-fledged driver.

Grammar Basics: Unit 28 – will, Part I (Solutions)

2010-01-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

Exercise: Change the following sentences from simple present to future tense using “will”:

They go swimming at the pool. ==> They will go swimming at the pool.
He doesn’t sing in the shower. ==> He won’t sing in the shower.

1. Bob will eat an apple every day.
2. The tailor will fix the broken zipper.
3. The band will march in the parade.
4. She will bake twelve different kinds of cookies for Christmas.
5. He won’t clean the basement in the spring.
6. We will paint the house on the weekend.
7. Tom will write for the newspaper.
8. The children won’t watch TV after school.
9. Jack will graduate from college next month.
10. Mary will take pictures at the party.
11. John will bring hot dogs and hamburgers.
12. They will buy drinks for everyone.
13. He won’t read 10 books a month.
14. You will wash the car next week.
15. The bank will open at 9 o’clock.
16. Susan will fill up the coffee pot.
17. The mailman will drop off a package.
18. We won’t buy stamps at the post office.
19. They will have a birthday party on Friday.
20. I will study history as often as I can.

Grammar Basics: Unit 28 – will, Part I.

2010-01-05T11:41:00.005-06:00

“will” is used to indicate future tense:

Yesterday he sang.
Today he sings.
Tomorrow he will sing.

“will” is easy to use. It must have a verb (in the infinitive form) that goes along with it. Also, “will” doesn’t change for either person or number:

will + (inf. verb)

I will _____
You will _____
He / She / It will _____
We will _____
You will _____
They will _____

To form a negative, put “not” immediately after “will,” but before the infinitive verb:

I will not _____
You will not _____
He / She / It will not _____
We will not _____
You will not _____
They will not _____

“will” may also be contracted: will ==> ’ll

I will _____ ==> I’ll
You will _____ ==> You’ll
He / She / It will _____ ==> He’ll / She’ll / It’ll
We will _____ ==> We’ll
You will _____ ==> You’ll
They will _____ ==> They’ll

“will not” is contracted a little differently, though: will not ==> won’t

I will not _____ ==> I won’t
You will not _____ ==> You won’t
He / She / It will not _____ ==> He / She / It won’t
We will not _____ ==> We won’t
You will not _____ ==> You won’t
They will not _____ ==> They won’t

We can also use “think … will” to indicate something we are fairly ( about 75%, for example) certain is going to happen.

(Noun – often, a pronoun) + think + (noun, pronoun) + will + (inf. verb)

I think it will snow.
She thinks the children will like that movie.
They think he will be a fireman when he grows up.

We use “don’t think….will” to express that something is unlikely:

I don’t think it will rain on our parade.
He doesn’t think the library will be open on Sundays.

Sometimes, we use “will not” / “won’t” to indicate something that is unlikely to happen. It means the same thing as “don’t think…will”.

Tom thinks the economy won’t improve until next year.
They think the store won’t have any apples.

Exercise: Change the following sentences from simple present to future tense using “will”:

They go swimming at the pool. ==> They will go swimming at the pool.
He doesn’t sing in the shower. ==> He won’t sing in the shower.

1. Bob eats an apple every day.
2. The tailor fixes the broken zipper.
3. The band marches in the parade.
4. She bakes twelve different kinds of cookies for Christmas.
5. He doesn’t clean the basement in the spring.
6. We paint the house on the weekend.
7. Tom writes for the newspaper.
8. The children don’t watch TV after school.
9. Jack graduates from college next month.
10. Mary takes pictures at the party.
11. John brings hot dogs and hamburgers.
12. They buy drinks for everyone.
13. He doesn’t read 10 books a month.
14. You wash the car next week.
15. The bank opens at 9 o’clock.
16. Susan fills up the coffee pot.
17. The mailman drops off a package.
18. We don’t buy stamps at the post office.
19. They have a birthday party on Friday.
20. I study history as often as I can.

Education Focus: Winter Break

2010-01-04T12:32:00.003-06:00

Today is Monday, January 4. For many American students in elementary school and high school, it is the first school day of the new year. This year, most students’ Christmas vacation (here in Illinois) was from 12/21 through 1/1. This means that their last day of school before Christmas was 12/18, and their first day back to school was 1/4.

Schools generally give about two weeks’ vacation around Christmas time. So most students get two weeks off to relax, get together with friends, and maybe go on a family vacation. Some families go to Florida or someplace warm for a Christmas vacation. Other families like spend their winter vacation skiing or doing some other outdoor winter activity. This year, because of the poor economy, most families probably stayed home and enjoyed time with one another and with friends.

College and university students usually have a longer Christmas break. Their semester ends around the second week of December. After they finish their final exams, they head home. It is very convenient to have the finals prior to winter break. Then students don’t have to study on their vacation. Some college students might take the opportunity to earn some money by working on their Christmas break. But many college students spend their winter vacation sleeping late (“sleeping in”), enjoying Mom’s home cooking, meeting with friends who are attending other colleges or universities, and relaxing.

Christmas vacation is a good time for students to relax and have some fun before they go back to school and work hard in the spring semester.

Breakthrough English: 5 Simple Tips for Mastering English

2009-12-31T22:47:00.004-06:00

New Year’s Resolution:
Make 2010 Your Year for Breakthrough English

(Wiktionary) break•through /ˈbreɪkθruː/: Characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle

Would you like to improve your English? Would you like 2010 to be a “breakthrough year” for you with English? Perhaps you’ve been trying to learn English for several years, and you feel like you’re not making the progress you had hoped.

Be encouraged – you can make 2010 your year for Breakthrough English! Follow these five simple tips, and make them a habit:

• Study English Every Day
• Read English Every Day
• Listen to English Every Day
• Practice English Every Day
• Learn New Vocabulary Every Day

Study English Every Day

The first tip for Breakthrough English is to study English every day. This is a key step. The human brain is structured to learn by repetition. This means the more often you study, the better you will learn the material. Because of this, you will actually learn English better if you study every day for 15 minutes (as an example) than if you study once a week for 1 hour and 45 minutes (15 minutes a day for 7 days).

So, find time to study English every day. It can be 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, or whatever fits your schedule. Commit to that daily study, and watch your English improve!

Read English Every Day

Here is the second tip for Breakthrough English: in addition to studying English every day, it is a good idea to read English every day. Even if you study grammar and do exercises every day, you still need to read English daily. “Authentic” materials – books, magazines, newspapers, and so on – are best, since they use words and phrases that are common with native English speakers.

It is easy to find reading material that matches your English level. Even easy books like children’s books or comic books have something for intermediate or advanced ESL students as well as beginners. Obviously, the simple vocabulary and short sentences of children’s books make them suitable for beginners. At the same time, children’s books often contain various phrases and cultural ideas that make them a worthwhile reading challenge for upper-level ESL students.

By reading English every day, you will develop an “ear” for English. You will begin to notice when an English word or phrase “sounds right” because it’s being used correctly. You will also begin to notice when something “sounds strange” (for example, sounds like “Japlish” or “Konglish”) because of a wrong preposition or other incorrect vocabulary. So, the more you read, the more natural or native-like your own English will become.

Daily reading of authentic materials is a powerful method to help your English get better and better. Commit to daily reading, and watch your English improve!

Listen to English Every Day

The third tip for Breakthrough English is the “flip side” of reading English every day: listening to English every day. You can get the same vocabulary benefits as in reading, plus you can hear the pronunciation of the words.

Many ESL students don’t listen to as much English as they should. Why? Because they are frustrated from listening to a level that is too challenging for them. You want to listen to material where you understand about 75% of what is said.

Listen, listen, and listen again. Don’t be afraid to keep on listening until you are comfortable with all (95% +) of the material. Remember, our brains are structured to learn by repetition – take advantage of it! Load up your mp3 player with English, and listen to it at every opportunity – when you exercise, when you ride the subway or walk to work, when you cook or do housework, and so on.

What kinds of materials are good to listen to? It doesn’t matter – podcasts, news reports, audio books are all good. Pick something that is interesting to you. If you like it, you will want to listen to it again and again, and the repetition will help you.

But try to listen to “normal English” programs rather than “special English.” Why? Because people don’t speak English like the “special English” programs.

Many ESL students who listen only to “special English” type materials think that they are well-prepared for listening to English. Unfortunately, they are often quite shocked to find out that they understand very little (maybe only 25%) when they try to listen to native English speakers.

You can avoid this by listening to normal English every day and absorbing it into your brain. Your brain will accept the sounds and speech patterns of native English speakers as a standard or model for your own English. This will help your pronunciation tremendously, and you will be better understood by others when you speak English.

Daily listening is another effective tool to help you get better in English. Commit to daily listening, and watch your English improve!

Practice English Every Day

The fourth tip for Breakthrough English is to practice English every day. There are two ways that you can practice English daily: speaking, and writing.

It is easiest to practice speaking every day if you can find a language partner of some sort. Can you find an English speaker who is willing to have a conversation with you on a regular basis? You don’t have to talk to the same person every day – you can have a different person for each day of the week. Live internet chat (like Skype, for example) makes it easier than ever to find people to talk to from around the world.

If you can’t find someone to talk to on a regular basis, there are still other ways to get some daily speaking practice in English. Is there some place where you can find English tourists? Do you meet English speakers in your work sometimes? Most English speakers would be happy to spend at least a few minutes talking with ESL students, so don’t be afraid to give it a try. Just ask them politely: “Excuse me, I am trying to learn English. Would you mind talking with me for a few minutes?” Even if they say no, you still get some practice in by asking the question!

If you absolutely can’t find anyone to talk to in English, you can always talk to a pet, a baby or young child, or even to yourself. At first it may seem strange, but you will get used to it. Don’t be afraid of feeling foolish – it is natural to talk to yourself like that. Children do it all the time. It helps them learn their native language, and it will help you learn English.

The important thing is that you will become more comfortable in expressing yourself in English. The more you practice speaking, the easier it will become. As you get better, you will find that you don’t have to think so much to speak English. Eventually, you won’t have to translate all the time before you say something in English. Your English will sound more natural, and you will be more and more fluent.

The other way to practice English daily is by writing. Find a pen pal (or several!) that you can write to. Keep a journal, and write down your thoughts or experiences every day. Again, the important thing is to get used to expressing yourself in English. The nice thing about writing is that you have time to think about what you want to say, and how to say it. You also have time to look up words before you use them. You usually don’t have that opportunity when practicing speaking!

Daily practice is another essential method of getting better in English. Commit to daily practice – speaking and / or writing – and watch your English improve!

Learn New Vocabulary Every Day

Our final tip for Breakthrough English is this: learn some new vocabulary every day. It doesn’t matter how many vocabulary words or phrases you learn, but pick a number you know you can commit to learning every day – 5 new words or phrases a day, 10 new words or phrases a day, whatever is comfortable for you. But definitely make it a daily habit to expand your English vocabulary.

Learning new vocabulary is crucial for improving your English. Without enough vocabulary, it will be difficult for you to express yourself in English. The more vocabulary words or phrases you know, the easier it will be for you to say what you are thinking. Learning more vocabulary will also make it easier for you to understand what you read or hear when you are studying and practicing English.

What kinds of words or phrases should you learn? After learning basic vocabulary, pick words or phrases that are useful or interesting for you. This will make it easier for you to learn and to remember the new words or phrases. Use your new words or phrases, too, for repetition – this will also make them easier to remember.

Try to find examples of your new words or phrases being used in sentences. Pay attention to how they are used. They will seem more “real” to you that way than words or phrases that come from a list somewhere. Listen for your new words or phrases in English listening materials. Very often you will notice new words or phrases because you are now aware of them. Learn from others, so you can pick up correct pronunciation and usage from the start.

Daily learning of new vocabulary is another powerful tool to help you get better in English. Commit to daily learning new vocabulary, and watch your English improve!

Key: Every Day

Notice that each of these five tips involves the words “every day.” This is an important point. Consistency – doing something with English every day – is the key.

There is an old riddle in English:

Questions: How do you eat an elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time!

Many times we look at a project or goal, and we think it is too difficult for us because it seems too big for us. We look at the elephant, and we get discouraged because we know the whole elephant will not fit in our mouth. But if we break up that elephant into bite-sized pieces – if we take things one step at a time, take things day by day – we find that we can achieve our goal or finish our project.

It is the same with learning English. Improving in English seems like a big project. But if you take one step at a time, day by day, you will find that you will achieve your goal of improving your English. Commit to these five tips, and you will make 2010 your year for Breakthrough English!

Do you like this article? Do you have any questions? Contact us for more suggestions and information!

A Visit from Saint Nicholas

2009-12-24T23:52:00.003-06:00

by Clement Clarke Moore

(This poem is a well-known Christmas poem, beloved by many. It was first published in 1823, and it is considered to be the inspiration for our modern-day Santa Claus: fat, jolly, dressed in red, coming down the chimney, riding a sleigh with eight reindeer - who are first named here, as well. Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, was a much later invention, and dates from the late 1930s.)

’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap;

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and Saint Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Saint Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

What does he like? vs. What’s he like?

2009-12-23T20:10:00.003-06:00

What does he like? vs. What’s he like? (What is he like?)

At first, these two questions appear to be asking the same thing. Actually, they are asking two completely different questions.

What does he like?

Here, “like” is used as a verb. This question is asking about another person’s preferences – the food a person likes to eat, the books he likes to read, the music he likes to listen to, the TV programs or movies he likes to watch, the sports he likes to do, and so on:

I love reading books. What do you like to do in your spare time?
John likes spaghetti and Mary likes grilled salmon. What does Tom like?
Christmas is coming. What toys do the kids like?

What’s he like?

Here, “like” is used as a preposition. This question is actually asking you to describe a person in some way. It is asking you about someone’s character, habits, appearance, or other unique characteristic.

You work for Ebenezer Scrooge, don't you? What's he like? --He's an old skinflint, and refuses to spend a penny more than he has to.
Have you met Mark? What’s he like? --He’s tall, dark and handsome.
How was your first day of school? What’s your new teacher like? --She seems like a nice lady, but I think she’ll give us a lot of homework!

We can also use “What’s --- like?” to ask for a description of a place or thing instead of a person:

I heard you saw the new movie. What’s it like? --It’s a spy movie, with a lot of adventure.
Did you go to Niagara Falls on your vacation? What’s it like? --Oh, it’s amazing.

Customs: Christmas Gift-Giving at the Office

2009-12-19T16:13:00.003-06:00

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, I thought I would take the opportunity to explain a Christmas custom that might be a little confusing for English learners: the Christmas Gift Exchange.

There are two main ways in which a Christmas gift exchange might be set up:

Secret Santa
White Elephant

Secret Santa

In a Secret Santa gift exchange, the names of participants are pooled and then drawn out, so each individual has only one person for whom he must buy a gift. The gift giver acts as “Santa” for the recipient, and tries to keep his identity unknown. After the gift has been received and opened, the recipient may try to guess who his “Santa” was. The challenge for the “Santa” lies not only in keeping one’s identity secret, but also in finding out what sort of present the recipient might like without the recipient finding out who “Santa” is.

A Secret Santa might give only one gift, or he might give several small gifts (for example, a small gift every day, or every other day) leading up to the day of the main gift exchange. Often, a monetary limit is set for the gifts, so people don’t feel like they have to spend a lot of money on the gift. If smaller gifts are given, they are usually things like small chocolate bars or other candy, or maybe a fun little toy. The final gift is generally something a little nicer, like a coffee mug or picture frame or something of that type.

Secret Santa gift exchanges tend to be something that women participate in, more so than men.

White Elephant

In a White Elephant gift exchange, the names are pooled as in a Secret Santa exchange. But the main idea of a White Elephant exchange is that the person gives a gift that is usually some sort of a “gag” or joke gift. Thus the emphasis is on a humorous present, and not meant to be serious. (Because of this, I think men are more likely to participate in a White Elephant than in a Secret Santa.)

If you give a White Elephant, you can purchase a funny gift from the store if you want. But usually, a White Elephant is an unwanted or unwelcome gift that you received on a previous occasion – perhaps an ugly vase, or an oversized sweater, or something of that type. In a White Elephant exchange, people expect a gift that is ugly or very unusual, so it is not considered insulting at all to give or receive this type of gift. (And what most people probably do with a White Elephant is store it in a closet and use it for the next year’s White Elephant!). People will laugh and have fun with the silly gifts, and maybe have a little informal contest to see who has the ugliest White Elephant.

Where does the term “White Elephant” come from? It used to be that in Thailand, a white elephant was considered sacred, and thus it was a sign of favor for the ruler to give someone a white elephant as a gift. However, an elephant is not a very practical gift (they eat so much, and are difficult to take care of, unless you have a zoo), so it was also a gift that turned out to be a burden. Thus the term “White Elephant” came to represent an undesirable or unwelcome gift.

Have you ever gotten a "white elephant"? What was it?

Halloween Pumpkins

2009-11-06T12:04:00.002-06:00

Halloween was last Saturday, so here are a couple of pictures from that. We don't do the trick or treat thing, but I did get some pumpkins and we carved them.

Here are two glowing pumpkins:

The smaller pumpkin:

The larger pumpkin:

Fall Colors III – Peninsula State Park, Wisconsin

2009-10-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

More pix from a fall colors drive.

Along Skyline Drive in Peninsula State Park. It's like a tunnel of trees.

View from overlook on Skyline Drive. Looking north along the east side of Green Bay.

View from another overlook. You can see an island running parallel to the park.

Another view of the same island. There is some sort of landing or beach on the island.

There was an overlook tower at one of the scenic turnouts along Skyline Drive. If you climb to the top of the tower, you can see a sea of yellows, greens, and reds.

Fall Colors II – Harrington Beach State Park, Wisconsin

2009-10-23T14:04:00.001-05:00

More pix from a fall colors drive.

Along the shore of Lake Michigan. It was windy and cold, but fun anyhow!

Trees along Quarry Lake. Here we see arbor vitae (of the cypress family) and birch.

Birch overhanging Quarry Lake.

View along Quarry Lake. Lovely yellows and reds.

Along Quarry Lake. The orange-red maples contrast nicely with the arbor vitae, and there is a slight reflection on the lake.

Under the maple trees along Quarry Lake.

You can see the the leaves of this maple are just beginning to turn.

Fall Colors I – Buckhorn State Park, Wisconsin

2009-10-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

Some pictures from our fall colors drives over the past couple of weeks.

A small pond with a path around it, lit by the late afternoon autumn sun:

Having fun walking along the nature path. Gorgeous fall colors:

Culture Focus: Mother’s Day

2009-05-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

In the United States, this past Sunday was Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is always the second Sunday in May. Its US origins date back to the early 20th century. Julia Ward Howe, who is the same lady that wrote the words to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” first proposed a type of mother’s day in the US with her “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in 1870. This proclamation, though, is more of an encouragement for women to bring about an end to war by becoming involved in the political process, than it is an ode to honor mothers.

However, it was a woman named Anna Jarvis who trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day” in 1912. Her intent was to encourage each family to honor its mother, thus making it a personal, familiar holiday. The holiday was nationally recognized in 1914. Consequently, children and adults alike take this opportunity to honor and remember their mother with flowers or gifts.

There is no typical flower or particular gift associated with Mother’s Day, but sentimental gifts tend to be quite popular. For example, a mom might receive a necklace, bracelet, or ring with birthstones of all her children. Gifts of cards and candy are also very common. Mom might also be treated to breakfast in bed, or be taken out for dinner – indeed, Mother’s Day is the most popular day of the year to eat out in the US, so if you do go out for dinner the second Sunday in May, be sure to make a reservation!

Podcasts Now Available Too!

2009-04-05T20:31:00.001-05:00

In addition to our videos, we have also started making podcasts for ESL learners. The first one is now available at our podcast page.

Stop by and see what you think! Or, if you would like to suggest a topic (grammar, culture, idioms, etc.) you'd like to listen to on a podcast, please contact me.

Enjoy!!

Videos Available

2009-03-24T08:03:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything! We're working on making more material available for English learners, so check back to see what's new.

Also, I've started putting up some basic videos at Club English's YouTube Page. I haven't organized the videos yet, but as I continue to add them, I'll sort them into various categories. Please take a look, and enjoy!

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 13

2008-05-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

get off one’s high horse: to stop being arrogant, to begin to be humble and agreeable

Example:
Maybe more people would like Sam if he got off his high horse, instead of boasting about how much money he has.

go ape: to go crazy or act wildly with excitement; get agitated

Example:
The children went ape as soon as they reached the playground, and ran excitedly from one piece of equipment to the other.

Grammar Basics: Unit 27 – I’m going to… (Solutions)

2008-04-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

Exercises: Complete the sentences by choosing an appropriate verb, and using am / is / are + going to….

Example:

Don’t disturb Mother – she (take) a bath. ==> Don’t disturb Mother – she’s going to take a bath.

1. Jim is going to get a haircut this afternoon.

2. They are going to give us a free night at the hotel.

3. It’s going to be cold today, so be sure to dress warmly.

4. We are going to watch the fireworks at the park.

5. Are you going to listen to the concert on the radio?

6. Have you heard if it’s going to rain?

7. Please be quiet – I’m going to go to bed.

8. What is the teacher going to talk about tomorrow?

9. When Kelly finishes college, she’s going to find an apartment and move out.

10. Are you crazy? Dad’s going to be furious when he finds out that you got in a car accident!

Grammar Basics: Unit 27 – I’m going to…

2008-04-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the previous Grammar Basics, “am / is / are + going to…” is often used to talk about the future:

Examples:

I’m going to write a letter and complain about that lousy car we got.
Are you going to go to the store? Please pick up some bread and milk while you’re there.

When we use “am / is / are + going to…”, we are indicating our decision or intention to do a particular thing. I’ve already made up my mind to do it. (Contrast that with “will + V”, which is used when a decision is not made until the time of speaking.)

Examples:

I’m going to go swimming after lunch.
Tom is going to look for a summer job.
What are you going to do when you run out of money?
When are you going to call Mona?

Additionally, “is going to…” can be used when you are sure that something is sure to happen.

Examples:

The weatherman said it’s going to rain this afternoon.
Oh no – the car has no gas. We’re going to be late.

Exercises: Complete the sentences by choosing an appropriate verb, and using am / is / are + going to….

Example:

Don’t disturb Mother – she (take) a bath. ==> Don’t disturb Mother – she’s going to take a bath.

be
be
find
get
give
go
listen
move
rain
talk
watch

1. Jim is _______ a haircut this afternoon.

2. They are _______ us a free night at the hotel.

3. It _______ cold today, so be sure to dress warmly.

4. We _______ the fireworks at the park.

5. _______ you _______ to the concert on the radio?

6. Have you heard if it _______?

7. Please be quiet – I _______ to bed.

8. What _______ the teacher _______ about tomorrow?

9. When Kelly finishes college, she _______ an apartment and _______ out.

10. Are you crazy? Dad _______ furious when he finds out that you got in a car accident!

Grammar Basics: Unit 26 – What are you doing tomorrow? (Solutions)

2008-04-11T09:30:00.001-05:00

Exercises: Complete the following sentences using either the present continuous or the simple present.

Example:

What (you / go) to do on your day off? ==> What are you going to do on your day off?

1. Get to bed early – tomorrow we’re leaving at 6 in the morning.

2. I’m so tired, I’m going to go home and go straight to bed.

3. The bus comes every 15 minutes, so it’s fairly convenient.

4. Mary has to stay home – the plumber is coming this afternoon to fix the toilet.

5. The engaged couple is planning a June wedding.

6. When does the next train leave?

7. I’m taking TOEFL this summer so I can attend university in the fall.

8. John is working every day next week.

9. I thought he said the concert starts at 7:30.

10. Susan’s baking a cake for Tom’s surprise party tomorrow.

Grammar Basics: Unit 26 – What are you doing tomorrow?

2008-04-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

As we have already seen, the present continuous (am / is / are + V-ing) is used for something that is happening now. However, we can also use it for some future events as well:

Examples:

I’m going to the mountains on my vacation next summer.
He’s taking a test tomorrow.
She’s singing a solo in the concert next weekend.

Similarly, we can use the present continuous to indicate that we have decided to do something, or have arranged to do something:

Examples:

Can you come to our house next weekend? We’re having a party.
Are you running in the marathon this fall?
I broke my foot this summer, so I’m not going to run.
What are you doing this Friday?
I’m going to go see a movie.

In particular, “am / is / are going to V something”: We’re going to have a baby.

Do not use the simple present for plans or arrangements. However, when talking about schedules, simple present is okay:

Examples:

What time does your class start?
It starts at 8 a.m. every day!
The train leaves the station at exactly 7:15.
Please don’t be late – the movie starts at 1:45.

Exercises: Complete the following sentences using either the present continuous or the simple present.

Example:

What (you / go) to do on your day off? ==> What are you going to do on your day off?

1. Get to bed early – tomorrow we (leave) at 6 in the morning.

2. I’m so tired, I (go) to go home and go straight to bed.

3. The bus (come) every 15 minutes, so it’s fairly convenient.

4. Mary has to stay home – the plumber (come) this afternoon to fix the toilet.

5. The engaged couple (plan) a June wedding.

6. When (the next train / leave)?

7. I (take) TOEFL this summer so I can attend university in the fall.

8. John (work) every day next week.

9. I thought he said the concert (start) at 7:30.

10. Susan (bake) a cake for Tom’s surprise party tomorrow.

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 12

2008-03-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

get someone’s goat: to irritate or annoy someone, especially on purpose

Example:

In school some of the boys used to throw paper airplanes, and really get the teacher’s goat.

get on one’s high horse: to act superior and bossy

Example:

He’s such a know-it-all, always getting on his high horse and bossing the other workers around.

Grammar Basics: Unit 27 – I’m going to… (Solutions)

2008-03-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

Grammar Basics: Unit 27 – I’m going to…

2008-03-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

As mentioned in the previous Grammar Basics, “am / is / are + going to…” is often used to talk about the future:

Examples:

I’m going to write a letter and complain about that lousy car we got.
Are you going to go to the store? Please pick up some bread and milk while you’re there.

I’m going to go swimming after lunch.
Tom is going to look for a summer job.
What are you going to do when you run out of money?
When are you going to call Mona?

Additionally, “is going to…” can be used when you are sure that something is sure to happen.

Examples:

The weatherman said it’s going to rain this afternoon.
Oh no – the car has no gas. We’re going to be late.

Exercises: Complete the sentences by choosing an appropriate verb, and using am / is / are + going to….

Example:

Don’t disturb Mother – she (take) a bath. ==> Don’t disturb Mother – she’s going to take a bath.

be
be
find
get
give
go
listen
move
rain
talk
watch

1. Jim is _______ a haircut this afternoon.

2. They are _______ us a free night at the hotel.

3. It _______ cold today, so be sure to dress warmly.

4. We _______ the fireworks at the park.

5. _______ you _______ to the concert on the radio?

6. Have you heard if it _______?

7. Please be quiet – I _______ to bed.

8. What _______ the teacher _______ about tomorrow?

9. When Kelly finishes college, she _______ an apartment and _______ out.

10. Are you crazy? Dad _______ furious when he finds out that you got in a car accident!

Grammar Basics: Unit 26 – What are you doing tomorrow? (Solutions)

2008-03-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

Grammar Basics: Unit 26 – What are you doing tomorrow?

2008-03-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

As we have already seen, the present continuous (am / is / are + V-ing) is used for something that is happening now. However, we can also use it for some future events as well:

Examples:

I’m going to the mountains on my vacation next summer.
He’s taking a test tomorrow.
She’s singing a solo in the concert next weekend.

Similarly, we can use the present continuous to indicate that we have decided to do something, or have arranged to do something:

Examples:

Can you come to our house next weekend? We’re having a party.
Are you running in the marathon this fall?
I broke my foot this summer, so I’m not going to run.
What are you doing this Friday?
I’m going to go see a movie.

In particular, “am / is / are going to V something”:

We’re going to have a baby.

Do not use the simple present for plans or arrangements. However, when talking about schedules, simple present is okay:

Examples:

What time does your class start?
It starts at 8 a.m. every day!
The train leaves the station at exactly 7:15.
Please don’t be late – the movie starts at 1:45.

Exercises: Complete the following sentences using either the present continuous or the simple present.

Example:

What (you / go) to do on your day off? ==> What are you going to do on your day off?

1. Get to bed early – tomorrow we (leave) at 6 in the morning.

2. I’m so tired, I (go) to go home and go straight to bed.

3. The bus (come) every 15 minutes, so it’s fairly convenient.

4. Mary has to stay home – the plumber (come) this afternoon to fix the toilet.

5. The engaged couple (plan) a June wedding.

6. When (the next train / leave)?

7. I (take) TOEFL this summer so I can attend university in the fall.

8. John (work) every day next week.

9. I thought he said the concert (start) at 7:30.

10. Susan (bake) a cake for Tom’s surprise party tomorrow.

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 11

2008-03-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

every dog has his day: Everyone will get an opportunity.

Example:

He’s been working for his dad for years, ever since he graduated from college. Someday he’ll take over the family business – every dog has his day, after all.

fraidy cat: Someone who scares easily, usually used by children. Also called a scairdy cat.

Example:

I dare you to ring Boo Radley’s doorbell – just go ahead and do it, you fraidy cat!

Grammar Basics: Unit 25 – Regular and Irregular Verbs (Solutions)

2008-03-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Exercises: Complete the sentences. Choose an appropriate verb from the list and put it in its correct form.

Example:

The trees (sway) in the wind. ==> The trees swayed in the wind.

1. The children played nicely together while the babysitter was watching them.

2. Have you ever seen a real live lion before?

3. We can’t watch the movie tonight – all the tickets are sold out.

4. Several large branches have broken off our tree because of the strong wind.

5. Dave left the cage door open, and now the bird has flown out.

6. How long have you known Dr. Brock?

7. Tim spoke with me the other night and told me that he had gotten engaged!

8. The children haven’t made their beds yet.

9. The pitcher threw a fast ball, and struck out the batter.

10. Mike has eaten all his vegetables, so he’ll get a special treat for dessert.

Grammar Basics: Unit 25 – Regular and Irregular Verbs

2008-03-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Regular Verbs

For regular verbs, the simple past and the past participle is –ed:

wash ==> washed
paint ==> painted
whistle ==> whistle
bake ==> baked
snow ==> snowed
rain ==> rained

If a verb ends in a syllable with a short vowel sound and the final consonant is one letter, that letter is doubled:

tap ==> tapped
stop ==> stopped
pat ==> patted
drip ==> dripped

For verbs that end in a consonant followed by a y, the y is changed to i before adding the –ed:

study ==> studied
tidy ==> tidied
try ==> tried

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow this –ed pattern. They are exceptions, and must be memorized.

Sometimes, the simple past and the past participle of irregular verbs is the same:

make ==> made, made
find ==> found, found
buy ==> bought, bought
cut ==> cut, cut
think ==> thought

Sometimes, however, the simple past and the past participle are different:

write ==> wrote, written
break ==> broke, broken
eat ==> ate, eaten
sing ==> sang, sung

Here is a list of the 50 most common English irregular verbs:

say (said, said)
make (made, made)
go (went, gone)
take (took, taken)
come (came, come)
see (saw, seen)
know (knew, known)
get (got, got/gotten (US))
give (gave, given)
find (found, found)
think (thought, thought)
tell (told, told)
become (became, become)
show (showed, shown / showed)
leave (left, left)
feel (felt, felt)
put (put, put)
bring (brought, brought)
begin (began, begun)
keep (kept, kept)
hold (held, held)
write (wrote, written)
stand (stood, stood)
hear (heard, heard)
let (let, let)
mean (meant, meant)
set (set, set)
meet (met, met)
run (ran, run)
pay (paid, paid)
sit (sat, sat)
speak (spoke, spoken)
lie (lay, lain)
lead (led, led)
read (read, read)
grow (grew, grown)
lose (lost, lost)
fall (fell, fallen)
send (sent, sent)
build (built, built)
understand (understood, understood)
draw (drew, drawn)
break (broke, broken)
spend (spent, spent)
cut (cut, cut)
rise (rose, risen)
drive (drove, driven)
buy (bought, bought)
wear (wore, worn)
choose (chose, chosen)

Exercises: Complete the sentences. Choose an appropriate verb from the list and put it in its correct form.

Example:

The trees (sway) in the wind. ==> The trees swayed in the wind.

break
eat
fly
know
leave
make
play
see
sell
speak
strike
tell
throw
watch

1. The children __________ nicely together while the babysitter was watching them.

2. Have you ever __________ a real live lion before?

3. We can’t __________ the movie tonight – all the tickets are __________ out.

4. Several large branches have __________ off our tree because of the strong wind.

5. Dave __________ the cage door open, and now the bird has __________ out.

6. How long have you __________ Dr. Brock?

7. Tim __________ with me the other night and __________ me that he had gotten engaged!

8. The children haven’t __________ their beds yet.

9. The pitcher __________ a fast ball, and __________ out the batter.

10. Mike has __________ all his vegetables, so he’ll get a special treat for dessert.

Culture Focus: Easter

2008-03-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

This Sunday is Easter. Even though Easter is the day on which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, many people in the U.S. observe it as a secular holiday celebrating the arrival of spring. Due to its connection to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the date of Easter is tied closely to the Jewish holiday of Passover, and so is based on the lunar calendar. Since Passover is celebrated in conjunction with the full moon, the Church decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (the day in the spring when day and night are of equal length). Consequently, the date of Easter is not fixed, but jumps around from year to year. In particular, this year Easter falls extremely early, on March 23 – one of the earliest dates possible.

The main figure in a non-religious celebration of Easter is the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny brings children a basket full of colored eggs, chocolates (particularly rabbit-shaped chocolate), jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, marshmallow eggs, and other sweet things that give dentists nightmares :) ! Oftentimes, a cuddly stuffed animal or other toy will be included in the Easter basket. It is also somewhat customary to dress up in a new Easter dress and hat (or bonnet) (girls) or pants, suitcoat, and tie (boys) as the winter clothes are put away and exchanged for the new, fresh fashions of spring.

Most people do not do Easter decorations, but it is traditional to get a white lily known as an Easter lily (Latin name: Lilium longiforum). These flowers are very fragrant, and the white color symbolizes purity.

Other Easter traditions include eating a special dinner, generally ham or lamb. Most stores are closed on Easter, but a number of restaurants remain open, so some people prefer to go out to eat instead of cooking an elaborate dinner at home.

Grammar Basics: Unit 24 – Be, Have, and Do (Solutions)

2008-03-19T09:30:00.001-05:00

Exercises: Complete the sentences by choosing a verb from the list, and using its correct form.

Example:

The library was (build) in 1956. ==> The library was built in 1956.

1. Where are you going?

2. John was waiting for the bus when his phone battery went dead.

3. They don’t have any bananas at the supermarket today.

4. The doctor didn’t do the operation today – he’ll do it tomorrow.

5. Was it raining when you woke up this morning?

6. He didn’t think that Katy was telling the truth.

7. When was the room painted?

8. Ice cream is made from milk.

9. Jack was injured when he was in the army.

10. Everybody was expecting the bad weather to come last night.

Grammar Basics: Unit 24 – Be, Have, and Do

2008-03-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

In English there are three important “helper” verbs: be, have, and do. These verbs generally are not used alone, but they are usually used together with other verbs in various forms.

be (am / is / are // was / were) + V-ing:

“be” + V-ing is used for the present continuous form.
“was / were” + V-ing is used for the past continuous form.

We’ve already looked at this some, so here we’ll just give a few examples as a quick review:

Examples:

It’s snowing right now.
Shhh! The baby’s sleeping!
Where’s Uncle John? He’s weeding in the garden.

It was snowing yesterday when we walked to school.
The baby was sleeping, until you woke him up – thanks a lot!
Last time I saw him, Uncle John was painting the garage.

be (am / is / are // was / were) + past participle:

“be” + past participle is used for the simple present passive.
“was / were” + past participle is used for the simple past passive.

We’ve also just looked at these cases. Here are a few more examples:

Examples:

The beds are made each morning by the hotel’s cleaning staff.
Janey is excited to go on her first train trip.
I’m exhausted from running up and down the stairs.

When we checked into our room, we saw that the beds were not made.
Peter was depressed to find out that he couldn’t go to summer camp this year.
When were you married?

have / has + past participle:

Recall that this is used for the present perfect:

Examples:

I’ve completed all my assignments, and done all the laundry.
He has always gone to Florida for Christmas vacation.
She’s lost her keys again!
Have you ever crossed the equator?

do / does / did + V (dictionary form):

“do / does” + V (dictionary form) is used for the simple present negative, and for questions.
“did” + V (dictionary form) is used for the simple past negative, and for questions.

Examples:

Do you often eat pizza?
He likes classical and jazz, but he doesn’t like rap.
What kind of movies do you usually watch?
I don’t think he will win the competition.

Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blind mice?
What did you do last night?
I didn’t know that you were in the navy.

Exercises: Complete the sentences by choosing a verb from the list, and using its correct form.

Example:

The library was (build) in 1956. ==> The library was built in 1956.

do
expect
go
have
injure
make
paint
rain
think
wait

1. Where are you ______ ?

2. John ______ for the bus when his phone battery went dead.

3. They (not) ______ any bananas at the supermarket today.

4. The doctor (not) ______ the operation today – he’ll do it tomorrow.

5. Was it ______ when you woke up this morning?

6. He (not) ______ that Katy was telling the truth.

7. When was the room ______?

8. Ice cream is ______ from milk.

9. Jack was ______ when he was in the army.

10. Everybody was ______ the bad weather to come last night.

Education Focus: ACT

2008-03-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

In this Educational Focus, let’s take a look at the other college aptitude test that American juniors and seniors typically take as part of the college admissions process: the ACT.

First given in 1959, the ACT is not as well known as the SAT, even though it is accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. As a general rule, colleges and universities on the East and West Coasts tend to prefer the SAT, whereas the ACT is the test of choice for students planning on attending schools in the Midwest and South.

Like the SAT, the ACT is administered on a Saturday, and students who cannot take the test on Saturday for religious reasons can request at registration to take the test the following Sunday. The test is generally offered six times a year: September, October, December, February, April, and June.

The format and scoring of the ACT differs from the SAT. Students taking the ACT are tested in four areas: English, Math, Reading, and Science Reasoning, with an optional writing portion that was added in 2005. The scores for each subject range from 1 – 36. In addition to individual subject scores, students also receive a composite score, which is the average of all four tests. All the subject tests (with the exception of the writing test, of course) are multiple choice tests. Unlike the SAT, however, there is no penalty for wrong answers, so it is advantageous to guess if one does not know the answer.

English

The English section of the test is 45 minutes in length, and consists of 75 questions on usage, grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical skills.

Mathematics

The mathematics section of the test is 60 questions and 60 minutes in length. Topics covered include pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, coordinate geometry, geometry, and elementary trigonometry. Calculators are permitted, but only if they are not on a list of prohibited models, or are modified according to the ACT’s calculator policy. The mathematics section is the only section in which there are five answer choices rather than four.

Reading

The reading section of the test is 35 minutes in length, and consists of 40 questions based on reading comprehension. Types of reading passages include prose fiction, social science, humanities, and natural science.

Science Reasoning

The science reasoning section of the test is also a 40-question, 35-minute test. Rather than testing specific scientific knowledge, students are asked to read passages of a more technical or scientific nature, and then answer questions based on these passages. The questions are designed to assess the student’s ability to interpret, analyze, and evaluate the information in the passages, as well as test the student’s ability to reason and solve problems.

Writing (Optional)

The optional writing section of the ACT mirrors that of the SAT. It is 30 minutes long, and students are to write an essay based on a given prompt. Two readers each evaluate the essay and assign it a score of 1 – 6 (6 being best). Essays that are blank, off-topic, not written in English, not written in no. 2 pencil, or illegible automatically receive a score of 0.

Although the ACT is an assessment for students planning to attend college, some states, such as Colorado and Illinois, require all high school students (whether or not they intend to go to college) to take the ACT as a way of assessing school performance.

Based on data from college-bound seniors who took the ACT in 2006, the median composite score was between 20 and 21. Students who scored 28 or better were in the 90th percentile (meaning that students with a score of 28 or more were in the upper 10% of all test-takers).

There is no official conversion chart between SAT scores and ACT scores; however, some colleges have established their own charts, based on scores of students who took both tests. For comparison, the following is a chart used by the University of California:

SAT (out of 1600)........ACT Composite

1600................................36
1560-1590.....................35
1520-1550.....................34
1480-1510.....................33
1440-1470.....................32
1400-1430.....................31
1360-1390.....................30
1320-1350.....................29
1280-1310.....................28
1240-1270.....................27
1200-1230.....................26
1160-1190.....................25
1120-1150.....................24
1080-1110.....................23
1040-1070.....................22
1000-1030.....................21
960-990.........................20
920-950.........................19
880-910.........................18
840-870.........................17
800-830.........................16
760-790.........................15
720-750.........................14
680-710.........................13
640-670.........................12
600-630.........................11

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 10

2008-03-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

eager beaver: someone who is a diligent worker, or looks forward to working on a project or similar task.

Example:

He is such an eager beaver when it comes to yard work – he takes pride in his backyard garden.

eat like a horse: eat a lot, have a good appetite

Example:

Are you sure you have enough food for the party? Several kids on Tom’s football team are coming, and they all eat like a horse.

Writing Assignment: At the Hospital (Solution)

2008-03-15T09:30:00.002-05:00

1. What is the man in the picture doing?
He is visiting a baby, and he has his hand on the baby’s head.

2. What sort of covering is the man wearing?
He is wearing some scrubs.

3. Why is the man wearing scrubs?
The man is wearing scrubs because the baby has to be in a sterile environment, and be protected from germs.

4. Where is the baby?
The baby is lying on a small baby hospital bed.

5. Why doesn’t the man pick up the baby?
The baby is hooked up to a lot of tubes and various monitors.

6. Why aren’t there other visitors for the baby?
The number of visitors is limited, and only the baby’s parents or close relatives can visit.

7. Is this a regular hospital room?
No, this is a neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU).

8. Is the baby’s condition critical?
Yes, the baby is rather sick.

9. How many tubes are hooked up to the baby?
We see a couple of big tubes coming out near the baby’s head, and there are several other tubes on the baby’s body.

10. What sort of monitors is the baby hooked up to?
The baby is hooked up to a heart rate and blood pressure monitor, as well as monitor that checks the baby’s respiration.

11. How do the monitors help the nurses see how the baby is doing?
The monitors help the nurses by keeping track of the how the baby’s blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate (vital signs) are doing.

12. What would the monitors do if the baby’s blood pressure or heart rate goes too high or too low?
If the baby’s vital signs go too high or too low, the monitors will sound an alarm to alert the nurses that there is a problem, and the baby needs attention.

13. What kinds of information would the nurses write down in the patient’s chart?
In the baby’s chart the nurses would write down the heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, in addition to other information like what kind of medication the baby is being given, and when the last time was that the baby received some medication.

14. What sort of things would the nurses do to take care of the baby?
In addition to watching the baby’s monitors and recording the information, the nurses would give the baby medication, change the IV when necessary, change the baby’s bandages and cleanse the baby’s incisions, or change the baby’s catheter and empty the urine bag.

15. What does a nurse use a stethoscope for?
The nurse uses the stethoscope to listen to the baby’s heart, lungs, and intestines.

16. How does the nurse take the baby’s temperature?
The nurse uses a thermometer to take the baby’s temperature.

17. How would a sick baby like this be fed?
A sick baby like this would probably be fed intravenously, or possibly through a nose tube.

18. How would a sick baby like this be given medicine?
A sick baby like this would be given medicine intravenously.

19. What do the nurses or doctors do if the baby needs extra blood?
If the baby needs extra blood, the doctors or nurses would give the baby a blood transfusion.

20. How long do you think it will be before the baby can go home?
Since the baby is so sick, it will probably be a few weeks before the baby is well enough to go home.

Paragraph: At the Hospital

Write a brief paragraph about the time that you, or a friend or relative, were in the hospital. How was the stay in the hospital? Were the doctors and nurses friendly and helpful?

When our first baby was born, she was very sick because of a condition called meconium aspiration. This happens when the baby has a bowel movement inside the womb and then inhales the fecal matter. This can be a very serious condition, because the meconium coats the lungs and makes it difficult for the baby to get enough oxygen. Our baby needed to be transferred to another hospital where the doctors could operate on her to hook her up to an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine to give her lungs a chance to heal and recover. While she was on the ECMO machine, she was in NICU, so we had to wear scrubs to visit her. The visiting hours were limited, and only parents and grandparents could visit, just two at a time. After three or four days, she was able to come off the ECMO machine, but she still needed to be in NICU until her vital signs were healthy. About twelve days after she was born, she was able to come out of NICU and be transferred back to the local hospital, but she still was unable to come home. She had to gain weight and learn how to nurse or feed from a bottle. Eventually, she was healthy enough to be discharged from the hospital, and we took her home on Christmas Eve, over three weeks after she was born.

Writing Assignment: At the Hospital

2008-03-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

Vocabulary

private hospital room
semi-private hospital room
operating room
recovery room
waiting room
emergency room
intensive care unit (ICU)
neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU)
nursing station
staff
nurse
doctor
shift change
intravenous (line) (IV)
IV tree
surgery
medicine
antibiotic
anesthesia
monitor
alarm
nose tube
oxygen tube
intubation
blood transfusion
catheter
stethoscope
thermometer
bedpan
blood pressure
heart rate
(body) temperature
pulse
sterile
bandage
gauze
needle
shot
patient chart
hospital bed
call button
hospital gown
hospital ID bracelet
scrubs
critical
scar
infection
visiting hours

1. What is the man in the picture doing?

2. What sort of covering is the man wearing?

3. Why is the man wearing scrubs?

4. Where is the baby?

5. Why doesn’t the man pick up the baby?

6. Why aren’t there other visitors for the baby?

7. Is this a regular hospital room?

8. Is the baby’s condition critical?

9. How many tubes are hooked up to the baby?

10. What sort of monitors is the baby hooked up to?

11. How do the monitors help the nurses see how the baby is doing?

12. What would the monitors do if the baby’s blood pressure or heart rate goes too high or too low?

13. What kinds of information would the nurses write down in the patient’s chart?

14. What sort of things would the nurses do to take care of the baby?

15. What does a nurse use a stethoscope for?

16. How does the nurse take the baby’s temperature?

17. How would a sick baby like this be fed?

18. How would a sick baby like this be given medicine?

19. What do the nurses or doctors do if the baby needs extra blood?

20. How long do you think it will be before the baby can go home?

Paragraph: At the Hospital

Write a brief paragraph about the time that you, or a friend or relative, were in the hospital. How was the stay in the hospital? Were the doctors and nurses friendly and helpful?

Grammar Basics: Unit 23 – Passive, Part II (Solutions)

2008-03-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

Exercises: Use the present continuous (is/are being…) or the present perfect (has/have been…) with the words in the parentheses to complete the sentences.

Example:
The tree (cut) down tomorrow.==> The tree is being cut down tomorrow.

1. Don’t sit down on the sofa. It’s being cleaned right now.

2. We’re being invited to a wedding on Saturday, so keep your schedule open for that day.

3. The president’s speech is being broadcast on TV tonight.

4. You’ll have to wait to do the laundry. The washing machine is being fixed.

5. Our living room is being painted, so we are spending the day at the mall.

6. Your grandmother’s wedding dress has been repaired, cleaned, and boxed up, so it’s as good as new.

7. The window has been broken! Which one of the neighborhood kids did it, do you think?

8. Twelve trees have been cut down to make space for a swimming pool.

9. Sorry I’m late. The bus has been tied up in traffic for 30 minutes.

10. The grass has already been mowed, so you can cross that off your chore list.

Grammar Basics: Unit 23 – Passive, Part II

2008-03-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

In addition to having simple present passive (“is done”) and simple past passive (“was done”), we also have the present continuous passive and the present perfect passive. As before, the passive indicates that the doer of the action is unspecified.

Present Continuous Passive: is/are being …

Examples:

Please take the stairs – the elevator is being fixed. (= someone is fixing the elevator)
Tom is being picked up after school. (= someone is picking Tom up after school)
We can’t check into our hotel room yet – it’s (it is) being cleaned right now. (= someone is cleaning the room now)

Present Perfect Passive: has/have been …

Examples:

You don’t have to take the stairs anymore – the elevator has been fixed. (= someone has fixed it)
Tom has already been picked up – he doesn’t need a ride now. (= someone has already picked up Tom)
Let’s check into our room now – it’s (it has) been cleaned. (= someone has cleaned the room)

Exercises: Use the present continuous (is/are being…) or the present perfect (has/have been…) with the words in the parentheses to complete the sentences.

Example:
The tree (cut) down tomorrow.==> The tree is being cut down tomorrow.

1. Don’t sit down on the sofa. It (clean) right now.

2. We (invite) to a wedding on Saturday, so keep your schedule open for that day.

3. The president’s speech (broadcast) on TV tonight.

4. You’ll have to wait to do the laundry. The washing machine (fix).

5. Our living room (paint), so we are spending the day at the mall.

6. Your grandmother’s wedding dress (repair / clean / and box up), so it’s as good as new.

7. The window (break)! Which one of the neighborhood kids did it, do you think?

8. Twelve trees (cut) down to make space for a swimming pool.

9. Sorry I’m late. The bus (tie) up in traffic for 30 minutes.

10. The grass (already / mow), so you can cross that off your chore list.

Grammar Basics: Unit 22 – Passive, Part I (Solutions)

2008-03-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Exercises: Complete the sentences by using the passive (either present or past) of the indicated verb.

Example:

The baby (give) a bath yesterday. ==> The baby was given a bath yesterday.

1. We had a snow day last week, so classes were canceled.

2. The librarian charged me a fine because several pages of the book were torn.

3. Can I exchange these jeans for some new ones? The zipper is broken.

4. The kitchen was cleaned during the night by some good fairies.

5. The old factory was burned down by a firebug.

6. There was an accident on the highway, and several people were taken to the hospital.

7. Jack was born on a fishing trawler.

8. Tom was woken up in the middle of the night by the baby’s crying.

9. The old lady was helped across the street by a Boy Scout.

10. That picture was taken on our honeymoon.

Grammar Basics: Unit 22 – Passive, Part I

2008-03-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sentences may be either active or passive. When a sentence is active, the doer of the action is specified:

John opened the door. (active – John is the one who opens the door)

When a sentence is passive, we are not told who is the doer of the action:

The door was opened. (passive – we don’t know who opened the door)

To make a passive sentence, we use an appropriate form of the verb “be” + past participle:

Simple Present passive: am / is / are + past participle
Simple Past passive: was / were + past participle

Examples:

The store was closed.
The bank was robbed last night.
Where were you born?
Ice cream is made from milk.
The toy is broken.

If we want to use a passive sentence and indicate the doer of the action, we can use the phrase “by…”:

The bank was robbed last night by a pair of masked gunmen.
The modern steam engine was invented by James Watt.

Exercises: Complete the sentences by using the passive (either present or past) of the indicated verb.

Example:

The baby (give) a bath yesterday. ==> The baby was given a bath yesterday.

1. We had a snow day last week, so classes (cancel).

2. The librarian charged me a fine because several pages of the book (tear).

3. Can I exchange these jeans for some new ones? The zipper (break).

4. The kitchen (clean) during the night by some good fairies.

5. The old factory (burn) down by a firebug.

6. There was an accident on the highway, and several people (take) to the hospital.

7. Jack (born) on a fishing trawler.

8. Tom (wake) up in the middle of the night by the baby’s crying.

9. The old lady (help) across the street by a Boy Scout.

10. That picture (take) on our honeymoon.

Writing Assignment: At the Petting Zoo (Solution)

2008-03-08T09:30:00.000-06:00

1. What animals do you see in the pen?
We see a piglet, some goats (kids), and some lambs.

2. How many animals are there?
There are seven animals in the picture.

3. Are they adult animals, or baby animals?
They are baby animals.

4. Do these animals live in the wild, or on a farm?
These animals live on a farm.

5. What other kinds of animals might you see on a farm?
On a farm we can also see cows, horses, chickens, ducks, and geese.

6. What sounds do these animals make?
The pig says “oink.” The goats and lambs say “baa.”

7. What is on the floor of the pen?
There is hay or straw on the floor of the pen.

8. Where is the animals’ water dish or feeding trough?
The animals’ water dish or feeding trough is off to the side, in the middle of the pen.

9. What is the mother doing with her children?
The mother is helping her children feed and pet the animals.

10. Is the mother standing or kneeling?
The mother is kneeling.

11. What is the older girl doing?
The older girl is petting a goat.

12. What does the older girl have in her hand?
The older girl has a cup in her hand.

13. What is the younger girl doing?
The younger girl is standing by her stroller.

14. Do you see any children who are scared or shy?
One child looks scared, and is clinging to her mother. Another child looks shy, and hasn’t approached the pen.

15. Why do you think the little girl is scared?
Perhaps the little girl is scared because the lamb is making noise, or maybe she thinks the lamb is going to bite her.

16. What is her mother doing?
Her mother is talking to her and trying to calm her down.

17. Why do you think the other little girl might be shy?
Perhaps the other little girl is shy because there are so many people. Perhaps she is shy because she doesn’t know the other children.

18. Which animal would you like to pet?
I think petting a lamb would be fun, because the lamb’s fur is soft and wooly.

19. Which animal would lick your hand the most?
I think that a goat would like my hand the most, since goats like to eat everything.

20. Which animal do you think likes to nibble feed from people’s hands?
I think that all the animals in the picture are gentle, and like to nibble from people’s hands.

Paragraph: A Visit to a Petting Zoo

Write a brief paragraph about what it would be like to visit a farm or petting zoo. What is it like to pet the baby animals? How would it be to feed them? Would any animal make you scared?

When we went to the county fair, we visited a petting zoo. They had several animals there, including lambs, goats, and even a llama. For twenty-five cents you could buy a small cup of feed to give to the animals. If you put some feed in your hand, the animals would come and nibble the feed in your hand until it was all gone, and then they would look for more. One goat even tried nibbling on my t-shirt! The animals are used to people, and like to be petted. Their coats are soft and furry, but they are often dirty. It is a good idea to wash your hands thoroughly after you are done petting the animals. Sometimes very small children might be afraid of the animals, especially if an animal starts licking the child’s hand. Older children, however, understand that the animal probably wouldn’t bite them, so they aren’t afraid at all. But if the child starts running after one of the animals, then maybe the animal will be afraid of him!

Writing Assignment: At the Petting Zoo

2008-03-07T10:00:00.001-06:00

Vocabulary

petting zoo
farm animals
goat
kid (baby goat)
sheep
lamb
pig
piglet
hen (mother chicken)
rooster (father chicken)
chick (baby chicken)
cow
calf
horse
colt (baby horse)
feed (noun)
feed trough
water dish
cage
pen
hay
straw
stroller
scared
take a picture
pet an animal
lick
nibble
handful
kneel
shy
baa (sheep sound, lamb sound)
oink (pig sound)
moo (cow sound)
whinny (horse sound)
quack (duck sound)
cluck (chicken sound)
peep (baby bird sound)
cheep (baby bird sound)

1. What animals do you see in the pen?

2. How many animals are there?

3. Are they adult animals, or baby animals?

4. Do these animals live in the wild, or on a farm?

5. What other kinds of animals might you see on a farm?

6. What sounds do these animals make?

7. What is on the floor of the pen?

8. Where is the animals’ water dish or feeding trough?

9. What is the mother doing with her children?

10. Is the mother standing or kneeling?

11. What is the older girl doing?

12. What does the older girl have in her hand?

13. What is the younger girl doing?

14. Do you see any children who are scared or shy?

15. Why do you think the little girl is scared?

16. What is her mother doing?

17. Why do you think the other little girl might be shy?

18. Which animal would you like to pet?

19. Which animal would lick your hand the most?

20. Which animal do you think likes to nibble feed from people’s hands?

Paragraph: A Visit to a Petting Zoo

Write a brief paragraph about what it would be like to visit a farm or petting zoo. What is it like to pet the baby animals? How would it be to feed them? Would any animal make you scared?

Grammar Basics: Unit 21 – Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, Part III (Solutions)

2008-03-07T09:30:00.001-06:00

Exercises: Use the words in parentheses to make the sentence either present perfect or simple past.

Example:

(you / ever / go) skiing? ==> Have you ever gone skiing?
(you / go) skiing last year? ==> Did you go skiing last year?

1. Tom has lost his key. Can you help him find it?

2. I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?

3. What did you eat for lunch yesterday?

4. Matt has taken piano lessons since he was eight years old.

5. Last week we got a lot of snow.

6. I have traveled around the world, but I have never tasted anything as delicious as this barbecue.

7. This morning I exercised before I went to school.

8. Mother has made a delicious dinner for tonight’s party.

9. Have you ever had Mr. Smith as a teacher?

10. Where did you live ten years ago?

Grammar Basics: Unit 21 – Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, Part III

2008-03-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

In some cases, it doesn’t matter if you use the Present Perfect or the Simple Past:

Examples:

John has gone home.
John went home.

However, if you include a finished time (yesterday, a week ago, last month, last year, etc.), then you must use the Simple Past:

Examples:

John went home last night. (not “John has gone home last night.”)
Where did you go yesterday? (not “Where have you gone yesterday?”)
Yesterday we ate breakfast at Tiffany’s. (not “Yesterday we have eaten breakfast at Tiffany’s.”)

Also recall from a few days ago: When you are talking about the past until now, then you must use the Present Perfect:

Have you ever eaten squid? (until now)
We’ve lived in Dallas for three years. (we still live there now)

Exercises: Use the words in parentheses to make the sentence either present perfect or simple past.

Example:

(you / ever / go) skiing? ==> Have you ever gone skiing?
(you / go) skiing last year? ==> Did you go skiing last year?

1. Tom (lose) his key. Can you help him find it?

2. I’ve been looking for you. Where (you / be)?

3. What (you / eat) for lunch yesterday?

4. Matt (take) piano lessons since he was eight years old.

5. Last week we (get) a lot of snow.

6. I (travel) around the world, but I (never / taste) anything as delicious as this barbecue.

7. This morning I (exercise) before I went to school.

8. Mother (make) a delicious dinner for tonight’s party.

9. (you / ever / have) Mr. Smith as a teacher?

10. Where (you / live) ten years ago?

Culture Focus: Kissing Boo-Boos

2008-03-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

When a child gets a minor injury, such as a cut, scrape, or bump or bruise, this is called a “boo-boo.” (More generally, any kind of minor mistake can be called a “boo-boo.”) Of course, even though the injury is minor, the child thinks that the hurt is much worse than it really is. The child will often carry on, or behave like the hurt is unbearable. We then “cure” the hurt by kissing it. So, a typical dialogue might look like this:

Child: Ow, Mommy! I fell down and hurt myself!

Mother: Oh, did you bang your knee?

Child: Yes! It hurts so bad!

Mother: Come here. Let me kiss it and make it all better.

(The child comes to his mother, who then kisses the knee.)

Mother: How’s that? Feel better now?

Child: Yes. Thank you, Mommy.

Grammar Basics: Unit 20 – Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, Part II (Solutions)

2008-03-05T09:30:00.000-06:00

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences using the present perfect.

Example:
Did Kelly go on vacation yet? ==> Has Kelly gone on vacation yet?

1. I haven’t told my father yet that I lost my job.

2. Tim has already shoveled the snow from the sidewalk.

3. Sam’s just taken a shower.

4. Have you just gotten home from work?

5. Oh, I’ve already put away the groceries.

6. Have you changed the baby’s diaper yet?

7. We’ve just bought a new dishwasher.

8. Steve’s already graduated from college.

9. Dave hasn’t voted yet.

10. I’ve just turned on the radio.

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences using the simple past.

Example:
The guests have already come! ==> The guests already came!

1. Matt didn’t eat dinner yet.

2. The TV repairman just left.

3. Mr. Jones is not in. He already left for the day.

4. Do you want to talk to Bill? He didn’t go to bed yet.

5. Help! I was just robbed!

6. She already celebrated her birthday.

7. The baby didn’t get any teeth yet.

8. The baby just said “Dada” for the first time.

9. Did you talk to your cousin yet?

10. Mary already returned the books to the library.

Grammar Basics: Unit 20 – Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, Part II

2008-03-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

There are three adverbs that are often used together with the Present Perfect and the Simple Past: just, already, and yet.

just = “a short time ago”

Examples:

Tom just came home from school.
Tom’s just come home from school.
Sally’s not here – she just left a few minutes ago.
Come in! I just finished cleaning the kitchen.
It’s weird that Mark called me – I was just thinking about him.

already = “before you/I expected”

Examples:

The children have already done their homework, and are now playing in the back yard.
I already baked a cake for tomorrow night’s party.
John’s in bed already. He got up at 5:30 this morning, so he was pretty tired.
Hello, Mr. Smith. I do believe we’ve already met.
Hurry up and get dressed! The guests have already come!

yet = “until now”

Examples:

Have you done your homework yet?
Did you do your homework yet?
I haven’t seen the new Indiana Jones movie yet.
Bob’s been at his job for five years, and hasn’t gotten a promotion yet.
Did Kelly go on vacation yet?

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences using the present perfect.

Example:
Did Kelly go on vacation yet? ==> Has Kelly gone on vacation yet?

1. I didn’t tell my father yet that I lost my job.

2. Tim already shoveled the snow from the sidewalk.

3. Sam just took a shower.

4. Did you just get home from work?

5. Oh, I already put away the groceries.

6. Did you change the baby’s diaper yet?

7. We just bought a new dishwasher.

8. Steve already graduated from college.

9. Dave didn’t vote yet.

10. I just turned on the radio.

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences using the simple past.

Example:
The guests have already come! ==> The guests already came!

1. Matt hasn’t eaten dinner yet.

2. The TV repairman’s just left.

3. Mr. Jones is not in. He’s already left for the day.

4. Do you want to talk to Bill? He hasn’t gone to bed yet.

5. Help! I’ve just been robbed!

6. She’s already celebrated her birthday.

7. The baby hasn’t gotten any teeth yet.

8. The baby’s just said “Dada” for the first time.

9. Have you talked to your cousin yet?

10. Mary’s already returned the books to the library.

Education Focus: SAT

2008-03-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

For this week’s educational focus, I want to take a look at two tests that are important for American high school juniors and seniors: the SAT and the ACT. Both of these tests are college aptitude tests; that is, performance on one or both of these tests is said to give an indication how well the student can perform academically at the college or university level. As such, these tests are frequency used in the college admissions process, and students spend a lot of time (and sometimes, money) to prepare themselves for the test in order to get a good score. This week, we’ll focus specifically on the SAT.

The SAT is the older, and more well-known, of the two tests. The exam has undergone several changes since it was first administered in 1901, the most recent change occurring in 2005. Currently, the SAT consists of three parts, each part having a score ranging from 200 – 800 points: 1) Critical Reading, 2) Mathematics, and 3) Writing. Thus, a score of 2400 points represents a perfect score on the SAT. There are 10 sub-sections to the test, including an experimental 25-minute section that is not scored, but used for the purpose of planning new tests. The timed portions of the entire test make the test 3 hours and 45 minutes long, so the tests are given on Saturdays according to the schedule set by the Educational Testing Service (the company that administers the exam). Students who cannot take the test on Saturdays for religious reasons (for example, Jewish students) can apply to take a special make-up test.

Critical Reading

The Critical Reading section of the test (formerly, the Verbal section on older tests), consists of three scored sections: two 25-minute sections, and one 20-minute section. In this section, questions may be sentence completion questions, which serve to test the student’s vocabulary, and reading comprehension questions based on long or short reading passages.

Mathematics

The Mathematics section also consists of three scored sections: two 25-minute sections, and one 20-minute section. One of the longer sections has 20 questions, all multiple choice; the other 25-minute section has 8 multiple choice questions and 10 “grid-in” questions (questions where the student must calculate an answer and fill in the computer-readable blank). The final, shorter section has 16 multiple choice questions. The contents of the Mathematics sections are: number and operations; algebra and functions; geometry; statistics, probability, and data analysis.

Writing

The Writing section consists of a 35-minute multiple choice section and a 25-minute essay section. The multiple choice section tests the student’s ability to improve sentences and paragraphs, as well as identify errors (such as diction, grammar, sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, proper word usage, and wordiness). In the essay section, the student is expected to write an essay that develops a point of a view on an issue, and then use reasoning and evidence (based on personal experience, reading, or observation) to support his ideas. In his essay, the student should be able to organize and express ideas clearly, develop and support his main idea, as well as use appropriate word choice and sentence structure.

Scoring

As mentioned previously, scores on each section of the SAT range from 200 – 800 points. One thing that is unique about the SAT’s multiple choice questions is that responses are scored to minimize any benefit from random guessing. Multiple choice questions have five possible answers, and correct answers are awarded 1 point, whereas incorrect answers are penalized with a –1/4 point. Thus, if a student has absolutely no idea what the correct answer to a question is, he is advised to skip the question and leave it blank. On the other hand, if a student can eliminate even one of the possible answer choices, he improves his chances enough to overcome the negative 1/4 point penalty.

The negative point penalty applies only to multiple choice questions. Grid-in questions on the Mathematics section are not penalized for incorrect answers, and students are encouraged to make an educated guess if they do not know the answer.

The essay portion of the Writing section is scored on a scale of 1 – 6 (1: poor, 6: best), based on the overall quality of the essay. Two readers each give a score to the essay, so the essay’s total score can range from 2 – 12 points. Essays that are not written on the essay assignment, are blank, not written in English, not written with a Number 2 pencil, or are illegible, are automatically given a score of 0.

Originally, the test was scaled to make a score of 500 the mean on each section, with a standard deviation of 100. However, SAT scores have been steadily declining since the 1960’s: at its peak in 1963, the average SAT score was 980 (out of 1600); by the 1990’s, the average Verbal score was 428, and the average Math score was 478 – both well below the intended mean of 500 points. Consequently, in 1995 the test was “recentered” to bring the average score on each section back up to 500. Critics have pointed out that manipulating the scores like this masks the fact that compared to previous generations, today’s students are scoring poorly, and thus are not as well-prepared for college as their parents were.

Next week, we’ll take a look at the alternative to the SAT: the ACT.

Crossword - Irregular Verbs 4 (Solution)

2008-03-03T09:30:00.000-06:00

Crossword - Irregular Verbs 4

2008-03-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

Here is another crossword about irregular verbs. The clue gives the simple present, and you have to fill in the crossword with either the past or past participle. Have fun!

Across

2. wake
3. lay
5. bite
6. forget
7. lend
9. understand
12. ride
14. shoot
15. sell
17. draw
19. become
22. steal
23. hear
24. get
25. swim
27. cut
28. ring
30. tear
32. eat
33. hide
34. win
35. shine
36. stand

Down

1. leave
2. write
3. light
4. drink
5. break
7. let
8. throw
10. speak
11. drive
13. do
15. sing
16. lose
18. read
19. begin
20. cost
21. mean
26. make
27. choose
28. rise
29. give
31. run
33. hold
34. is

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 9

2008-03-01T10:00:00.000-06:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

donkey’s years/coon’s age: a very long time

Example:

How are you doing, Sam? I haven’t seen you in a coon’s age.

dumb bunny: someone who is stupid or naïve

Example:

Don’t be a dumb bunny. Be sure you take your cell phone with you when you go out alone after dark.

Writing Assignment: Vacation (Solution)

2008-03-01T09:30:00.000-06:00

1. Is the landscape mountainous or flat?
The landscape is mountainous.

2. In the picture do you see an ocean or lake?
In the picture we see a lake.

3. Is the beach good for sunbathing?
No, the beach is not good for sunbathing. It’s too rocky.

4. What kind of trees are growing here?
There are pine trees (evergreens) growing by the lake.

5. Is the sailboat sailing towards the right or towards the left?
The sailboat is sailing towards the left.

6. What is jumping out of the water?
A fish is jumping out of the water.

7. What are the men in the canoe doing?
The men in the canoe are fishing.

8. What else besides birds are flying in the air?
In addition to birds flying, we also see a plane flying in the air.

9. Who is taking a walk on the road?
A man is taking a walk on the road with a couple of dogs.

10. Are the people on the right driving a sports car or a family car?
The people on the right are driving a family car.

11. How many people in the picture are on foot?
We see one person on foot in the picture.

12. Why don't you need an umbrella?
We don’t need an umbrella because it’s not raining.

13. Can you go mountain climbing here?
You can probably go mountain climbing in the mountains that you see in the distance.

14. Is it possible to go camping with a tent here? To go on a picnic?
You could have a picnic alongside the lake under the trees, but it is not possible to camping with a tent here. You’d have to go to the mountains in the distance to find a good camping place.

15. Can you play golf here? Tennis? Baseball?
There aren’t any fields on which to play golf, tennis, or baseball here.

16. What else can you do here on a summer vacation? How about on a winter vacation?
On a summer vacation we could go sailing, canoeing, swimming, or fishing here. On a winter vacation, we could go ice skating, ice fishing, or skiing in the mountains in the distance.

17. What kind of wild animals would you find in this forest?
In this forest we could find squirrels, rabbits, foxes, raccoons, snakes, perhaps bears, woodpeckers, sparrows, robins, cardinals, bluebirds, or quail.

18. When does the water turn into ice?
The water turns into ice in the winter, when the temperature goes below freezing.

19. In which season do many students go on vacation?
Many students go on vacation in the summer, when they have summer break from school.

20. Where do you spend your summer vacations?
I like to spend my summer vacation by the lake or in the mountains.

Paragraph: My Vacation

Write a brief paragraph about a vacation that you took. Where did you go? What did you do? Would you recommend a friend to go there for his vacation?

When I was in my 30s, I went on a backpacking trip in Europe. I bought a Eurail pass, which allowed me unlimited travel by train throughout Europe for thirty days. First I traveled around Germany, visiting different cities such as Eisenach (where J.S. Bach was born, and where Martin Luther attended Latin school as a young boy), Chemnitz (formerly known as Karl Marx Stadt when it was a part of the former East Germany), and Kiel. At night I stayed in youth hostels. The hostels were very inexpensive, but sometimes it was difficult to find how to get to the hostel from the train station.

From Kiel I left Germany and took an overnight ferry to Oslo, the capital of Norway. I then traveled around Norway by rail, visiting cities such as Stavanger and Bergen. In Norway I didn’t stay in youth hostels, but I traveled by night on the trains and slept on the train instead. When I got tired of traveling, I went to visit relatives before going back home to the United States.

I had a lot of fun traveling around Europe and seeing many famous and historical places. Since I stayed in hostels and traveled by train, I was able to meet a lot of local people and talk to them. I would recommend anyone who likes to travel “off the beaten path” (= go to places that most tourists don’t see or don’t visit) to take a vacation like this. Be sure to take a lot of pictures so you can have some nice memories of your travel adventures!

Writing Assignment: Vacation

2008-02-29T10:00:00.001-06:00

Vocabulary

mountain
left
sunbathing
to consist of
to the left
such a
to climb
sky, air
to need
to do
else
to need
a walk
vacation
possibility
shore
to go on vacation
ocean
animal
flat
to spend (time)
to fly
car
woods, forest
on foot
picnic
to become
mountainous
sports car
turn into
canoe
umbrella
wild
coming
lake
to camp (in a tent)
landscape
sailboat
to go sailing
for camping

1. Is the landscape mountainous or flat?

2. In the picture do you see an ocean or lake?

3. Is the beach good for sunbathing?

4. What kind of trees are growing here?

5. Is the sailboat sailing towards the right or towards the left?

6. What is jumping out of the water?

7. What are the men in the canoe doing?

8. What else besides birds are flying in the air?

9. Who is taking a walk on the road?

10. Are the people on the right driving a sports car or a family car?

11. How many people in the picture are on foot?

12. Why don't you need an umbrella?

13. Can you go mountain climbing here?

14. Is it possible to go camping with a tent here? To go on a picnic?

15. Can you play golf here? Tennis? Baseball?

16. What else can you do here on a summer vacation? How about on a winter vacation?

17. What kind of wild animals would you find in this forest?

18. When does the water turn into ice?

19. In which season do many students go on vacation?

20. Where do you spend your summer vacations?

Paragraph: My Vacation

Write a brief paragraph about a vacation that you took. Where did you go? What did you do? Would you recommend a friend to go there for his vacation?

Grammar Basics: Unit 19 – Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, Part I (Solutions)

2008-02-29T09:30:00.000-06:00

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences, using the present perfect for the verbs in parentheses.

Example:
Tom is not at work. He (left) for the day. ==> Tom is not at work. He’s left for the day.

1. Jack has cut the grass.
2. She has baked a cake for tomorrow’s party.
3. We have exercised this morning.
4. Kelly has eaten supper with her friends.
5. Have you washed the clothes?
6. The light bulb has burned out.
7. Mary has been in an auto accident.
8. The dog has been fed.
9. Archeologists have dug up a dinosaur bone.
10. Customers have come to the store for a free book.

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences, using the simple past for the verbs in parentheses.

Example:
Tim (has gone) to bed. ==> Tim went to bed.

1. The plane came to a complete stop.
2. Sally finished reading War and Peace.
3. Everyone went home for the day.
4. The senator already gave his speech.
5. The clock stopped.
6. These books were checked out from the library.
7. The luggage was put on the train.
8. Matt got first place in several tennis tournaments.
9. The baby took his first steps.
10. My favorite TV program was canceled.

Grammar Basics: Unit 19 – Present Perfect vs. Simple Past, Part I

2008-02-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

So far, we have looked at two ways to talk about past events: the Simple Past, and the Present Perfect. The question is: How can I tell when I need to use Simple Past, and when I need to use Present Perfect?

Present Perfect:
The Present Perfect is used for an action in the past that has a result that is still in effect now.

Examples:

The mechanic has fixed the car. (= The car is fixed now.)

The rain has melted away the snow. (= The snow is melted now.)

I have cleaned the basement. (= The basement is clean now.)

Jim was very sick last week, but he’s gotten better. (= His condition is better now.)

Simple Past:
The Simple Past is used when we are talking about an action in the past with a finished time – something whose results are not necessarily still in effect now.

Examples:

The mechanic fixed the car. (= The car was fixed yesterday, three days ago, last week, last month, etc.)

The rain melted away the snow. (= The snow melted yesterday, three days ago, last week, last month, etc.)

I cleaned the basement. (= I cleaned the basement yesterday, three days ago, last week, last month, etc.)

Note: The Simple Past can also be thought of as a narrative (“story-telling”) tense:

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She was a naughty little girl who didn’t listen to her mother. One day, she went for a walk in the woods and came upon the house of the three bears….

Sometimes, however, the Simple Past could be used as well as the Present Perfect:

I’ve finished my homework. // I finished my homework.

I’ve lost my book. // I lost my book.

Sam’s bought new shoes. // Sam bought new shoes.

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences, using the present perfect for the verbs in parentheses.

Example:
Tom is not at work. He (left) for the day. ==> Tom is not at work. He’s left for the day.

1. Jack (cut) the grass.

2. She (baked) a cake for tomorrow’s party.

3. We (exercised) this morning.

4. Kelly (ate) supper with her friends.

5. (Did) you (wash) the clothes?

6. The light bulb (burned) out.

7. Mary (was) in an auto accident.

8. The dog (was) fed.

9. Archeologists (dug) up a dinosaur bone.

10. Customers (came) to the store for a free book.

Exercise: Rewrite the sentences, using the simple past for the verbs in parentheses.

Example:
Tim (has gone) to bed. ==> Tim went to bed.

1. The plane (has come) to a complete stop.

2. Sally (has finished) reading War and Peace.

3. Everyone (has gone) home for the day.

4. The senator (has) already (given) his speech.

5. The clock (has stopped).

6. These books (have been checked) out from the library.

7. The luggage (has been put) on the train.

8. Matt (has gotten) first place in several tennis tournaments.

9. The baby (has taken) his first steps.

10. My favorite TV program (has been canceled).

Culture Focus: Losing Baby Teeth

2008-02-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

Losing baby teeth is sort of a significant event in American culture, and so we have a ritual associated with it. When a child loses a tooth, he saves the tooth and puts it under his pillow that night when he goes to bed. During the night, the “tooth fairy” comes and takes away the tooth. In place of the baby tooth, the tooth fairy leaves some money – maybe a quarter, or even a dollar in some cases. Of course, the “tooth fairy” is really Mom or Dad :).

Sometimes, a fancy little pillow or pocket is used to hold the tooth until the tooth fairy comes, and then the money is put in the pillow or pocket. Usually, though, the tooth is just placed under the child’s sleeping pillow.

When a child notices that a tooth is loose, he gets excited, because he knows that it will fall out soon. He may wiggle the tooth every day until it is ready to fall out, or he may ask a parent or older sibling to help him pull it out. A favorite method for pulling out a loose baby tooth is to tie a string around the tooth and yank it out quickly. Other times a parent may use a small cloth (to get a better grip on the tooth) to pull out the tooth. Sometimes, though, a child expects that having a tooth pulled will hurt too much, and would rather let it fall out on its own. Such children may find that they bite something crunchy, like an apple, and look down to see their baby tooth stuck in the apple!

Grammar Basics: Unit 18 – For, Since, and Ago (Solutions)

2008-02-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

Exercise: Complete the following sentences, using “for” or “since.”

Example:

I have been practicing the piano ____________ 3 o’clock. ==> I have been practicing the piano since 3 o’clock.

I have been practicing the piano ____________ 90 minutes. ==> I have been practicing the piano for 90 minutes.

1. Jane has been absent from class since Monday.

2. Jane has been absent from class for several days.

3. The baby has been walking for two months.

4. The baby has been walking since January.

5. We have been in business since 2001.

6. We have been in business for over five years.

7. She’s had a pet monkey since last year.

8. She’s had a pet monkey for six months.

9. Keith has been playing the piano since he was a young child.

10. Keith has been playing the piano for 20 years.

Exercise: Complete the sentences, using the word in the parentheses and “for” or “ago.”

Example:

I went on vacation (three weeks). ==> I went on vacation three weeks ago.
I have been on vacation (a week). ==> I have been on vacation for a week.

1. We have been driving for six hours.

2. We drove to California two months ago.

3. Sam went to the library ten minutes ago.

4. Sam has been at the library for three hours.

5. Jim lived in Hawaii many years ago.

6. Jim has lived in Hawaii for sixty years.

7. The kids played outside for 45 minutes.

8. The kids played outside two days ago.

Grammar Basics: Unit 18 – For, Since, and Ago

2008-02-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

For, Since, and Ago are similar, but they are not the same. Sometimes it is confusing and difficult to decide which one is the correct one to use. Here are some hints to help you determine whether you should use “for,” “since,” or “ago.”

For and Since

Both of these are used to indicate a time span. In other words, if you are answering the question “How long ~?”, you want to use “for” or “since.”

For:

“For” is used when you are using a specific period of time: one week, three hours, five years, etc.

Examples:

I have been working on my homework for two hours.
Father has been sick for a week.
Tom has been attending college for three years.
She’s been waiting for the bus for a long time.

Since:

“Since” is used when you indicate the beginning of a specified period of time. The period of time continues until the present.

Examples:

I have been working on my homework since 1 o’clock.
Father has been sick since Sunday.
Tom has been attending college since 2005.
She’s been waiting for the bus since this morning.

Ago

“Ago,” on the other hand, just refers to some time in the past. “Ago” uses the simple past tense. You can think of “ago” = “before now.”

Examples:

I worked on my homework four days ago. (= “I worked on my homework four days before now.”)
John came home from college a month ago. (= “John came home from college one month before now.”)
People lived in caves a long time ago.

Exercise: Complete the following sentences, using “for” or “since.”

Example:

I have been practicing the piano ____________ 3 o’clock. ==> I have been practicing the piano since 3 o’clock.

I have been practicing the piano ____________ 90 minutes. ==> I have been practicing the piano for 90 minutes.

1. Jane has been absent from class ____________ Monday.

2. Jane has been absent from class ____________ several days.

3. The baby has been walking ____________ two months.

4. The baby has been walking ____________ January.

5. We have been in business ____________ 2001.

6. We have been in business ____________ over five years.

7. She’s had a pet monkey ____________ last year.

8. She’s had a pet monkey ____________ months.

9. Keith has been playing the piano ____________ he was a young child.

10. Keith has been playing the piano ____________ 20 years.

Exercise: Complete the sentences, using the word in the parentheses and “for” or “ago.”

Example:

I went on vacation (three weeks). ==> I went on vacation three weeks ago.
I have been on vacation (a week). ==> I have been on vacation for a week.

1. We have been driving (six hours).

2. We drove to California (two months).

3. Sam went to the library (ten minutes).

4. Sam has been at the library (three hours).

5. Jim lived in Hawaii (many years).

6. Jim has lived in Hawaii (sixty years).

7. The kids played outside (45 minutes).

8. The kids played outside (two days).

Education Focus: Graduation

2008-02-25T10:00:00.002-06:00

For this week’s educational focus, I want to take a look at graduation. “Graduation” just means that the student has completed the necessary work for a particular grade level, and can then be moved up to the next level. However, when you say the word “graduation,” most people will think of a specific ceremony marking the end of a particular stage in a student’s life, and his moving on to the next stage. This “moving on” is also called “commencement,” and the graduation ceremony is also often called “commencement exercises.”

In the American educational system, the transition from junior high school to high school, from high school to college, and from college to the working world are all marked by graduation ceremonies. Thus, we have 8th grade graduation, high school graduation, and college graduation. For the ceremony, the graduates (the students who are moving on) march in to solemn music (traditionally, “Pomp and Circumstance” by Elgar – midi, or see Wikipedia’s sample (which is played too fast for commencement exercises) at the bottom of its page) and take their seat in an auditorium. All the graduates are dressed in cap and gown, with a tassel hanging from the right side of the cap. Various speeches are given by the principal or other school officials, the valedictorian (the top-ranked student in the class), and the salutatorian (the student who is ranked second in the class). Sometimes, in the case of a college graduation ceremony, a notable person may be awarded an honorary degree from the school (for outstanding work in a particular field, for example), and then that person would most likely give a speech as well. The speeches tend to be motivational, encouraging the students to continue to do their best and be a positive influence wherever they may be. After all the speeches, the students line up to get their diploma (the symbol of the degree that they earned), and the principal or dean reads off the names of the graduates. As his name is called, the graduate crosses the stage, shakes hands and accepts the diploma, and switches his tassel from the right side to the left. The switching of the tassel symbolizes that the student is now a graduate. Afterwards, the student steps off the stage and returns to his seat. When all the students have received their diplomas, they are presented to the audience by the dean or principal: “I now present to you the class of [year],” and many graduates then throw their caps in the air in celebration.

The graduate’s family often prepares some sort of celebration as well, and graduation parties are very common. Particularly in the case of 8th grade and high school graduations, it is common to have a graduation picnic or pool party for the whole class. Many parents also give a nice graduation gift to their graduate, such as money, a new bicycle, or other reward for having successfully completed school.

Crossword: TOEFL 1 (Solution)

2008-02-25T09:30:00.000-06:00

Here is the solution to the TOEFL crossword. How did you do?

Crossword: TOEFL 1

2008-02-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

This crossword puzzle might be kind of difficult - the vocabulary comes from a list of words that are common on the TOEFL test. Give it a try, and see how you do. Have fun, and learn from the words you don't know!

Across

1. praise for a person or their achievements

4. a situation in which two people, ideas, or statements agree with each other

5. to not do something, especially something enjoyable, because you think it is bad for your health or morally wrong

7. hand or swing loosely

11. take the whole attention, enslave

12. a trick

14. no longer useful, outdated

16. unspoken, silent

19. astonish

21. the ability to think quickly and make good judgments

22. unreasonably impatient or irritable

24. death-like, pale and ill

25. very similar to something

26. looking ill, not bright

27. good at doing something that needs care and skill

28. to hate a type of behavior or way of thinking, especially because you think it is morally wrong

Down

1. to change something so that it can be used in a different way or for a different purpose

2. to repair

3. good enough in quality for a particular purpose or activity

4. angry or threatening behavior or feelings that often result in fighting

6. distress, suffering

8. to praise highly

9. yield, die

10. to make understandable

13. invent, prepare by mixing together

15. rub or wipe out, obliterate

17. to tell or warn someone severely that they have done something wrong

18. take away from, prevent from using

20. to slander

23. to decide officially to give something to someone or use something for a particular purpose

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 8

2008-02-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

dark horse: In an election, a dark horse candidate is one unexpectedly nominated, who previously had not been considered a likely choice.

Example:

Abraham Lincoln was a dark horse Republican candidate who became the 16th president of the United States.

dog-eat-dog: indicating all-out competition, fighting and doing whatever it takes to win or be successful; having a “kill or be killed” mentality in business or other competition.

Example:

Pressure to get into a top-name university results in dog-eat-dog competition and widespread cheating among some high school students.

Writing Assignment: The Department Store (Solutions)

2008-02-23T09:30:00.000-06:00

1. In this store what else can you buy besides purses?
In this store we can buy women’s apparel (clothes).

2. What is the woman on the left buying?
The woman on the left is buying some women’s clothes; a scarf, perhaps.

3. How many buttons are on the back side of the coat?
There are two buttons on the back side of the coat.

4. What is probably in the drawer behind the sales lady?
There are probably scarves, gloves, stockings, and similar things.

5. What is the sales lady wearing on her ears?
The sales lady is wearing earrings on her ears.

6. How many sales ladies are in the picture?
There is one sales lady in the picture.

7. Is the man in the background packing something in a box or paper bag?
The man in the background is packing something in a box.

8. What is the man in the black suit selling?
The man in the black suit is selling purses.

9. What is the blond lady holding in her right hand?
The blond lady is holding her purse in her right hand.

10. What is the man giving to the lady?
The man is giving a box to the lady.

11. What does the sales clerk write on the pad of paper that is on the counter?
The sales clerk writes a receipt with the pad of paper that is on the counter.

12. Is the purse more expensive or cheaper than a pair of stockings?
The purse is more expensive than a pair of stockings.

13. Do the people in this picture look unfriendly?
No, they look friendly.

14. What do the men wear around their necks?
The men wear neckties (ties) around their necks.

15. What do the lady customers wear on their heads?
The lady customers wear hats on their heads.

16. Is there someone standing in the door?
Yes, there is someone standing in the door, heading out of the store.

17. What do you see over the door?
Over the door we see a sign.

18. Which woman is wearing a vest?
The woman in the foreground is wearing a vest.

19. Could this picture be in a department store?
Yes, this picture could be in a department store.

20. Do you usually buy clothing in a clothing store or department store?
You can buy clothing in either a clothing store or a department store.

Paragraph: A Visit to the Store

Write a brief paragraph about the last time you went to a department store. What did you buy? Was the sales clerk helpful? Did you buy a gift for someone?

The last time I went to a department store, I wanted to buy a pair of pajamas for my father. It was his birthday, and I wanted to give him something that I knew he would appreciate. I went to the department store at the local shopping mall. It was on the weekend and the mall was crowded, so I had a hard time trying to find a place to park. Eventually, though, I found a spot, parked the car, and went inside the mall to the store.

When I got to the men’s department, I went to the pajama section. I thought that my father needed size large, so I looked for the row that had that size. Since it had been cold out lately, I decided to get him a pair of flannel pajamas. I figured that those would keep him warmer than a pair of summer pajamas would. I found a red pair and brought them to the counter. The clerk rang me up and asked me if I needed a gift receipt. I said yes, so if the pajamas were the wrong size, color, or style, my father would be able to exchange the pajamas for ones he preferred. The clerk also asked me if I wanted to have them gift wrapped. I knew that I could wrap them myself, so I just asked for a gift box instead. I was satisfied with my purchase, and I went home to wrap up the pajamas as a present for my dad.

Writing Assignment: The Department Store

2008-02-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Vocabulary

suit
customer
stocking
to look, appear
store
purse, handbag
besides
counter
expensive
inexpensive, cheap
coat
more expensive than
cheaper
most of the time
sales lady
pad of paper
clothing store
paper bag
something
unfriendly
neck
ear
to sell
someone
pair, pair of
sales clerk
to buy
to pack
box
department store
back side
probably
button
drawer
vest

1. In this store what else can you by besides purses?

2. What is the woman on the left buying?

3. How many buttons are on the back side of the coat?

4. What is probably in the drawer behind the sales lady?

5. What is the sales lady wearing on her ears?

6. How many sales ladies are in the picture?

7. Is the man in the background packing something in a box or paper bag?

8. What is the man in the black suit selling?

9. What is the blond lady holding in her right hand?

10. What is the man giving to the lady?

11. What does the sales clerk write on the pad of paper that is on the counter?

12. Is the purse more expensive or cheaper than a pair of stockings?

13. Do the people in this picture look unfriendly?

14. What do the men wear around their necks?

15. What do the lady customers wear on their heads?

16. Is there someone standing in the door?

17. What do you see over the door?

18. Which woman is wearing a vest?

19. Could this picture be in a department store?

20. Do you usually buy clothing in a clothing store or department store?

Paragraph: A Visit to the Store

Write a brief paragraph about the last time you went to a department store. What did you buy? Was the sales clerk helpful? Did you buy a gift for someone?

Grammar Basics: Unit 17 – More Present Perfect (Solutions)

2008-02-22T09:30:00.000-06:00

Exercise: Complete the following sentences.

Example:

He is vice president of the bank. He __________ vice president for 10 years. ==>
He has been vice president for 10 years.

1. I know Tom. I’ve known him since we were classmates in grade school.

2. Jan is on vacation. She’s been on vacation since last Thursday.

3. Mark lives in Colorado. He’s lived there since he graduated from college.

4. I’m afraid of dogs. I’ve been afraid of them ever since a dog bit me when I was ten.

5. Sally is divorced. She’s been divorced for five years.

6. The wind is blowing. It’s been blowing hard all afternoon.

7. Hannah is doing math. She’s been doing math for 20 minutes.

8. Joe is shoveling snow. He’s been shoveling snow since 6 a.m.

9. We’re working on a project. We’ve been working on it since yesterday.

10. They’re baking cookies. They’ve been baking cookies all week.

Exercise: Choose the correct form.

Example:

Jack and Jill (are married / have been married) since 2001. ==>
Jack and Jill have been married since 2001.

1. Our teacher has been sick all week.

2. Tom has played the piano every day for the past five years.

3. The secretary is typing the letter for me now.

4. Jennifer works at the library on Tuesdays.

5. We have lived in the red house for 12 years.

6. Edward has been in London several times.

7. The principal has known about the cheating for a long time.

8. Jake has been cleaning his bedroom very well these days.

9. Mary has been eating broccoli since the doctor told her it’s good for her.

10. They have been waiting for the bus for 15 minutes.

Grammar Basics: Unit 17 – More Present Perfect

2008-02-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

As we saw last time, the Present Perfect is used to talk about a time from the past until now. In other words, something that started in the past and is still in effect now uses the Present Perfect. In the following examples, note that the question “How long have you…?” is always in present perfect.

Examples:

Are you sick? (simple present)
—Yes.

How long have you been sick? (present perfect)
—I have been sick for a week. (I first got sick several days ago, and the effects are still with me – I’m still sick.)

Are you married? (simple present)
—Yes.

How long have you been married? (present perfect)
—I’ve been married for eight years. (I first got married several years ago, and the effects are still with me – I’m still married.)

Where do you live? (simple present)
—I live in Los Angeles.

How long have you lived there? (present perfect)
—I’ve lived there since 1995. (I first started living there several years ago, and the effects are still with me – I’m still living there.)

Do you have a cat? (simple present)
—Yes.

How long have you had a cat? (present perfect)
—We’ve had a cat for a couple of months. (We first got the cat several weeks ago, and the effects are still with us – we still have the cat.)

We can also have the present perfect continuous form for present continuous situations that started in the past and are still in effect.

Examples:

How long have you been studying Korean?
—I’ve been studying Korean for eight years.

How long has it been snowing?
—It’s been snowing all day.

How long has the baby been crying?
—He’s been crying for the past 30 minutes.

Exercise: Complete the following sentences.

Example:

He is vice president of the bank. He __________ vice president for 10 years. ==>
He has been vice president for 10 years.

1. I know Tom. I__________ him since we were classmates in grade school.

2. Jan is on vacation. She__________ on vacation since last Thursday.

3. Mark lives in Colorado. He__________ there since he graduated from college.

4. I’m afraid of dogs. I__________ of them ever since a dog bit me when I was ten.

5. Sally is divorced. She__________ for five years.

6. The wind is blowing. It__________ hard all afternoon.

7. Hannah is doing math. She__________ math for 20 minutes.

8. Joe is shoveling snow. He__________ snow since 6 a.m.

9. We’re working on a project. We__________ on it since yesterday.

10. They’re baking cookies. They__________ cookies all week.

Exercise: Choose the correct form.

Example:

Jack and Jill (are married / have been married) since 2001. ==>
Jack and Jill have been married since 2001.

1. Our teacher (is sick / has been sick) all week.

2. Tom (plays / has played) the piano every day for the past five years.

3. The secretary (is typing / has been typing) the letter for me now.

4. Jennifer (works / has worked) at the library on Tuesdays.

5. We (live / have lived) in the red house for 12 years.

6. Edward (is / has been) in London several times.

7. The principal (knows / has known) about the cheating for a long time.

8. Jake (is cleaning / has been cleaning) his bedroom very well these days.

9. Mary (is eating / has been eating) broccoli since the doctor told her it’s good for her.

10. They (are waiting / have been waiting) for the bus for 15 minutes.

Culture Focus: Elections – The Primary Process

2008-02-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

For this week’s culture focus, I thought I’d give a very brief introduction to the American primary process. The United States is in the middle of its primary elections, a process whereby eligible American citizens choose whom they want to see on the ballot for the Presidential election held later in November. Each state holds either a primary or a caucus to determine which candidates will receive delegates to the national conventions that will be held later in the year. The Democratic Party and the Republic party each have separate primaries/caucuses, generally held on the same day. Democratic delegates will attend the Democratic National Convention from August 25 – 28 in Denver, Colorado. The Republican delegates will attend the Republican National Convention from September 1 – 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Each presidential candidate must receive a certain number of delegates to win his party’s nomination for the presidency: the Republican candidate needs 1191 delegates for the nomination. The Democratic situation is a bit more complicated, because of disputes over the delegates from Michigan and Florida – without the delegates from these two states, the Democratic candidate needs 2024.5 delegates for the nomination; with these two states, the number of delegates needed is 2206.5. As things stand right now (2/19), Clinton and Obama are rather close, so people are very interested in following the primary process. On the Republican side, McCain has a comfortable lead over Huckabee, so McCain will most likely be the Republican candidate.

In addition to choosing and nominating the party’s choice for Presidential candidate, it is at the conventions that each candidate will name his selection for Vice President, also known as his “running mate.” There is a great deal of speculation over who will be the running mate on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, but both sides will take into account what areas are weak politically, and nominate a running mate to compensate for his weaknesses. For example, if a candidate is concerned about his ability to woo Southern voters, he would probably strongly consider choosing a Southern politician as his running mate. (This was one of the main reasons why John Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate in 1960, even though Kennedy couldn’t stand the fellow. Johnson was from Texas, and Kennedy needed to win in the South in order to win the election.)

Grammar Basics: Unit 16 – Present Perfect (Solutions)

2008-02-20T09:30:00.000-06:00

Exercises: Put the verbs in the present perfect.

Examples:
(I / finish) my homework, so I can relax now. ==>
I’ve finished my homework, so I can relax now.

(She / never / take) piano lessons. ==>
She’s never taken piano lessons.

(you / ever / go) skiing? ==>
Have you ever gone skiing?

1. John has written a letter to the newspaper.

2. Mother has told Tom five times to pick up his clothes.

3. Sue’s never come home this late before.

4. We’ve gone to Michigan for vacation every year since I was a child.

5. Have you ever gotten dressed up for a fancy party?

6. I’ve never cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving.

7. Hasn’t Mary driven a car before?

8. Mr. Smith has never washed his car.

9. I’ve never been to the library.

10. She’s never ridden on an airplane before.

11. Haven’t you ever seen an elephant before?

12. Rob has never seen her wear glasses.

13. Has Dad come home yet?

14. That’s the first time I’ve ever been late for school.

15. The baby has never stayed up this late.

16. Have you ever made a pie?

17. Kathy has never taken a typing class before.

18. Have you ever seen such a sight?

19. James has never skipped school in his life.

20. Have you ever played baseball?

Grammar Basics: Unit 16 – Present Perfect

2008-02-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

S + have/has + V (past participle) is the present perfect (have + past participle).

The past participle for regular verbs is –ed, the same as the simple past. For irregular verbs, the past participle is sometimes the same as the simple past. Sometimes, it is different – check out the section on Irregular Verbs for a list of common irregular verbs.

We have the following table of have + past participle, along with the contracted forms:

Positive:

I have jumped (I’ve jumped)
you have jumped (you’ve jumped)
he / she / it has jumped (he’s / she’s / it’s jumped)
we have jumped (we’ve jumped)
they have jumped (they’ve jumped)

Negative:

I have not jumped (I’ve not jumped // I haven’t jumped)
you have not jumped (you’ve not jumped // you haven’t jumped)
he / she / it has not jumped (he’s / she’s / it’s not jumped // he / she / it hasn’t jumped)
we have not jumped (we’ve not jumped // we haven’t jumped)
they have not jumped (they’ve not jumped // they haven’t jumped)

For questions, switch the subject and “have”: Have / Has S ~ ?

I have jumped ==> Have I jumped?
you have jumped ==> Have you jumped?
he / she / it has jumped ==> Has he / she / it jumped?
we have jumped ==> Have we jumped?
they have jumped ==> Have they jumped?

For negative questions, use the contracted form: Haven’t / Hasn’t S ~?

I have not jumped ==> Haven’t I jumped?
you have not jumped ==> Haven’t you jumped?
he / she / it has not jumped ==> Hasn’t he / she / it jumped?
we have not jumped ==> Haven’t we jumped?
they have not jumped ==> Haven’t they jumped?

When do we use Present Perfect?

The present perfect is used to talk about a time from the past until now:

Examples:

Have you seen the new movie?
—No, I haven’t.

Have you gone to college?
—Yes, I went to college when I was 23.

How often has Mary been to Europe?
—She has traveled to Europe a number of times.

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, where have you been?
—I’ve been to London to visit the Queen.

I have had several jobs since I graduated from school.
Tom has had bad luck ever since he bought that new car.

We can also use “ever” in questions to ask if something has happened at any time in a person’s life. We can answer with “never” if it has not happened at all:

Have you ever been to Korea?
—Yes, I’ve been there once.
—No, I’ve never been there. I hope to go someday.

Have you ever eaten squid?
—Yes, I’ve eaten it at a seafood restaurant.
—No, I’ve never tried it.

Exercises: Put the verbs in the present perfect.

Examples:

(I / finish) my homework, so I can relax now. ==>
I’ve finished my homework, so I can relax now.

(She / never / take) piano lessons. ==>
She’s never taken piano lessons.

(you / ever / go) skiing? ==>
Have you ever gone skiing?

1. (John / write) a letter to the newspaper.

2. (Mother / tell) Tom five times to pick up his clothes.

3. (Sue / never / come) home this late before.

4. (We / go) to Michigan for vacation every year since I was a child.

5. (you / ever / get) dressed up for a fancy party?

6. (I / never / cook) a turkey for Thanksgiving.

7. (Mary / not / drive) a car before?

8. (Mr. Smith / never / wash) his car.

9. (I / never / be) to the library.

10. (She / never / ride) on an airplane before.

11. (you / not / ever / see) an elephant before?

12. (Rob / never / see) her wear glasses.

13. (Dad / come) home yet?

14. That’s the first time (I / ever / be) late for school.

15. (The baby / never / stay) up this late.

16. (you / ever / make) a pie?

17. (Kathy / never / take) a typing class before.

18. (you / ever / see) such a sight?

19. (James / never / skip) school in his life.

20. (you / ever / play) baseball?

Educational Focus: Homeschooling

2008-02-18T12:03:00.002-06:00

For this week’s educational focus, I want to take a look at homeschooling. In the U.S., it is legal to teach your children at home rather than send them to a school. A growing number of parents have decided to homeschool their children. It is difficult to determine how many children are being homeschooled, since many states don’t require homeschoolers to register. Estimates range from 900,000—2,000,000, but a reasonable estimate would put the figure in the neighborhood of 1.2 million children being homeschooled as of 2007.

As stated above, it is legal in all 50 states to homeschool children; however, different states have different requirements for homeschooling. Some states require that a parent obtain state certification in teaching; other states don’t require teacher certification, but insist that homeschool students take the same yearly assessment tests as the ones given to public school students. Still others require that homeschool students follow a state-approved curriculum, or be “in class” a certain number of hours a day or a certain number of days per year. In Illinois, homeschools are considered “private schools,” and there are only two requirements: 1) that the branches of education or subjects taught in a private school be equivalent to those being taught in the public schools, and 2) that the daily instruction of a child in a private school be in the English language. This makes Illinois one of the easiest states in which to homeschool your children, since there is minimal government interference, and parents have maximal control over what and how their children are taught.

The reasons why parents choose to homeschool are essentially the same as why parents opt for private over public schools: Concerns for the quality of education, concerns over violence in school and negative influences from peers, regards for religious beliefs, and interest in alternative teaching philosophies are all reasons why some parents choose homeschooling.

Naturally, people have concerns regarding homeschooled children. Do they do as well academically as students attending a public or private school? How can homeschooled children develop a healthy social life without the interaction of their peers in a regular school setting? How can parents offer the same variety and depth of instruction as regular schools? These are valid concerns, but they do not pose as much of a problem as people generally think. Let’s look at these concerns one by one.

Concern #1: Academics – Do homeschooled students do as well academically as students attending a regular school? Since not all parents are trained to be teachers, or even have a college degree, are they qualified to teach their children at home?

Answer: Believe it or not, the level of parental education or lack of teacher qualification has little, if any, negative effect on homeschool children’s academic performance. In fact, studies indicate that on a national basis, homeschoolers perform at least one grade level higher than their counterparts in private and public schools. One reason for this might be that by being schooled at home, children benefit from the individual instruction and attention – individual instruction and attention that are simply impossible in a class of 25 or more students. Other reasons might be that with individual instruction, children can concentrate on areas or subjects that need additional attention, rather than waste time reviewing concepts that the child has a good grasp on.

Concern #2: Social Development – Are homeschooled children able to develop a healthy social life without the interaction of their peers in a regular school setting?

Answer: Most homeschooled children in fact have better social skills than those of their peers in regular school. People tend to think that homeschool students are isolated from others, sitting at a desk at home for several hours a day. In reality, homeschoolers are generally a very interactive group, whether it’s getting together for joint field trips with other homeschoolers or taking swimming lessons at the local YMCA. Many homeschoolers also participate in co-op classes, where (for example), they get together once a week to study chemistry, or some other class in a more advanced subject. Consequently, homeschoolers tend to have better interaction not only with their peers, but with young and old alike. This is in contrast to a regular school setting, where students’ social interaction is limited almost exclusively to their own peer group, and thus is an artificially induced social group.

Concern #3: Depth and Variety of Instruction – How can parents offer the same variety and depth of instruction as regular schools?

Answer: There are various ways for parents to provide a broad, liberal education. As mentioned earlier, many homeschoolers participate in co-op classes for subjects like chemistry, physics, foreign languages, and other advanced subjects. Some colleges allow homeschooled students to enroll in specialty subjects. And of course the Internet gives homeschoolers access to information, materials, and online classes in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago. Additionally, homeschoolers have the time and freedom to pursue areas of interest to them, instead of focusing on taking classes and earning credits for graduation.

Crossword - Irregular Verbs 3 (Solution)

2008-02-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

Crossword - Irregular Verbs 3

2008-02-17T11:03:00.000-06:00

Here is another crossword with irregular verbs. I've given the present tense of the verb - you have to put the right form of the past tense or past perfect in the puzzle. Have fun!

Across

1. hit
4. light
5. blow
8. ride
9. see
10. lose
11. think
15. read
16. stand
17. become
18. is/am
19. sell
21. teach
24. forget
26. set
27. wake
28. win

Down

1. has/have
2. tear
3. wear
4. lead
5. build
6. write
7. hang
9. steal
11. throw
12. understand
13. swim
14. buy
16. sit
17. bring
20. leave
22. grow
23. fly
25. run

Idiom Focus: Animal Idioms 7

2008-02-16T10:45:00.001-06:00

Every Saturday I'll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.

cry wolf: to pretend that you are in danger when you are not; give a false alarm. This idiom comes from Aesop’s fable about the boy who cried wolf – each time he yelled that a wolf was attacking his sheep, all the villagers came running to help him fight the wolf. They were angry at the boy for fooling them about the wolf, so when he really did see a wolf, no one came when he cried for help.

Example:

Stop crying wolf. If you continue to say that a bully is harassing you when he really isn’t, no one will believe you when it does happen.

curiosity killed the cat: People who are curious and wonder about things that are none of their business will get into trouble (create problems for themselves).

Example:

Mind your own business and don’t worry about what other people are doing. Curiosity killed the cat.

Writing Assignment: The Theater (Solution)

2008-02-16T10:25:00.000-06:00

1. What kind of building is this?
This building is a theater.

2. How many balconies are on the left side?
There are four balconies on the left side.

3. Who is sitting in the balcony?
People in the audience (spectators) are sitting in the balcony.

4. Are the first two rows full?
It looks like the first two rows are full.

5. Are the spectators watching a film or a play?
The spectators are watching a play.

6. Can you also watch an opera in this theater?
Yes, you can also watch an opera in this theater.

7. How many people are on stage?
There are two people on stage.

8. Are the actors performing a German, French, or Spanish play?
The actors are probably performing a Spanish play.

9. Who is playing a guitar?
The man is playing a guitar.

10. Does the scene take place inside or outside?
The scene takes place outside.

11. Is that a real moon in the background?
No, it is not a real moon in the background. It is an artificial (fake) moon.

12. Where does the orchestra sit?
The orchestra sits in the orchestra pit, located in front of the stage.

13. Is the man playing a piano or an organ?
The man is playing an organ.

14. During the intermission, what hangs before the stage?
During the intermission, a curtain hangs before the stage.

15. What is listed in a program?
In the program is a list of the actors/actresses, the director and his crew, and the stage hands.

16. Do you buy an admission ticket before or after the performance?
You buy an admission ticket before the performance.

17. When do the spectators applaud?
The spectators applaud at the end of the play or opera.

18. Does the picture show a city theater or a school stage?
The picture shows a city theater, not a school stage.

19. Where do you prefer to sit in a theater?
I prefer to sit near the front of a theater.

20. What is the name of an American play?
The name of an American play is “Our American Cousin.” It is the play that Abraham Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

Paragraph: An Evening at the Theater

Write a brief paragraph about going to see a play. What play did you see (would you like to see)? What kind of people attended the play? How did you like it?

When I was in high school, I went on a class trip to downtown Chicago to see the play “Waiting for Godot.” The theater was not a very large one, but it was located near the lake and it seemed like a nice place. The theater did not sell concessions, or snacks, so we had to bring a sack lunch and eat it on the school bus after we had seen the play. The performance that we attended was during the day, and so the audience was mostly other high school kids who were also on a class trip to watch the play.

I thought that the play was very strange. It was about two old men who did nothing all day except wait for Godot. Godot never showed up (“showed up” = came), and so we never found out who Godot was, why he was important, or why the old men in the play were waiting for him. The play was too avant-garde for me, and I would prefer to see a play where the plot made more sense.

Writing Assignment: The Theater

2008-02-15T13:50:00.000-06:00

Vocabulary

to perform
film
program
to clap, applaud
row
play
performance
piano
actor
balcony
city theatre
stage
to like most
drama
outside
moon
to take place
inside
opera
play
real, genuine
orchestra
scene
admission ticket
organ
theater
intermission
spectator

1. What kind of building is this?

2. How many balconies are on the left side?

3. Who is sitting in the balcony?

4. Are the first two rows full?

5. Are the spectators watching a film or a play?

6. Can you also watch an opera in this theater?

7. How many people are on stage?

8. Are the actors performing a German, French, or Spanish play?

9. Who is playing a guitar?

10. Does the scene take place inside or outside?

11. Is that a real moon in the background?

12. Where does the orchestra sit?

13. Is the man playing a piano or an organ?

14. During the intermission, what hangs before the stage?

15. What is listed in a program?

16. Do you buy an admission ticket before or after the performance?

17. When do the spectators applaud?

18. Does the picture show a city theater or a school stage?

19. Where do you prefer to sit in a theater?

20. What is the name of an American play?

Paragraph: An Evening at the Theater

Write a brief paragraph about going to see a play. What play did you see (would you like to see)? What kind of people attended the play? How did you like it?

Grammar Basics: Unit 15 – I used to… (Solutions)

2008-02-15T11:29:00.000-06:00

Exercises: Complete the following sentences. Use “used to” or the simple present as necessary.

Examples:

Mary has short hair, but she (have) long hair. ==> Mary has short hair, but she used to have long hair.

John (be) fat, but now he (be) skinny. ==> John used to be fat, but now he is skinny.

1. I used to play the piano every day, but now I don’t have time.

2. Kim used to work in a restaurant. Now she works at a bank.

3. What did you use to do with your friends when you were a child?

4. When I was little, I used to hate broccoli.

5. Tom likes to play tennis. He plays it every day.

6. Before we moved, we used to live in Wisconsin.

7. Did you use to walk to school as a child?

8. William used to be rich, but he lost all his money in the stock market.

9. Last summer I used to get up early so I could exercise before breakfast.

10. What job did you use to have while you were in college?

Grammar Basics: Unit 15 – I used to…

2008-02-14T11:22:00.000-06:00

The phrase

S used to V …

indicates some past condition or past activity that does not happen any more.

Examples:

I used to study German (, but I don’t anymore now).
When John was in college, he used to work nights.
Sam is very athletic (, but he used to be lazy).

Negative form: did not (didn’t) use to ~

Examples:

Mary didn’t use to like Chinese food.
Pam didn’t use to listen to classical music.
We didn’t use to watch much TV.

Question form: did S use to ~ ?

Examples:

Did you use to ride your bike when you were young?
Did Dad use to work on a farm as a boy?
Did the teacher use to give the class lots of homework?

Note: “used to” is used only for the past, never the present.

Exercises: Complete the following sentences. Use “used to” or the simple present as necessary.

Examples:

Mary has short hair, but she (have) long hair. ==> Mary has short hair, but she used to have long hair.

John (be) fat, but now he (be) skinny. ==> John used to be fat, but now he is skinny.

1. I (play) the piano every day, but now I (have / not) time.

2. Kim (work) in a restaurant. Now she (work) at a bank.

3. What did you (do) with your friends when you (be) a child?

4. When I (be) little, I (hate) broccoli.

5. Tom (like) to play tennis. He (play) it every day.

6. Before we (move), we (live) in Wisconsin.

7. Did you (walk) to school as a child?

8. William (be) rich, but he (lose) all his money in the stock market.

9. Last summer I (get) up early so I (can) exercise before breakfast.

10. What job did you (have) while you (be) in college?

Culture Focus: American Presidents

2008-02-13T19:38:00.000-06:00

In the U.S., next Monday is a national holiday called “Presidents’ Day.” It is a day set aside to honor those men who have served our country in the highest position of leadership. Originally, February was noted for having the birthdays of two of our most well-known Presidents: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). Several years ago, it was decided that rather than taking two separate days off that were relatively close together, it was better to combine them into one holiday that could honor all the Presidents. Thus, Presidents’ Day was born. It is a holiday where schoolkids, banks, and government workers (including the post office) get a day off, but most everyone else works.

We like to say that any child can grow up to be President, but in reality there are some eligibility requirements that a potential candidate must meet. According to the U.S. Constitution, a President must be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

A President can be elected to office at most twice. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms, but after his presidency, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, instituting presidential term limits.

If the President becomes sick or otherwise unable to fulfill his duties, the Vice President is authorized to take his place until he recovers. This is how Gerald Ford became President in 1974, making him the only man to serve as President without being elected either to that office or the office of Vice President. Ford was appointed Vice President in 1973 by President Nixon when Nixon’s original Vice President, Spiro Agnew, resigned. Nearly a year later, Nixon himself resigned, and Ford became President.

Other Presidential trivia:

William Henry Harrison (9th President) served the shortest presidency. He gave a lengthy inaugural speech (105 minutes) outdoors in March without wearing a hat or overcoat. Consequently, he developed pneumonia and died about 32 days after being elected.
John Tyler (10th President) was the president with the most children – 15!
James Buchanan (15th President) was the only President that never married.
Grover Cleveland (22nd President) was the only President to be married while in the White House. He was also the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (22nd President and 24th President).
Teddy Roosevelt (26th President) is the one from whom we get the name of the child’s toy “teddy bear.” He was also the first President to call the Presidential residence the “White House” – before that, it had been called the Executive Mansion, or the President’s House.
William Taft (27th President) was the first President to own a car.
Harry S Truman (33rd President) used to get up at 5 a.m. to practice the piano for two hours.
John F. Kennedy (35th President) was the first Roman Catholic to be elected President. He was also the youngest elected President.
Ronald Reagan (40th President) was the oldest elected President.