Not all my private students are based in the U.S. Actually, one travels back and forth between the U.K. and the States. Another resides permanently in England. A third lives in Eastern Europe and has interaction with both American and British English speakers. In the past, I did quite a bit of editing for a…
When to Be and Not to Be Formal
Native and non-native speakers alike may feel greater comfort writing at a certain register. For some, it’s not challenging to write in a conversational tone; they generally write like they talk in everyday English. Others prefer to adopt a more formal style whenever they respond in writing. At a recent YouTube livestream, I stressed the…
Always Grateful
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you, my readers. Thank you for allowing me to share my ideas and suggestions week after week. Thank you for welcoming my reflections, which help me grow year after year. I wish you abundance in all aspects of your…
Is Grammar a Superpower?
Grammar can be a hard sell to students who say they just want to learn conversation. Those who dread a grammar lesson likely endured boring drills in the past, and they see grammar in terms of charts and lists of rules. Grammar has yet to come alive for them with the help of engaging presentations…
Adding Another Layer to Correlative Conjunctions
Some upper level students have strong comprehension in both reading and listening, and they’re comfortable expressing their ideas on nearly any topic, yet there are structures that cause a degree of hesitation because these learners haven’t directly studied the grammar or done focused practice with feedback. This happens with topics like correlative conjunctions. What adds…
Learning the Art of Time Management
At a recent live book discussion, a reader asked me how I’m able to keep up with content creation. The question might assume I’ve fully mastered time management, which is flattering. I’ll be honest and admit that I’m still developing this skill, but I have made strides. I was once regularly sleep-deprived and didn’t know…
Reflecting on Thanksgiving: Its associations, observance, and semantics
Both Canada and the U.S. designated a particular autumn day as a time to give thanks annually. Separated by roughly a month on the calendar, the two Thanksgiving holidays evoke quite a range of associations. It would be enlightening to have students share what connections they make with the events. In fact, some may be…
Otherwise Known As: Why AS and not BY?
Did you know that cougars are the same thing as panthers? I admit that I never really thought about it. Thanks to my recent study of prepositions that follow “(be) known,” I’ve come to the discover that cougars are also known as panthers, pumas, and mountain lions! It took me several decade to realize this….
Learning to Mellow Out: Teaching what’s useful but maybe not “correct”
My daughter recently passed her learner’s permit exam. Beforehand, she received advice from her older brother, a veteran driver of two years. He reminded her that she should provide the expected answers, that is, follow the rules. If they ask about driving five miles over the speed limit in a 25 mph zone, a test…
The Most We Can Hope For: Uses of “Most”
A recent question about “most” vs. “the most” led to a short practice task at a livestream, but more can be offered in order to clear up any remaining doubts. The viewer astutely noticed that “most,” while often used as a quantifier and in superlatives, can function as a pronoun. That discovery prompted the question…
Reinforcing Collocations in Email
A number of my private students work on email skills, from general accuracy with vocabulary and grammar to the tone and register. A couple of students recently benefited from a review of collocations. For example, it was important to remember that the verb “regret” is very often followed by a gerund, but in a formal…
Carpe Diem! The Latin ELLs Need to Learn
I finally got a copy of Paulo Coelho’s well-known and highly celebrated book The Alchemist a few days ago. I’m nearly done and anticipate a beautiful ending. (Please don’t tell me any spoilers in the comments!) A word that repeats in the story is “maktub,” which one Arabic-speaking character translates as, “It is written.” The…
English with Jennifer 