Last month I made the decision to offer a YouTube lesson on swearing in English. I managed to say quite a lot in a 15-minute lesson without saying any strong curse words. So what exactly did I teach? Alternatives. It’s more a lesson on how not to curse. There are quite a lot of online lessons that…
What Does It Mean to Be Polite?
This month on YouTube I continue to explore topics that boost conversational skills, such as expressing surprise and giving compliments, and I find myself asking whether everyone has the same definition of polite. The concept of good manners can vary from culture to culture, and even from one social circle to another, people’s understanding of…
6 Tips for Teaching Conversational Expressions
I received a persistent request on YouTube for more lessons on conversation, so I decided to hold off on my plan to cover more modal verbs and offer a series of short videos in which I present and explain conversational expressions. Usually I offer such suggestions during my live lessons with private students because teachable…
Happy Holidays! See you in 2019!
Thank you for another year of sharing ideas in the wonderful world of ESL! I hope you’ll continue to follow my ELT blog in 2019. There’s still so much to explore together. Happy holidays to you! May the New Year bring you and your learners success and shared joy. Photo credit: Snowflake, Ornament by jill111….
Teaching Modals: What Can and Can’t Be Done
Is it possible to teach modals separately, one by one? Of course, you could, but why? Their uses and meanings tend to overlap, so it makes sense to teach modals together in small sets, for example, may and might for possibilities. However, it’s very likely that at least one student will ask a question such…
The Need to Learn by Doing
A student recently asked about the differences between need to, have to, and must. Sometimes an explanation clarifies such doubts, but often one learns much better through practice with some feedback. If you’d like short sets of tasks to study differences in structure and meaning, check out my Need to.Have to.Must_handout. Key points include: – Need to expresses what…
The First One to Figure Out This Tricky Grammar Wins!
No, this isn’t a contest, but if you can shed additional light on some tricky grammar topics, you’ll have my gratitude! #1. Infinitives as Complements A grammar question recently came from a new Instagram follower. Yes, there’s one more place you can follow me and/or send students to. All my video clips (all six of…
Comparing Apples to Oranges: Pronunciation Variations That Can Make You Go Bananas
“Do you say day-tuh or dah-tuh?” “What’s the right way to say ‘orange’?” “Why did you skip the ‘i’ in ‘foliage’? Isn’t is foh-lee-ij? That’s what my dictionary says.” Have you heard any questions or comments like that? I get them from students and my own children. Not surprisingly, my kids are bolder with their…
Happy Thanksgiving!
I send warm holiday greetings to those observing Thanksgiving this week! To all of you I’d like to say THANK YOU for visiting my blog and allowing me to share my thoughts and ideas with you. My next post will be after the Thanksgiving holiday. Click to view a classroom activity related to expressing thanks. …
3 Voice Typing Activities on Google Docs
A private student reminded me about the Voice Typing feature on Google Docs, and since then I’ve been considering effective ways to use it as a learning tool. Do you know how to find it? Open up Google Docs and create a new file. Go under Tools and select Voice Typing. Then click to turn…
Using LEA to Build a Bridge to Self-Expression
The Language Experience Approach intrigued me the first time I read about it. I’ve always liked the idea of using student-generated content as the basis of language practice. The LEA was developed to build literacy in L1, but ESL teachers have successfully brought it into L2 classrooms. I suggested a spin on the original approach…
Personality Changes in SLA
When you think about the role personality plays in second language acquisition, you may be inclined to consider personality as a predictor of success. But there’s another aspect I’ve been pondering lately: possible changes in a learner’s personality in the course of language acquisition. I’m no specialist in this area. I simply want to share…
