Intensifiers and downtoners are fun to cover because we use them in many different situations, so it’s fairly easy to create examples and practice tasks. But since I feel they’re used a lot more in conversation, I chose to limit my examples to spoken contexts in my latest YouTube lesson. Another decision I had to…
More Practice with Practical Exchanges
In a previous post, I shared handouts with useful expressions that students can refer to when ordering food, leaving voicemail, and performing other everyday speaking tasks. I know the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our sense of what’s normal, so it can be hard right now to imagine getting our hair cut at a salon or…
Mastering the Passive Voice
The passive voice may not be used as much as the active voice, but knowing when and how to use the passive appropriately gives a person a higher level of accuracy in written and spoken English. I recently met a request for an updated lesson on the passive. In the ideal world, I would have…
Practice with Practical Exchanges
Sometimes it’s the most common situations that create the most stress for a language learner. Speaking on the phone can raise one’s level of anxiety and drop the level of confidence. If one has little practice making calls, leaving voicemail, and answering the phone, it’s hard to build comfort with this skill. At a public…
Getting Mixed Up About Mixed Conditionals
Conditionals are challenging for students and for teachers. When I decided to cover this grammar topic on YouTube back in 2017, I knew a whole playlist was in order. (View lessons.) I needed more than a dozen lessons to feel like I covered all the bases. To be truthful, I think there’s still more…
Student Stumper 52: “Earlier” vs. “Before”
QUESTION: What’s the difference between “earlier” and “before”? Is there any difference between “I saw him before” and “I saw him earlier”? ANSWER: There can be overlap in meaning, but first let’s find the more obvious differences. First, we can use “before” as a conjunction to form an adverb clause of time. It’s in direct…
Student Stumper 51: “Kind of” vs. “Kinds of”
QUESTION: Can I use “kind of” with a plural noun or do I have to use “kinds of”? ANSWER: Yes, you can use “kind of” with a plural noun, but first consider the difference in meaning between “kind of” and “kinds of.” “Kind” refers to a type. If you’re referring to one type, then use…
Your New Juggling Act Requires Healthy Practices
Most adults have to juggle several responsibilities. I’ve been perfecting my own juggling act for over a decade. If you ever want to know what goes on between filming social media videos, hosting live streams, and giving private lessons, just picture me running up and down the stairs as I keep up with endless loads…
6 Conversation Games for Online Learners
Many language learners right now are in lockdown conditions, just like many of us teachers. The good news is that we can all meet online, and language studies can continue. To date, I’ve had two large public live streams that have focused entirely on conversation games. All 200+ students seem eager to put aside worries…
Painting a New Picture as Online Teachers
Our lives are changing quickly, and at different moments over the past week I’m sure we’ve all been more grateful than ever for the Internet, our computers, and our mobile devices. In trying times, it’s important to stay connected and find sources of support. As many of you move completely online for ESL/EFL instruction, you’re…
Have You Become an Online Teacher Overnight? Get Tips and Tricks!
In the space of a very short time, many of us have seen our daily lives altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Coronavirus” appears in most headlines and conversations these days. For hundreds of teachers, online classes will become the new norm. Some teachers already have experience giving webinars or meeting with students through videoconferencing, so…
3 Fun Ways to Practice Future Time Clauses
A grammar lesson is certainly less scary, less aggravating, more meaningful, and more memorable if you inject some laughter into it. Basic level students often struggle with confidence, so gradually increasing their output rather than putting them on the spot to deliver big contributions at the start of a lesson would also help. That was…
