Goals

Think about your goals for English class!

Practice DO or DOES in questions

Challenging (Difficult) Video and Reading

My goal is to teach you a lot of good English as fast and as fun as I can during the next nine weeks.  

What are your goals?  What do you want to talk about and work on in English Class? 

Happy New Year!

What does "auld lang syne" mean?

What are you looking forward to in 2026?  Do you set goals/make resolutions? Write about a small goal.

Merry Christmas!!

I hope you are enjoying December.  


Professional Light Displays (Be prepared for SLOW traffic!)

In the USA, different people celebrate Christmas in really different ways.  Some people celebrate it because it is a really important Christian holiday -- the day to remember when Jesus was born.

Religious Christmas Song Lyric Videos

Virtual Handel's Messiah Sing-a-long

Many people celebrate Christmas by giving money to their church or to charities.  (Some local charities.)  Some people celebrate Christmas by volunteering (working for no pay) to help people.
Volunteer Fairfax -- links volunteers to no-pay jobs (Can be a great way to meet people and practice English!)

Many non-religious and religious-but-not-Christian people in the USA celebrate Christmas as a great time to celebrate love, friendship, and family -- they shop, party, spend time with family, go to parties with friends, send cards, and give presents.

Lyrics Videos:  Christmas Songs (NOT religious)

Do you like to shop?  Where?

Love to shop in person? Example Conversation  Challenging examples of English conversations you may have.

 Sales at Tyson's Corner,  Sales at Fair Oaks,  Sales at Springfield Town Center,
Sales at Potomac Mills


Do you celebrate Christmas?  What do you usually do?  What did you do this year?

Do you want to practice grammar?

The most important thing you can do to improve English is use English -- talk to people, read, listen, and write English.

I like to teach Grammar because if you use it well, it's an excellent short cut.  If you catch the rule with the grammar pattern, you can immediately understand how to say 10,000 things correctly.  Also, advanced classes usually use grammar rules, and understanding basic grammar ideas and how to use grammar with lots of examples to learn a language makes those classes easy rather than incomprehensible.

• Try to remember grammar rules, but don't get mad when they don't work 100%.
• Make tons of your own examples from the rule, and ask a native speaker if they are correct.
• Repeat correct useful phrases a LOT

Can you find any grammar mistakes in this grammar song?

Some people in our class got an excellent grammar education before this class.  Some never had a chance to learn grammar before. Here are links for some of grammar you should master before going to high intermediate.  If you want grammar practice, try these links.

Can you name the parts of speech?

Simple Present

Present Continuous=Present Progressive

Simple Present vs. Present Continuous

future with will

future with going to

Simple Past

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Old Fashioned Pronoun Use

Challenge: Adjective Order

Memory work:  80 Common Irregular Verbs 

Irregular Verbs - A variety of little-by-little lists, songs, and games to help you remember  

Non Count Nouns

Common expressions with Make or do

Are you studying for US Citizenship? Today is Bill of Rights Day!

Do you know the rights in the Bill of Rights?  Should any of them change?  Which are most important?

Happy Hannukah

Do you celebrate Hannukah?  What do you do?

חנוכה commemorates the re-dedication of the holy temple in Jerusalem.  In the US, Jewish people get together, light candles, and give gifts for eight days.  In the USA, Hannukah is a big holiday, partly because it gets commercialized in a similar way to Christmas.

Are you Buddhist? Do you celebrate Bodhi Day?

 

Challenge Listening:  The Enlightenment that led to Buddhism

If you celebrate Bodhi Day, describe what you do.

If you are not Buddhist, describe a time you felt peaceful.