Using Comparatives

I just added a video series under "listening"

Please take a picture of two things and send it to me at dancelark@gmail.com with a comparative sentence!

Happier...

Grammar:  We change adjectives when we compare

I hope that you are happier now that you understand English a little better.  What other things make you feel happier?  What do you enjoy doing?

Sky Full of Song

I am really excited about this video because my daughter is singing in it!  Can you guess which singer? 

Do you have any children?  What are they doing?

Good evening!

Hi!  How was your day?

I just added some links under community to the FCPS website that show where 

low income people can get

food

free wifi (in the parking lot?)

information about the kids' distance learning in 8 languages

Practice Using Pronouns  (basic)

Practice Indefinite Pronouns (intermediate)

Are you cooking today?  What's your favorite recipe?  Would you like to send me recipes?

Can you make videos teaching me and your classmates tips on cooking or saving money?

My managers are sending you more links to online English learning.

There are a few that I never used.  I will probably link them from here.

If you love or hate any of them, please let me know.

 

Do you know any apps better than Duolingo?  I like Duolingo.  I like the links here.

I like Pimsleur CDs.

Are you working? 

Are you social distancing?

What are your favorite ways to do online language learning?  

Good morningI!  

How are you today?  How do you feel?

When we talk about feelings, we often use present tense rather than present continuous 

even if we are talking about feelings now!

Do not use be _______ing for like, need, or want

Verbs that use simple present rather than present continuous NOW

are called stative verbs.

Stative verbs usually involve =, possession, opinion, feelings, and senses.

Using simple present for feelings is actually disappearing in street English, but it is common on English grammar exams.

What makes you feel better when you are stressed, sad, or angry?

Good Morning!  

It's the first day of spring! 

What is your favorite season?  Are seasons here similar to seasons in your native country?

Are you celebrating Nowruz?  What are you doing?

2019 VOA Article on the Vernal Equinox

(This picture of a Persian child in traditional clothes is a few years old.)

Grammar:  Simple present vs. present continuous

I think a lot of people will be joining the celebrators in spring cleaning.

(Notice:  Even though I am thinking now, I use simple present "think" if I tell you what I think)

Do you like to clean your home?  Do you usually do a deep clean in the spring?

What do you usually do?  What are you doing today?

Social Distancing Songs

Parodies are humor. 

 My mother's family believes laughing is always better than crying.

Fairfax County Schools is trying to make sure that the families that usually depend on them for food for their children can still get it.  If your family needs food, check it out.

Did this situation bring you any funny memories?  Do you ever use humor to improve a bad situation?

We're studying now!!

Use be _______ing for NOW!

Practice using present continuous for NOW

Grammar notes:  wanna is incorrect spelling for want to.  You gotta is informal for "you have got to" (which means you must.)

What are you doing now?

Circles

Good Morning!

I added a VOA Beginning English course on video to Listening & Reading

Grammar:  Practice can vs. could

Please comment and tell me how you are. What are you doing today?

What should people do to keep their relationships good?

St. Patrick's Day 2020

The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade was much smaller this year.  Ireland canceled all their parades.

Celtic Drinking Song: The Parting Glass (Good night and joy to you all)

Hey Vania!  Happy birthday!!

Do you like parades?  Did you ever march, dance, or ride in a parade?

I used to throw candy from the Annandale parade 

when my children were in scouts.

Too Much to Ask

In this song, the singer sounds like he is genuinely asking.  He doesn't sound angry or sarcastic.  I usually hear "Is that too much to ask?" when someone is really angry that I didn't do the tiny thing she requested after she did a LOT for me.  (Although, honestly, expecting your ex to tell you her regrets IS probably asking too much!)

Grammar Quiz:  too vs. enough (use far before too to intensify it)

What do you have too much of?

Good morning!

Good morning!  How was your weekend?  What did you do?  What are you going to do today?

May this time of "social distancing" give you rest and time to study English. 

If you are bored, please consider signing up to Quizlet to compete on matching for our vocabulary sets.  I'd also love for students to make videos in English on how to do things that you do well.

If you have friends in class, consider video chatting in English with Google Hangouts or Skype.

What are your favorite movies in English?

Friday the 13th (2020)

We didn't have class on Friday even though it was originally scheduled to be a school day.  Were you relieved?  Are you superstitious?  What superstitions are common in your family?

I have happy memories of finding 4-leaf clovers in my lawn when I was a child.   I had a ballet teacher that never divided our 26 member class into two equal groups because he didn't like the number 13.  We often had two groups -- 12 and 14 people. 

My family always picks up pennies because "find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck" even though my mother is a scientist.  Mama always picked up pennies;  she really loved to find them.

I also had "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue" for my wedding.   Do you know of any wedding tradition that is supposed to give the couple and happier marriage?



Do you know any superstitious people?  What superstitions do they believe?  Do you know anyone who refuses to be superstitious? 

Don't be afraid, speak up

I love the pictures of beautiful places in the next video.

Did you ever go to any of these places?

Write about a beautiful place that you saw.  Post a picture in comments if you can

My Girl

 

talkin' = talking
'bout - about
I don't need no  (bad grammar-should be) I don't need any

Tell me about a girl you love.   What is your relationship?  (Is she your girlfriend, wife, niece, daughter, friend?) What does she look like?

Going up the country

This guy is not the same quality, but he has a video with both singing and lyrics.

Wow!  This video reminds me of a different time.

Write about a happy time in your life.

Are you worried about Corona Virus?

With the marine that visited Ft. Belvior and the Priest in DC, Corona virus is officially here.
Today, Noemy showed me a letter from FCPS and asked if I believed it.  All it said was that school officials are watching the threat and that schools, for now, are open.

I believe that.

Hopkins Virus Tracker - real time cases

Sunday News Challenge -- Not edited for ESOL

News for ESL -- school is out in Japan and Hong Kong

Since all of you are intelligent, hardworking adults, I will assume you often wash your hands.  It's a little more important not to come to school if you feel sick with a respiratory virus.  I learned this weekend that some touch screens work through a Kleenex tissue.  You can touch through a tissue when you use a touchscreen in public.  Please let me know if this advice works or doesn't work for you.

If you have ideas for making our class safer, please let me know.  School, for now, is open.

What do you think about this situation?

Tell us about your work life and goals!!

Employment Survey


Another way to give advice is to say, "Why don't you._______(base verb)"

Do you want to get a different job?  What jobs are good?  What jobs are good for you?

Didn't have to be

Some families are better off as single-parent families.

Please take the "something's missing" as this writer's personal experience,

Tell me about something someone did for you that they didn't have to do

Do you look like anyone?

The commentary is really challenging, but you'll understand the main ideas.

Fever

Learning Chocolate: Symptoms

Ailments on Quizlet

How do you feel?

Cancer Fight Song

On Saturday, a group of us celebrated that an old man we knew that had lung cancer 

is now cancer-free.

Tell me a hopeful story about overcoming an ailment.

Paved Paradise

What are the best things in your life right now?  Can you keep them?

Bad Medicine

This has bad spelling and some bad grammar....

After my class, please say, "There isn't any doctor"  NOT There aint no doctor!

Medical Supplies

At the Pharmacist

Do you know any stories about someone taking bad medicine?  What happened?