My Love is....

Can you use as -------- as or a comparative (bigger than/happier than/more beautiful than) to describe an emotion or a friend or a member of your family?

Nothing Compares

 

Practice Simple Present Tense verbs

Learn and practice comparative & superlative adjectives

What are the best things in life? 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pilgrims are people who travel for their religion.  

People who go to Mecca or Jerusalem are often Pilgrims.

People who move here because their government doesn't like their religion are also pilgrims.

I'd love to start an ESOL class online cookbook with easy recipes, difficult-but-worth-it recipes, recipes with national pride, and great recipes for good health.  If  you know any good recipes in any of those categories, please write them in a google doc and share them with a link for everyone at my gmail.

The next video is British English, but the only real difference is that I say "frying pan" rather than "frypan."

This video shows a common menu for a traditional Thanksgiving.  Many people buy the pies and cranberry sauce.

Links to Black Friday Deals!
Sales at Springfield Town Center
Sales at Tysons Corner
Deals at Potomac Mills
Sales at Leesburg Outlets

If you shop good Friday sales, please write about the experience!

Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy food, family, and the good things in our lives.  Many people also thank God for all the good things in life.  My job and my students often make me happy.  What are you thankful for? What makes you happy?

You should be here

 

You should understand "ain't" (negative helping verb "to be" in every verb tense) and "ya'll" (plural you - you all) because they are very common in songs and speech.  You shouldn't use these words because they are stereotypes as speech for people with no education and no money.

cutting up - joking and playing

dial up the weather -make a phone call to order the weather exactly how I like it

Stop and take it in - stop to really see what's happening

freaking out -- acting crazy with excitement

Do you like to go camping?  What do you like to do with your friends? What should we talk about in class?  

Song: doctor, doctor

Learning Chocolate: Medical Symptoms

Learning Chocolate: organs of the body

Medical Items (Easy World of English Picture Dictionary)

Write about a doctor's visit.  Why did you go?

Trying my best

 Everyone who is coming to class is improving a LOT.  We are working together and getting better.

What do you do when you are trying your best?

We can make it

 Make it = succeed

What do you like to do? What do you like to make?  Can you teach the class how to make it or do it?

How do you try to improve a relationship?

Challenge: Small talk and health

One of my English teaching websites recommends this video for our level, but I think it's really difficult.  I am surprised by it.  I don't want you to feel bad if your friends aren't here.  I really want you to talk to strangers in English!

Do you go a place where you can make small talk?  Where?  Do you meet with anyone to practice English or try different international foods?

Reading Day

My group played with contrasting the sound of brown cow ow with rose boat oh.  Both sounds can be spelled "ow."  Rose boat bow is a noun - ⋈⋈⋈.  Brown cow bow is an action -- bending to show respect.

Maryann's group read about relaxing in nature and tipping.  If you want to listen to the article on tipping on the computer, go to ellii.com and sign up for my class with this code.  I put a group of mostly challenging readings there.  If one is not good for you, try a different one.  Please tell me what is good or not good for you.

ellii.com/students

YJHVWQ

Citizens Vote in the USA today!

 

CNN 10- Student news in ten minutes or less

What are the most important issues in this election?  Who will be a better president?

It's Going to be

We often say it's going to be a long day if we expect to be bored or sad.  

Tell me about a time that you expected a long day, but it wasn't bad after all.

You are my Sunshine!

 Dance that Ha taught at break time in 2023 (Instruction at 3:12)

My best friend loved this song because her parents sang it as a lullaby.  Did your parents have an "I love you song" for you?  My mother sang the Riddle Song as an I-love-you lullaby.  After I got the picture book with the lyrics, I sang A-you're adorable. 

Do you have a favorite love song?  What is it?

If you love her,

 This video is challenging, but you can do the fill-in-the-blank worksheet!  Repeat as many times as you need.

Describe a person (or people) that you love.  What do they do every day?

The time of our lives

"Let's have the time of our lives"  means let's have the most fun ever.

Write about a time you had fun! Where did you go?  What did you do?

Can you use "Let's _____(base verb)" to suggest fun activities?

Home Repair--More Vocabulary

😅New Vocabulary Set (Includes relevant words from the old set)

House Vocabulary from Languageguide.org

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/kitchen/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/kitchen2/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/bathroom/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/bathroom2/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/utility-room/

http://www.learningchocolate.com/content/tools-1

http://www.learningchocolate.com/content/tools-2

A handyman can fix many things.  Do you have any needs that could use a handyman?  Did you ever fix something?  What did you fix?

Why don't you...?

I'm losing my mind just a little means that I feel a little crazy.

We often say, "why don't you..." to suggest something.  It looks like a question, but it's really a nice way to advise or command.  Why don't you meet me in the middle?  means "Let's compromise."

What do you ask people to do?  Can you use, "Why don't you?"

Example:  When I ask my son to take out the trash, I can say "Why don't you take out the trash?"

When I ask my daughter to make a salad, I can say, "Why don't you make a salad?"

When I ask my husband to call me, I can say, "Why don't you call me after work?

Calling your landlord when the dryer doesn't work

A landlord or landlady is the owner of a property that someone rents.  They should pay for any big repairs.  The renter changes light bulbs and keeps things clean.

Vocabulary Practice with Learning Chocolate

Who can you call when you are the home owner?  

Did you ever fix something using YouTube videos for instruction?

Did you ever call a landlord or a landlady?  Why?

Fix You

  I won't try to fix you, but I will try to teach you to fix English mistakes!!  I want to fix this video by adding apostrophes!

Fix usually means repair.  A mechanic fixes cars. A plumber unclogs drains and fixes pipes. We also use fix to mean make when cooking.  My grandmother fixed dinner and served it at 6:00 every night.  She liked to fix roast beef, chicken, or soup.

What can you fix?

Survive

"Survive" means live when it's difficult to live.  It can also mean barely live.  In the next song, "Don't just survive" means do more than barely live, try to live well.

Texting English to formal English: "Tryna" = "is trying to."  "Gonna" ="is going to" "Gotta" = "have got to = must"

 Do you have any favorite books or movies about survival?  Write about it!!

White Tie I

 

Pronouncing blue moon words.

 

Blue moon is a category on the color vowel chart invented by K. Taylor and S. Thompson

When did you move to this area?  What do you like to do here?  

Who do you think about when you see the moon? 

Pronouncing "a cup of mustard"

 "A cup of mustard" is from the color vowel chart made by K. Taylor and S. Thompson

What word do you know that use this sound?  Are they easy for you to say?

What do you have to do?

 

What do you have to do? What do your family members have to do?

No School Today!

Today, schools are out for Rosh Hashana. the Jewish New Year! 

May you have a good, sweet and peaceful year!

What is your favorite New Year tradition?  Do you make resolutions or set goals?

Money can't buy me love

 

("Correct" English:  Say you don't need no any diamond rings)

What are some good things that you can't buy?  What are some good things that you can buy?

I'm not giving up

Dictation and verb tense practice

 Write about something difficult that you did.  Did you have to persist?

If (bread)

 Where do you like to go?  Where is the most beautiful place you have ever seen?

What do you like to do?

Happy National Punctuation Day!

 

Practice punctuation mark names.  

Do you want to learn more about punctuation?

Talking to the Moon

 Do you like to eat moon cakes?  Did you ever celebrate a mid-autumn festival? (If yes, write about it!) What is your favorite season?  What do you like to do in Fall?

This is my now.

 

Look around.  What is happening?  Describe what's going on right now.

Happy Autumn!

Matching -- Autumn Vocabulary Words

Activity: Put Autumn vocabulary words in alphabetical (ABC) order

Unscramble (change the letter order to make)the Autumn Vocabulary words (same ones you put in ABC order)

Hikes near DC

What's your favorite season?  My husband's favorite season is Fall because he likes to go hiking and camping.  Do you like hiking or camping?  Tell me about it!

You needed me

80 Irregular Verbs on Quizlet

Irregular Verb Game

 Write two past tense sentences in the comments.

In My Life

 

Write about something or someone that makes you happy.  What do you like to do? 

My Heart GOES on...

(Warning:  this video has a picture of people kissing with bare (no clothes) shoulders.  You are not required to watch the music videos for homework, but your listening will probably improve faster if you repeatedly watch some of the videos on here.)

I think that listening to pop music helps improve listening skills.  I can't find a lot of good pop music with perfect grammar.

Grammar Teacher Note:  Do NOT use DOES for every day positive statements.  (My heart goes on, not my heart does go on)  Does for positive statements is called "emphatic."  Emphatic is for fights and for strong feelings -- just like using always and never with present continuous.  You will occasionally hear these in real life, but don't pick them as answers on grammar tests.

What do you feel strongly about?  What do you love to do with your family?

Imagine

 

Do you think Lennon's ideas can lead to world peace?

Imagine your life with excellent English.  What are you going to do?  Describe your life.

Like My Father (Warning: some sexy language - mild by US standards)

 I always enjoy when my students show me a new song.  Thanks!

Please write about your family.  Do you have a big family?  

Do you think this young woman will find the man she describes?  Are there more important things that a man should do?  Did you/Do you want to marry a man like your father?

The Devil Doesn't Bargain

 

What would a partner have to do to make you call him or her "Devil?"  Describe a terrible friend, partner, or spouse.

I'll be missing ...

 This tribute to B.I.G. has expressions from US dialects I don't  teach because they aren't good for college essays or job interviews.  In a formal situation, say "I'll miss you" rather than "I'll be missing you."

If it won't make you sad, describe some foods and people that you miss right now.

Getting ready for the next class!

 

Do you like to meet new people?  Where can you speak English with people?  What should we do in the new class?

International Day of Charity

 Can you write what is happening in the video?  Although this video was made for world kindness day, I think it's better for International Day of Charity.

 What is charity?  Do you support any charities?  What charities will you support when you become rich?

Happy Labor Day!!

 Federal and office workers often get the day off on Labor Day.  Restaurant and retail workers usually have to work really hard.

Are you working?  What do you do?

Are you looking for a job?  Did you look at the Job Listing links on this blog?

Do you like to shop?  We usually have sales on Labor Day!

Sales at Springfield Mall   Sales at Home Depot  Sales at Best Buy  Sales at Potomac Mills

Please write about your job or about shopping!

See You in September

 

Great work this summer!  I hope you enjoy your break!

Are you watching the Olympics?

 

Are you watching the Olympics?  What's your favorite sport?  Did you ever play a sport?  Which one?

Stay a little longer...

accidentally=by accident=with no intent=I didn't mean to do it

Student Examples: Comparative

Our levels are very big.  I am really happy with

the progress of everyone who came to class a lot.  You all are smart and have wonderful attitudes.

You improved a lot, and that gave me a LOT of joy.

Thank you!

You don't need to use perfect grammar or to remember good grammar words (verb tense, noun, adjective, comparative, etc.) to get placed in high intermediate.  Good grammar and grammar words can make your progress much faster.

Grammar I Want You to Understand before you go to High Intermediate

What attributes do you like your friends to have?

What did you like about class?

What did you enjoy learning?

Did you learn anything useful for your life?

What was boring?

How can I make next class better?

Where were you?

 There aren't many videos of this song.  "Outreach" is the wrong word.  It should be "our reach."

Is dating normal in your former country?

Do you like to go on dates?

Where are good places to go on a first date?

What do you do if you feel "ghosted?"

Outreach is a strategy to try to get more members into an organization.  "In our reach" means that with some effort, we can get it.  Fluent English is in your reach.

Glued 

I gave my love a cherry

 

Do you like to give gifts? 

When do you give gifts?

Who do you give gifts to?

What are good gifts to give to friends or childen?

How do you like your eggs?

 

Do you like to eat eggs?  How do you like them cooked?

It feels like I'm falling in love

 

How do you feel right now?

Describe someone that's easy to fall in love with...

Sky full of stars

 I miss the dark skies and zillions of starts I could see from my grandmother's yard when I was a child.

We went to a special dark sky place to camp last year.

It wasn't very dark.

What are you going to do tomorrow?

What do you wear when you want to look good?

How long will I love you

 

How long does it take to clean your kitchen?

How long does it take to walk around your neighborhood after dinner?

How long should you know someone before considering marriage?

What's this? What's that?

 A lot of topics in this class feel easy because they are not new for most of you, but they are also not easy to remember to do every time you speak or write. If you are in my class for listening, try to have English conversations as often as you can.

Most of you learned food names, singular and plural, and count nouns a long time ago.

Do you remember (1) this/that   (2+) these/those? A student asked about those terms today.

Easy Quiz from test-English.com

UsingEnglish.com Quiz

Birthdays

 

Do you enjoy parties?

Do you like birthdays?

What were your important birthdays?

Happiness

 

What do you do when you would like to feel better?

I read and eat crunchy food.  I call my friends.  I take a walk.  I sometimes go swimming.  I sometimes go shopping.

Do you like to dress up?

We say "dress up" both for costumes and beautiful formal clothes.

Kids and adults in the US often wear costumes on Halloween.  My children liked to do theater so they dressed up in costumes when they were actors.

 Did you ever wear a costume?  I had a great glow-in-the-dark ghost costume in fifth grade.   

Some people dress up for parties.  What do you usually wear to parties?  What was your best outfit ever?

Right where we are

 

Are you in a relationship?  If yes, how old were you when you met?  What do you like to do together?

If no, describe a good partner for you.  

Frequency

We use frequency adverbs to talk about how often things occur or repeat.

(Don't forget to write sentences with FAs for homework!)

I often teach my classes to put frequency adjectives before most verbs, but after the verb "to be" because that's how we usually speak them in the USA.

It's okay, however, to start or end a sentence with a frequency adverb especially to emphasize the frequency in poetry, lyrics, or writing.

Quiz: Click on the words to put them in the sentence in the correct order. Make a mistake? Click in the box to start over.

Kahoot: Adverbs of Frequency

How often can you speak or listen to English?  When can you speak or listen to English?  How often do you have fun?  What fun things do you do?

Dance

 

I love to dance, but I don't usually dance at parties.  I am excited that my student picked this as a favorite song because I sometimes do a line dance to "Dance Monkey."  Some of my classmates won a prize in the 2019 Senior Olympics by dressing up as monkeys and doing this dance.

Do you like to dance?  How often do you dance?  What's your favorite kind of dance?  Do you like to watch dancing?  Did you ever take dancing lessons?

All of Me

 

Are you in a romantic relationship?  

(If Yes)  How did you meet your current partner?  Do you do any small things for the person you love?

  

(If No)  Do you like to talk about family?  Can you describe how you met a good friend? How do you stay in touch with old friends?

We're starting a marathon, but you can go the distance

 

I really want to make learning English easy and interesting.  What makes English difficult?  How will you get past the challenges? 

You are so beautiful

 

Learning Chocolate: Physical Appearance Hair

Learning Chocolate:  Appearance

What do you look like?  Does anyone in your family look like you?

Now and Then

 

Wow!  New from The Beatles?

Did you ever listen to the Beatles?  What singers did you like when you were in your teens?   

A Million Years Ago

 What did you want to do when you were 12?

What did you want to do when you were 17?

What do you want to do now?

Happy Father's Day

https://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/family/

Are you celebrating Father's Day?  What are you doing?  What should a good father do?

I want to dance!

 

What do you want to do this summer?

Are you on vacation?

gonna=going to= will (future tense, not movement)  jalopy=old word for badly maintained car
hop in =get into   have a ball = have fun 'neath=beneath=under "The Mashed Potato"=old dance

Are you enjoying the break?  What are you doing?

If

 

Please send me more pictures!  I particularly want pictures of the food at the party and of Giovanna's gorgeous cakes! I really enjoyed my plate of food after the party.

If you do Duolingo, please read aloud a LOT.  If you try Voscreen, tell me if it costs you money and if you like it.  

The people who created our Color Vowel chart also have pronunciation classes and an app called Blue Canoe.  I think Blue Canoe is probably difficult and expensive, but I'm curious about it.  To get the app or enroll in the online pronunciation classes click here.

Please do not spend a lot of time as you randomly watch videos of ALL THE GRAMMER.  Be strong in  adjective and easier verb tenses:  present, present continuous, future, and past.

Challenging Video: The hardest Part

 

What is the easiest part of English class?

(For me, break time is the easiest.)

What is the hardest part of English class?

(For me, LOTS of vocabulary is the hardest.)

The Sound of Sunshine

 What makes you feel better when you are stressed?

The One

 

What makes a person "marriage material?"  Describe "the one" for you.  How is "the one" different from the others?

Don't give up on

 

Low Intermediate Grammar that I want you to know before you go to High Intermediate

Write about something you did or learned because you did not give up.

Lovers, Dreamers, and so far

 

Do you remember looking at a rainbow?  Where were you?

Shopping Around

too, very, or so?

Game to practice comparative

Here are some links with some grocery sales.  Most show the sale prices this week, but Walmart is easy to search by product. (Thing you want to buy).  Comparing is easier if you pick something on sale at another store then search for the same thing on the Walmart page.

Aldi's

Amazon Fresh

Lidl

Giant food circular -- pick your store first

Fresh World

Shoppers Food Warehouse

Harris Teeter Specials

H-Mart

Walmart

Target

Wegmans

Food Lion

Amazon

Costco

J and L Green Farms

Farmer's Markets in Northern VA

Simply the best!

SxS Superlative Video

English with Sound and Light (start at 1:47)

Practice comparative and superlative
Can you describe your best friend?  or
Describe the best day you ever had...  or
Describe the best thing you've ever bought.

You better....

 .Listening ESL Lab-Picnic Preparations

When we want to say a strong "good" to compare things, we use better.  This website is better than that one.  I like chocolate better than vanilla.  Vegetables are better for you (healthier) than pork.

You better _______ (verb) is common to hear, but it is not good formal English.  It's supposed to be you had better, but the had is often 'd and that 'd often disappears.  You'd better is a threatening way to say you must.  If you don't do something you'd better do, there will be consequences.

What had we better do?

Is it a good idea or a bad idea to date many people before you get engaged?  Do you agree with this mother?  Why?

You don't have to say...

(Please let me know if the Spanish lyrics are wrong or inappropriate...)

Side by Side: have to

Reepworld Health: Medicine labels

Do you have to take any medicines?  Do any of your children take medicine?  Do you take vitamins?

Have to vs. Has to vs. must

Must is always must _____(base verb)  Must doesn't change.  It doesn't need an s with he, she, or it.  Must not means something is prohibited.  You must not _________ (base verb) is a strong way to say DO NOT _______(base verb) (You must not hurt my other students. She must not drink whiskey in our class.)  In the US, we rarely use must in a question.  We use have to or has to _____(base verb) instead.

Don't have to_______(base verb)/Doesn't have to ______(base verb) means something is no obligation.  Do ____ or don't do ________= NO PROBLEM.  It's your choice.  (Example: You don't have to wear a blue shirt to class.)

  Have becomes has with he she or it, but only in positive statements.  Use have with does or doesn't.  It's common to forget that you have to use "have" with "does" or "Do"

I have to study./I don't have to study./ What do I have to study?

He has to study./He doesn't have to study.? What does he have to study?

  Have to acts just like have in simple present. Here's some practice.

Practice with Kahoot: Have to/must _____(base verb)

What do you have to do?  What are some things you must not do?  What are some things you don't have to do?

Common Health Problems/At the doctor's

Language Guide-- The body

Inside a body vocabulary (language guide)

The digestive system (language guide)

language guide: medicine

Vocabulary:  Common Health Problems on Learning Chocolate

Vocabulary:  Internal Body Parts

How often do you go to the doctor?  Do you have a good doctor here?  How is the experience at the doctor different here?

Long Dialog -- Mechanic

 

Did you ever fix anything?  What?

Are you a mechanic?

Do you have a good mechanic?

Looking for a mechanic?

 

Language Guide Car parts

Learning Chocolate Vocabulary Driving Lesson

Do you have a car?  How do you get around?  Can you fix a car?  Do you do maintenance on your car?  What do you do?  If you have a car and you don't work on it, who takes care of it?

Challenge Listening- estimates from a mechanic

Randall's Listening Lab: Talking to a mechanic - listening and quiz

Do you have a good mechanic?

Driving Vocabulary & Road Signs!

 

Practice road signs on Quizlet!

Language Guide: Car parts -- Learn and try the listening test!

ESL Fast- Vocabulary and expressions

Do you have your Virginia driver's license yet?  Was it difficult to get?  What did you study?  

Can you give advice for someone studying for the driving test?

Are you a good driver?  What are some things that bad drivers do?

Who is it?

 

How many times do you need to listen before you know who he is talking about?

You Look Wonderful!

 

What do you wear when you want to look wonderful?

Lean on Me

 Talk about a friend.  Describe that person.  Tell me about a time you helped your friend or your friend helped you.

To Be Loved

 

Write about a time that you felt loved.

Challenge Listening: Take on me

 

Write about starting a new job or doing something difficult.

It's you! We're starting something new!

 

Thank you for coming to class!  Please help make the class comfortable and fun while we work hard to remember so many things in this difficult language!

Describe a person that you like.

Happy Sibling Day!

 

My Sister and I starts at 2:00

Describe your siblings.  If you are an only child, write about a childhood friend.  I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I have friends that feel like family.

What do they look like?  What did you like to do together?  How often do you talk to them now?

My Sister

Video from side by side!!

(The sister section starts at 1:59)

Peopel =people

jumping the gun=going too soon or too fast 

(Gun here is a starting gun for a race, not a gun to kill people)

go out on a limb = take a risk

(Do something that may be good or may hurt.)

Do you have any sisters?  Does your sister look like you?  What does your sister look like?

Did you play with your sister when you were a child?  What did you like to do?

There will be days like this

 There'll = there will

What makes a day a good day?  Do you have routines that make you happy?  Write about planning a good day or write about a good day you had in the past.

Baby don't hurt me...

 It's up to you = You can make the decision (or do an action) for both of us.

"Don't hurt me any more" sounds more educated ("correct") than "Don't hurt me no more."

Describe someone you love.  What do you like to do together? (G-rated answers please!)

Happy Eid al Fitr

There are more than three million Muslim people in the USA, and tonight is an important holiday.  Eid al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan.

 PBS -- Eid al Fitr

Do you celebrate Eid a Fitr?  (If yes, is this information correct?)  What do you do?  Did you prepare any good food?  What did you cook?  What did you eat?

I have a dream (song by Abba)

When you dream good daydreams about the future, what does it look like?

Eclipse of the Heart

 Gonna = is going to = we're talking about a future plan

Write about something you liked in the past, but you don't like now.   (Example: I liked Cream Soda when I was a child, but I don't like it now.  It's too sweet.)

Did you see the eclipse?

 

My friend gave me a pair of eclipse glasses.  I really enjoyed watching the eclipse!

I watched it next to Trailer 4 at Plum Center!  I went camping in North Carolina to see the 2017 eclipse.

Did you see the eclipse?  
Where did you get your eclipse glasses?

Did you ever see an eclipse before?

Nice to meet you!

 

Who did you meet today?  Where are they from?

Happy International Women's Day!

Spotlight 

Designed for kids:  Nothing Wrong at all with kicking like a girl!

What biases would you like to see changed?  (Challenge listening:  answers from some women in tech.)

No School on Super Tuesday!

 

Ballotpedia  is a website to start political research

If you don't want to give them your address, you can probably use the address

of the elementary school nearest your home.

What qualities do you like to see in a political candidate?

What political policies do you like?

Susan Boyle-- I dreamed a dream

 The video of Susan's audition that went viral and made her unlikely dream come true:

Orange Group Vocab set.

Write about a time you persisted when you wanted to give up.

When do we add -es?

Student Link 

Teacher Link

You were

 

Did anyone help you when you were a child or teenager?  

Describe any people that helped you and what they did?

Yesterday, someone asked me to define the word, "kind."

Kind means nice, respectful, and generous

  
Today, is National Random Acts of Kindness Day

It's a holiday to secretly do nice things for strangers.

Did you ever experience a random act of kindness"

What happened?

It Hurts to Let Somebody Go

 

What can you do to feel better when you miss a friend?

The Superbowl will be Sunday (old challenging videos)

Many people will watch the Superbowl -- 

Championship of the National Football League, playing American Football

Some people want to watch the game.

 Some people want to watch Usher at half time

You remind me

Many people actually want to watch the ads!

Are you going to have a Superbowl Party?

If yes, what food are you going to serve?

Are you going to go to a Superbowl party?

My Heart

 Do NOT use does go in my class.  It's only correct when you want to emphasize something people disagree with.

till = until 

Describe a person you love.  How did you meet?  What does that person like to do?