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?

What are you listening to?

 What are you doing?  What is your favorite kind of music?

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. If you understand basic grammar ideas and how to use grammar with lots of examples, high level classes can be 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 topics you should master before going to high intermediate.  If you want grammar practice, try these links.  If you find other helpful websites, please send them to me.

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

Free slurpees from 7-11 today!

For many summers, my children loved this day because they could get free Slurpees from 7-11.

Happy birthday 7 11

What do you like to drink? 

Practice "drink" vocabulary with https://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/drinks/ and
learning chocolate:  tea, drinks with their containers, and fruit.

Happy Fourth of July!!

This next video is super-fast for our level, but it repeats enough that it's good for training your ears. Understanding every word doesn't make the song easy to understand.

History of Independence Day -- Also fast, but clearly spoken.  Make sure you turn the closed captioning (CC) on.

ESOL Explanation of Independence day with a transcript.

Some U.S.A. patriotic songs you will probably hear today...

Read about the flag and other USA symbols...

During fireworks, you usually hear "Stars and Stripes Forever."

Listening: Interview with questions about the Fourth of July


Reading/listening practice -- press the triangle to hear the story as you read it.

funinfairfax.com:  Fireworks in Northern VA (scroll down for the 4th)


Are you enjoying the fourth of July?  What are you doing?  Does your former country have an independence day celebration?  When is it?  What do you do?

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?

Happy Summer!

 Did you enjoy your first day of summer?  When I was a child, many ice cream trucks and merry-go-rounds played this tune, but I never heard the words.

Do you like ice cream?  What's the best flavor? Are you planning to travel this summer?  Where do you want to go?  Do you like to go to the beach?  What's your favorite beach?

Happy Juneteenth

 

My mother grew up in Galveston Texas 
where people had beach parties to celebrate Juneteenth 

throughout the twentieth century.

Juneteenth is new as a federal holiday,
but it's an old celebration of freedom 
even though many people were still enslaved after that date.

Do you celebrate any historical events?  Which ones? How?

Bluer than Blue

 

If you ever think of me, please send me a text or an email and tell me how you're doing...

Party in the USA

Tell me about parties you enjoy.  What's the best food?  What do people do?

Promotion

I promote on whether I think you have a good chance of survival in the next level. I assess your level for reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Three of these should be above our level for you to move up.  

This time is unusual. Usually my managers are very strict about a 217 or higher reading score. I really want you to use good grammar when you speak..  This class, they want me to be strict about listening comprehension, but not as strict about the reading score (still should be above 207.)  At the beginning of the level, 40% of this class was reading below our LI level.  Now you all are doing much better.

PLEASE PRACTICE A LOT THIS SUMMER.  No one in our class can do no English this summer and be okay in high intermediate in the fall.  If you don't have a 218 or higher on the reading test, read as much as you can.  I've seen people who read for one hour a day make big gains in one month.  Write a lot too.

Intense English classes are hard.  If you came to class, you won.  Your English is better, and you became stronger.  

Whether it rains or pours, I'm all yours....

 

Who's your favorite actor?  What's your favorite TV show?  What's your favorite movie?

Today, people in the class recommended Man in the Mirror, Prison Break, Breaking Bad, Titanic, Home Alone, The Color Purple, Mission Impossible, Game of Thrones and My Best Friend's Wedding.  Claribel recommended her son's favorite book series, "Awesome Alex."

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?

You've got a friend

 

Describe a few of your friends.  When did you meet them?  What do they look like?  What do (did) you usually do together?  Who is the tallest?  The youngest?  the farthest away? The most reliable?

Talking at a restaurant

Quizlet Vocabulary: Speaking about food

Grammar: Practice using count & non-count nouns

Can you find the spelling mistake in the subtitles?

A few regional differences:  My family says "appetizer" rather than "starter." 

In this area, a 20% (minimum) tip is customary.  "Tip jobs" have a lower minimum wage, so servers don't get the minimum wage of $12.77/hour without the tip money.  Servers usually get $2.13/hour from the restaurant, and taxes often take their whole paychecks.  Some restaurants require servers to pay some of their tips to their coworkers including bussers, "expo," (a person who checks the order and arranges the food in a pretty way) and bartenders.  Other restaurants take all the tips and redistribute them to every worker equally.  When I worked at a restaurant, the servers kept all of their tips, but that was a long time ago.

In the conversation at the end of the video, native speakers in this area say, "chicken sandwich" rather than chicken burger.  We'd probably say we like tacos or a taco if there's only one.

English for my Job-Hospitality

Food and drink Vocabulary from English Club  (Go down to see links to vocabulary and practice)

Grammar: count vs. non-count  (same link as the top)

What is your favorite restaurant nearby?  What is the best restaurant in your native country?  What is the best restaurant you ever ate at?

Holiday!

What's your favorite holiday?  Why do you like it?

What do you usually do to prepare?

Where are the best places to go for a vacation?  Why?

Challenge Listening: Thrift Store

 A thrift store is a place that sells used (secondhand) things.  Big ones near here are Salvation Army and Good Will.  The best selection of secondhand clothes in the area is probably at Unique.  The most expensive are probably consignment shops in Vienna.  The cheapest used clothes are from Facebook buy nothing groups or  at Yard Sales at random people's homes from 8 AM-12 PM on Saturday mornings.  

Yelp: Northern Virginia thrift stores

What's the best deal you ever found?  Was it new or used?

Shopping for a car!

 Whenever I shop for an appliance or a car, I look at Consumer Report's ratings.

Challenge Listening about cars:  (You probably should slow this one down in YouTube)

Maryann says that she checks Consumer Reports on the sofa at home through her library card!  

Here are her instructions:

Hi Laurie.

This is how I reached Consumer Reports online using my library account number and login:

1.  Logged into George Mason Regional Library with my library card number and password;

2. Go to “Research Center”In column on left side of screen

3.   Click “All Databases;” and 

4 .  Click on “C” in the alphabet list and Consumer Reports is the third or fourth entry.

Fairfax County Public Library cards are available free to residents of Fairfax County.  You can borrow books, CDs, DVDs, and artwork. 

Bookstore Shopping (from Randall's Listening Lab)

 

Easy World of English Dictionary: Classroom supplies

Do you need to buy school supplies? Make sure you get your list from the school, not from the store!

What is the best gift you've ever gotten

Shooting Game -- Superlative --est/most vs. Comparative --er/more

http://easyesolgrammar.blogspot.com/

Shopping Around (Kids' video to practice too)

too, very, or so?

Game to practice comparative

Where is the best place to buy your groceries this week?
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

The Sweetest....

"We have taken many rides on troubled shores" means we have experienced problems.

It's a metaphor -- not an expression you should use.

shore=beach (or land near the line between water and land)

Superlative Examples

Do you like sugary desserts?  What is the sweetest dessert that you like?  What makes you happy?  What are your sweetest memories?

Comparing things

Adjectives that compare 2 things = Comparative

1 syllable -  add ER  (short -- shorter, tall--taller)
1 syllable that was spelled with 1 consonant -- 1 vowel -- 1 consonant-- repeat the last consonant to keep the short (not the name) vowel sound -- add ER  (big-bigger, thin--thinner)
2 syllables that end in ow or le  add ER (yellow-yellower, little--littler)
2 syllables that end in Y -- change the Y to I and add ER  (pretty--prettier, happy-happier)
Other 2 syllables act like
3 or more syllables:  Use the word more before the adjective.  (more modern, more beautiful, more interesting)

Superlative= Adjectives that compare 3 or more things - use the same categories, 

                      but add THE and use different suffixes (est) or helping words.(The most)

1 syllable - add EST (short - the shortest, tall - the tallest)

1 syllable CVC - 1 consonant 1 vowel 1 consonant -- double the last letter and add EST.  The Biggest, the Thinnest.

2 syllables that end with ow or le act like 1 syllable:  Narrowest, littlest

2 syllables ending in Y -- NO Y -- add iest pretty-prettiest, happy-happiest, silly- silliest

Other 2 syllables act like

3 or more syllables -- NO ENDING -- USE THE MOST before the adjective:  The most modern, the most beautiful, the most interesting.

Exceptions:  good -- better -- the best

                      bad - worse than -- the worst

                      far -- farther -- the farthest

                      fun -- more fun -- the most fun

Rules and Examples in a slideshow

Comparative

Comparative and Superlative

Nearest to Craziness

 

Did you feel crazy when you first fell in love?  IWhat actions drivesyou crazy?

The Best things in life are free!

 

What are the best things in your life?  Are the best things really free?

Stay

(Challenge video because some of it is fast.  I hope you enjoy it.)  

Where are the best and worst places you stayed when you last (most recently) traveled?

How do you prepare when you plan to have company?  How do you make their stay wonderful?

Nothing Compares

 

Practice Simple Present Tense verbs

Learn and practice comparative & superlative adjectives

What are the best things in life? 

NO SCHOOL TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY FOR EID AL ADHA!

 

We don't have school because it's an Islamic Holiday!

Are you celebrating Eid?  How?  What are you doing?

 If not, what's your favorite holiday?  How do you celebrate it?

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?

Memorial Day -- NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY!!

On Memorial Day, we remember people who died in military service.  We also often shop, have barbecues, and go to outdoor pools and water parks.  Many outdoor pools open on Memorial Day.

Do you like to shop?

  

Springfield Mall Sales 

Potomac Mills Sales

Pentagon City Sales

Tysons Corner Sales

Leesburg Outlet Sales

Fair Oaks Sales

Things to Do for Families with Children


At the end of the day, many military units play "Taps" at bedtime.  "Taps" is often played at military funerals.  It's rare to hear lyrics except in Boy Scouts.  "Safely Rest" (not "Bob Good Night") is usually the last line.

One of my students suggested the following song as a tribute to military families.  

Can you find which word is not spelled correctly?

Voice of America Article on Memorial Day

Online Word Search for Memorial Day

What are you doing for memorial day?  (I plan to relax!)

Challenge Listening: test anxiety

The best way to overcome test anxiety is to relax and take a LOT of tests.  On a reading test, the answer is always there.  Breathe, find your key words, match up the idea and move on. 

Did you take a lot of tests when you were young?

Did you ever enjoy a test?

If yes, tell me about it!

What is the most important test you took?  Was it difficult?  How did you prepare?.

Longer...

Practice game: comparative

Slide show from class

Student Examples:  Spring 2025

Study and Practice Using Comparatives and Superlatives

What are your best attributes?  Write about two of your friends.  Who is taller?  Who is younger?  Who is funnier?  Who is farther away?

Shopping Project

 Shopping Project

Pick one to three things you want to shop for. Compare prices and quality from different stores.  Use comparative and superlative sentences to report to me.

These lyrics shouldn't be "you better." They should be "you'd better." "Had better is an even stronger "must" than "must" or "have to"

Do you think this mom gave good advice? What do you have to do this weekend? Is there anything you'd better do?

Happier than ever -- Billie Eilish

Is there anyone that you are happier NOT to have in your life?

Write about an obnoxious family member or ex.  What qualities do you dislike?  Why is it easy to set boundaries with this person?

We're not broken, just bent

 

What things can be fixed?  What needs to be replaced?

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?

Let's Go Fly a Kite

 

How do you recommend I make this class better?

What was your favorite activity when you were a child?

Let's go!

Let's have fun!  What are you going to do today?

Let's Get LOUD!

Gotta ______(base verb) is an informal way to express "have got to ______(base verb) 

which means must ____ or have to _____.
Ain't nobody is an informal way to say, "there isn't anybody that"

What do you have to do this weekend?  What do you want to do?

Our House

This song pronounces vase as olive-sock vase -- that's British English.

In the US, we say gray-day vase.

House Vocabulary Practice with Learning Chocolate (cupboard and cabinet are interchangeable words -.not for top and bottom.)

Language Guide House Vocabulary

Learning Chocolate: Kitchen 1

Kitchen Vocabulary from Language Guide

Kitchen 2

What do you like about your home?  What don't you like?  What do you plan to change?

Home Repair--More Vocabulary

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/

This next video is way too fast and silly, but it uses class vocabulary!

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

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

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

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?

Bad Landlord

 

Blight is a disease that suddenly kills many plants.  Urban blight is bad condition homes that make a neighborhood feel unsafe.

Did you ever have a bad landlord?  What did you do?

What do you recommend?

 

Do bad situations teach more than good situations?  How do you remember vocabulary and irregular verbs?  Write about a situation that taught you valuable things.

For those who love Mother's Day....

 A tribute to loving mothers.... (for Mother's day...)

Please write three positive things about a mother you know.  

One Cup of Coffee

 

Do you like to drink coffee?  How do you take your coffee?  Do you prefer tea?  How do you take your tea?  What's your favorite beverage?  What's your favorite snack? What brands do you recommend?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo this week?  What are you doing?  

 

Many North Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo because they like the wonderful benefits of many Latino cultures' contributions here in the USA. They often don't understand the  holiday's focus on the amazing victory of Mexicans over the French Army in the Battle of Puebla de Los Angeles.  

In the US, many people wear Mexican-inspired clothes, eat tacos, and drink margaritas.  Some businesses try to make Cinco de Mayo into a Latino version of St. Patrick's day. The businesses that want to celebrate "Latino culture" often have no idea that different South or Central American countries are VERY different from each other. 

Challenging Video:  Ask History: Cinco de Mayo  Try using YouTube settings -- .7 to slow it down

My children's elementary school always celebrated all immigrants on Cinco de Mayo -- they usually had an international pot luck celebration.  One of my best memories of celebrating Cinco de Mayo was when I first ate Pakistani Kebobs.

In Japan, today is children's day.  There are many fish flying!!

Are you doing anything to celebrate Mexican, Latino, Japanese, or any culture this week?

At my worst

 

Describe a great friend or partner.

Are there any bad qualities that you don't pay attention to

because you really like that person?

On a Wednesday -- in a cafe -- I watched it begin again

 

ESL Lounge Prepositions of Time Quiz

Prepositions of time explanations and practice

Write about a friend and how you met.

I Can Love MYSELF better...

Life can be a hard day for single people, but being single can be better than having a relationship with a terrible person.  How can you treat yourself?

(Pop music rarely uses good spelling and grammar, but it will help you understand people here.  

Some translations:  kinda - the kind of / 'til - until/ wanna - want to)

Practice reflexive pronouns

Write about ways that you can make yourself happy.

Do you buy yourself flowers or chocolate or anything you really like?  What do you buy yourself?  What can you do when you want to treat yourself very well?

Is Any Skill Actually Useless?

 

Do you have any silly skills?

I'll always remember us this way

 

Write about some good memories.  Then write about some things that you want to remember.

Do you know where you're going to?

 

Write about some beautiful places that you went to.  Write about things you're glad you did.

Where do you want to travel to next?

Describe the street where you live

Describe the street where you live, where you lived or where you want to live!  (Don't say the names of the streets, just what the homes and surroundings look like.)

We found love right where we are!

Do you know any old people that are  very happy with their spouses?  Describe them.  What do they do to stay happy together?

Where were you when you first fell in love? (Or when you fell in love with the person you are with now...)  Write about it!

Happy Earth Day!!

Practice this/that/these/those

Smithsonian Events for Earth Day (some are over now)

Did you celebrate earth day today? What did you do?
When I was in elementary school in Colorado, we often planted trees and picked up litter on Earth Day.

What is litter?  Trash on the ground.   

Do you have a garden? Even when I lived in a small apartment, I had plants on the balcony. My family always grows some plants. Do you like to talk about saving the earth? Is pollution a bigger or smaller problem in your old country or in the USA? Do you have a big or a small carbon footprint?

(VERY difficult English website:  Carbon Footprint Calculator)

NO SCHOOL APRIL 21, 2026!

 If you can vote, go vote!

If you are bored:  read in English, write in English, listen to English and practice past:  

Practice was vs. were  (was for 1.  Were for 2+. Always were for you 1 or 2+)

Practice making past questions (scroll down to start on number 1)

Past tense Real English Lesson

Challenge Video: What is Gerrymandering?

Gerrymandering is changing voting district lines to try to ensure that certain people get elected.

Virginia has a special vote on whether we should change the voting district map on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. 

President Trump openly demanded Republican gerrymandering in Texas, Indiana, & Florida.  Democrats want to respond by Democrat gerrymandering in California and Virginia.                              

Do you know if other democratic countries do gerrymandering?

Quizlet: Political Terms

Can you vote? Is voting in your country similar to voting here?

What issues (ideas that people argue about) are important to you?

Did politics affect your life? How?

Practice Simple past/How Did you Know?

SxS video past

S x S video  (was were)

Listen and practice speaking the most common regular past tense verbs (Press the speaker icon next to past tense to hear them)

Simple Past Grammar Explanation and Practice

When did you first fall in love?

Video: When professional basketball players fell in love with basketball

Write about the time you first met a friend.  Where were you? How old were you?

 What did your friend look like?

Remember When

This country song has great examples of past "to be."  

Remember:  Was for 1, were for 2 but always were for you (1 or 2!) 

Study and practice simple past

Write about a pleasant memory.

Pronouncing -ed

 

Which words are easy to say in past tense?  Which words are difficult?

Don't Speak

 

Practice Present Continuous

Did you ever break up with someone?  What's the best way to do it?

Write about a person that you don't want in your life.

Borrow or Lend

 

How often do you borrow or lend something?

What do you usually borrow or lend?

Write about a time you borrowed or lent something.

Was class difficult today? Maybe these videos can help!

What's Present Continuous?  It's Present Progressive!  

                                                     BE ____ING for NOW or the future.

What are you doing tonight?  What are your friends doing?

All of Me

 

Write about someone you love.  What's the person like?  What does the person like?

I feel better when I'm dancing (after coming in from the cold)

This song repeats SO MUCH!

This song is SO FAST!!

When we talk about actions now, we use present continuous (be _____ing)

Common Dances in the USA:

 Fourth grade teachers teach their students how to do the electric slide

I like to do the Cupid Shuffle  It's fun and easy!

I like to dance.  What do you like to do?  What makes you feel happy? What are you doing tonight?

Enchanted to Meet You!

I am happy to meet you!  I like that many of you speak so well!  Write about yourself.  

What's your name?  Where are you from?  Do you live near the school now?  Do you like to talk about your family?  If so, please write about them.  Do you have a pet?  Do you like to cook?   Do you work?  What do you do?  Did you work before?  What did you do?  Do you want to travel?  Where do you want to go?

Who did you meet today?

Welcome to English Class

 Welcome to English Class!  

I post songs and questions.

Please write answers to some of the questions in the comments or on paper to turn in.

Please listen to songs. When I post a song you like, repeat listening to it until you can sing it.

Help me find good songs.

I also put many links to any website that looks helpful for our level.

On a phone, you need to go to the bottom of the page, and press "view web version" 

then click on a picture to see and use the links. 

 I usually update the class vocabulary on Quizlet after class.

If you love a helpful website, please tell me about it.

What's your name? What do you like to do?  

Nice to meet you!

 

Tell me about yourself!

What are you like?

What do you like?

That's My Goal

Why do you want to learn English?  What are your goals?  What will you do when your English is excellent?

Please write about another goal that you are happy that you got.

Spring 2026 Kahoot Quizzes

 

Final LI Kahoot

Subject, Direct Object or Indirect Object 

Kahoot: Subject or Object pronouns

Kahoot: Subject-object pronouns

Irregular Verbs Kahoot

Unit 7 Kahoot -- listening, comparative & superlative

Kahoot for learning comparative and superlative

Kahoot for listening & Unit 9 vocabulary 

 Kahoot to practice color vowel and unit 9 vocabulary.

Kahoot: Unit 8 Review

Kahoot: Pronouncing ED

Kahoot: Duplicate of Conjunctions

Kahoot: Conjunctions and/but/or 

Kahoot: What or Where

Kahoot: Verb Tenses

Kahoot: Past tense questions

Kahoot about present continuous tense

Kahoot: What's the base verb?

 Kahoot - Past or Present: