Do you want to practice?

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

Winter 2026

 In Winter 2026, we did units 2,3,4 then we studied employment.  For employment, we talked about how to answer the question, "Tell me about yourself."  We talked about our skills. (Grammar: can)  We practiced using know how to ____(base verb) We talked about responsibilities/duties at different jobs. We practiced talking about our job histories using prepositions of time.

Here are some job interview questions that anyone in our level should be able to answer.

If you didn't understand the grammar in our class or if you are moving up without finishing our book, please study Grammar I want you to know before you go to High Intermediate

Happy Pi Day!!

 

Enjoy Pi Day in Fairfax County!

Do you like math?  Can you tell me a story about using math or eating pie?

Did you get a good deal today because a business celebrated Pi Day?

Hope to see you soon!!

Do you want to practice grammar?

Names for the parts of speech

Stative Verbs

Present Continuous vs. Simple Present

Conjunctions

Should    

Simple Past

Prepositions of time

Prepositions and directions

Please continue to use the blog!  Please comment to practice writing!  Please tell me how you are and what you are doing!.

Don't Cry Over Prom Dress Prices (if you have a daughter that needs a prom dress, go to Centreville HS this weekend)

For many young people in the USA, high school prom is the only formal dance they ever attend. 

Used dresses are much cheaper than new dresses, and they are often very beautiful.  

You may also find a good free dress at Centreville High School tomorrow

Kids that are willing to make and wear duct tape clothes can win the

Stuck-at-Prom Scholarship -- Grand Prize winners get $15,000, runner ups $1,000.

My daughter entered it (I bought $60 of duct tape), but she didn't win anything.  

My children already went to prom, 

but I still click the link to see all the duct tape dresses.

Did you go to a formal dance in High School?  

Did your child go to prom? 

Would you let your child go to prom?

How to Do Common Line Dances in the USA

Many people in the USA only do line dances at weddings.  Some people get together just to do them.  

I think the most popular line dance in the USA is called the "Electric Slide."  Although this video is made for fourth grade children, I think it's good.

The Cha Cha Slide is also very popular because the music tells you what to do!

The Music also tells you how to do the Cupid Shuffle

Instructions....

 and the real music for it!

Fairfax County Public School PE taught all my children to do "Cotton Eye Joe," 

with the touch across version, not the stomp.

Sometimes all the neighborhood kids did it at pool parties at our neighborhood pool.

Most people that lived in the USA during the 1990s know the "Macerena."

Instructions

The Music for the "Macerena" is in Spanish. It looks sexy!

I've heard that "Achy Breaky Heart" is the most common line dance at Southeastern USA weddings,

but I don't know it.

Challenge Listening stand-up comedy:  Don't Line Dance in the Ladies Room (restroom)

The Temptation Cha

Teenagers at my neighborhood swimming pool taught me "The Wobble"

New York, New York! (song)

Thank you for a delicious potluck party!

A potluck is a party that asks all the guests to bring food to share.  Many people have potlucks in the USA -- especially groups at schools, churches, and neighborhood pools.  Please bring something yummy.  If you really don't have the time or money to bring food, don't worry.  Come anyway.

Please don't bring pork (pig meat) children, or alcoholic drinks.

Are you going to do during the break?  Are you coming back?  

Do you have recommendations to make the next class better for you?

Patience

 

Do you hate when people tell you to be patient? I do!

English often takes time.  Thank you for working hard.  Please help us make the classes good for you.

How can the class be better?

Write about a time when your patience worked for you.

It's time to register for the next class!

 I hope you're happy with this class and want to continue!  If you are continuing in Low Intermediate, please give me advice on how to make the class excellent for you.

Tell me about yourself (in a job interview)

Volunteering -- working for NO $$$-- can give you practice in English, new friends, and connections that can help you get a job when you finish your English classes.  Religious organizations -- churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues -- can often connect you to volunteer opportunities.

Another place to find volunteer work is Volunteer Fairfax.

Tell me about yourself!  

Happy Awesome Day!

 

What makes you awesome?

What jobs are awesome?

That's not the shape of my heart...

 

Do you like to gamble?  Did you ever take statistics in school?

Did you ever decide to reject a value that many people like?

What are some of your favorite values?

International Women's Day

The symbolic colors for IWD are purple, green, and white. Purple represents justice, dignity, and empowerment. Green represents hope, growth, and new beginnings. White represents equality, freedom, and truth. 

 How is International Women's Day celebrated in different countries?  What are the best jobs for women?

Change your clock one hour forward!

 

What do you think of daylight savings time changes?

Do you have any routines to make you feel better when you don't get enough sleep?

Here comes the sun...

The weather is foggy and rainy today.  I want to see the sun!

Are you ready for spring? Do you like sunny weather?  What is your favorite weather?

Practice weather words with Languageguide.org

Practice some weather and clothing words with learningchocolate.org

Did you ever travel some place because you wanted to be in better weather?  Do you think weather changes how you feel?  What do you pack when you travel?

I remember it all too well

Was-were SxS videos

Was Were Quiz Game -- Woodward English

Was were in Questions

Was were in short answers

Write about a day that you are happy to remember.

Get it done

Today, Safaa asked how to say, "She needs to get her tooth pulled."  

We use get-object-past participle to indicate that someone else does the action. The get uses verb tenses, but the past participle doesn't change.

She likes to get her nails done.

I got my car fixed last month.

She will get her clothes cleaned on Saturday.

When Kim heard, "do your nails", while we practiced make or do (in 2022), she said that she often heard, "get" not "do" at work. She is correct.  I do my nails at home, but Kim's customers get their nails done in a salon.  We often use get with a past participle form of a verb (regular ---ed/irregular-3rd column) to say that someone else is doing something for us. 

(Official grammar name for this word pattern is passive causative.  You can officially use have instead of get, but DONT practice using have for passive causative before you are good at ALL the verb tenses. Anyway, get is more common for speaking in this area.)

My daughter gets her nails done for all the holidays.  I only got my nails done for my wedding.

I don't fix my car.  I get my car fixed by Backlick Road Service Station or Community Car Care.

I don't cut my hair.  I get my hair cut at a beautician.

My mother doesn't clean her house.  She gets it cleaned.

I don't repair watches.  I get my watch repaired at Silver Dolphin.

I brush my teeth twice a day, and I also go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned three times a year.

I rarely wash my care and I rarely get my car washed. My car is pretty dirty. (Pretty as adverb=mostly)

The past participle verbs in these examples do NOT show time.  The form of get shows the verb tense. 

Examples: I am getting my car fixed now.  I will get my car washed tomorrow.  My dad used to get his shoes shined every month.  Mark gets his car serviced four times a year. We got the kitchen floor replaced last month.  My mother never goes to Zales Jewelers because when she got her engagement ring cleaned there, they lost her diamond and offered her a much cheaper stone.

Don't stop now!!

Please keep coming and working.  It's not over yet...

I've "hit my limit" means I am very frustrated and

ready to quit.

Learning English is difficult and takes a lot of time, but most of you are doing excellent work.

My curriculum is designed for students to study for one year -- three sessions -- before they move up to the next level.  Some people can move up after one session, but they usually have great listening skills and they often had great reading with our alphabet and a good English grammar education before they came to my class.  Some people come in with reading or listening below my level and need more than three sessions.

 I had a student that took my class eleven times.  Last time I saw here, she had finished her GED and had gotten a good job at the Post Office. Persisting works.

I often keep really excellent students for a second session so they have the opportunity to practice and learn more vocabulary and topics that we didn't do in this session.

  

Please don't compare yourself to other students, and 

please register to come back and keep improving!!

Our Class in on time Tuesday, March 3

 Hope you can come.  The rain washed most of the ice and snow off the streets.  Driving near Plum Center isn't too bad.