Blog posts written for beginner level English learners.
We use possessives to show that a noun belongs to another noun. We can make a possessive by using an apostrophe + s in front of the noun or we can use a possessive adjective in front of the noun. For example, in this photograph, the girl has a purple shirt. The girl’s shirt is purple. Her […]
Today a student came to me and said: “Teacher, I have confused.” I corrected his mistake: “Teacher, I am confused. I have a question.“ The rule is: use be + an adjective. Use have + a noun. I am sad. I am shy. We are tired. It is hot. They are friendly. She has a […]
Good is an adjective. Adjectives tell about people, places or things. Adjectives tell about nouns. Well is an adverb. Adverbs tell about actions. Adverbs tell about verbs. For example: This woman is a good boss. She leads well. She is a good speaker. She speaks well. She is a good team player. She cooperates well. […]
Help! What is the difference between myself, my and me? We use myself when we mean “with no other person’s help” or “alone.” I am the only person involved. A: That cake looks wonderful! Where did you get it? B: I made it myself. A: I thought your sink was broken. Who fixed it? Did […]
The verbs like, hope, want, need, and hate often come before a second verb. When they do, they are followed by “to + [V1]” (Like & hate can also be followed by -ing Kids like to go to the beach. (They like going to the beach.) They hope to stay for hours. When they are there, […]
My beginning students confuse “There are” and “They are.” First, the pronunciation is hard. To say “There,” your mouth ends up in the position you would use to say the word “girl.” Your mouth is small and your lips are tight and turned down. To say “they,” smile big. Show all of your teeth. (Or, […]
Who’s is a contraction for Who + is. Whose is used before a noun to ask about ownership or possession. Notice how the second question word comes in front of a noun, picture. It is asking for information about that noun. Specifically, it is asking who the picture belongs to or who is the […]
Regular verbs all end with -ed. Why does the pronunciation sometimes sound like /t/, sometimes like /d/, and sometimes like a new syllable /ɪd/? To help you answer the question, find the sound that comes in front of the -ed ending. For example, in the verb helped, /p/ is the sound right before the -ed. Put […]
When someone asks a how question, the easiest way to answer is with the preposition by + a gerund. For example: How can I stay in shape? You can do it ______________________________ by walking places instead of driving. by eating healthy food. by going to the gym. To make your […]
Two questions that often confuse students are: How are you doing? & What are you doing? For example, if you ask this woman “How are you doing?,” she’ll say “Great! Fantastic!” However, if you ask her “What are you doing?,” she’ll say, “I’m giving a double thumbs up! I’m smiling!” The answers are totally different. […]
