List of Common Word Prefixes and Their Meanings

A prefix is a group of letters, usually from another language such as Latin or Greek, that we find at the beginning of a root word. Each prefix has a basic meaning that modifies the general idea of the root word. Some prefixes have more than one meaning. You need to learn the most common prefixes and their basic meanings. This knowledge will help you learn new vocabulary more quickly.

My Suggestion: Click on the link below. Read and study the material on prefixes and then study the lists to learn the meanings of common prefixes used in English words.

List of Prefixes at Englishhints.com

Today in Class--Irregular Verb Quiz and Verb Tenses Review

Today in class we took a short quiz on irregular verbs. Then we started to review verb tense. We use simple tenses when we talk about a point in time (in the simple present tense, this point in time can be repeated regularly (I eat breakfast every morning) or it can be generally true at all times (I love ice cream). We use continuous tenses when we talk about an ongoing length of time. We viewed several time lines that show the differences between tenses.

1) Here is a timeline that tries to show the difference between simple tenses (past, present and future) and continuous or progressive tenses (past, present, and future).

LINK: Timeline--Simple Tenses Compared to Continuous Tenses

2) Another time line shows the difference between simple present and present continuous. It also shows how you can use simple past and past continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of something else (My mother phoned while I was cooking dinner.).

LINK: Tense Helper Timelines

3) If you feel very brave, the website Englishpage.com will tell you much more about the individual verb tenses than you ever wanted to know. We have not studied all of this material yet (such as active versus passive verbs). But if you want to know more, click on the link below to read detailed discussions of the verb tenses we have studied so far (you can read only what we have studied so far, or you can continue reading about more kinds of verbs). For each line of print, read the lessons in the Topics Covered column on the right, then look at the same line in the Exercises column on the left to try the verb tense exercise that goes with those lessons.

LINK: Verb Tenses at Englishpage.com


My Suggestion: Click on each of the three links above. If you find a timeline or explanation helpful, study it. Try reading some lessons and exercises at the third link, Englishpage.com. If it is too confusing, don't spend too much time on it--spend your study time with the links that help you the most.

Review of English Sentence Structure

Yesterday we reviewed subjects and predicates in sentences. You can find a good summary of English sentence structure at the website Englishhints.com. There is a table that takes a simple sentence and changes it to a negative statement, then to a question. Then it adds an adverb, a direct object, an indirect object, etc.

My suggestion: Click on the link and review the parts of a sentence. Soon we will discuss compound subjects, verbs, and sentences.

Basic Types of Sentences

Vocabulary for Scale and Distance at Teacher Kathy's Study Stack Page

I often make vocabulary flashcards to go with a lesson at the website www.studystack.com. I created a stack for today's lesson about using a map scale to calculate distance. On my page at studystack.com, you can view these vocabulary cards and play games that help you remember the meaning of words like scale, ratio, and proportion. Go to studystack.com and type kakcal in the search box, or use the link below. I have also added the link to my list of favorite links on the right-hand side of this page.

Teacher Kathy's Study Stack Page

Corrected link to Do, Does, or Did Quiz on previous post

I realized that the link to the Do, Does, or Did quiz that I posted on November 6th takes you to the daily page at manythings.org; however, the quiz at this link changes every day. So I corrected the link, and it now takes you directly to the Do, Does, or Did quiz at a4esl.org. Here is the link again:

Quiz on Do, Does, or Did
 

The Ball Exercise Was Highly Irregular!

We used at least four irregular verbs today in class during our silly "before and after" exercise with the two red balls. I didn't plan to have a lesson on irregular verbs, but by chance I gave directions to throw a ball, shake your head, bend your knees, and stand on one leg. Each of the verbs in bold type has an irregular past tense form: threw, shook, bent, stood. Of course, I also used regular verbs that form the past tense by adding -ed or just -d: jump-jumped, wave-waved, pat-patted (notice the final t of pat is doubled before adding -ed--do you know why?).

My Suggestions: A few weeks ago we studied rules for spelling changes when adding -ed to make the base form of regular verbs past tense. Click on the link to review a nice summary of these rules (but I wish I could remove the annoying advertisements).

 Spelling Rules for Adding -ed to Regular Verbs

Then click on the link below to go to "12 Lists to Help You Learn Common Irregular Verbs." These lists group irregular verbs that follow similar patterns when they change from present to past tense (for example, throw-threw, grow-grew, know-knew). Find each irregular verb we used in class today (those in bold type above) on one of the lists. Try to memorize all the verbs on at least one of the 12 lists this week. Can you memorize a list every week? You might as well memorize all three forms of the verbs, even though we have not studied the third part (past participle) yet.

12 Lists to Help You Learn Irregular Verbs

Have an Idiom with Your Breakfast

"English in a Minute" videos on the VOA Learning English website are a fun way to learn American idioms. An idiom is an expression whose meaning is different than the meaning of the individual words. For example, to "get a grip" means to get control of your emotions when you're anxious or upset. It can also mean to understand something. Each video lasts one minute. You will hear an explanation of the idiom, then watch and listen to people use it in everyday conversation.

My Suggestion: Click on the English in a Minute link every morning for a one-minute idiom lesson. The link is below, but I have also put it in the "Favorite Links" list in the right-hand column of this blog to make it easier to find each day.

LINK: English in a Minute (Idiom of the Day)

Too Tired to Study? Refresh Your Brain with an Easy Game!

Have you had a frustrating day? Do you feel you aren't learning fast enough, but you are too tired to study? Relax! You don't always have to push yourself to learn new or difficult things.

My Suggestion: Boost your confidence by playing an easy game for beginners. It will remind you of how much you already know!

Easy Things for Beginners (games, puzzles)

Practice Listening to Conversational English

Today in class we went to websites that allow you to listen to English sentences or news items. On one website, a speaker reads an English sentence and repeats it. Try to write down what you hear as the speaker repeats the sentence. When the written sentence appears on the video, check to see if you wrote the sentence correctly.
Listening Practice--Common Daily Expressions

Here is a link to a video where you can see and listen to 1000 common English phrases. You can practice saying the phrases yourself (pause the video if you need more time to practice saying a phrase).
Listening Practice--1000 Common English Phrases

My Suggestions: Once each day, visit the Daily Page for ESL Students at manythings.org. This page has links to a daily quiz, daily listening and pronunciation practices, and dictionaries in other languages.

Daily Page for ESL at manythings.org 

On the Daily Page, you will find a link for listening to daily Voice of America (VOA) newscast items. The text of each newscast is printed so that you can read along as you listen. You can click on any word and immediately see its definition. If you go to the top of the news page and click on Level One, the person reading the news speaks more slowly than in Level Two or Three. You can also click on the link below to go directly to the VOA website:

Voice of America--Listen to English newscasts and follow printed version

Another link on the Daily Page takes you to the "Listen and Repeat Machine." Click on the link below, then click on the "play" button. A voice reads English sentences several times. It pauses in between so that you can repeat the sentence yourself.  Click on the number button to change the number of times you hear the sentence from 0 to 4. Slide the control buttons to control the volume or to make the pauses in between readings longer, to give you more time to repeat the sentence yourself. 

Daily Pronunciation Practice 
 
You can also go directly to manythings.org for links to other listen and repeat or listen and read along videos. There are also links for listening to vocabulary, slang, and bilingual sentence pairs. Check it out by clicking the link below:

Interesting Listening Practice for ESL Students at manythings.org

Past Continuous Tense, Celsa Practice

The present continuous tense is formed by using a PRESENT form of the verb to be as a helping verb, then adding another verb ending in -ing. We use it to talk about an ongoing action or state at the present time.

I am singing my favorite song. Why are you covering your ears? Are you feeling sick?

Today we briefly discussed the past continuous tense. The past continuous tense is formed by using a PAST form of the verb to be as a helping verb and adding another verb that ends in -ing:

I was singing my favorite song when the phone rang.

We use the past continuous tense when two past actions happened at the same time, but one interrupted the other, or one action was longer than the other. The simple past tense is used for the shorter action, and the past continuous is used for the longer, ongoing action.

I tripped as I was running to answer the phone.

My suggestion: Read Dennis Oliver's lesson about how to form this tense at the esl cafe:

Past Continuous Tense #1

Then read about how to use the past continuous tense:
 
Past Continuous Tense #2

Try this quiz at www.a4esl.org to test your ability to judge when to use the simple past tense and when to use past continuous. You have to think of the correct form of the verb (using the negative form if it says to) and then click on the box to see whether you got it right. This is also good practice for the Celsa grammar test.

Simple Past or Past Continuous--A Dialog

Three Adjectives Describe One Noun--What Order Do I Put Them In?

We usually do not use more than three adjectives in front of one noun. I bought a new pink silk dress. We can add more, but then the reader or listener begins to lose track of all the descriptive words: My expensive new pink silk dress is gorgeous. The adjectives begin to pile up and run into each other like race cars on a greased track (Note: I just used a simile--do you remember what that is from our lesson a couple of weeks ago?).

When more than one adjective describes a noun, the adjectives must follow a pattern (order). The pattern is based on the category of each adjective. The website www.esl.about.com lists the order by dividing adjectives into seven categories (kinds).

1. Opinion (interesting, boring, fascinating)
2. Size or dimension (big, thin, tiny)
3. Age (new, modern, ancient)
4. Shape (round, square, oval)
5. Color (red, blue, greenish)
6. Origin (Spanish, Canadian, Indian)
7. Material (wooden, metal, plastic)

Look at our sentence from above: I bought a new pink silk dress. The three adjectives that describe the noun dress belong to these categories: New describes its age, pink describes its color, and silk is the material out of which the dress is made.

• Age--category 3
• Color--category 5
• Material--category 7

Are the numbers of the categories in numerical order (like when we count from 1 to 7)? YES! But if I say, I bought a pink new silk dress,the category numbers are in this order: 5, 3, 7. Is that the order in which we count? Nope! So we have to shift the adjectives around to get them into numerical order: I bought a new pink silk dress.

This is advanced, challenging grammar for people who are learning English. Don't even TRY to bring commas into the discussion yet! When we follow this order for putting adjectives in front of a noun, we usually don't need commas--unless (oh, no!) there is more than one adjective from the same category. But knowing how and when to separate adjectives with commas is a topic for another day.

My suggestion: Click on the link below and review the placement order for adjectives and the examples (you can watch the video if you like; if not, stop it or mute the sound). 

Adjective Placement Patterns for English Learners 

Then try putting a series of adjectives in the right order here:

Adjective Placement Quiz

Word Lists for Growing Your Vocabulary--Adjectives

Today in class we reviewed adjectives--words that modify (describe or limit) nouns. In the English language, many words can be used as more than one part of speech. You can use some words as either a noun or an adjective, depending on what the word does in a sentence. In the following sentences, the word in red is a noun when its job (its task) is to name a person, place, or thing. It is an adjective when its job is to describe a noun--to tell us what kind, how many, which one, etc.--so that we know more about that person, place, or thing.

I am studying grammar. (grammar is a noun that names the thing that I am studying)

I am reading a grammar book. (grammar is an adjective that tells what kind of book I am reading)

John loves to play soccer. (soccer is a noun that names an activity--a thing--that John loves to do)

John watches a soccer game on TV every weekend. (soccer is an adjective that tells what kind of game John watches--not a baseball game, not a basketball game, but a soccer game)


Many adjectives turn into nouns by referring to persons that have a certain quality. For example, The rich has the job of a noun in the following sentence, because it means rich people or rich ones: "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." Other examples: the poor, the famous, the young.


My suggestion: Click on the link below for a list of 58 adjectives you can use to describe people. Under the "Things You Can Do with This Word List" menu, select "Dictionary Flashcards." If you don't know what the first word means, click on one of the dictionary link buttons to look it up. English dictionary links are on the right and links to dictionaries in a few other languages are on the left (note: not all of the links work!). If you already know what the word means, click the "Get a Word" button to bring up another word from the list. You can also type in your own word and click a dictionary link to get a definition.

58 Adjectives to Describe People

Then test your knowledge of opposite pairs of words. Review the list of opposite words at the link below (most are adjectives, but there are a couple of pairs of prepositions in the list--can you find them?). From the "Things You Can Do with This Word List" menu, select "Speedwords." After you select your speed you will see a word in blue. You have to click on the yellow letters underneath to spell out the opposite of the word in blue (only letters that are actually part of the answer are listed).

Opposite Words (38 pairs)

Explanation of "Should" and "Should not"

"Should" is a confusing word, because you can use it in different ways. Learn-English-Online.org describes several of them. Here is my version of the lesson on the website:

• To give advice or ask for advice ("You should always wear your hair like that--you look beautiful!" "Should I ask your brother to fix my car?")
• To communicate a strong opinion or instruction ("You should clean your bedroom right now!"). 
• To speak of things we regret doing or not doing (I shouldn't have become angry with my mother." "I should have helped my mother more."). 
• To speculate about (guess) what may or may not have happened ("Try calling your friend--he should be finished with his meeting by now.")
• To speculate about what may happen in the future ("It should rain tomorrow.").

My Suggestion: You can read the lesson about the different uses of should for yourself by clicking the link below:

"Should" and "Should Not" at Learn English Online

Quizzes Like the Celsa Test . . . Kind Of

Some of you want more practice for the Celsa grammar test. This week in class we worked together to choose the correct answer for missing words in single sentences. The Celsa test, however, requires you to read through longer paragraphs. Again and again, you must decide which choice in the box (a, b, c, or d) best completes a sentence. Before you choose an answer, you have to consider not only the grammar of each sentence but also the context (the words and sentences before and after the missing part).

It is difficult to find quizzes that have long paragraphs, rather than single sentences, and that require you to consider several points of grammar at once. In most quizzes, you only practice one or two grammar skills at a time. For instance, a quiz may ask you to do the same thing in each sentence-- choose between a simple present or a present continuous verb. Other quizzes may ask you to correctly match the person and number of the subject and the verb in each sentence, or to decide whether the missing word should be a subject or an object pronoun.

However, this page from www.manythings.org is pretty close to what we want. It has links to 102 quizzes based on VOA (Voice of America) programs. The readings are not as long as what you find in the Celsa, and you only look at one sentence at a time, but each reading is about one topic. Like the Celsa, these quizzes test your ability to correctly combine and use many different elements of vocabulary and grammar at once.

This should keep the "eager beavers" among you busy for quite a while (if you don't know what "eager beaver" means, look it up)!
http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

My suggestion: Click on the link below, click on a subject that interests you, then click "Start" to begin the quiz. Even though you'll be reading through an entire paragraph, you'll only look at one sentence at a time.

Grammar Quizzes Based on VOA Programs

Simple Past Tense of Irregular Verbs

On Wednesday (9/23/15) in class we reviewed the material on possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns that I mentioned in my previous post. If you were not in class, read the online lesson and do the exercises. Here is the link to the lesson again (the link to the exercise is near the bottom of the page, under the green pronoun chart):
Lesson on Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

We also began our study of the past tense of irregular verbs. We say that most English verbs are regular. We mean that the regular (usual) way to form the simple past tense is to add -ed (or -d if the base verb already ends in e) to the base form of the verb. The base form of a verb is the verb part of the infinitive ("to + verb")--to walk, to look, to save, etc. So the difference between present and past is only the verb's ending (although sometimes we have to make spelling changes at the end of the word, as we have discussed in class):

walk        walked
hug          hugged
save         saved
study        studied

However, irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. You cannot make the past tense by adding -ed. Instead, there may be spelling changes inside the word, not just at the end. The simple past form of some irregular verbs looks like a completely different word. An example is the verb to go. The base form used in the present tense is go, but the past tense form is went.

Below is a link to a chart that lists the most common irregular verbs and their principal parts--base form, past tense form, and past participle. We haven't yet studied the verb tenses that use the past participle.

My suggestion: Start studying these 50 most used irregular verbs and their parts. Then you will recognize them as we learn about the verb tenses that use them.

The 50 most common Irregular Verbs--Principal Parts

More Practice Tests With Questions Similar to Celsa Test Questions

Try this English Language Learners test. It's a beginner level test. If you have no trouble with the questions and answer most correctly, try another level test on this website (englishtag.com). Before you choose an answer, think about what reasons you would give for your choice to a classmate who believes a different answer is correct.

My suggestion: Click the link below, answer all 50 questions, and check your answers. Before checking the answers, take another look at questions you are uncertain about and try to explain the reasons for the answers you chose. Watch out for small differences. When must you use "a lot of" rather than "a lot?" When can you use "any" rather than "some" with a noun? After checking your answers, review the grammar structures you tend to make mistakes with.

English Level Test 

Review of Articles (a, an, the), Countable/Noncountable Nouns, and There is, There are

Today in class we reviewed countable and noncountable nouns. We also reviewed rules for using the articles a, an, and the with these nouns.

This lesson is connected to our review of There is and There are on Monday. You need to know whether a noun is countable or uncountable when you say, "There is milk in the refrigerator" as opposed to "There are two cartons of milk in the refrigerator." We don't say, "There is a milk in the refrigerator" or "There are two milks in the refrigerator," because "milk" is a noncountable noun. We have to speak of containers of milk, cartons of milk, bottles of milk, etc. before we can count milk. We can't count milk, water, food, salt, sugar, and other such noncountable nouns--we can't make them plural--until we provide a way to divide them or measure them in units (a cup of water, two pounds of flour, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a few granules of sugar).

My suggestion: Review countable and noncountable nouns, using the articles an, an and the, and using the expressions There is and There are by clicking on these links:

Countable/Noncountable Nouns Explanation
Count and Noncount Nouns Quiz
 
Articles--The/A/An
Rules for Using A, An, and The
Definite and Indefinite Article Quiz
Spot the Mistake--A, An, The (page 1 questions, page 2 answers)

There is, there are; some, any (negatives, questions)--Quiz starts at bottomof page
Video About "There is" and "There Are" at ESLGold.com
"There is" & "There are" with Count/Noncount Nouns (1/3 of the way down this page at esl-lounge.com)
Dialogue (Conversation) Using "There is" and "There are"
Dialogue Comprehension Quiz--What's In Your Office?

Practice Using Prepositions of Time and Place: in, into, at, on. Also, BEWARE OF ADS!

The website esl.about.com offers many good explanations of grammar and many good quizzes. I don't like all the ads--they crowd out the grammar explanations and links to quizzes.

BEWARE OF THE ADS! Links that advertise things like "Essay Grammar Checker" and "Free Printable Workbook" are often advertisements for products that someone wants to sell to you. When you click on the link, you may find that "free" isn't really "free." If you see such phrases with a link to a website right below it, it's usually an advertisement. There are plenty of free resources on the internet for studying English--you don't need to spend money on what they want to sell you. However, the advertisements help pay for the free stuff you get on the website. That's how radio stations can broadcast for free--companies pay them to advertise products "on the air" (the idiom for a program that is being broadcast on radio or television).

The genuine links to information and quizzes are underlined, with no website address below. There are some good explanations and practice quizzes on prepositions.

My suggestion: Follow up the work we did in class today by reading the explanations of prepositions used with place and time and then doing the quizzes on these pages: IF YOU WERE NOT IN CLASS TODAY, YOU REALLY NEED THIS REVIEW AND PRACTICE!

Preposition Use - in / at / on - prepositions of time and date
Prepositions of Time and Date Quiz

Preposition Use - in / at / on - prepositions of place
Prepositions of Place Quiz

My Favorite English Learning Website (So Far)

http://a4esl.org/

I really like the a4esl.org website because:

• You can choose your level (easy, medium, or difficult) for learning grammar and vocabulary.
• The "Daily Page for ESL Students" link gives you daily quizzes, vocabulary words, listening practice, and pronunciation practice.
• There are links to bilingual quizzes (that is, quizzes in English and another language) contributed by speakers of many languages.. If you speak Arabic, there are English-Arabic quizzes. If you speak Burmese, there are some English-Burmese quizzes. Your native language may or may not be listed, but it's a fun place to explore.

My suggestion: Click on the Grammar - Medium level under Grammar Quizzes (at the top left of the page). Try some of the first quizzes for review of the indefinite article, the vert "to be," and possessive adjectives.

• Choose the Correct Indefinite Article ('a' or 'an')
• BE Verb - Present and Past 
• To Be: Past and Present 
• Possessive Adjectives

English Grammar Secrets

This website is a good place to review and practice verb tenses.

My suggestion: Choose a verb tense from the list on the left, click on it, read the explanation, and do the exercises.
 
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/