Review of Subject and Object Pronouns

You should know how to use all the types of personal pronouns--they do different jobs in a sentence. Here is a brief review of subject and object pronouns.

My suggestion: Click on the link below. Read the summary of subject and object pronouns and where you use them in a sentence. Then try the fill-in-the-blank quiz at the bottom of the page.

LINK: Subject and Object Pronouns--Review and Quiz

Computer Vocabulary for Beginners

Click on the link below to take a quiz on your knowledge of computer terms:

LINK: Computer Vocabulary Quiz

Example of a question on the quiz:

Do You Have Trouble with Parts of Speech? Here's a great game!

Playing games at sheppardsoftware.com is a fun way to get more comfortable with parts of speech.

To play, click on the word "Play" on the right side of the curtain.

The next screen tells you what a noun is and gives example. Click the button that says
"Choose a noun."

On the next screen, choose a noun by clicking on it:

Then, click   PLAY   ,  read about what an adjective is, and click the "choose an adjective" button.
On the next screen you will click on an adjective to describe the noun you chose:

Finally, you will follow the same procedure to choose a verb. You can click on all the choices to see what actions your noun character can take. In the picture below, the boy is sleeping:

Click on the link below to begin.

LINK: Who will be the star of the show?

You can also try some of the other games at the same website:

                          
       

                             

          

More Future Tense--Should I Use "Will" or "Going To"?

Why are there two different ways to form the simple future tense in English? What is the difference, and how do you know which to use? Englishpage.com has a very good explanation.

Use will to talk about a voluntary action (something you freely offer to do for someone else). Also use will to ask for help or to respond to a request for help, or to a complaint:

Joe: "This table is too heavy for me to carry by myself."
Tom: "OK, I will help you move it." Will you help me move my bed tomorrow?
Joe: "OK, I will. (this is a short answer using will)

Use be + going to + base form of verb to talk about something you plan or intend to do:

Tom: "After we move the furniture, I am going to finish my homework."

My Suggestion: Click on the link below and read the entire lesson on the simple future tense. Be sure to read the section titled No Future in Time Clauses (you can't use the future tense  when you're making a statement that includes a time clause introduced by a word like when, while, before, after, as soon as, etc.). Then try Verb Tense Exercises 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. Each exercise has a "hint" button at the bottom of the page. If you click it, you will get the next letter of the answer (for instance, if the answer is will travel the first hint will be the letter w). You lose one point every time you ask for a hint. When you finish the exercise, click the "check" button to check your answers.

LINK: Simple Future Tense Lesson and Exercises

Future Tense of Verbs

This week in class we have started to learn about the future tense. The English language has a few different ways to talk about the future tense--something that has not happened yet. If you missed class this week, or if you want to read a good explanation of the future tense, the link below will take you a page at Englishhints.com that has a good overview.

My Suggestion: Click on the link below and read about the two main ways to form the future tense--

1. will  + base form of verb--Example: I will write the report tomorrow.
2. be + going to + base form of verb--Example: I am going to write the report tomorrow. ***

Then try the practice exercise where it says Practice forming the future tense. After sentence #10, click on the blue link to check your answers.

How to Make the Future Tense of Verbs

***Remember that to + the base form of the verb is called the infinitive of the verb. So another way to think of the "going to" form of the future tense is:

be + going+ infinite form of verb--Example: I am going to write the report tomorrow.

Review of Future Tense

There are three ways to express future tense: present continuous (for an activity scheduled ahead of time), simple present using going to, and simple present using will. Review and practice each way, using the links below.

My suggestion: Clink on the links below to review (read the summary) and then practice (click on the exercises) each way of expressing future time. Most exercises are "click and drag," but if you have to type in text, do not put in extra spaces (do not put a space at the beginning of your answer, and use only one space between words), or the computer will read your answer as incorrect.

LINK: Present Continuous (or sometimes Simple Present) for Future Scheduled Activities) 

LINK: Simple Future with "Going to"

LINK: Simple Future with "Will"

LINK: "Going To" or "Will"? 

Rachel's English Videos--Common American pronunciation reductions

In class today we talked about how Americans say gonna instead of going to, wanna instead of want to, whaddya instead of what do you, etc. These run-together pronunciations are called reductions because Americans reduce the sounds--make them smaller or run the words together--when we say them in everyday conversation.

 You can listen to many videos (and read along with the words you hear in the videos) at rachelsenglish.com. Spending time with these videos is one way to train your ear to quickly recognize what Americans say in conversation, which can seem very different from the written words. Listen to Rachel explain and pronounce these words or phrases, and practice saying them with her.

My suggestion: Click on the links below to practice some common American pronunciation reductions and get used to hearing them in conversation.

What did/whud' or What did you/wu-juh

I'm going to/I'm gonna/I'muna

Gonna (going to), ahright (all right), sorduv (sort of), kn (can) and others 

Here's a sample video:

Do Yourself a Favor--Check Out These Lessons on Simple Present Vs. Present Progressive Tense

If you follow my suggestion below, you will get lots of instruction and practice in correctly using the simple present and present progressive tenses. Just beware of clicking on anything that says "Download" or anything listed under "Ad Choice" (which is in tiny print)--doing that will waste your time by taking you to advertisements.

My suggestion: Click on the link below and explore the explanations and exercises listed on the right.

LINK: Simple present and present progressive lessons and exercises at grammarbank.com

Listen and Write the Verb You Hear

We don't have time to do a lot of listening practice in class. However, the Listening Lab at the website learnamericanenglish.com has many listen-and-write exercises. You can pick an easier or a harder grammar level (blue is the easiest, and there are seven levels in all).

After you click on one of the links below, click on the arrow next to the teacher's picture. He will dictate (read something for you to write down) a sentence. You have to listen for the verb and then write it down. When you write down the words you hear, you are transcribing those words.

At the blue (easiest) level, you listen to a sentence and then fill in the verb you hear (the rest of the sentence is already typed for you). Click on one of the following links to practice listening and writing at the blue level:

LINK: Listening practice--present tense verbs


LINK: Listening practice--present continuous verbs


LINK: Listen for the correct helping verb: be or do?

Forming Questions--Read More Than One Explanation

Learning how to ask questions in English is confusing. Sometimes you change the word order of subject and verb:  
Bob is tall. (statement word order is subject + verb)  
Is Bob tall? (question word order is verb + subject).
When the verb is a form of "to be" in simple present tense (am, is, are) or simple past tense (was, were), subject and verb change places to make a question.

In other types of questions, you leave the word order the same and put a question word such as where or why, plus a helping verb such as do, does (present tense) or did (past tense) at the beginning:  
Bob walked to work yesterday. Why did Bob walk to work yesterday? Where did Bob walk today?  
For questions in the simple past tense, the main verb changes from past tense (walked) to the base form (walk), and the helping verb did takes on the job of showing past tense.

However, if the subject of the sentence is the same as the answer to the question, you don't need a helping verb and the main verb stays in the past tense:
Who walked to work yesterday? Bob. Bob walked to work yesterday.
What made that squeaking noise? A mouse. A mouse made that squeaking noise. 

A different person's way of explaining how to ask questions might make more sense to you. Try reading several explanations of how to form questions in English.

My suggestion: Click on the three links below to read different explanations of how to ask questions. (these lessons may include types of questions we have not studied yet in class). Each link has exercises you can try after you read the lesson. 

WH Questions            Asking Questions              An Easy Way to Form Questions

 

Third Person Singular Present Tense Verbs--That Pesky "S"

Last week we reviewed spelling rules for adding the final -s to 3rd person singular verbs in the present tense. English language learners have a lot of trouble with that final -s. Grammarbank.com has some good exercises on the 3rd person singular of simple present tense verbs. Again, beware of clicking on buttons which are actually links to downloads or advertisements, not grammar lessons or quizzes. Instead, scroll down to the numbered questions.

My suggestion: Click on the links below to practice using the correct person and number of present tense verbs. You'll also get a little practice with questions and negative statements in the present tense.

NOTE: If the sentence is a negative statement or question, type in the complete verb, including what is in parentheses, not just do or does, or your answer will be marked incorrect. Also, use a capital letter if the blank is at the beginning of the sentence. 

Example: ______ (Mark/like) cookies?
Correct answer: Does Mark like
Incorrect answers: Does, does, does Mark like, Do, do, Do Mark like

LINK: Practice simple present tense, 3rd person singular

LINK: More practice with simple present tense

Remember, simple present tense is used to give information (facts) or to talk about usual habits or activities. If you need to review the grammar of the simple present tense, click this link:

LINK: Review of simple present tense with frequency adverbs

Practice Short Answers in the Simple Present and Simple Past Tenses

Today in class we did a quick exercise on answering yes/no questions with the "short answer" form. If you want more quick practice--

My suggestion: Click on the first link below to go to a short answer practice page at Englishgrammarsecrets.com. When you type your answer in the box provided, remember not to begin with a space. Make sure you type only one space between words in your answer, or the computer may read your answer as wrong even if you get it right.  Click on the second link to practice matching questions with their correct short answers. For both of these exercises, you can either check your answers as you go or check them after you've finished all of the questions.

LINK: Short answer practice (present tense) at Englishgrammarsecrets.com

LINK: Drag the answers at right to the questions they match (various verb tenses) 

Click on the link below to practice short answers in the simple past tense:

 LINK: Short answers in the past tense

Practice Simple Negative Present Tense Verbs

Click the link below to practice choosing the correct negative verb to complete each sentence:

LINK: Practice simple present negative statements

Work at Your Own Speed

Learnamericanenglishonline.com is a website where you can learn at your own pace (speed). It's also a good place to practice skills and to find out how much you know.

This website is organized in levels of learning. The beginning level is Blue. Here is the beginning of the list of topics to study at the blue level (there are 31 skills and a Review):

There are seven levels in all, plus other topics for learning and many quizzes for testing yourself. At the right is the website menu:


My suggestion: Clink on the link below to explore this website and practice whatever skills you want to work on (don't worry--you don't have to go as fast as this little hedgehog):



LINK: Self-Paced Learning at Learn American English Online

     

Listening and Pronunciation Practice--Minimal Pairs

Sheep                                    Ship         

Minimal pairs practice refers to practice with pairs of words that sound alike, except for a small (minimal) difference in the vowel (or consonant) sound. Here's an example of a minimal pair: not and nut. The only difference between the two words is the way you pronounce the vowel sound between the consonants n and t. The word not has a short o sound in the middle, but the word nut has a short u sound.

Practice listening to and repeating minimal pairs at the links below. The second website, manythings.org, also has some videos that pronounce these pairs so you can listen and repeat.

(Click below to watch one of these listen and repeat videos)

After you click on one of the links below (highlighted in yellow), you may see a notice like this:

Click on the notice, then click "Allow" on the box that appears:

My suggestion: Click on one of the links below and follow the directions to listen to and practice saying minimal pairs.

LINK: Ship or Sheep?     

Click on a pair of words from the list, then move your mouse pointer over a picture to hear the word spoken.

LINK: Minimal Pairs Practice and Quizzes at Manythings.org

Click on a pair from the list, or on a practice video which pronounces the words for you so that you can listen and repeat. When you click on a pair, you are taken to a new screen with directions. Read the directions, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "Start." Once you are on the page for a pair, you can use the arrow keys at the bottom to go forward ➔  to the next pair or backward ⟵  to the previous pair.

Vocabulary from "The Lady or the Tiger?"

Click on the link below to study vocabulary from the story "The Lady or the Tiger" at studystack.com:

LINK: L & T Vocabulary

"Brats" Vocabulary

Click on the link below to study vocabulary from the story "Brats" (from Even More True Stories--an Intermediate Reader, by Sandra Heyer):

LINK: "Brats" vocabulary on StudyStack.com

Summer English Conversation Practice--Time and Place

Improve your English conversation skills for 6 weeks this summer at the Adult Learning Center in Rock Island!

To sign up, give your contact information to Teacher Kathy (if you're in the Moline class), or sign up at the front desk at the ACL (if you're in the Rock Island class at the ACL). If you have questions about the conversation practice, contact Marney Tope (volunteer coordinator for ESL) by phone (309-796-8215) or email (topem@bhc.edu).

Who:     Any ESL student, any level

What:    Practice speaking and listening in English
              Topics will be chosen by students

Where:  Black Hawk College Adult Learning Center (ALC), 4610 Black Hawk Commons Dr., Rock Island, IL
               (309) 794-1072

              The location is shown by the red balloon on the map below, or click this link:

             LINK: Online map showing location of Adult Learning Center

When:    9-11 A.M.--Tuesday/Thursday

               June 18, 20, 25, 27
               July  2, 9, 11
           

Link to Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves--Read and Listen

Below is a link to the "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" story that we watched in class (at youtube.com). When you click on the link, you can listen and read at the same time, because the words appear on the screen as the story is read. You will also see many other animated folk tales in English at this YouTube link.

LINK: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (animated)

Below is a picture from the video, but click at the link above to watch, read, and listen to the actual story.

Tips for Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice tests are tricky. Click on the link below to do an exercise that gives you tips for choosing the answer on a multiple choice test.

LINK: Tips for Multiple Choice Questions

Also, click on the next link below for tips on answering different types of multiple choice questions:

LINK: Three common types of multiple choice questions

The following question isn't from the exercise at the link. It's amusing, but it's an example of how multiple choice questions can drive you crazy!

Study Stack Practice--Lady or the Tiger Vocabulary

Click on the link below to study and play games with vocabulary words from the story, "The Lady or the Tiger?" at studystack.com:

LINK: Vocabulary from "The Lady or the Tiger?"

Practice Reading Charts and Tables

Try reading a table or chart without Teacher Bob's help!


My Suggestion: Click on the link below to practice reading bar graphs, pie charts, and tables. Answer the questions for each of the three activities, to make sure you are reading and understanding the charts correctly. The quiz page includes a dictionary for looking up unfamiliar words. It has a calculator if you need math help to answer a question.

LINK: Review Charts and Tables

"The Lady Or the Tiger" Reading Quiz

Now that you have read Frank Stockton's story, "The Lady Or the Tiger," try taking a quiz. It is a timed reading quiz based on a section of the story (a different version from the one we read in class), but words are missing. It is similar to a Celsa grammar test, but it is also similar to using context to decide the meaning of an unknown word. Where a word is missing, you have to decide which word best fits both the grammar and the meaning of the story at that point. You will have 10 minutes to complete the quiz.

My suggestion: Click on the LINK below to take the quiz. Below the link is a sample--the first two questions from the quiz.

LINK: Reading Quiz--"The Lady Or the Tiger"

Sample Questions:

When all the people had assembled, the king, surrounded by his court, xx1xx a signal. Then a door beneath him opened, and the accused man stepped out into the arena. Directly opposite him were two doors, exactly xx2xx and side by side.

1. xx1xx
a)	give
b)	gives
c)	gave
d)	given
2. xx2xx
a)	alike
b)	different
c)	big
d)	closed

Read "The Lady and the Tiger" online and complete your class assignment

In the ALC (Rock Island) class, we read a story by Frank Stockton called "The Lady and the Tiger." It was taken from C.G. Draper's Great American Stories 1: An ESL/EFL Reader.

Clicking on the following link will take you to another online version of the same story. Someone has rewritten the story to make it shorter and easier, but it contains the same ideas and information as the version we read in class.

LINK: Shorter Summary Version of "The Lady and the Tiger" 

If you would like to read and listen to Frank Stockton's original version of the story at Voice of America, click on the link below. Play the video, which allows you to read and listen to the story at the same time. 

LINK: Read and listen to still another version of "The Lady and the Tiger"

HERE IS THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT FROM THE BOOK:

Writing: Three-Paragraph Composition

     1. Which came out of the opened door--the lady, or the tiger? Write down this question. Then write a paragraph that begins with this sentence: Perhaps it was the lady who came out.
Give at least three reasons why the princess chose the lady for her lover.

     2.  Write a second paragraph that begins like this: On the other hand, perhaps it was the tiger. Give at least three reasons why the princess chose the tiger.

     3. Write a third paragraph that begins with these words: Personally, I think . . .
Give your own choice. Which of the reasons that you have written is the most important to you? Why?

(The writing assignment is from Draper, C.G., Great American Stories 1: An ESL/EFL Reader. 3rd edition. New York: Pearson Education, 2001, p. 127.

Practice Reading a City Map

Click on the links below to practice using a city map:

LINK: Reading a City Map: Directions

LINK: Locating Buildings on a City Map

Sample questions:

Fattening Room Vocabulary

Here is a link to my study stack page for vocabulary words from "What Is a Fattening Room?" (in the What A World 2 reader):

LINK: Fattening Room Vocabulary

Watch Tara the Cat Rescue Child from Dog Attack! Write Sentences!

Click on the link below and watch the news story: Tara the Cat Saves 4-Year-Old Boy

LINK: Tara the Cat Saves 4-Year-Old Boy

My suggestion: Write sentences about what happens in the video in past tense (active voice). Your sentences should have the subject-verb-direct object pattern. Then change the sentences you wrote into past tense, passive voice. For example:

The boy rode the tricycle. (active)

The tricycle was ridden by the boy. (passive)

Here are some nouns and verbs you might use in your sentences (in no special order)

NOUNS                    VERBS

cat                               run

dog                              chase

tricycle                        bite

car                               save

mother                        drag

camera                        film

attack                          attack

This is a screen capture (picture) of the video--click the link above to watch it.

Quiz on Past Passive

Click the link below and try this quiz from learningamericanenglishonline.com (see Favorite Links to go to the main website). You will practice the past tense, passive voice. After you try the quiz (I have printed copies for you), click the link at the bottom of the page and check your answers.

LINK: Green Level Quiz #2--Passive Voice, Past

When to Use the Passive Voice

Below is an explanation of when to use the passive voice in writing. It is adapted from a post at www.grammarly.com. If you want to read the original, click on the link at the end of this post. Otherwise, you can read my lightly edited version right now:

When to use the passive voice

There are times when the passive voice does a better job of presenting an idea, especially in certain formal, professional, and legal discussions. Here are three common uses of the passive voice: 

1 Reports of crimes or incidents with unknown perpetrators

     My car was stolen yesterday.

If you knew who stole the car, it probably wouldn’t be as big a problem. The passive voice emphasizes the stolen item and the action of theft. 

2 Scientific contexts

     The rat was placed into a T-shaped maze.

Who places the rat into the maze? Scientists, duh. But that’s less important than the experiment they’re conducting. Therefore, passive voice is used.

 3 When you want to emphasize an action itself and the doer of        the action is not as important:

     The president was sworn in on a cold January morning.

How many people can remember off the top of their heads who swears in presidents? Clearly the occasion of swearing in the commander in chief is the thing to emphasize here. In each of the above contexts, the action itself—or the person or thing receiving the action—is the part that matters. That means the performer of the action can appear in a prepositional phrase or be absent from the sentence altogether.

 Adapted from:

LINK: Writing in the Passive Voice at Grammarly.com

Game--Identify Parts of Speech at Grammar Gorillas Website

Do you need to review what a noun is, what a verb is, what an adjective is, etc.? Can you identify these parts of speech in a sentence? Try playing this short game at Grammar Gorillas. You can choose beginning level (identify the noun or verb only) or advanced level (identifying all 8 parts of speech).

My suggestion: Click on the link below. Click "Play Now," then choose either beginner or advanced level and play the game. Each question tells you to click on a specific part of speech (noun, verb, etc.).

LINK: Parts of Speech Game at Grammar Gorillas

Prewriting Methods

Do you fear writing? Find out different ways to break through your fear and begin a writing assignment by clicking the link below:

LINK: How to Begin Writing--Prewriting Methods

     

Vocabulary for Wild Weather (Tornadoes)--Reading Explorer 1

For the class at ALC (Rock Island building), here is a link to vocabulary flashcards for the story we read on Wild Weather (tornadoes). You can just study the words, or you can play games and take quizzes that use the words and definitions.

LINK: Wild Weather Vocabulary (Tornadoes) at Study Stack 

Read More About Using Semicolons for Punctuation

Read about the semicolon by clicking the link below:

LINK: How to Use Semicolons

Non-Action Verbs Practice

Here is a nice explanation of non-action verbs at ESLGold.com:

(This website has a lot of ads, so you have to scroll down to look for the grammar lesson)

"Some verbs cannot be used in the progressive tenses. They are called non-action verbs. Non-action verbs indicate state, sense, desire, possession, or opinion."

This explanation is followed by a list of non-action verbs and examples of how to use these verbs in sentences.There is also a list of verbs that have both action and non-action meanings, such as have, look, and think. Often these verbs require a preposition when they are used as action verbs in the present progressive tense:

John is thinking about his girlfriend.
I am looking at a beautiful sunset.

My Suggestion: Read the short explanation of non-action verbs at the first link below, then click on the second link to try some exercises at a different website:

LINK: Non-Action Verbs Explanation at ESLGold 

LINK: Non-Action Verbs Practice Exercise

Deciding Whether to Use Present or Past Tense of "To Be"

Sometimes it's important to use the same verb tense for your whole paragraph. For instance, if you write a paragraph about your morning routine, use simple present tense in each sentence of the paragraph. Here is an example of a paragraph written completely in the simple present tense (verbs are typed in red):

Every morning I awake at 7:00. First, I take a shower and dress. Then I eat breakfast and brush my teeth. After that I drive to work. I arrive by 9:00 a.m. and work for four hours. At 1:00 p.m., my work day is over. Sometime I run errands before I drive home. 

In some paragraphs, however, you have to change verb tenses now and then. If you are telling about your life, you will probably write about events in the past as well as information about your present life. Here is an example (present tense verbs are typed in red, but past tense verbs are in green):

My name is Pedro. I come from Mexico. I was born in Mexico City and lived there for 30 years. I came to the United States five years ago. I work part time at a grocery store and part time at a nursing home. In Mexico, I didn't complete high school. I want to return to school, and I plan to be a nurse.

Try this exercise from Englishmaven.org. Decide whether to use the present or the past tense of the verb to be. How do you decide? Look for time words in the sentence that show something happened in the past, such as yesterday, last night, when I was young, etc. These words or phrases are clues that you should use the past tense of to be. Use the present tense of to be to state facts and to refer to things that happen regularly (like habit or routine). Time words such as now and today also tell you to use the present tense.

My suggestion:  Click on the link below and try the exercise on the past and present tenses of the verb to be.

LINK: Deciding Whether to Use Present or Past Tense of "To Be"

You can also click on the following link for more information on using present versus past tense when writing.

LINK: Using Present or Past Tense in Narration

What Do You Need To Practice?

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, but do a little English language practice every day.

My Suggestions:

1) Listen to a VOA news story or short fiction story while you read the printed text. Click on unfamiliar words to see the definition. Or try some of the new English learning course videos on this page.

LINK: Voice of America         

2) Test your knowledge of irregular verbs, how to use verb tenses, vocabulary, or other basic English skills at the website Englishlearner.com. Try any of the quizzes in the "Beginner Grammar Exercises and Tests" section near the top of the page:

LINK: Beginner Grammar Exercises and Tests at Englishlearner.com

3) Learn some new idioms and practice using them with a native English speaker or someone who is more advanced, to make sure you are using the idioms correctly. Check out the lists of idioms at Englishhints.com, or watch some "English in a Minute" videos at VOA:

LINK: List of Idioms at Englishhints.com

LINK: English in a Minute at VOA

Ten Word Parts 1 (prefixes and suffixes)

Teacher Connie has made a new study list for the nine prefixes and one suffix in today's Ten Word Parts handout. Click on the link below to study the ten word parts in your handout, at her site at studystack.com:

LINK: Ten Word Parts 1 at Studystack.com

 

               unicycle                                                                  unicorn