Blog Discuss

A three-layered pyramid that lists some of the uses of in, on, and at.

Learning When to Use In, On, and At

It’s understandable that students get confused when using prepositions like IN, ON, and AT, even as they reach a high level of fluency.

The cover of Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrot.

My Favorite ESL Grammar Books

As much as it has become natural to turn to the internet for answers in modern life, the internet has serious quality control issues. In some areas, people are happy to take in poor quality information and run with it. But, when it comes to something serious like English grammar, be cautious.

Practice Switching Word Forms

In the quest to produce natural-sounding sentences, it helps if students of English know different word forms.

A row of bicycles beside a road are mostly covered in a thick blanket of fresh snow.

How We Talk About the Past, Present, and Future

For the most part, we use past tenses to talk about the past, present tenses to talk about the present, and future tenses to talk about the future.

Old buildings in Prague that are lit up at night and seen from across a river.

When to Use the Definite Article with Countries

When we refer to countries in English, we use the definite article (the) in some cases. ESL students struggle with articles in general, but knowing when to use THE in front of countries can be simplified.

A graphic titled 'tag question checklist' which has six items students should remember when making and asking tag questions.

What Students Need to Know to Ask and Answer Tag Questions

We use tag questions, like other questions, to get information. We also use them to invite another person to agree with us.

People walking on the beach at the edge of the water. There are cliffs in the background.

Understanding Used To, Would and Get Used To

'Used to', 'would' and 'get used to' are understandably confusing for English learners.

Talking About Language: Tense, Aspect, Voice, and Mood

The words tense, aspect, voice, and mood, help us to organize and understand language. As an ESL teacher in the classroom, I have only frequently used tense.

Forming and Using the Causative Passive

Causative passive sentences communicate the idea of having something done by someone else: Elvis had his house painted. In that example, Elvis (the subject) organized for another person (or other people) to paint his house.

Using the Passive Voice

Most sentences are in the active voice, but it’s important for students to be able to use and recognize the passive voice.

A graphic of nine adjacent hexagons, each containing a different part of speech. Each part's function is described. This chart is in color.

The Parts of Speech for ESL Teaching

ESL teachers ought to know English grammar, at least to some degree. A potential first step in that direction is knowing the parts of speech.

Teaching English Grammar in Schools

The Sydney Morning Herald published an article about the reintroduction of English grammar into Australia’s school curriculum.

A four by three chart of the verb tenses in English. Under each tense name there are one or two example sentences. This chart is in color.

Discussion Practice for Verb Tenses

How many verb tenses are there in English? As few as two? Some say there are three verb tenses and four grammatical aspects.

A graph showing that since 1800, wonderful has appeared in print more than lovely and delightful. Currently, lovely appears more than delightful.

Google Ngram Viewer in the ESL Classroom

When answering students’ questions about what people usually say or which word is more common, I generally follow my instincts.

What Are Idioms and What Do I Tell Students?

An idiom is a phrase or expression with a figurative meaning that is different from its literal meaning.

Topics Vocabulary

Discrimination Conversation Language

Humor Conversation Vocabulary

Talking About Crime in the ESL Classroom

Language for a Fame and Publicity Conversation

Language for Discussing Addiction

Targeted Vocabulary

Food Idioms with Examples and Meanings

Practice Switching Word Forms

Talking About Observed Change in English

Sixteen Sports Idioms with Meanings and Examples

Twenty-Four Common Idioms with Meanings and Examples

Graphics & Charts