English World

In Today's class we practiced the relative clause. In this case it was An architect is a person who designs buildings . A computer is something I use that helps me write emails or create plans for class. We were using them in a way to help define words that the student might not know. You go into a store and you might need an item and you don't know what it is called. These structures will help you become more flexible with speaking. I need something that will clean dirty floors. Do you need a broom? A mop? I need the thing that I can use to present my PowerPoint. It's not always perfectly clear what you might want, but it limits the answer to something very specific. I don't need a toothbrush to present my PowerPoint! I probably need a 1) Computer 2) Projector

“without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.” -David Wilkins And without a doubt, vocabulary stands as one of the most important parts of learning a language; not only words, but variations of the same words. This means synonyms, antonyms, synonyms, word forms, word lists, word families, and so on. Let's look at some these words. Synonyms Webster's Dictionary : one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses. Synonyms are important when you speak or write because it adds variation and melody to language. Sure, you can use the same word again and again, but how boring is that? For example: The puppy had filthy paws and a dirty coat. In this sentence, filthy and dirty are synonyms; the use of these words adds variations to the sentence and makes it more interesting. As a side note (for you more advanced people), a synonym can also be a word...

Crossword puzzles make a good student-centered activity. It's a way of using synonyms to create more vocabulary (important), and create definitions of words without having to resort to the translator. I have two ways of doing crosswords - 1) The empty crossword with clues given. That's what we did today. 2) A Crossword divided into two pages: one has half of the answers, the other has the other half of answers written in. Then the students give the clues to each other and the answer must be guessed. N.B. We also use a translator in class  - the Google translator. It's not a bad one, but like most of these, they aren't perfect.

Parallelism What the heck is that? All language has a rhythm to it. This rhythm is like a drum pattern in a song; when it is consistent, the listeners can feel the patterns that are created. When patterns don't match, it becomes a jarring sensation. When writing or speaking, it means the use the same pattern of words to balance the text. It gives the language melody and harmony, and helps organize what you are saying. And So . . .  When joining a series of phrases, clauses, or whatever, you must keep the same forms throughout, from the word level to the paragraph level. Past tense and past tense Prepositional phrase and prepositional phrase Noun and Noun Adverb clause and adverb clauses etc. Now let's look at some examples of what I mean. Words and Phrases The Gerund and infinitive Joe likes biking, walking, and hiking. or Joe likes to bike, walk, and hike ( also Joe likes to bike, to walk, and to hike.). Notice that the forms are all the s...

We have looked at compound sentences ; now to look at the makeup of a complex sentence . Complex Sentences A complex sentence is made up of one an independent clause with one or more dependent clauses. Dependent clauses start with connectors: as, since, because, although or perhaps with relative pronouns: who, which, that . After I had eaten dinner, I sat down and watched my favorite TV program. The students are studying because they have a test tomorrow. What you think is true is not what I know is true. There are of course three different kinds of dependent clauses which make up complex sentences: adverb, adjective, and noun clauses. Which, before I continue, brings me to this point: Do I need to know all the grammar behind the dependent clauses in order to recognize and use dependent clauses? Gasp! Many books go into a lot of detail about the three types of clauses, constructing sentences, dissecting sentences, and so on.  Ultimately, although it ...

What's a sentence made of? At a minimum, sentences consist of a subject and a verb : George sang. The sun rose. Sentences can get quite long, but they always have a subject and a verb. The sun rose in the east. The yellow sun rose slowly in the east. the large, yellow sun of our planet rose slowly over the blue hills in the east, shining into my tired eyes. Well, what's a simple sentence? A simple sentence is also called an independent clause . An independent clause can stand alone. It contains a subject and a verb and a complete thought. For example: Some students like to study in the morning. She plucked another flower. (Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie)* Joe plays cards with his friends every Saturday evening. Compound Sentences. Compound sentences are made up of at least two independent clauses and are connected together with a coordinating conjunction, typically preceded by a comma**: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.  She pluck...