 "All languages have their confusing words…words that sound the same, look the same, or have the same meaning. Especially confusing are words that have similar forms (for example, in different verb tenses) but are not used in exactly the same way (the present and past tense of “read,” with two different pronunciations, comes to mind). In my opinion, the irregular verbs “lay” and “lie” rank at the top of the list in terms of confusing forms and usage." To continue reading this article from esllibrary.com click here. 
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 [The following excerpt is from https://learningenglish.voanews.com]
"English learners have difficulty with gerunds and infinitives. A gerund is the –ing form of a verb that functions the same as a noun. For example, “Running is fun.” In this sentence, “running” is the gerund. It acts just like a noun. The infinitive form of a verb appears either as the basic form (with no marking) or with the word “to.” For example, you can say “I might run to the store” or “I like to run.” In this sentence, “to run” is the infinitive." To read more about Gerunds and Infinitives click here. Want to practice using and identifying these important verbals? Practice 1 Practice 2 Practice 3  The excerpt below comes from an online publication entitled The Writing Cooperative (www.writingcooperative.com). It is written by a native English speaker who has learned to speak and write in other languages; however, I think the writer offers some valuable tips and insights into how to improve your writing in English. One Sunday afternoon last year, I thought it would be fun to try to write a poem in Spanish. I think I must have been reading too much Pablo Neruda. I hadn’t written a line of poetry since high school, and I’d only been studying Spanish for about five years (my native language is English). Needless to say, the poem ended up being much more difficult to write than I’d originally thought. Despite the nagging worry that a native speaker would laugh at anything I put on paper, I finally managed to finish the poem after several hours. (You can read it here.) It didn’t come close to Neruda’s poetry, of course, but to me it felt like a monumental achievement just to have written it. You’ve probably had a similar experience if you’ve ever written in a foreign language (maybe English is that foreign language for you). It’s discouraging when you keep making mistakes, and it can be a struggle to figure out which words to use to express yourself correctly. But it’s an incredibly rewarding feeling when you keep pressing forward and finally have a finished piece of work that you can be proud of. I believe that with practice anyone can improve their writing skills. As a writing tutor, I’ve seen my students (some who have spoken English as a second language) make incredible progress when they put in the time to write each week. The same is true for me when I keep practicing writing in a foreign language. Five years ago, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of attempting to write a poem in Spanish. But now, after years of study, I can write not only in Spanish but also in Italian and French. (To be honest, though, I’ve only been studying French for about two years so I still need a bit of practice before I can write poetry. 😉) If you’re looking to improve your writing skills in a foreign language, here are eight tips that will help you make the most of your practice time: To continue reading this article, click HERE.   Click on the following links to practice using Adverbs of Frequency: Adverbs of Frequency Practice 1 Adverbs of Frequency Practice 2 Adverbs of Frequency Practice 3 Adverbs of Frequency Practice 4  Learning to speak English is not an easy thing to begin with. But, being stuck at home, thanks to COVID 19, that task has become even more challenging. If you are like me, you are probably not going out to a lot of places or spending time with a lot of people, other than your family. And when you do go outside, everyone, including you, is wearing a mask. That only makes practicing your speaking (and listening) skills that much harder. But don't give up! Even during these challenging times, there are things you can do to practice your English speaking skills. You don't even have to leave your couch, or chair, or bed, even. Click on the links below to learn about 26 ways to practice your speaking skills. Then, watch the video provided. 7 Ways to Boost Your English Skills During Quarantine 8 Tips on How to Improve Your Spoken English 11 Tips on How to Improve Your English Speaking Skills  "The present continuous (also called present progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an ongoing action is happening now, either at the moment of speech or now in a larger sense. The present continuous can also be used to show that an action is going to take place in the near future. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and present continuous exercises."
To continue reading about the Present Continuous tense and to practice using this tense, click HERE  From time to time a student will ask me for some reading suggestions. As a result, I have decided to post some book ideas. I tried to provide a reading list for every ESL level. I also included some links to some short stories that can be read online. The reading lists can be printed (some of them are long). Or, if you wish, write down a few ideas of things to search for in your local library. Ask your local librarian to help.
Happy Reading! Beginning ESL Beginning Reading List Short Stories for Beginners 1 Short Stories for Beginners 2 Intermediate ESL ESL Intermediate Reading List Short Stories for Intermediate Learners Advanced ESL ESL Advanced Reading List Short Stories for Advanced Learners More Ideas... More Suggested Reading 1 More Suggested Reading 2 More Suggested Reading 3  [This excerpt comes from www.pitt.edu (see link below)] First, the bad news. . . There are billions of sentences out there that we might have to understand. Next, the good news. . . All sentences fall into just four categories. They are: Simple Sentence Compound Sentence Complex Sentence Compound-Complex sentence To read more about these four types of sentences click on this link: SENTENCE TYPES. To practice identifying the different types of sentences, click on the links below: Practice 1 Practice 2 Practice 3  "Many languages have one form to speak about the future, but there are four ways of using the future tense in English! These can often cause some confusion, so here are brief and basic explanations of the most common uses for each one. Which form of the future tense should you use?"To keep reading this article about the Future Tense, click HERE Here are some more thoughts on the Future Tense (from FluentU): "Consider this: right now, we’re in the present. In a minute, we will be in the future. You read those sentences, and now that is all in the past. Crazy, right? Everything that has not happened yet is part of the future. It might happen after a few seconds, a few years or even after hundreds and thousands of years. It is hard to think about things that will happen that far ahead…but it is very easy to talk about them. Talking about the future makes it possible to make plans and predictions, create schedules and wonder what the weather will be like this weekend. To speak about the future in English, you need to learn some important facts about the English future tense. To read about 6 Surprising Facts About the English Future Tense, click HERE! To practice using the Future Tense, click on the links below: Future Tense Practice 1 Future Tense Practice 2 Future Tense Practice 3  |
AuthorMy name is Craig, and I've been teaching English for many years. I initially created this site for my students, but all English learners are welcome. I hope you find something helpful to you. Feel free to leave suggestions or ideas in the Comments section under any entry. Categories
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