PRACTICE IRREGULAR VERBS

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (CONTINUOUS)

FORM

[am/is/are + present participle]

Examples:

• You are watching TV.
• Are you watching TV?
• You are not watching TV

Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

Examples:

• You are learning English now.
• You are not swimming now.
• Are you sleeping?
• I am sitting.
• I am not standing.
• Is he sitting or standing?
• They are reading their books.
• They are not watching television.
• What are you doing?
• Why aren't you doing your homework?

PRESENT PERFECT

FORM

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

• You have seen that movie many times.
• Have you seen that movie many times?
• You have not seen that movie many times

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

• I have seen that movie twenty times.
• I think I have met him once before.
• There have been many earthquakes in California.
• People have traveled to the Moon.
• People have not traveled to Mars.
• Have you read the book yet?
• Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
• A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
  B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

SIMPLE PAST

FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:

• You called Debbie.
• Did you call Debbie?
• You did not call Debbie.

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn't see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her car.
• He didn't wash his car.

SIMPLE PRESENT

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

• You speak English.
• Do you speak English?
• You do not speak English

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

• I play tennis.
• She does not play tennis.
• Does he play tennis?
• The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
• The train does not leave at 9 AM.
• When does the train usually leave?
• She always forgets her purse.
• He never forgets his wallet.
• Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
• Does the Sun circle the Earth?

LEARN ENGLISH WITH TONGUE TWISTERS

YouTube in the Classroom!

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide

Now that a growing majority of Internet users have broadband, YouTube and other video clip sites (Google Video, Revver, etc.) have become very popular - especially with young adults. These sites also provide English learners and classes with a new tool to improve listening skills. The real advantage to these sites - at least from a language learning point of view - is that they offer authentic examples of everyday English used by everyday people. Of course, this is the challenge as well. Students may enjoy watching these clips, but poor sound quality, pronunciation and slang can make these short videos even more difficult to understand. On the other hand, students are attracted to the "real life" nature of these videos. By creating context for these short videos you can help your students explore a world of online English learning possibilities.
 
Aim: Improve listening skills
 
Activity: Sharing YouTube videos
 
Level: Intermediate to advanced
 
Outline:

• At the end of one of your classes, decide on a particular topic that your class would enjoy. You can do this as a poll, take suggestions or choose a topic on your own that fits in well with your curriculum.
• Before the next lesson begins, go to YouTube and search for short videos on the topic your class has chosen. Once you have found appropriate videos, save the urls in your browser. If you do not have an Internet connection in class, go to Keepvid. This site allows you to download the video to your computer which you can later use in class.
• Watch the video a few times and create a difficult vocabulary guide. Write a short introduction to the videos you will watch. The more context you provide the better your students will understand the videos they are about to watch. Include both the short introduction and difficult vocabulary list on a class handout. Make sure to include the url (web page address) of the YouTube video.
• Create a short quiz based on the videos.
• Hand out the introduction sheets and go through the introduction and difficult vocabulary list to make sure everyone understands.
• Watch the videos together as a class. If you have a computer lab this will work better as students can pair up and watch videos repeatedly. Students can then work on the quiz sheet in small groups or in pairs.
• Most likely, your videos will be amusing and students will want to watch many more. This is to be encouraged! If possible, give students 20 minutes or so at the computers to explore YouTube.
• For homework: In groups of four to five students, students should find a short video of their own to present to the class. Ask them to provide a short introduction, difficult vocabulary list and follow-up quiz modeled on the worksheet you have created for your class. Remind students to include the url (web page address) of the YouTube video.
• Have students exchange worksheets with another group and complete the exercise. Students can then compare notes on the videos they have watched.

USING MUSIC TO TEACH ENGLISH

Music in the ESL Classroom

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guide

The use of music in the classroom can make the entire learning process more enjoyable and can stimulate "right" brain learning. Six years ago researchers reported that people scored better on a standard IQ test after listening to Mozart. Other tests soon followed: Rats raised on Mozart run through mazes faster and more accurately. People with Alzheimer's disease function more normally if they listen to Mozart and the music even reduces the severity of epileptic seizures. Just think of all the times you have used music to help you study for tests, think clearly about something, relax from daily stress, etc. If you think about it, using music in the ESL EFL classroom is a pretty logical thing to do considering how helpful it can be to the learning process. Setting the scene Musically Using music to introduce an exercise is a great way to activate vocabulary and get students thinking in the right direction. Take a piece of music or song which you associate with a certain activity or place ("New York, New York" sung by Frank Sinatra) and play the first 30 seconds of the piece. You will be surprised at how quickly associations come to students' minds - many more than if you introduced the lesson by saying, "Today we are going to talk about New York City". A wonderful example of this can be found in any broadcast of "Morning Edition" by National Public Radio. Each story is ended with a selection of music which in some way relates to that story. This music is repeated after a commercial and before the next story. In this way, listeners are subtly encouraged to reflect on the story they have just heard. "Headway Intermediate", a popular EFL student's book published by Oxford Press, gives another great example of setting the scene musically. Every extended listening is preceded and followed by a short snippet of related music - usually the beginning bars and the final tones of a given piece. These little touches do wonders to add atmosphere to an otherwise familiar classroom setting. Using Music Selectively To Enhance Concentration The most important point to remember when using music to accompany learning is that it be an aid to learning and not a distraction. Let me give an example, if your class is doing a grammar exercise and you want to use some music in the background to help students concentrate, choose music which employs regular periods (repeated phrases and patterns) - something like Hayden or Mozart, maybe Bach. Choosing abrasive, disharmonic music will distract students while their brains try to make sense of the disharmony. Choosing something melodic which employs musical patterns will not distract. Not only will this type of music not distract, the regular patterns of the music also help to underline the repetetive nature of grammar. Another example of using music selectively would be written descriptive exercises in which students need to use their imaginations. You can set the scene musically which will help stimulate their imagination. Let's say students need to describe their life as young children. Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite" playing softly in the background will help them return to those simpler times through its sweet harmonies and simple structures. Listening to Shostokovitch, on the other hand, would put them right off! Here are some suggestions for appropriate music for different activities:

• Grammar - Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi
• Imagination exercises (descriptive writing, speaking) - Ravel, Debussy, Satie
• Current Situation, News in the World - Rap (for inner cities and their problems), Ethnic Music from the discussed countries (you would be surprised at how many people quickly associate the type of music with a part of the world)
• Making Future Plans - Fun upbeat jazz ("Take Five" by Dave Brubeck)
• Discussing "Serious" issues - the "serious" Germans: Beethoven, Brahms - even Mahler if you are adventurous!

Use your imagination and you will quickly find that your students will be using their imaginations to improve their English - usually without being aware of it.

Present Perfect

FORM

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

• You have seen that movie many times      (affirmative form)
• Man has walked on the Moon.
• Our son has learned how to read.

• Have you seen that movie many times?     (question form)

• You have not seen that movie many times   (negative form)

• Joan has studied two foreign languages.
• A: Have you ever met him?
  B: No, I have not met him.