People = plural

Just a reminder:

The word people is a plural noun.  It’s an irregular plural.  Remember to use correct subject verb agreement if people is your subject.

Examples:

  • Why are some people easier to work with than others?
  • People at the party were looking for the food and drinks.

The singular of people is person.  With the verb “to be”, subject/verb agreement looks like this:

  • People are…
  • People were…
  • A person is…
  • A person was…

ESL phrases to use while playing games

Now that the holidays are over, is it all work and no play?   Well, take a break to learn about some fun expressions to use the next time you play games:

  • You’re it.  (It, here, means the person whose turn it is)
  • Who’s it?
  • It’s your turn. (It, here, is just the subject of the sentence)
  • It’s your go.
  • It’s my turn.
  • It’s my go.
  • Let’s take turns.
  • Whose turn is it?
  • Whose go is it?

When you’re playing tag, there are many people in a group, and one person, “it”, has to chase everyone until they are caught. Can you think of equivalent games that are played in your country?  Here are some we played when we were kids:

  • hide and seek
  • red-light green-light
  • duck duck goose
  • tag
  • freeze tag

Small talk while playing games is a great way to pick up on these phrases and more.

The Present Perfect Tense and Having Experience

When you use the perfect perfect tense, one of the meanings implied is that you have experience.

Example:  I have driven a stick shift. 

In this sentence, you imply that in all your driving experience, you can include driving a stick shift.

Keep this in mind when if you say, “I have had experience driving a stick shift.”  If you’re interviewing for a job where the experience required includes driving a stick shift, such as a valet, using the present perfect with the word “experience” is fine.

In other contexts, however, you can just use the present perfect.

A New Year’s Quote by T.S. Eliot

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. – T.S. Eliot

US Holidays 2012

From the Office of Personnel Management website, here is a list of the 2012 holidays, so you can start planning your weekend trips and study breaks!  Don’t forget to check with your employer or school to see which days you will actually have off.

Monday, January 2* New Year’s Day
Monday, January 16 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 20** Washington’s Birthday
Monday, May 28 Memorial Day
Wednesday, July 4 Independence Day
Monday, September 3 Labor Day
Monday, October 8 Columbus Day
Monday, November 12*** Veterans Day
Thursday, November 22 Thanksgiving Day
Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day

Accent Reduction Tips

If you’re thinking about altering your accent, try focusing on these aspects of language:

  • study the characteristics of your language’s sound system and how it differs from English.  Start with the differing consonants, which seem to create more misunderstandings.
  • practice in phrases (not individual words) and how one word blends with the words surrounding it
  • move your mouth more than you’re used to – open it wider like you’re yawning, spread the corners of your lips to meet your ears!  This sounds like an exaggeration, but moving your mouth in different ways is a major component of forming new sounds.
  • watch Americans’ lips when they speak – watching on TV is OK to avoid any awkwardness, but the Simpsons, Family Guy, or some other cartoon won’t help you.
  • listen to and imitate sentence stress and intonation and stress patterns within phrases (my favorite activity for this is listening to and singing along with music)
  • copy what you hear exactly and often (as exact and as often as you can)

This is all I can think of for now, but there are more.  I’ll post them as I start to remember them.  For now, I hope these help.

“Auld Lang Syne” Lyrics

Happy New Year!

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.”

Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne

Less and Fewer – Quantity Activity

Another activity is available from the AllEnglish collection for you to use in practice or in your classrooms.

Less or Fewer

Here’s a hint:  less is used with non-count nouns; fewer is used with count nouns.  They both mean a lower quantity.

This is free to use.  Just remember to credit AllEnglish as the reference.

Stand Your Ground – idiom

To stand your ground means that you won’t change your opinion on the topic which you are discussing.  You can use this expression in various ways.

  • I stood my ground during the debate because I was well prepared.
  • She is standing her ground and will not relent.
  • If you are confronted, you should stand your ground because you have all of the facts.

What’s the difference between warning and caution?

A warning refers to something dangerous and serious – something you should avoid.

  • Warning:  Beware of Dog = don’t enter this gate because there is a dog behind it that will hurt you.

A caution is a suggestion to take extra care.

  • Caution: This floor is slippery. = be extra careful when walking near this area because you might slip.

If used in casual speech between friends, these words are sometimes used as synonyms.

Take this advice as a word of caution: this man will break your heart.

6 weeks later:

I told you he would hurt you.  You can’t say I didn’t warn you.