I’ve been teaching the passive voice to one of my students for a few weeks. I thought that others could benefit from some of the questions she has about the passive voice.
1. Why do we use the passive?
The passive voice is used when the subject is not the doer of the action. In active verb forms, the doer of the action is the subject. In the passive, the doer is not the subject.
2. What does doer mean?
A doer is the person or thing who does. It comes from the verb to do. It’s like changing the verb to dance to dancer, the person who dances. Now, reread the answer to #1.
3. What is the difference between the past and the passive?
The past is a verb tense referring to an action that takes place in the past. The passive is not a verb tense at all. The passive can take the form of any verb tense.
There are many questions about the passive, I’m sure. I will post some more in the near future. If you have any questions about the passive or anything English or language related, leave a comment and I will respond.
Here are some fun facts about English:
- The letters H, I, O, and X are the only letters that look the same if you flip them upside down or view them from behind.
- “Queueing” is the only word with five consecutive vowels.
- The only city in the United States whose name is spelled using only vowels is Aiea, Hawaii.
- The longest one-syllable words are “screeched” and “strengths”.
The full list is here at Brain Candy. Lists like this are good ice breakers for the first day of class or to have at the ready if you are babysitting or substitute teaching.
I’m making some updates to my website for better navigation and easier access to ESL activities and tutoring services. For now, the links are bright blue, but I’m working on making them a little less bright.
Thank you for your patience as I continue to improve your experience on my sites!
I’d much rather be gardening and planting that writing this post, or a resume for that matter. Just as you may have just graduated and need to leave the nest, or lost your job and need to work hard to keep your nest egg, wherever you are coming into the job market from, it’s important to keep updating your resume. Here’s a link to great resume writing tips. I also suggest some of the following ideas:
To the guy who inspired me to write this, and you know who you are, keep your spirits up! The right job is right around the corner!
I’ve been making some updates to my blog. For instance, if you want to follow me on Twitter or contact me for tutoring or conversation practice through Skype, both buttons are working now! If you try to use them and they don’t work, please let me know.
Also, I’ll be uploading some new English tutorial videos to my Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/user/ALLENGLISHLLC), which you can subscribe to by clicking the link on the right menu.
As always, thank you for visiting!
The new year is fast approaching, so it’s time to buy your calendars and start filling out the days when you’re out of school! Here is this year’s list of US Holidays from this website. Check the website for details, as some of the dates here are not the actual date of the holiday; rather, they indicate which days observe that holiday.
Friday, December 31, 2010* New Year’s Day
Monday, January 17 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, February 21** Washington’s Birthday
Monday, May 30 Memorial Day
Monday, July 4 Independence Day
Monday, September 5 Labor Day
Monday, October 10 Columbus Day
Friday, November 11 Veterans Day
Thursday, November 24 Thanksgiving Day
Monday, December 26*** Christmas Day
Sources on the internet state, and I agree, that the standard is to call it Daylight Saving Time (no -s on saving)
I recommend just remembering this, but some people like rules, so here’s my attempt:
Consistent with the rule that nouns that function as adjectives are never plural (except the word sport, as in sports bar, or sports team), if you put the gerund (noun) saving in front of the word time, there is no need for an -s ending on saving.
Click here for an activity to practice this rule.
However, the rule is challenged when you use the word saving to modify bond or account, which become savings bond and savings account.
In marketing and consumer materials, the word savings is used as a plural noun as seen in these examples: “Storewide Savings” and “Mega Sale Savings“.
Incidentally, in 2010 in the United States (but not all states), Daylight Saving Time begins on November 7, 2010 at 2:00 am.
When you’re learning a new language, situations where you can practice are all around:
However, you don’t always participate in English when you have the opportunity, do you? It is really easy not to listen. Isn’t that why you use earphones? Or maybe you close your English ears and plan your day in your familiar language. Your native language is helpful when trying to understand a new concept. It’s also good for cheering up if you’re homesick.
However, if you intentionally ignore the English around you, you’re closing the part of your mind that actively learns. Then, you miss the easiest opportunities to learn, which don’t even require speaking!
If you don’t believe me, just start paying attention to how often you close your English ears. How many opportunities are you missing per week? Per day? More than one per day is too many.
You can keep your ears open in the car – listening to the radio, news, or music…or while shopping – listening to the people around you. At the grocery store, listen to how the guy in front of you orders his sliced turkey or fillet of fish.
So, why not start now? If opportunity knocks, you’re English ears should hear it!
The activities are family/child oriented, and there is usually a wide variety of things to do and see. You can show up early for the party, or you can just attend the fireworks display (which is what I usually do).
This is a good list of fireworks locations in Richmond to find a display near you. In case the link breaks:
For fireworks information near Midlothian, try this link.
Richmond.com also has a detailed list which tells more of what to expect.
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