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Tags: Critical Thinking, Grammar, How To, Parts of Speech, Summer Activities, Writing by Debra
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Are you used to…, Did you used to…, or Is it used to…?

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The expression used to means a few different things. It can mean you are accustomed to or familiar with something. It can mean you did something, an activity, in the past over a period of time, but now you no longer do that activity. It can also describe the function of something.

You could avoid using used to altogether! Eventually, though, you will hear native English speakers use used to, and to avoid confusion, you’d better get used to it!

One way of familiarizing yourself with the different meanings of used to is to become familiar with the auxiliaries that accompany this expression (be and do) as well as the form of the verb that follows it.

Here’s a chart to help you remember:

This form…	followed by a(n)…	refers to…
be used to	gerund	familiarity
be used to	infinitive	function
used to/did used to	infinitive	past activity

Which meaning does used to connote in each of the following sentences?

Did you used to play with toys?
I used to play with blocks and dolls.
I’m used to working in an office, so I don’t need training.
She was used to working in an office, but now she needs some training.
Hammers are used to drive nails.

Answers:

past activity
past activity
familiarity
familiarity
function

How did you do? Are you used to these expression yet?

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Try this activity for practicing replacing the word “got” with its more specific counterpart.

Tags: Critical Thinking, ESL Expressions and Phrases, Grammar, Speaking in General, Vocabulary by Debra
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Synonyms for “Got”

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So, you are experimenting with new vocabulary and you realize that you have used the word got 10 times in one paragraph! To fix the problem, you instinctively highlight the word and copy/paste it into Thesaurus.com. The result is a list of many different meanings for “got”.

As great as our technology is, it still does not compare to our own ability to think. In this situation, only you, the author, can accurately select the best replacement word for a generic word such as “got”.

Here’s what you can do: Specify which meaning of “got” you meant. Did you really want to say “arrive”, “seize”, or “become”? Plug those words into your sentence to see immediate results. If you’re still not satisfied, find a synonym for the new word.

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Tags: ESL Activities, ESL Expressions and Phrases, How To, Vocabulary, Writing by Debra
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Tips for Studying Alone

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A young person in middle school asked me to think of ways to study when you don’t have study partners or a person to help you. So, I’ve developed this list.

S = Skim your material before you begin studying so you will have an idea of what you will need to focus on in class.

T = Take your time. Don’t wait until the last minute. Manage your time appropriately. Ask your teacher how much time you have between the beginning of a unit and the test. Read a little extra each day (10-20 minutes for people in school and 30-45 minutes for people in college) in addition to your regular homework.

U = Understand your material. This might be hard for you if you aren’t familiar with a new topic. One possible solution is to write questions to ask your teacher or peers when you see them again. Keep the list of questions handy so you can easily write them down or ask them in class.

D = Do research online. Sometimes a quick search on the topic will give you a good idea on what you’re studying. www.dictionary.com helps with new vocabulary words.

Y = Yes! Keep a positive attitude. If you need a short break, take it, but don’t give up!

If you remember to S.T.U.D.Y., you shouldn’t have a problem!

Listen to more tips.

There are so many ways to have fun studying, even if you are alone. Here are some more ideas…

Study with a computer nearby for quick references.
Turn off music, TV, and cell phones to avoid distraction. These simple acts will help you focus.
Call a friend to see what they think of the material – but keep the conversation short and stay on topic!
Ask your teacher for a few extra minutes 1-1 to explain a specific question.
Turn chapter headings into questions.
Design your own list of new vocabulary words (sometimes the words they give you just aren’t enough).
Know how to explain what you don’t know (instead of saying “I don’t understand,” think of a more specific question).
Make relationships between ideas and concepts.
Making flashcards are easy and help your note taking abilities.
Pretend like the teacher has asked you to write questions you think should be on the test.

Feel free to add to this list…

…and

Good Luck!

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Tags: Critical Thinking, How To, Reading, Test Taking by Debra
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Speaking Topics

Here’s an activity that I use in speaking or conversation classes. I thought they might be helpful in generating some ideas.

Here are some practical uses for this list:

Have students prepare a mini-speech for one minute and try to speak non-stop for 2 minutes. Gradually throughout the term, increase the time to 3 minutes.
Do a speed writing (10 minutes) on any of the following topics. Trade papers and peer-edit.
Plan a long-term project around any of the topics. For example, someone with the topic restaurants needs to go to different restaurants, do some research, and present their findings.

Here are some to get you started. Click here for a full list.

Dating
Restaurants
Meetings
Different work environments
Exercise
Movies
Crime
Rites of passage

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Tags: ESL Activities, ESL Quick Lessons, Speaking in General, Teaching Tips, Writing by Debra
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When Mnemonic Devices Work (and when they don’t)

Test day was approaching, and I still had many lists to learn, characteristics to distinguish, and questions to answer, so I decided to rely on the oldest memory trick in the book…mnemonics. The strategy worked well to some extent, but there were adjustments I needed to get the most out of using it. Here’s what I’ve discovered:

Mnemonics work when…

memorizing lists of things
the words are short
an acronym is used
words create a sentence
the words closely represent the word they stand for
the sentences or acronyms are meaningful to the person who plans on using them

Mnemonics don’t work so well when…

classifying things according to their qualities
using long words that are more difficult to remember than the actual test item
a string of words are disconnected
sharing mnemonics
memorizing isn’t the goal (e.g. if you have to compare and contrast)

I passed the test, but I don’t owe it all to mnemonics. I gave myself plenty of time to study, reviewed all of the course material, made comparison charts, and was able to meet the course objectives.

So, when left to your own devices, choose mnemonic devices, but don’t forget to alternate according to the purpose of the activity.

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Tags: Critical Thinking, Reflective Teaching, Test Taking, Vocabulary by Debra
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The Perfect (Brain) Storm

This article, Brainstorming Reloaded, from PsyBlog tells why brainstorming isn’t as effective as it was once thought to be and gives tips on better lesson and training delivery.

The sky is red in the morning if you notice any of the following taking place during your group brainstorming sessions:

Social loafing: people slack off to a frightening degree in certain types of group situations like brainstorming.
Evaluation apprehension: although evaluation isn’t allowed in a traditional brainstorming session, everyone knows others are scrutinising their input.
Production blocking: while one person is talking the others have to wait. They then forget or dismiss their ideas, which consequently never see the light of day.

The sky is red at night under these circumstances:

People should be encouraged to list ideas before coming to brainstorming sessions.
The number of ideas produced by each person should be monitored.
Problems should be broken down and group members should brainstorm components.
Groups should take breaks from each other.
High standards should be set for the number of ideas.

Overall, it would be better for you not to drown out brainstorming from your lessons altogether since 1) according to the article, there are benefits to having students/trainees feel more involved by participating in some group activity, and 2) according to a teacher, you wouldn’t want to spend the time rewriting lessons that, under the right conditions, will sail you to the same objective.

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Tags: Critical Thinking, How To, Reflective Teaching, Teaching Tips by Debra
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Puzzling Plurals: A pair of…

Lesson:

The noun that appears after a pair of is not considered during subject/verb agreement. Here’s why: your verb agrees with the singular word pair. Even though pair actually means two, the word pair is singular (as signaled by the article a).

Examples:

A pair of glasses is on the counter.
A pair of jeans costs about $50 at the department store.

Notes:

If use the plural subject and not the expression a pair of, your verb generally agrees with a plural subject.

Examples:

Glasses are on the counter.
Jeans cost about $50 at the department store.

Reminders:

Plurals make a BIG difference in your speech and writing when it comes to four things:

adding, pronouncing, and spelling the –s ending with plurals,
determining the count or non-count status of your noun,
deciding which article to use (if any), and
subject/verb agreement. Do you know that –S you add to your verb when the subject is (or can be replaced with) he/she/it? That’s an example of subject/verb agreement.

Oh, yea, don’t forget! Just because you add an –s to verbs, it doesn’t mean they’re plural. Verbs can’t be plural—only nouns can be plural.

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Tags: Grammar, How To, Puzzling Plurals by Debra
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All Story, No Gory at Gimundo.com

As many of my readers do, I like to use news articles in my classes to bring in a bit of the “real” world. I search Google and Yahoo News, and on a typical day, I find that the news headlines and subsequent articles do not always cover the–how should I put it?– cheeriest topics.

Perhaps in some ESL settings daily world news topics (and all the gory details) would be the best to cover since what’s going on in the world is relevant to many areas of study as well as students’ lives. Well, I have noticed that, more often than not, the news tends to sweep students into a frenzy of often unintended controversial discussions and I’m stuck with their accompanying lessons on the cultural appropriateness when expressing opinions.

Sometimes, I just want a readable story without the gory.

When students get caught up in the content, the intended lesson (to offer a controlled setting to practice specific reading and comprehension strategies) gets overshadowed by sensationalism and students’ reactions to it.

If this happens in your classrooms, too, here’s a solution. If you want interesting global stories with classroom-safe content, here is a reading source that touts its daily dish of good news. It’s Gimundo.com; the stories on their site are wholesome, young-adult and adult-centered, and, best of all, rated PG. Check it out, then spread the news!

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Tags: Reading, Teaching Tips by Debra
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Puzzling Plurals: All and Some

Lesson:

All and some refer to more than one thing. The puzzle is that the noun may be count or non-count. If the noun is count, the noun after some or all is plural. If the noun is non-count, the noun after some or all is singular.

Your verb should agree with the noun that comes after all or some.

Examples:

All of the pickles are on the tray.
All of the cheese is on the tray.
Some of the advice is valuable.
Some of the websites are valuable.

Reminders:

Plurals make a BIG difference in your speech and writing when it comes to four things:

adding, pronouncing, and spelling the –s ending with plurals,
determining the count or non-count status of your noun,
deciding which article to use (if any), and
subject/verb agreement. Do you know that –S you add to your verb when the subject is (or can be replaced with) he/she/it? That’s an example of subject/verb agreement.

Oh, yea, don’t forget! Just because you add an –s to verbs, it doesn’t mean they’re plural. Verbs can’t be plural—only nouns can be plural.

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