How to work on daily routines.

We are going to work on daily routines through these two videos, first we will watch the first and practice the vocabulary; we will also take the opportunity to make sentences and use the present simple tense. Then, we will watch the second one which is a short video about a girl's routine and we will try to write the sentences, maybe some other day we will use the Mozilla Popcorn Maker to write on top of the video what the girl does.

Some exercises to work daily routines and the present simple:

• English Exercises.
• Enjoy English
• Learning Chocolate
• British Council.

Did you like the activities proposed to practice the daily routines? What do you do in your classes?

Subject and verb agreement.

It is sometimes difficult for younger students to understand what is that thing called Subject and verb agreement, especially because at schools, we do not have enough time to practice on this. The ideal way would be to practise orally many times until they internalize it. Fortunately, we still have internet to practise on their own at home.
First, a brief explanation:

What I call "TIMELINE" -guide on how to choose the correct verb tense.

When we write or speak, we use all the verb tenses, not one at a time. However, we tend to follow a coherent TIMELINE, that is, verbs that are at the same level of sentence organization, tend to have the same verb tense, unless there is a marker ( adverb, time complement...)

Issues to take into account:

• When we speak about general topics (which are the same in the past, present and future), we use the simple present.
• When we are talking about the time of speaking or an extended time of speaking (that is, not only now, but these six weeks in opposition to the next or past six weeks), we use the present continuous. Markers: now, right now, at the moment, this term, this year, this week...
• When we are talking about things that are finished in the past, we use the past simple. Also when we are talking about things that happened one after the other, or actions that interrupt another action in progress (this one in the past continuous) Markers: ago, last week, last year, in+year, in a time clause when the main clause is in the past coontinuous...When we are talking about simultaneous actions in the past, we use the past continuous, as well as if we want to describe a scene in a narration. We use the past perfect simple when we want to talk about something that happened before something else in the past. Markers: ever, never, already, just, still, yet, for and since, also with the first time... When we are talking about routines or habits in the past, we use the structure used to, we can also use the modal would if we talk about actions and not states. If the action we are talking about started in the past but is somehow related to the present we have to use the present perfect. Markers: already, just, still, yet...if we wan to emphasize the progress, we use the present perfect continuous.
• For the future, we also have several uses which you can see in this post.Markers: tomorrow, next week, next month

In order to practice all this, go to these places:

• Complete revision, tenses chart and exercises at English page
• .Exercise at Dave's Esl Café
• Verb tense quiz 1 and 2 at Efl.net

I think this is enough for the moment, remember, if you have any problems, you can always contact me, write  down your doubts while doing the exercises.

Negative and interrogative of the simple past

Thanks to the help of this mindmap, we are going to learn the negative and interrogative forms of the verbs in the simple past. At the same time, we are reviewing the same forms of the simple present.

I am very bad at drawing, but I guess my main idea is on the paper, the circled words in light blue are the auxiliaries we need to form the negative and the interrogative, the green squared ones are the subjects and the red triangled are the verbs, which, in no case, is conjugated, that is, it is in the base form (infinitive without "to")
I hope my students like this mindmap because we are going to be working this in class the next days, I am going to encourage them to make one of their own, they will probably be much more beautiful than mine!!!
To know more about mindmaps, we will go to this MindMapping Site.

Some exercises on Learn English on the negative and the interrogative. Anice game to remind the form of the affirmative from a school called Bradley's English School in Japan.

What do you think of it? Don't be too harsh on me...

Am I teaching? You learn!!!

http://papadeligames.wordpress.com

We are having a look at the differences in form and use of the present simple and present continuous, we have said that we use the present simple for habits (with frequency expressions and adverbs) and we use the present continuous to speak about the  time of speaking (after imperatives, with "now, right now, at the moment" and "today")

In the next chart you can see the form:

PRESENT SIMPLE	PRESENT CONTINOUS
Aff.  Subject (you, we, you,they) +verb (V)                                                (he, she, it)  +Vs, es, ies	Aff. Subject (I) + (verb “to be”) am + Ving.                         (he, she, it)  + is +Ving.                         (we, you, they)+ are +Ving.
Neg.          Subject (you, we,they) +don’t+ verb                                                                                                                      (he, she, it)  +doesn’t +verb	Neg: Subject (I) + am + not + Ving.                         (he, she, it)  + isn’t +Ving.                         (we, you, they)+ aren’t +Ving
Int. Do + Subject (you, we, you,they)+verb…?        Does + Subject (he, she, it)+ verb…?	Int: Am + I +Ving…?        Is + he, she, it + Ving…?        Are + we, you, they + Ving…?
Auxiliary  only in negative and interrogative: DO	Auxiliary in aff., neg. and int.: BE

 If you want to play some games to practise this, you can do it on:

• Grammar helpers, present simple affirmative.
• Grammar helpers, present simple negative.
• Grammar helpers, present simple interrogative.
• Grammar helpers, present continuous affirmative.
• Grammar helpers, present continuous negative.
• Grammar helpers, present continuous interrogative.
• ing form of verbs.

For more exercises:

• Interactive book by Mrs Haquet.
• Adele's ESL Corner.
• Grammar Bank.com

So, do you learn when I teach? Leave your comments!!!

PRESENT SIMPLE OR PRESENT CONTINUOUS?

Grammar Goddess

My 1st of Bachillerato students have asked me to do a chart on the differences of use between the present simple and the present continuous, so, browsing through the internet I found  this wonderful mindmap in a blog called Grammar Goddess (fantastic way to remember grammar issues!!). In this picture, we find the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of the verbs in the present simple, plus the verb to be and the different uses; we have also seen in class the use of present simple for timetables and schedules.

So, here is the chart you were asking me for:

Present simple	Present continuous
Habits or routines (with frequency adverbs and expressions)             General truths or facts          With timetables and schedules.             With state verbs  (feelings, opinions, mental processes, states, posession, senses and measures)	At the moment of speaking.           Ongoing activities.        Temporary situations.            Fixed plans of the near future.              Annoying habits (usually with “always”)

 

If you need some more practice, go here:

• to start and review from the beginning with Eclectic English
• more exercises at Aula Fácil.
• you can also try out Perfect English Grammar.

I have done what you wanted, now I'm asking you something: Can you do a mindmap with the present continuous? Please!! If you can, hand it in and we will publish it here. 

As always, leave your comments!!