Past Perfect

The good news: the past perfect is not as commonly used as the present perfect in English.

More good news: the past perfect is not *quite* as complicated as the present perfect.

Of course, I wouldn't call it "easy,' either!

What does it look like?

• HAD+ past participle

• Example: He had studied English before he came to the US.
• Example: He had left the house before Bob.

For a helpful chart of forms and a few examples, visit this edufind page.

I've forgotten the past participle forms. Where can I find a list?

• Here is a good list of irregular verbs from MYENGLISHTEACHER.net. The past participle forms are written in orange.

• For regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the past simple: just add "ED"

What are the rules for using past perfect?

• Typically, past perfect is used to refer to an action or event that happened before another past action or event.

• Example: I had studied English before I came to the US. (I studied first; then, I came.)

• It can also be used to talk about something that happened for a period of time, but ended at a specific past time.

• Example: I had lived in Germany until 1999.

For one helpful, clear explanation and more examples, visit English Page.com  here.

For another (longer) explanation, you may also visit this British Council page here. 

I understand now (I think). Where can I get some practice?

Here are some exercises to try!

• Practice 1 (past simple and past perfect- English Pages)
• Practice 2 (from perfect English Grammar)
• Practice 3 (from Really Learn English)
• Practice 4 (past simple,, past perfect, and present perfect- English pages)
• Practice 5 (from Really Learn English)

Idioms

Are you feeling under the weather?

Are you a night owl?

Do you have a bucket list?

Those are examples of idioms.

(Idioms are one of our favorite aspects of English!)

But they can be challenging to master. They are not a piece of cake!

What is an idiom?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it is:

• "an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own"
• "a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations"

The more sophisticated Oxford dictionary definition is:

• "a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g., rain cats and dogs, see the light)."

What are some other examples of American English idioms?

• Here is a cute animated video discussing some common idioms
• And here is another animated video on idioms from "Learn English"
• This is a video lesson that focuses on workplace idioms and slang
• Rachel's English has some helpful videos, too- with a special focus on pronunciation:
• Video relating to HORSE idioms
• More American Idioms
• Hot Weather Idioms

 

• Check out this yourdictionary list for some simple definitions of some common idioms
• And this list from ESL Mania
• And here is a short reading on the importance of learning idioms...along with another list

Where can you find the meaning of idioms that you hear?

•  If you can't find your idioms on the above lists, you can try this idiom dictionary (just enter your idiom in the search bar)
• And there is an APP for that, too!

Are you ready to practice?

• Try this one from English Media Lab
• Here are TONS OF practice quizzes with idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang (a4esl)
• English Club also has lots of practice quizzes
• Here is one more from English-test.net

 

Making Writing More Academic

The language we speak with friends and the language we use in academic/formal writing may be quite different. Being aware of these two different types of language ("register") is a key to strong and sophisticated college writing.

 How do we learn how to make our writing more academic? 

A few easy tips are:

1) Avoid contractions (can't--- cannot)
2) Avoid the informal "YOU" pronoun (use a specific noun to indicate whom you are referring to)
3) Avoid informal expressions, such as "guy," "kid," "really," and "stuff."
4) Avoid starting sentences with FANBOYS such as BUT, AND, SO. Instead, use clear transition words to link ideas (however, thus, therefore, in addition)

For more suggestions, visit these helpful sites:

English Grammar page
University of Surrey (a helpful printable reference page!)
UNC Writing Center (information on word choices)


For practice with this skill, you might try these online activities:

Practice 1
Practice 2 (word choice)
Practice 3 (word choice)
Practice 4 (word choice)


Looking for more? Check out these more advanced articles on how to become a better writer!

Article 1 (Oxford Royale Academy: 13 Ways to Make Your Writing More Interesting to Read)
Article 2 (Austin, K.: 5 Reliable Ways to Make Academic Writing More Interesting)
Article 3 (Mackay, J.: 10 Tips for ESL/EFL Academic Writers)

Word Forms

Some of the most common mistakes for ESOL students are related to word forms.

These can include verb form mistakes, subject-verb agreement errors, or singular-plural form errors.
They also often include errors related to parts of speech.

How can we improve our skills in this area?

First, we can study what nouns, verbs and adjectives often look like (and what they do in a sentence).
For more information on this, and tips about common endings, visit this helpful page.
 
These activities ask you to identify which type of word would fit in each sentence (noun, verb adjective, etc.), or what part of speech a specific word is:

Practice 1 (Quia)
Practice 2 (a4esl)
Practice 3 (McGraw Hill)
Practice 4 (challenging but fun...and involves cartoon gorillas)
Practice 5 (Grammar Bytes)


We can also try these activities, which ask us to figure out which word form (Illustrate? Illustration? Illustrative?) fit best in each sentence:

• Practice 6 (a4esl) (* requires Adobe Flash player)
• Practice 7 (a4esl)
• Practice 8 (ESL Café)
• Practice 9 (about.com)
• A challenge! Practice 10

Phrasal Verbs

Look out!  Prepositions are difficult enough...but phrasal verbs make them even more challenging.

What is a phrasal verb?

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines one as: :  "a phrase (as take off or look down on) that combines a verb with a preposition or adverb or both and that functions as a verb whose meaning is different from the combined meanings of the individual words."

(They are the verbs+preposition combinations that don't translate well and tend to confuse non-native English speakers.)

I can't FIGURE THESE OUT! How do they work? FIND OUT here:

• For a good explanation of the grammar and structure of phrasal verbs, visit this English Page explanation.
• And for our native English-speaker friends- or those who are very curious about the advanced workings of phrasal verbs- visit this very thorough explanation from Wikipedia

What are some examples? 

• For a long list, visit this page from English Club
• Or this one from Capital Community College
• Or this "Extensive List of Phrasal Verbs" 
• Or visit this online dictionary of phrasal verbs to find the meaning of one that you COME ACROSS: Using English

Need more information and practice? CHECK OUT one of these sites for activities and info:

• More practice activities with English Pages
• Here is a list of 21 exercises from Agenda Web
• 10 more exercises from ESL Student Lounge
• Lists and 15 practice activities from ego4 (Please note: some of the pages linked on this are in another language) 

Looking for a quick quiz to test your skills? FIND OUT how you are doing!

• Try this one from A4ESL
• A short quiz from British Council (bottom of the page)
• Or this one (which has 67 questions, so maybe is not "quick")
• Or try this British Stuff one (note* some of these may not be American expressions!)
• Three shorts ones- but NOT multiple choice (a challenge!)
• Another challenging one here

Are you ready to KEEP ON studying? For more practice and study:

Visit this quizlet page for a whole list of flashcard sets and games to help you with Phrasal Verbs.

Future Forms

How do we speak about the future in English?
Of course, to make things complicated, we have FOUR ways to do it!

• VISIT THIS PAGE FOR A CLEAR EXPLANATION OF ALL FOUR USES

1) TO BE GOING TO +verb

• Visit this page for a good explanation of the uses of BE GOING TO

2) WILL + verb

• Visit this page for a good explanation of the uses of  WILL+verb

To practice with WILL and BE GOING TO, try these exercises:

• Exercise 1 ("English Page")
• Exercise 2 ("English Page")
• Exercise 3("English Page")
• Exercise 4 ("Englisch-Hilfen")
• Exercise 5 ("Englisch-Hilfen")

3) Present Continuous (am/is/are + verb+ ing) (yes, we really do this!)

• Visit this page for a good explanation of this. (edufind.com)
• Or you can visit EnglishClub for another good explanation.

These exercises focus on this form for the future:

• Exercise 6 (LanguageWorksheets.com) (*You will have to write your answers on a separate piece of paper)
• Exercise 7 (ExamEnglish.com)

4) Present Simple (yes, we really do this, too!)

• Visit this page for an explanation (edufind.com)
• Or this page for another explanation (EnglishClub)

Try these exercises to practice with Present Simple and Present Continuous Future forms:

• Exercise 8 ("FloJoe.com")
• Exercise 9 (ESL lounge)
• Exercise 10 (toLearnEnglish)

These exercises focus on all 4 types:

• Exercise 11 ("Englisch-Hilfen")
• Exercise 12 ("Englisch-Hilfen")
• Exercise 13 (Ego4u.com)
• Exercise 14 (Lingolia)

Articles, part 2

A...An...The...

Even thought there are only three articles in English, the rules on how to use these can get rather complicated.

Learning articles in English is best done through practice and study-- but it takes time, as there are lots of rules (and exceptions to the rules) to consider.

• (1) If articles are a struggle for you, I highly recommend getting a copy of The Article Book, by Tom Cole, University of Michigan Press. It contains clear explanations of the 50 rules for article use with lots of practice activities to help you understand  and remember them.

• (2) For a quick explanation of the rules- and a short practice quiz, visit the EC learn English Page here.

• (3) For another basic explanations of the uses of A/An/The, please visit the "English Pages" explanation page here.

• (4) To practice with these, click here, and complete English Pages exercises 7-11

• (5) If you like the English Pages explanations, check out the more advanced rules now here
• (6) Now, to practice there, click here and complete exercises 12-30

• (7) If you like lots of examples, you can review article rules at the Frankfurt International School page

• (8) For another comprehensive (advanced and very thorough) explanation of article use (with practice activities), visit the"Grammar Quizzes" page here.

Practice with commas

Struggling with commas? (You are not alone!)

Here are a few links to helpful explanations:

• Explanation page 1
• Explanation page 2

 

And here are some great practice activities:

• (1) 10 question commas practice quiz (explained after you choose your answer for each)
• (2) Comma quiz 2 from chompchomp
• (3) longer comma quiz (a challenge!)