Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken&nbsp;glass.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Anton Chekhov</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Writing is a skill that English learners usually find challenging. Not only do they need to understand and apply grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules, but they also need to know how to compose a paragraph, essay, or story. How can we make writing easier and more enjoyable for our&nbsp;students?</p>

<p>Creative writing <em>can</em> be fun. One way to motivate students to write is to teach them ways to start a story. Using the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1595" target="_blank">past progressive</a> (also known as the <em>past continuous</em>) is a great way to create atmosphere and set the mood of a&nbsp;story.</p>

<h1>Create Atmosphere with the Past&nbsp;Progressive</h1>

<p>If your students need a refresher with this not-so-common verb tense, remind them how the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1595" target="_blank">past progressive</a> (<em>was/were + -ing verb)</em> is used in English (see <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simple-past-vs-past-progressive/" target="_blank">Simple Past Vs. Past Progressive</a> for teaching&nbsp;tips).</p>

<p>Then tell your students they can do one or more of the following to begin their&nbsp;stories:</p>

<h2>1. Describe the Weather</h2>

<p>Common verbs: <em>rain</em>, <em>pour</em>, <em>snow</em>, <em>howl</em>, <em>blow</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>The rain was pouring down from the sky while the storm was&nbsp;raging.</li>
	<li>It was snowing heavily and I could barely see a&nbsp;thing.</li>
	<li>The wind was howling through the&nbsp;trees.</li>
</ul>

<h2>2. Describe the Scene</h2>

<p>Common verbs: <em>hurry</em>, <em>walk</em>, <em>rush</em>, <em>talk</em>, <em>greet</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>Everywhere I looked, people were rushing by at top&nbsp;speed.</li>
	<li>Traffic was at a standstill, and commuters were laying on their horns in&nbsp;frustration.</li>
	<li>When I arrived, the group members were greeting one another&nbsp;enthusiastically.</li>
</ul>

<h2>3. Describe Clothing and&nbsp;Accessories</h2>

<p>Common verbs: <em>wear</em>, <em>carry</em>, <em>sport</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>The man was wearing a long, dark trench coat, which only added to his air of&nbsp;mystery.</li>
	<li>She was carrying a red briefcase. That&rsquo;s the first thing I noticed as my lawyer rushed into the&nbsp;courtroom.</li>
	<li>The opposing team&rsquo;s coach was sporting a goatee and a smug look on his&nbsp;face.</li>
</ul>

<h2>4. Describe the Action</h2>

<p>Common verbs: <em>drive</em>, <em>go</em>, <em>run</em>, <em>walk</em>, <em>talk</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>John Smith was driving along a long, winding road one foggy&nbsp;afternoon.</li>
	<li>Oh, to be a teenager again! My daughter was talking to her friend on the phone for hours last&nbsp;night.</li>
	<li>We were running late as usual, and we were&nbsp;arguing.</li>
</ul>

<h2>5. Add a Surprising (Short)&nbsp;Action*</h2>

<p>*Remind students that the short action will be in the simple past tense (whereas the longer, continuing action will be in the past progressive&nbsp;tense). Common verbs: <em>appear</em>, <em>ring</em>, <em>hit</em>, <em>crash</em>, <em>go&nbsp;out</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>Last night, the Johnson family was watching TV at home. All of a sudden, the power went out and they were plunged into&nbsp;darkness.</li>
	<li>My husband and I were driving along aimlessly when the car in front of us suddenly swerved off the&nbsp;road.</li>
	<li>Maya was walking home along a dark, deserted street when a huge UFO appeared in the&nbsp;sky.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Practice</h1>

<p>Have your students write five different story‑starting sentences using the past progressive. Get them to write one from each category (above) if you like. Then ask them to pick the one they like the most and have them continue writing a short story to hand in or read out in&nbsp;groups.</p>

<p>How do you motivate your students to write? Share your methods in the comments section&nbsp;below.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2563" target="_blank">How to Write a Basic Paragraph</a>: Writing in English</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2116" target="_blank">How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph</a>: Writing in English</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2004" target="_blank">How to Write a Short Story</a>: Writing in English</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1595" target="_blank">Past Progressive</a>: Grammar Practice Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons/1560" target="_blank">What Were You Doing When?</a>: Basic Grammar Sentences</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1641" target="_blank">Simple Past &amp; Past Progressive</a>: Grammar Stories</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2520" target="_blank">Past Progressive</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simple-past-vs-past-progressive/" target="_blank">Simple Past Vs. Past Progressive</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-tips-and-resources-for-inspiring-learners-to-write" target="_blank">10+ Tips &amp; Resources for Inspiring Learners to&nbsp;Write</a></li>
</ul>


Creating Atmosphere in Writing with the Past Progressive

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<p>For the past few weeks at ESL&nbsp;Library, we&rsquo;ve been stuck in the past! We&rsquo;re rewriting our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1594">Simple Past</a> lesson (in the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a> section) to include grammar notes, speaking exercises, a writing exercise, and a quiz (available on June&nbsp;1,&nbsp;2018). This has inspired us to blog about the <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/pronunciation-of-past-tense-endings">Pronunciation Rules of Past Tense Endings</a> and has prompted us to make a new <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Grammar &amp; Usage Resource</a> on the <a href="https://ellii.com/resources/grammar-usage/2732-spelling-rules-for-regular-past-verbs">Spelling Rules for Regular Past&nbsp;Verbs</a>.</p>

<p>English spelling can be tough, but luckily there are some rules to help students in certain situations. While <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-fun-activities-for-irregular-verbs/">irregular past verbs</a> have far too many spelling changes to list, forming the past tense for regular verbs is relatively easy. We thought we&rsquo;d share these simple rules in this week&rsquo;s blog&nbsp;post!</p>

<h1>Rules</h1>

<p>Go over the spelling rules and examples with your students. See if your students can think of other examples for each&nbsp;rule.</p>

<h2>Rule #1</h2>

<p>If a verb ends in <em class="inlineBlock">-e</em>, add <em class="inlineBlock">-d.</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>like &rarr; liked</li>
	<li>arrive &rarr; arrived</li>
	<li>decide &rarr; decided</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #2</h2>

<p>If a verb ends in consonant + <em class="inlineBlock">-y</em>,&nbsp;change <em class="inlineBlock">-y</em> to <em class="inlineBlock">-i</em> and add&nbsp;<em class="inlineBlock">-ed</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>carry &rarr; carried</li>
	<li>try &rarr; tried</li>
	<li>study &rarr; studied</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #3</h2>

<p>If a verb ends in vowel + <em class="inlineBlock">-y</em>, add&nbsp;<em class="inlineBlock">-ed</em>.*</p>

<ul>
	<li>play &rarr; played</li>
	<li>stay &rarr; stayed</li>
	<li>enjoy &rarr; enjoyed</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #4</h2>

<p>If a verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern, double the final consonant and add&nbsp;<em class="inlineBlock">-ed</em>.**</p>

<ul>
	<li>hug &rarr; hugged</li>
	<li>plan &rarr; planned</li>
	<li>stop &rarr; stopped</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #5</h2>

<p>For all other verbs, add&nbsp;<em class="inlineBlock">-ed</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>watch &rarr; watched</li>
	<li>ask &rarr; asked</li>
	<li>clean &rarr; cleaned</li>
</ul>

<h2>Notes</h2>

<h3>*Note 1:</h3>

<p>There are some exceptions to Rule&nbsp;#3:</p>

<ul>
	<li>pay &rarr; paid</li>
	<li>lay &rarr; laid</li>
</ul>

<h3>**Note 2:</h3>

<p>Rule #4 is true only for verbs that have the stress on the final syllable. Notice the difference&nbsp;below:</p>

<ul>
	<li>pre<strong>fer</strong> &rarr; pre<strong>ferred</strong></li>
	<li><strong>vi</strong>sit &rarr; <strong>vi</strong>sited</li>
</ul>

<p>Rule #4 also depends on which country&rsquo;s spelling system you&rsquo;re using. In the American spelling of words ending in the CVC with <strong>consonant + e + l</strong>, the final l will not double in the most commonly accepted form (e.g., <em>travel &rarr; traveled</em>, <em>cancel &rarr; canceled</em>). Most other English-speaking countries prefer to double the final l (e.g., <em>travel &rarr; travelled</em>, <em>cancel &rarr;&nbsp;cancelled</em>).</p>

<h1>Practice</h1>

<p>Write the following words on the board or <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2732-spelling-rules-for-regular-past-verbs">print out the worksheet</a> if you&rsquo;re a subscriber. Have students write the past tense form for each of the following&nbsp;verbs.</p>

<ol>
	<li>cry</li>
	<li>decide</li>
	<li>walk</li>
	<li>sob</li>
	<li>enjoy</li>
	<li>wash</li>
	<li>hurry</li>
	<li>refer</li>
	<li>clean</li>
	<li>free</li>
	<li>pour</li>
	<li>check</li>
	<li>visit</li>
	<li>dye</li>
	<li>smile</li>
	<li>bake</li>
	<li>admit</li>
	<li>love</li>
	<li>pray</li>
	<li>listen</li>
</ol>

<h2>Answer Key</h2>

<ol>
	<li>cried</li>
	<li>decided</li>
	<li>walked</li>
	<li>sobbed</li>
	<li>enjoyed</li>
	<li>washed</li>
	<li>hurried</li>
	<li>referred</li>
	<li>cleaned</li>
	<li>freed</li>
	<li>poured</li>
	<li>checked</li>
	<li>visited</li>
	<li>dyed</li>
	<li>smiled</li>
	<li>baked</li>
	<li>admitted</li>
	<li>loved</li>
	<li>prayed</li>
	<li>listened</li>
</ol>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2732"><img alt="Spelling Rules for Regular Past Verbs" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/235/content_103_Spelling-Rules-Regular-Past-Verbs_US.png" /></a></p>

<p class="caption">Grammar &amp; Usage &ndash; <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2732">Spelling Rules for Regular Past Verbs</a></p>

<h1>Related Materials</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1594">Simple Past</a>:&nbsp;Grammar Practice Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1642">Simple Past</a>: Grammar Stories</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2504">Simple Past</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons/1589">Simple Past</a>: Basic Grammar Sentences</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/grammar-usage/2732-spelling-rules-for-regular-past-verbs">Spelling Rules for Regular Past Verbs</a>: Grammar &amp; Usage</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/grammar-usage/2733-pronunciation-rules-regular-past-verbs">Pronunciation Rules for Regular Past Verbs</a>: Grammar &amp; Usage</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/grammar-usage/2161-irregular-verb-list-present-past">Irregular Verb List</a>: Grammar &amp; Usage</li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/pronunciation-of-past-tense-endings">Pronunciation of Past Tense Endings</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/5-fun-activities-for-irregular-verbs/">5 Fun Activities for Irregular Verbs</a></li>
</ul>


Spelling Rules for Regular Past Verbs

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<p>Vocabulary about family members and relationships is useful for all ages and levels. Beginner‑level students need to learn basic relations (e.g., mother, uncle, niece, etc.) while intermediate‑level learners can expand on the basics (e.g., brother‑in‑law, stepsister,&nbsp;etc.).</p>

<p>If &ldquo;family&rdquo; is a new topic for your learners, teach them the basics before you try the family vocabulary review activity. If you&rsquo;re looking for lessons, ESL&nbsp;Library has a lot of materials on the family! (See the Related section at the end of this&nbsp;post.)</p>

<p>Once your students are familiar with basic family vocabulary, challenge them to the following fun, fast-paced activity! It&rsquo;s one of my favorite ways to review family vocabulary. My students love the competition that this brain-teaser activity&nbsp;provides!</p>

<h1>How to Play</h1>

<ol class="spaced-list">
	<li>Divide the class into two&nbsp;teams.</li>
	<li>Pick one person from each team to take a turn&nbsp;simultaneously.</li>
	<li>Read out the first phrase from the Teachers&rsquo; Guide below. (Don&rsquo;t read out the answers in parentheses. Answers are provided for your reference&nbsp;only.)</li>
	<li>Give a point to the team of the student who yells out the correct answer&nbsp;first.</li>
	<li>Continue by choosing two more students and reading the second&nbsp;phrase.</li>
</ol>

<p>Alternatively, you could divide the class into two teams but let anyone from either team shout out the answer. The pro to this method is that it gets loud and competitive! The con is that you might not hear from all the students, especially the quieter&nbsp;ones.</p>

<h1>Teachers&rsquo; Guide</h1>

<ol>
	<li>My father&rsquo;s brother. (uncle)</li>
	<li>My brother&rsquo;s sister. (sister)</li>
	<li>My mother&rsquo;s father. (grandfather)</li>
	<li>My son&rsquo;s sister. (daughter)</li>
	<li>My grandfather&rsquo;s daughter. (mother/aunt)</li>
	<li>My aunt&rsquo;s son. (cousin)</li>
	<li>My sister&rsquo;s daughter. (niece)</li>
	<li>My father&rsquo;s mother. (grandmother)</li>
	<li>My mother&rsquo;s son. (brother)</li>
	<li>My cousin&rsquo;s brother. (cousin)</li>
	<li>My sister&rsquo;s mother. (mother)</li>
	<li>My uncle&rsquo;s wife. (aunt)</li>
	<li>My grandmother&rsquo;s son. (father/uncle)</li>
	<li>My mother&rsquo;s mother. (grandmother)</li>
	<li>My uncle&rsquo;s daughter. (cousin)</li>
	<li>My nephew&rsquo;s mother. (sister)</li>
	<li>My brother&rsquo;s uncle. (uncle)</li>
	<li>My daughter&rsquo;s brother. (son)</li>
	<li>My brother&rsquo;s son. (nephew)</li>
	<li>My mother&rsquo;s husband. (father)</li>
</ol>

<p>Use the <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2721-family-vocabulary-review">review worksheet</a> from our Resources section as a follow-up. Students can complete it individually for&nbsp;homework or during&nbsp;class in pairs or small&nbsp;groups.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2721"><img alt="Family Vocabulary Review at ESL Library" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/236/content_103_Family-Vocabulary-Review_US.png" width="400" height="auto" /></a></p>

<p class="caption">Grammar &amp; Usage &ndash; <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2721">Family Vocabulary Review</a></p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<h3>Teens &amp; Adults</h3>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/75/lessons/1655">Family</a>: Living in English</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1647">Adjective Clause &amp; Phrase Stories</a>: Grammar Stories</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2346">Family Feuds</a>: Discussion Starters</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/warm-ups-fillers/resources/2222-my-family-tree">My Family Tree</a>: Miscellaneous Resources</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/5/flashcard_categories/36">Family</a>: Flashcards</li>
</ul>

<h3>Children &amp; Literacy&nbsp;Students</h3>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2458">Family Vocabulary</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2495">Subject &amp; Object Pronouns</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/119/lessons/2631">My Family</a>: Guided Writing</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/120/lessons/2656">My Family</a>: Artistic Activities</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/5/flashcard_categories/36">Family</a>: Flashcards</li>
</ul>

<p>How do you practice family vocabulary in class? Share your ideas in the comments section&nbsp;below!</p>


Family Vocabulary Activity

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<p>Pairing &ldquo;opposite&rdquo; words is a great way to learn new vocabulary. English language learners have an easier time attaching meaning to a word when they are also presented with a word&rsquo;s antonym. For example, the meaning of the word &ldquo;big&rdquo; is a lot easier to grasp when presented as <span class="inlineBlock">&ldquo;big/small.&rdquo;</span></p>

<p>Visuals are also very helpful with opposites. Words such as &ldquo;tall/short,&rdquo; when accompanied by images of tall and short people, are instantly understood. You can find plenty of images of common opposites in our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/4/flashcard_categories/29">Descriptive Adjective&nbsp;Flashcards</a>!</p>

<p>Opposites can also be reinforced through various practice activities such as word tasks or card games. After presenting the lists of opposites in the charts below to your students, try some of the activities suggested at the end of this&nbsp;post.</p>

<h1>Lists of Opposites</h1>

<p>We&rsquo;ve divided these lists into different parts of speech so that students can better understand their role in a sentence. For more practice with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions, see our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1605" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Parts of Speech</a> lesson for teens and adults or our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2499" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fun Grammar Lesson</a> for&nbsp;kids.</p>

<h2>Adjectives</h2>

<ul>
	<li>tall &rarr; short</li>
	<li>big &rarr; small</li>
	<li>hot &rarr; cold</li>
	<li>soft &rarr; hard</li>
	<li>loud &rarr; quiet</li>
	<li>easy &rarr; difficult</li>
	<li>happy &rarr; sad</li>
	<li>low &rarr; high</li>
	<li>shy &rarr; outgoing</li>
	<li>clean &rarr; dirty</li>
	<li>new &rarr; old</li>
	<li>light &rarr; heavy</li>
	<li>safe &rarr; dangerous</li>
	<li>strong &rarr; weak</li>
	<li>fast &rarr; slow</li>
	<li>early &rarr; late</li>
</ul>

<h2>Adverbs</h2>

<ul>
	<li>quickly &rarr; slowly</li>
	<li>loudly &rarr; quietly</li>
	<li>politely &rarr; rudely</li>
	<li>internally &rarr; externally</li>
	<li>always &rarr; never</li>
</ul>

<h2>Prepositions</h2>

<ul>
	<li>in &rarr; out</li>
	<li>into &rarr; out of</li>
	<li>on &rarr; off</li>
	<li>in front of &rarr; behind</li>
	<li>next to &rarr; far from</li>
	<li>above &rarr; below</li>
	<li>over &rarr; under</li>
</ul>

<h2>Nouns</h2>

<ul>
	<li>sun &rarr; moon</li>
	<li>day &rarr; night</li>
	<li>land &rarr; sea</li>
	<li>beginning &rarr; ending</li>
	<li>everybody &rarr; nobody</li>
	<li>love &rarr; hate</li>
	<li>past &rarr; future</li>
</ul>

<h2>Verbs</h2>

<ul>
	<li>ask &rarr; answer</li>
	<li>arrive &rarr; leave</li>
	<li>give &rarr; take</li>
	<li>sit &rarr; stand</li>
	<li>find &rarr; lose</li>
</ul>

<h1>Activities</h1>

<h2>1. Brainstorming</h2>

<p>There are millions of opposites out there! Brainstorm in groups (students can record their opposites on a piece of paper) or as a class (you can record their opposites on the board). Make it more challenging by brainstorming for a particular part of speech. Make it more interesting by dividing students into teams for a class brainstorming session&mdash;whichever team comes up with 10&nbsp;opposites first (or the most opposites in a given timeframe)&nbsp;wins!</p>

<h2>2. Matching</h2>

<p>Matchup tasks are perfect for practicing opposites. Write opposite terms onto small pieces of paper, mix them up, and give them to pairs to groups to sort into matching opposites. (For premade blank cards, use page 7 from <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2247-verb-cards-present-past-past-participle" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Verb Cards</a> in our Resources&nbsp;section.)</p>

<p>You could also write one set of opposite pairs in a list on the left side and the other on the right of a piece of paper (for pairs or groups) or on the board (for a class activity) and have students draw lines between the opposites. Be sure to mix up the order on the right side so that the opposites aren&rsquo;t directly across from one&nbsp;another.</p>

<h2>3. Complete the List</h2>

<p>Put students into pairs (or have them work individually) and have them write one-half of an opposite word pair in a column on the left side of a piece of paper (e.g., big, tall, etc.). Challenge them to come up with 10 words (and ask for them all to be a particular part of speech if you want to practice that too). Then have them pass the paper to another pair (or individual) who will try to complete the list by writing down the opposite words (e.g., small, short,&nbsp;etc.).</p>

<h2>4. Memory Game</h2>

<p>There are a lot of card games you can use for practice with opposites, such as Go Fish or&nbsp;Memory.</p>

<p>For the Memory game, cut up a set of same‑sized cards (for premade blank cards, use page&nbsp;7 from this <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2247-verb-cards-present-past-past-participle" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Verb Cards</a> resource) before class and write one word on each. Make sure each word card has another card with the opposite word on it. Have one set of cards for each&nbsp;group.</p>

<p>In class, shuffle the cards and place individual cards face‑down in a grid on a table for each group. Students will take turns in their group. For a turn, a student will flip over any two cards. If the words are matching opposites, the student can keep the pair of cards. If they&rsquo;re not opposites, the students must flip them back over. At the end of the game, when all the opposite pairs are found, the student with the most pairs&nbsp;wins!</p>

<p>What are some other ways you would practice opposites in class? Share your ideas in the comments section&nbsp;below.</p>


Opposites – A Fun Way to Learn New Vocabulary

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<p>Many languages have a one-to-one spelling-pronunciation relationship, but the English language has no such thing! This is why English pronunciation can be difficult for students to&nbsp;master.</p>

<p>On top of the 26 vowel sounds and many tricky consonant sounds, students also need to learn the pronunciation of endings that change according to the last sound of a&nbsp;word.</p>

<p>The past tense ending <em>-ed</em>, for example, is pronounced as /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/ depending on the last letter of the verb. Luckily there are easy rules (listed below) for language learners to&nbsp;follow!</p>

<h1>Rule 1</h1>

<h4><em>-ed</em> becomes /t/ following voiceless consonants</h4>

<p>Voiceless (also called <em>soft</em> or <em>unvoiced</em>) consonants refer to sounds that don&rsquo;t make your vocal cords vibrate. If you put your hand to your throat when you pronounce these sounds, you won&rsquo;t feel a vibration. These sounds are all soft like a&nbsp;whisper.</p>

<p>Voiceless consonants in English include: /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/,&nbsp;/ʃ/ (also written as /sh/, as in the first sound in &ldquo;shirt&rdquo;), /tʃ/ (also written as /ch/, as in the first sound in &ldquo;cheese&rdquo;), and /&theta;/ (also written as /th/, as in the first sound in&nbsp;&ldquo;thanks&rdquo;).</p>

<p>When a base verb ends in these sounds, the <em>-ed</em> ending is pronounced with the voiceless sound /t/. The reason for this is that it is natural (i.e., easier to pronounce) for a voiceless sound to follow another voiceless&nbsp;sound.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h2>Rule 1</h2>

<p>If the verb ends with the sound <strong>f</strong>, <strong>k</strong>, <strong>p</strong>, <strong>s</strong>, <strong>ʃ</strong>, <strong>tʃ</strong>, or <strong>&theta;</strong>, pronounce the past tense ending as&nbsp;<strong>t</strong>.</p>
</div>

<h1>Rule 2</h1>

<h4><em>-ed</em>&nbsp;becomes /d/ following voiced&nbsp;sounds</h4>

<p>Voiced (also called <em>loud</em>) consonants and vowels refer to sounds that make your vocal cords vibrate. If you put your hand to your throat when you pronounce these sounds, you will feel a vibration. These sounds are all loud&mdash;you can hear the noise they&nbsp;make.</p>

<p>Voiced consonants in English include: /b/, /dʒ/ (as in the first sound in &ldquo;jump&rdquo;), /ʒ/ (also written as /zh/, as in the final sound in &ldquo;beige&rdquo;),&nbsp;/g/, /j/ (also written as /y/, as in the first sound in &ldquo;yes&rdquo;), /l/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/ (the &ldquo;ing&rdquo; sound), /&eth;/ (also written as /th/, as in the first sound in &ldquo;there&rdquo;), /r/, /v/, /w/, /z/, and any vowel&nbsp;sound.</p>

<p>When a base verb ends in these sounds, the <em>-ed</em> ending is pronounced with the voiced sound /d/. The reason for this is that it is natural (i.e., easier to pronounce) for a voiced sound to follow another voiced&nbsp;sound.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h2>Rule 2</h2>

<p>If the verb ends with the sound <strong>b</strong>, <strong>dʒ</strong>, <strong>ʒ</strong>, <strong>g</strong>, <strong>j</strong>, <strong>l</strong>, <strong>m</strong>, <strong>n</strong>, <strong>ŋ</strong>, <strong>&eth;</strong>, <strong>r</strong>, <strong>v</strong>, <strong>w</strong>, <strong>z</strong>, or any <strong>vowel sound</strong>, pronounce the past tense ending as&nbsp;<strong>d</strong>.</p>
</div>

<h1>Rule 3</h1>

<h4><em>-ed</em> becomes /ɪd/ following <em>t</em> or&nbsp;<em>d</em></h4>

<p>When a base verb ends in the letters <em>t</em> or <em>d</em>, the&nbsp;<em>-ed</em> ending is pronounced with the syllable /ɪd/ (also written as /əd/ or /ed/&mdash;the same vowel sound as the word&nbsp;&ldquo;it&rdquo;).</p>

<p>The reason we add a whole extra syllable, including a vowel sound, is because it would be impossible to say two /t/ or two /d/ sounds together without a vowel in between. Imagine trying to say &ldquo;wantt&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;wanted&rdquo; or &ldquo;needd&rdquo; instead of&nbsp;&ldquo;needed&rdquo;!</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h2>Rule 3</h2>

<p>If the verb ends with the sound <strong>t</strong> or <strong>d</strong>, pronounce the past tense ending as&nbsp;<strong>ɪd</strong>.</p>
</div>

<h1>Pronunciation Practice</h1>

<p>Play the recording for your students (or read out the words yourself) and have them repeat the&nbsp;words.</p>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1/ed-endings-ESL.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<h2>Rule 1</h2>

<h4><em>-ed</em>&nbsp;as /t/</h4>

<p>Say /t/ when the <em>-ed</em> ending follows a voiceless&nbsp;sound.</p>

<ol>
	<li>looked</li>
	<li>stopped</li>
	<li>watched</li>
	<li>finished</li>
	<li>danced</li>
</ol>

<h2>Rule 2</h2>

<h4><em>-ed</em>&nbsp;as /d/</h4>

<p>Say /d/ when the <em>-ed</em> ending follows a voiced&nbsp;sound.</p>

<ol>
	<li>listened</li>
	<li>preferred</li>
	<li>cried</li>
	<li>smiled</li>
	<li>studied</li>
</ol>

<h2>Rule 3</h2>

<h4><em>-ed</em>&nbsp;as /ɪd/</h4>

<p>Say /ɪd/ when the <em>-ed</em> ending follows a /t/ or&nbsp;/d/.</p>

<ol>
	<li>wanted</li>
	<li>needed</li>
	<li>visited</li>
	<li>shouted</li>
	<li>ended</li>
</ol>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2733"><img alt="" height="auto" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/237/content_103_Pronunciation-Rules-Regular-Past-Verbs_US.png" width="200" /></a></p>
<p class="caption"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2733">Pronunciation Rules: Regular Past Verbs</a> &ndash; Grammar &amp; Usage&nbsp;Resources</p>

<h1>Related Materials</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1594">Simple Past &ndash;&nbsp;Grammar Practice Worksheets</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1642">Simple Past &ndash; Grammar Stories</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2504">Simple Past &ndash; Fun Grammar Lessons</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons/1589">Simple Past &ndash; Basic Grammar Sentences</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2732-spelling-rules-for-regular-past-verbs">Spelling Rules for Regular Past Verbs</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2733-pronunciation-rules-regular-past-verbs">Pronunciation Rules for Regular Past Verbs</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simple-past-vs-past-progressive/">Simple Past Vs. Past Progressive &ndash; Blog Post</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Note: The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPA" rel="noopener" target="_blank">International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)</a>&nbsp;is used in this&nbsp;post.</p>


Pronunciation of Past Tense Endings

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<p>Low-level English learners are taught to add ‑s to form a plural noun fairly early on. Fortunately, most English nouns follow this rule. Unfortunately, but perhaps not unexpectedly, there are&nbsp;exceptions!</p>

<p>Luckily these irregular plural forms can be mapped out into several recognizable patterns for the most part. Some plural nouns, such as <em>people</em>, <em>men</em>, <em>women</em>, <em>children</em>, <em>teeth</em>, and <em>feet</em> are so commonly used that they end up being pretty easy to remember. Other less common plurals, like <em>alumni</em>, <em>crises</em>, <em>lice</em>, or <em>sheep</em>, take a bit more exposure and&nbsp;practice.</p>

<p>Introduce the following chart to your English language learners, and then give some of the suggested practice activities a try. Your students will be comfortable with irregular plural nouns in no&nbsp;time!</p>

<h1>Chart</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2680" target="_blank"><img alt="Irregular Plural Nouns resource" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/238/content_103_Irregular-Plural-Nouns_US.png" /></a></p>

<p class="caption">Grammar &amp; Usage Resources &ndash; <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2680" target="_blank">Irregular Plural Nouns</a></p>

<h1>Practice Activities</h1>

<h2>Eliciting</h2>

<p>Before handing out the chart, write ten or more of the words from the chart randomly on the board. Challenge students to find common patterns among the&nbsp;words.</p>

<h2>Ball Toss</h2>

<p>Bring in a soft ball (or use a small eraser or other small, soft object). Say a singular noun from the chart and toss the ball to a student. That student must give the plural form. Then that student will choose another singular noun and toss the ball to another student. Continue until all students have had a turn. You can choose to let them consult the chart or&nbsp;not.</p>

<h2>Additions</h2>

<p>Put your students in pairs and challenge them to add to the chart. Allow them to use their mobile devices or classroom computers to look up more irregular plurals. Make it more interesting by giving a time limit (the pair who has the most new words wins) or by insisting on five new words per category (or five new words in three categories of their&nbsp;choosing).</p>

<h2>Dialogues</h2>

<p>Put students into pairs and have them write their own dialogue using five (or ten) plural forms. Then have the pairs perform their dialogues for the class. Make it more interesting by having pairs use one&nbsp;<em>incorrect</em> plural form in their dialogue to see if the rest of the class can catch it during each&nbsp;performance.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1621" target="_blank">Singular &amp; Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493" target="_blank">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1613" target="_blank">Count Vs. Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2184" target="_blank">Non-Count Nouns Chart</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/plural-endings-s-or-es" target="_blank">Plural Endings: -s or -es?</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/count-non-count-nouns/" target="_blank">Count &amp; Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/confusing-possessive-plurals" target="_blank">Confusing Possessive Plurals</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/subject-verb-agreement-non-count-nouns-that-end-in-s/" target="_blank">Subject&ndash;Verb Agreement: Non-Count Nouns That End in -s</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/there-is-there-are" target="_blank">There Is/There Are + Nouns in a Series</a></li>
</ul>


Irregular Plural Nouns

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<p>When students learn how to form the plural of countable English nouns, they realize they have to memorize a lot of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493" target="_blank">irregular plural nouns</a>. At least if the word is regular, they only have to add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span>. Or do they? Some English words ending in certain letters take <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> instead of <span class="inlineBlock">-s.</span> Are there any rules we can teach our students to make English plurals a little easier to&nbsp;learn?</p>

<h1>Adding <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span></h1>

<p>Most regular count nouns take the <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> ending to form the plural. Students learn this at an early level, and while it&rsquo;s a fairly straightforward rule, there are some tricky exceptions such as irregular plural forms (but that&rsquo;s a post for another&nbsp;day).</p>

<ul>
	<li>book &rarr; books</li>
	<li>dog &rarr; dogs</li>
	<li>movie &rarr; movies</li>
</ul>

<p>Do we add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> to words ending in the vowel ‑o? Most of these words follow the normal pattern and take the <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> plural&nbsp;ending.</p>

<ul>
	<li>radio &rarr; radios</li>
	<li>photo &rarr; photos</li>
	<li>kangaroo &rarr; kangaroos</li>
</ul>

<h1>Adding -es</h1>

<p>When do we add <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> to form the plural? We usually write <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> to demonstrate a change in pronunciation. It would be too difficult to pronounce an <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> ending after certain similar-sounding consonants (<span class="inlineBlock">-s,</span> <span class="inlineBlock">-z,</span>, ‑x, ‑sh, and ‑ch), which is why we need to add an extra syllable. This syllable is written as <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> and pronounced as&nbsp;<span class="inlineBlock">/əz/.</span></p>

<ul>
	<li>kiss &rarr; kisses /ˈkɪs əz/</li>
	<li>quiz &rarr; quizzes&nbsp;/ˈkwɪz əz/</li>
	<li>box &rarr; boxes&nbsp;/ˈbɑks əz/</li>
	<li>dish &rarr; dishes /ˈdɪ ʃəz/</li>
	<li>watch &rarr; watches /ˈw&aelig; tʃəz/</li>
</ul>

<p>What about a word like &ldquo;potatoes&rdquo;? Some words ending in <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> must take <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span>. There aren&rsquo;t too many of these types of words, but some common ones&nbsp;include:</p>

<ul>
	<li>potato &rarr; potatoes</li>
	<li>tomato &rarr; tomatoes</li>
	<li>hero &rarr; heroes</li>
</ul>

<h1>Adding <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or ‑es</h1>

<p>What about words that can take either <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span>? Many words ending in the vowel <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> fall into this category, where either plural ending is acceptable and correct. In almost all of these cases, dictionaries list the <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> form as the slightly more common&nbsp;form.</p>

<ul>
	<li>mango &rarr; mangoes/mangos</li>
	<li>mosquito &rarr; mosquitoes/mosquitos</li>
	<li>zero &rarr; zeroes/zeros</li>
	<li>volcano &rarr; volcanoes/volcanos</li>
	<li>tornado &rarr; tornadoes/tornados</li>
</ul>

<p>For these cases, should we teach our students one rule (i.e., to always add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or always add <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span>) or to use the most common dictionary form? This question came up while we were developing our new Famous Things lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2669" target="_blank">Volcanoes</a>&mdash;we had to decide if we should use <em>volcanos</em> or <em>volcanoes</em> in the&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>Both <em>volcanoes</em> and <em>volcanos</em> are acceptable, correct spellings. We chose to use <em>volcanoes</em> since most dictionaries, such as&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volcano" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster</a></em> and <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/volcano" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Oxford</em></a>, list <em>volcanoes</em> as the main entry and&nbsp;<em>volcanos</em> as the variant. Though <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> may be the &ldquo;easier&rdquo; rule, we felt it was important to teach the most common plural form to&nbsp;students.</p>

<h1>Conclusion &amp; Other Rules</h1>

<p>There is good news for students! The list of words ending in ‑o that take only <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> is very short, with <em>potatoes</em>&nbsp;and <em>tomatoes&nbsp;</em>being the most common words. This means that if students can&rsquo;t remember if a word takes <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> or <span class="inlineBlock">-es</span> more often (such as <em>mosquitos/mosquitoes</em>), they can add only <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> and there&rsquo;s a high chance it will be an acceptable, correct spelling. Remind students, though, that it&rsquo;s best to use the more common spelling and to look it up when they&nbsp;can.</p>

<p>Some other rules that might be helpful for your students&nbsp;include:</p>

<ol>
	<li>If a word ends in <span class="inlineBlock">-oe</span>, add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>toe &rarr; toes, shoe &rarr; shoes</em>).</li>
	<li>If the letter before the final <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> is a vowel, add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>patio &rarr; patios, video &rarr; videos</em>).</li>
	<li>If the word ending in <span class="inlineBlock">-o</span> is short for a longer word (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>photograph &rarr; photo,&nbsp;</em><em>automobile &rarr; auto</em>), add <span class="inlineBlock">-s</span> (e.g., <em>photos,&nbsp;autos</em>).</li>
</ol>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1621" target="_blank">Singluar &amp; Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2493" target="_blank">Regular &amp; Irregular Plural Nouns</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2669" target="_blank">Volcanoes</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/2736" target="_blank">Tornadoes</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/confusing-possessive-plurals" target="_blank">Confusing Possessive Plurals</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/forming-the-possessive-of-words-ending-in-s" target="_blank">Forming the Possessive of Words Ending in -s</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/count-non-count-nouns/" target="_blank">Count &amp; Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
</ul>


Plural Endings: -s or -es?

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Find fun games and activities for teaching English to young learners and middle schoolers. 

Young Learners

<p>Are you prepared to be inspired? Kids always end up competing more when the <a href="http://ellii.com/blog/olympics-singular-or-plural/" target="_blank">Olympics is</a> on. They want to jump the highest, sing the loudest, skate the fastest, and stay up the latest. Does this happen in your classroom? Don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Olympic Games inspire your students to aim a little&nbsp;higher!</p>

<h1>Who&rsquo;s the Best?</h1>

<p>Practice <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607" target="_blank">superlatives</a> with your students after you&rsquo;ve tried this lesson plan. Or if you&rsquo;ve recently introduced superlative adjectives with <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2163-superlative-adjectives" target="_blank">Tanya&rsquo;s handy chart</a>, try this fun review activity and consider holding a &ldquo;superlative-inspired&rdquo; Student Olympics at your&nbsp;school.</p>

<p>First, brainstorm all of the Winter Olympic sports. Here is a helpful&nbsp;list:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Skiing (alpine, cross-country, freestyle)</li>
	<li>Biathlon</li>
	<li>Bobsleigh</li>
	<li>Curling</li>
	<li>Figure skating</li>
	<li>Ice Hockey</li>
	<li>Luge</li>
	<li>Nordic combined</li>
	<li>Skeleton</li>
	<li>Ski jumping</li>
	<li>Snowboarding</li>
	<li>Speed skating</li>
</ul>

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library subscribers can use these <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114" target="_blank">Winter Olympic&nbsp;Flashcards</a>.</p>

<p>Next, put your students in small groups and tell them to choose a country to represent. Group members will work together to brainstorm Olympic records, achievements, and moments that the Winter Olympic athletes may achieve at this year&rsquo;s Games. Challenge your students to put their thinking caps on. They should be as imaginative as possible! Each item in their list should contain <strong>a superlative adjective</strong> followed by a <strong>noun</strong>. Students can use the list of Olympic events (above) as inspiration. Provide two or three examples to get your students on the right&nbsp;track:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Highest jumper</li>
	<li>Farthest jump</li>
	<li>Fastest skater</li>
	<li>Cleanest skate</li>
	<li>Longest spin</li>
	<li>Most decorated athlete (won the most&nbsp;medals)</li>
	<li>Toughest goalie</li>
	<li>Prettiest skating outfit</li>
	<li>Biggest smile</li>
	<li>Loudest anthem singer</li>
	<li>Worst fall</li>
	<li>Scariest wipeout</li>
</ul>

<h1>The Superlative Games</h1>

<p>Let the Games begin! After each group has come up with a large list of &ldquo;superlative achievements/moments,&rdquo; invite a representative from each country to stand up and read their ideas out to the class. The other groups must listen and place an X beside any examples that are duplicates on their own lists. (Duplicate examples won&rsquo;t count in the scoring.) At the end of &ldquo;the Games,&rdquo; groups count all of their unique (and correct) examples. You can decide if spelling counts! Which group wins gold? Which group wins silver? Which group wins bronze? (Print large-sized flashcards of the medals from our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114" target="_blank">Winter Olympics</a> set. Then play the winning group&rsquo;s anthem to make it really&nbsp;fun!)</p>

<p>After the Superlative Games, create a master list of the achievements/moments etc. that your students came up with and pin the list somewhere in your classroom. During (or after) the Winter Olympics, have your students write the names of the athletes who deserve recognition for each Olympic record, achievement, or moment. <em>Which skier jumped the highest? Which bobsledder went the fastest? Which country had the most&nbsp;spirit?</em></p>

<h1>Student Olympics Day</h1>

<p>Finally, consider holding a Student Olympics Day with other classes in your school at some point while the Winter Olympics is on. Put your students in groups or pairs, and have each group come up with an Olympic event to host. The event can be academic or physical, but must contain a&nbsp;superlative.</p>

<h2>Examples:</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Best speller</li>
	<li>Quickest conjugator</li>
	<li>Tallest teacher</li>
	<li>Prettiest photograph</li>
</ul>

<p>Students will <strong>describe</strong> their event. A description will include the <strong>location</strong> of the event (somewhere on the school property) and any <strong>equipment</strong>&nbsp;that will be needed. Any rules or notes about how the winner will be determined should also be discussed and added. Students will write up their description for those who are interested in competing.</p>

<p><img alt="Student Olympics PDF" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2190/content_Student-Olympics.png" /></p>

<p>Here is a sample <a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/2192/Blog_Student-Olympics.pdf" target="_blank">Olympics Resource</a> template to use. Finally, the group will create a <strong>medal</strong> or certificate for the winner of their&nbsp;event.</p>

<p>Challenge your students to think of a slogan (with superlatives) for their Student Olympic Games. Perhaps they can do better than PyeongChang&rsquo;s motto: &ldquo;Passion.&nbsp;Connected.&rdquo;</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2532" target="_blank">Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607" target="_blank">Equative, Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1600" target="_blank">Comparatives &amp; Superlatives &ndash; Adjectives &amp; Adverbs</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1631" target="_blank">Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjective Stories</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2612" target="_blank">Winter Olympics</a> (Word Bank)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1890" target="_blank">Winter Olympics</a> (Holidays &amp; Events)</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114" target="_blank">Winter Olympic Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/olympics-singular-or-plural/" target="_blank">Olympics: Singular or Plural?</a></li>
</ul>


Practicing Superlatives During the Olympics

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<p>Nouns and adverbs and verbs, oh&nbsp;my!</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1605">Parts of speech</a> are the building blocks for English sentences, and studying them early on can be beneficial for English language learners. Along with common <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-sentence-patterns/">sentence patterns</a>, learning the parts of speech (nouns, verbs, prepositions, etc.) can help students form English sentences more&nbsp;easily.</p>

<p>But how do students know which vocabulary words are nouns, verbs, etc.? This is where <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-word-endings-suffixes-that-show-the-part-of-speech/">suffixes</a> (word endings) come into play. Learning common word endings can help students easily guess at the part of speech of a new vocabulary&nbsp;term.</p>

<p>Parts of speech and suffixes aren&rsquo;t just for beginner students. This knowledge can boost students&rsquo; abilities in both grammar and vocabulary at any level, and is quite useful for higher‑level students who need to decipher complex and unfamiliar words. Learning and practicing word families in context can help higher-level students with speaking and writing as well as on tests such as the&nbsp;TOEIC.</p>

<p>Try presenting the word family chart below to your intermediate- to advanced‑ level learners, and then see if they can complete the following practice exercise. Subscribers can access a printable pdf of the chart and exercise here: <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2668-advanced-word-families">Advanced Word Families</a>. See our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1605">Parts of Speech</a> lesson for lower‑level&nbsp;practice.</p>

<h1>Word Families</h1>

<div style="overflow-x: scroll; margin-bottom: 0;">
<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Verb</th>
			<th>Noun</th>
			<th>Adjective</th>
			<th>Adverb</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>act</td>
			<td>action</td>
			<td>active</td>
			<td>actively</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>apologize</td>
			<td>apology</td>
			<td>apologetic</td>
			<td>apologetically</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>beautify</td>
			<td>beauty</td>
			<td>beautiful</td>
			<td>beautifully</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>believe</td>
			<td>belief</td>
			<td>believable</td>
			<td>believably</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>benefit</td>
			<td>benefit</td>
			<td>beneficial</td>
			<td>beneficially</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>care</td>
			<td>care</td>
			<td>careful</td>
			<td>carefully</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>create</td>
			<td>creation</td>
			<td>creative</td>
			<td>creatively</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>decide</td>
			<td>decision</td>
			<td>decisive</td>
			<td>decisively</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>differ</td>
			<td>difference</td>
			<td>different</td>
			<td>differently</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>divide</td>
			<td>division</td>
			<td>divisive</td>
			<td>divisively</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>exclude</td>
			<td>exclusion</td>
			<td>exclusive</td>
			<td>exclusively</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>identify</td>
			<td>identification</td>
			<td>identifiable</td>
			<td>identifiably</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>justify</td>
			<td>justification</td>
			<td>justifiable</td>
			<td>justifiably</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>protect</td>
			<td>protection</td>
			<td>protective</td>
			<td>protectively</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>rely</td>
			<td>reliability</td>
			<td>reliable</td>
			<td>reliably</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>signify</td>
			<td>significance</td>
			<td>significant</td>
			<td>significantly</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>succeed</td>
			<td>success</td>
			<td>successful</td>
			<td>successfully</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>tolerate</td>
			<td>tolerance</td>
			<td>tolerable</td>
			<td>tolerably</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>understand</td>
			<td>understanding</td>
			<td>understandable</td>
			<td>understandably</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
</div>

<h1>Practice</h1>

<p>Have students complete the sentences below with a form of the prompt word. Allow them to refer to the chart above. You may also want to have students identify the parts of speech. Note that they may have to change the word form by making a noun plural or conjugating a verb into the correct&nbsp;tense.</p>

<h2>Example</h2>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>#</th>
			<th>Prompt</th>
			<th>Sentence</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Ex</td>
			<td>protect</td>
			<td>Female bears are very <strong>protective (adjective)</strong> of their&nbsp;young.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Questions</h2>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>#</th>
			<th>Prompt</th>
			<th>Sentence</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1</td>
			<td>succeed</td>
			<td>Practice and patience are the keys to&nbsp;______&nbsp;.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2</td>
			<td>rely</td>
			<td>My best friend has never let me down. I&nbsp;______&nbsp;on her many times in the&nbsp;past.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>differ</td>
			<td>I can&rsquo;t see what&rsquo;s&nbsp;______&nbsp;in the second version of this&nbsp;document.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>act</td>
			<td>______&nbsp;speak louder than words.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>apologize</td>
			<td>After tripping me on my way to my desk yesterday, my coworker&nbsp;______&nbsp;profusely.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>identify</td>
			<td>Please show me your&nbsp;______&nbsp;and your insurance&nbsp;papers.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>understand</td>
			<td>He was&nbsp;______&nbsp;upset when he heard about the&nbsp;accident.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>divide</td>
			<td>There were so many&nbsp;______&nbsp;issues that they called a mediator&nbsp;in.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>decide</td>
			<td>Because the manager reacted&nbsp;______&nbsp;, the problem didn&rsquo;t spiral out of&nbsp;control.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>benefit</td>
			<td>This document was a&nbsp;______&nbsp;resource for the&nbsp;project.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Answers</h2>

<ol>
	<li>success (noun)</li>
	<li>have relied (verb)</li>
	<li>different (adjective)</li>
	<li>Actions (noun)</li>
	<li>apologized (verb)</li>
	<li>identification (noun)</li>
	<li>understandably (adverb)</li>
	<li>divisive (adjective)</li>
	<li>decisively (adverb)</li>
	<li>beneficial (adjective)</li>
</ol>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2668-advanced-word-families">Advanced Word Families</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1605">Parts of Speech Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2499">Parts of Speech Lesson &ndash; Young Learners</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2479-parts-of-speech-chart">Parts of Speech Chart</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2481-parts-of-speech-cards">Parts of Speech Cards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2229-english-sentence-patterns">English Sentence Patterns</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2316-suffixes">Suffixes</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2523-suffix-flashcards">Suffix Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2521-prefixes">Prefixes</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2522-prefix-flashcards">Prefix Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/warm-ups-fillers/resources/2201-flying-affixes">Flying Affixes Activity</a></li>
</ul>


Word Families

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<p>English language learners are taught early on that English sentences take a <strong>subject</strong> and a <strong>verb.</strong> The common sentence pattern &ldquo;SVO&rdquo; (subject-verb-object) gets drilled into their brains. What happens when those students see sentences with <strong>no subject</strong>, such as &ldquo;Close the door&rdquo; or &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t run in the&nbsp;hallways&rdquo;?</p>

<p>Verbs that don&rsquo;t have an obvious subject are called&nbsp;<strong>imperative verbs</strong>, and they are usually taught early on since they use the simple present tense. Use the teaching tips below to make sure your students understand the form and function of these common&nbsp;verbs.</p>

<h1>Form</h1>

<p>Imperative verbs take the first position in a sentence, so you can teach students to think of the pattern as <strong>V&nbsp;(+&nbsp;O)</strong> instead of the usual S&nbsp;+&nbsp;V&nbsp;(+&nbsp;O).</p>

<p>Imperative verbs actually do have a subject, but it is never stated. That subject is <strong>you</strong> (the second person singular or&nbsp;plural).</p>

<p>Imperative verbs are always stated in the <strong>simple present</strong>. Because the subject is the unstated&nbsp;<em>you</em>, the verb form is the simple present, second person singular form (which looks like a base verb). It never takes an <em class="inlineBlock">-s</em> (third person singular)&nbsp;ending.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Relax</strong>.</li>
	<li><strong>Finish</strong> your&nbsp;homework.</li>
	<li><strong>Take</strong> a deep&nbsp;breath.</li>
</ul>

<p>The negative form of imperative verbs also follows the negative simple present, second person singular form (<strong>do + not + verb</strong>). It is often contracted to <strong>don&rsquo;t&nbsp;+&nbsp;verb</strong>.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Do not speak</strong> French.</li>
	<li><strong>Don&rsquo;t run</strong>.</li>
	<li><strong>Don&rsquo;t work</strong> too&nbsp;late.</li>
</ul>

<p>Imperative verbs don&rsquo;t have a regular question form. Questions in English almost always include a subject. For example, <em>Do you like pizza?</em> is correct, but <em>Do like pizza?</em> is not correct. For higher‑level learners, you may wish to point out that imperative verbs can be used for very informal questions (usually to confirm something). For example, we can say <em>Bring a jacket, right?</em> or <em>Pass you this one or that&nbsp;one?</em></p>

<h1>Function</h1>

<p>We use imperative verbs to give commands or directions, state rules, or give advice. In fact, the word <em>imperative</em> means <em>commanding/important/controlling</em>.</p>

<p>Remind English language learners that imperative verbs can be directed at one person (i.e., the second person singular) or two or more people (i.e., the second person plural). Common uses of imperative verbs&nbsp;include:</p>

<h2>Use #1</h2>

<h4>Parents telling children what to&nbsp;do</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Do your homework!</li>
	<li>Do the dishes.</li>
	<li>Eat your dinner.</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t play with your&nbsp;food!</li>
</ul>

<h2>Use #2</h2>

<h4>Teachers giving instructions to&nbsp;students</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Finish the exercise on page&nbsp;8.</li>
	<li>Stop talking!</li>
	<li>Open your books to Chapter&nbsp;2.</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t look at your phones in&nbsp;class.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Use #3</h2>

<h4>Employers giving instructions to&nbsp;employees</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Hand in that report by&nbsp;Friday.</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t forget about the meeting&nbsp;tomorrow.</li>
	<li>Turn your computer off when you&nbsp;leave.</li>
	<li>Stop by my office.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Use #4</h2>

<h4>People in authority, such as police officers, telling other people what to&nbsp;do</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t drink and&nbsp;drive.</li>
	<li>Put all metal objects into this&nbsp;container.</li>
	<li>Fill out this form.</li>
	<li>Show me your ID.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Use #5</h2>

<h4>Rules, guidelines, or&nbsp;laws</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t run by the&nbsp;pool.</li>
	<li>Do not trespass.</li>
	<li>Take off your shoes.</li>
	<li>Dress appropriately.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Use #6</h2>

<h4>Friends or family members giving&nbsp;advice</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t forget to call him&nbsp;back.</li>
	<li>Follow up with an email.</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t borrow money from&nbsp;friends.</li>
	<li>Ask me for help anytime.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2818">Imperative Verbs</a> &ndash; Grammar Practice Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2831">Imperative Verbs</a> &ndash; Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1755">Following Procedures</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/2119">Following Instructions</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1991">How to Write a Recipe</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2482">Following Instructions at the Pool</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2215-following-the-teacher-s-instructions">Following the Teacher&rsquo;s Instructions</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/warm-ups-fillers/resources/2205-whose-to-do">Whose To-Do?</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/4/flashcard_categories/27">Daily Routines Flashcards</a></li>
</ul>


Imperative Verbs

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Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

<blockquote>
<p>What are you gonna do in&nbsp;2018?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Though speaking quickly in another language can seem overwhelming at first, learning common language reductions (such as whacha, wanna, or gonna) can give students confidence in their speaking and listening&nbsp;abilities.</p>

<p>My students always enjoyed practicing reduced pronunciation&mdash;we&rsquo;d have a lot of laughs together even when they&rsquo;d get tongue‑tied. Two things help learners feel more confident when practicing reduced pronunciation: guided practice with lots of modeling and handy tips to help them, and plenty of encouragement along the&nbsp;way.</p>

<p>Remind students that even though reductions may sound like a whole other language at first, practicing reduced pronunciation means they&rsquo;ll be able to better decipher quick, natural speaking when listening to native speakers, and they&rsquo;ll sound more natural when speaking,&nbsp;too.</p>

<p>The beginning of a new year is a great time to focus on be going to. This future phrase is commonly used at this time of year when people are making and discussing New Year&rsquo;s resolutions and goals. Teach your learners how to pronounce <strong>going to</strong> as <strong>gonna</strong>, and encourage them to use it whenever they&rsquo;re discussing future&nbsp;plans.</p>

<h1>Practice</h1>

<p>In English, it is common to use be going to + verb instead of will + verb for expressing the simple future. (See <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/simple-future-teaching-the-three-forms/" target="_blank">Simple Future: Teaching the Three Forms</a> for more teaching tips and information.) When English speakers are speaking at a normal rate of speech, it is common to reduce&nbsp;going to to gonna. The main reason for this is that be going to isn&rsquo;t conveying much important information&mdash;the main verb that follows is the important information in the&nbsp;sentence.</p>

<p>Model the following sentences for your students (or play the audio clip below) and have students repeat them using the same stress patterns and speed. I often used the expression &ldquo;<strong>Race to the Verb!</strong>&rdquo; with my students to help them remember to say everything before the main verb quite quickly, and then to slow down and stress the main&nbsp;verb.</p>

<ul>
	<li>&nbsp;I&rsquo;m gonna <strong>practice</strong> English every day. (Remind students that they will see it written as &ldquo;I&rsquo;m <strong>going to</strong> practice&hellip;&rdquo; because gonna is only used in spoken&nbsp;English.)</li>
	<li>Are you gonna <strong>go out</strong>&nbsp;tonight?</li>
	<li>He&rsquo;s gonna <strong>do</strong> his&nbsp;homework.</li>
	<li>She&rsquo;s gonna <strong>buy</strong> a new&nbsp;dress.</li>
	<li>We&rsquo;re gonna <strong>play&nbsp;</strong>our new video&nbsp;game.</li>
	<li>Are they gonna <strong>go</strong> to Disneyland next&nbsp;year?</li>
</ul>

<p><iframe frameborder="1" height="154" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://audioboom.com/boos/2764121-reduced-pronunciation-gonna/embed/v3?eid=AQAAAOkyo1RZLSoA&amp;player_theme=light&amp;link_color=%2358d1eb&amp;image_option=none&amp;show_title=true" width="480"></iframe></p>

<h1>Notes</h1>

<h2>Note #1</h2>

<p>Remember that&nbsp;gonna is only used in&nbsp;<strong>speaking</strong>. We should <strong>never write gonna</strong> (with the possible exception of texting between&nbsp;friends).</p>

<h2>Note #2</h2>

<p>Point out that not all instances of going to can be reduced to&nbsp;gonna! It is only possible when the future phrase be going to is followed by a verb. The present progressive of go followed by the preposition of direction to can look similar to the future phrase be going to, but it is not the same and can&rsquo;t be reduced. Tell students that <strong>no verb = no gonna</strong> (we can&rsquo;t say&nbsp;gonna if it isn&rsquo;t followed by a verb). Note the following&nbsp;examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&rsquo;m going to <strong>call</strong> my friend later. (gonna = correct / followed by a verb / we can say I&rsquo;m gonna&nbsp;call)</li>
	<li>I&rsquo;m going to <strong>the store</strong> later. (gonna = incorrect / not followed by a verb / we can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;m gonna the&nbsp;store)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2502" target="_blank">Simple Future</a>&nbsp;(Fun Grammar Lessons &ndash; YL)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1596" target="_blank">Simple Future</a> (Grammar Practice Worksheets)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons/1568" target="_blank">Future &ndash; What Are You Going to Do Tonight?</a> (Basic Grammar Sentences)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1638" target="_blank">Simple Future Stories</a> (Grammar Stories)</li>
</ul>


Reduced Pronunciation – Gonna

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<p>Describing people is something that students learn to do early on. They learn how to use adjectives and nouns to describe people&rsquo;s appearance, personality, and feelings. But I&rsquo;ve often found that, whether it&rsquo;s a beginner‑level or intermediate‑level class, my students usually struggle with the answer to <strong>&ldquo;What is he/she like?&rdquo;</strong> Their automatic answer is to describe someone&rsquo;s&nbsp;appearance.</p>

<p>Students often have trouble grasping the differences between the questions and answers for <strong>&ldquo;What is he/she like?&rdquo;</strong> and <strong>&ldquo;What does he/she look like?&rdquo;</strong> They sometimes get <strong>&ldquo;What does she like?&rdquo;</strong> mixed up as well, since likes and dislikes are also covered in early learning stages. I&rsquo;ve found that pointing out a few key points about these three questions and answers all at once helped students keep them&nbsp;straight.</p>

<h1>1. Verb Used</h1>

<p>The verb is the easiest way to determine which question is being asked. For each of the questions, ask your students what the main verb&nbsp;is.</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Question</th>
			<th>Verb</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>What <strong>is</strong> he/she&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td><strong>be</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What <strong>does</strong> he/she <strong>look</strong>&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td><strong>look</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What [noun] <strong>does</strong> he/she&nbsp;<strong>like</strong>?</td>
			<td><strong>like</strong></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>2. Part of Speech</h1>

<p>One of the reasons these questions are so confusing is that <em>like</em>&nbsp;can be a <a href="http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/like" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">verb, noun, preposition, adjective, adverb, and conjunction</a> in English! Pointing out the part of speech helps learners realize that <em>like</em> can have different meanings (and therefore different responses to these&nbsp;questions).</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Question</th>
			<th>Part of Speech</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>What is he/she <strong>like</strong>?</td>
			<td><strong>preposition</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What does he/she look&nbsp;<strong>like</strong>?</td>
			<td><strong>preposition</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What [noun] does he/she&nbsp;<strong>like</strong>?</td>
			<td><strong>verb</strong></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>3. Meaning</h1>

<p>Now that your English language learners are familiar with the different structures of these three questions, let&rsquo;s take a look at the all‑important meaning&nbsp;differences.</p>

<p>When we ask about someone&rsquo;s <strong>personality</strong>, we want to know about that person&rsquo;s traits (e.g., funny, serious, shy, outgoing, intelligent, helpful, etc.). <strong>Appearance</strong> is a physical description (e.g., tall, short, blonde, brunette, light-skinned, dark-skinned, etc.). If the question includes another noun, we are asking about someone&rsquo;s personal <strong>preference</strong> (e.g., movie, food, season, school subject,&nbsp;etc.).</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Question</th>
			<th>Use</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>What is he/she&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>to ask about someone&rsquo;s&nbsp;<strong>personality</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What does he/she look&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>to ask about someone&rsquo;s&nbsp;<strong>appearance</strong></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What [noun] does he/she&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>to ask about someone&rsquo;s&nbsp;<strong>preference</strong></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>4. Examples</h1>

<p>The more examples your students see, the more confident they will feel in giving the right response to these questions. Show students the examples below, and then take it further by having students practice asking and answering in pairs, groups, or as a class. You may wish to point out that some answers about appearance may be considered <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/inclusive-language-in-elt" target="_blank">offensive or hurtful</a>&mdash;remind students not to describe someone&rsquo;s weight, age, or physical&nbsp;disability.</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Example Question</th>
			<th>Example Answer</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>What is your teacher&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>She is kind, intelligent, and&nbsp;helpful.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What is your brother&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>He is funny and&nbsp;talented.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What does your roommate look&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>She is a beautiful, tall, Black girl.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What do you look&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>I am short and have curly, red hair and&nbsp;freckles.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What kind of music do you&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>I love hip-hop. I also like country&nbsp;music.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>What school subjects does he&nbsp;like?</td>
			<td>He likes math and&nbsp;French.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Related</h1>

<p>Need more practice describing people? Try some of our lessons and&nbsp;flashcards!</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1751" target="_blank">Describing People</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/20/flashcard_categories/29" target="_blank">Flashcards &ndash; Descriptive Adjectives</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2093" target="_blank">Adjectives &ndash; Grammar Practice Worksheets</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2496" target="_blank">Adjectives &ndash; Fun Grammar&nbsp;Lessons</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/adjective-order-and-punctuation" target="_blank">Adjective Order &amp;&nbsp;Punctuation</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2499" target="_blank">Parts of Speech</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/group-projects/3768-zodiac-project">Zodiac Project</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/word-bank/4231-hair">Hair</a></li>
	<li class="video"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3486" target="_blank">What&#39;s She Like? A Valentine&#39;s Story</a></li>
</ul>
