Discover what's new or coming soon, including upcoming lessons and resources and product feature updates. 

Announcements

<h1>Introducing Individual Student Assignments</h1>

<p>Great news, teachers!</p>

<p>As of today, you can now select which individual students receive specific assignments within any class.&nbsp;</p>

<h3><strong>Here&#39;s how it works:</strong></h3>

<ul>
	<li>Click on a lesson, video, or flashcard set in your Prepping or Teaching lane within any of your classes</li>
	<li>A modal will open with your assignment preferences for that lesson&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Click the &quot;Students&quot; tab in the top navigation of the modal</li>
	<li>Switch the setting from &quot;All students&quot; to &quot;Some students&quot;</li>
	<li>Select the students you want to assign the lesson to&nbsp;and remember to hit &quot;Save&quot; inside the modal before closing it</li>
</ul>

<p>Only the selected students will see the assignment inside their class dashboard.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C5BgjG7wtaI?si=I4waw7z14JkLaeer" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>We know that a lot of you have been asking for this feature for a while now. So thanks for your patience, and we hope it&#39;s a big help!</p>

<p>All the best,<br />
Ben :)</p>

<p>Founder, CEO at Ellii</p>


Introducing Individual Student Assignments

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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>&ldquo;Soccer isn&rsquo;t the same as Bach or Buddhism. But it is often more deeply felt than religion, and just as much a part of the community&rsquo;s fabric, a repository of&nbsp;traditions.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Franklin Foer</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The 2018 World Cup takes place in Russia from June 14&nbsp;to July&nbsp;15. The World Cup is celebrated by learners around the world. Not only does the World Cup introduce students to different countries and cultures, but they can also learn math, geography, current events, economics, and world&nbsp;news.</p>

<p>The big World Cup news today is that the US, Mexico, and Canada will host a joint World Cup in North America in&nbsp;2026!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.fifa.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">FIFA</a> is the official site of the World Cup and presents information in different languages. Below, you&#39;ll find over 18 activities and resources related to the World Cup, which are sure to engage learners of all&nbsp;ages.</p>

<h2>Study the Countries, Teams &amp; Players</h2>

<p>The World Cup encourages your learners to celebrate several countries, their teams, and their players. FIFA lists information about <a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022/qualifiers" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">the teams</a>&nbsp;and about the&nbsp;players.</p>

<p>Students can create interactive posters sharing statistics and facts about the different teams or players. Encourage students to pick a player or team from a country they&rsquo;ve never visited. Each student should research a different team or player so that all can learn from each other&rsquo;s posters. <a href="https://www.genial.ly/en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Genially</a> and <a href="https://www.thinglink.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Thinglink</a> are two free web tools to create interactive and hyperlinked digital&nbsp;posters.</p>

<p>Students can create infographics comparing facts and statistics about two teams or players. <a href="https://venngage.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Venngage</a> has several comparison and contrast infographic templates that are free for students to&nbsp;edit.</p>

<p>You can also create infographics with these free web tools: <a href="https://www.canva.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Canva</a>, <a href="https://piktochart.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Piktochart</a>, <a href="https://www.visme.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Visme</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://infogram.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" rtarget="_blank">Infogram</a>.</p>

<h2>Plan a World Cup&nbsp;Trip</h2>

<p>Students can work in small groups to plan a pretend class trip to the World Cup in Russia or to the 2022 event in&nbsp;Qatar.</p>

<p>FIFA provides information about the countries where the event takes place on their&nbsp;website.</p>

<p>Give each group a budget, the amount of days, and any other necessary criteria. The groups will need to study the currency exchange, landmarks, culture, weather, laws and customs to ensure the trip goes smoothly. They will need to look up ticket prices and come up with a schedule that includes the matches, tours, and leisure time. They will have to plan accommodations, flights, transportation, clothing, dining, sightseeing and leisure activities. Each group should present their plans to the&nbsp;class.</p>

<h2>Follow the Matches</h2>

<p>FIFA lists&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">when each match takes place</a> in multiple languages, networks, and areas. Encourage students to practice English while watching the matches with the following&nbsp;activities:</p>

<h3>1. Act As a Reporter For the Match</h3>

<p>Students take down notes during the match and report the highlights in a news article or in a short video news segment. Try the free <a href="https://www.touchcast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Touchcast</a> video producer or <a href="https://outfit7.com/apps/talking-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Talking Tom and Ben News</a> iOS and Android app to produce the video news&nbsp;segments.</p>

<p>Students can either choose the matches they want to see or you can assign pairs a specific match to cover. If two students cover the same match, then get them to compare their reporting of the events, jot down the differences, and have a conversation about the&nbsp;game.</p>

<h3>2. Reenact a Highlight</h3>

<p>Show students one of the videos in this <a href="http://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDgxLNKesJl6D9GsBdjq3lngqH-AYc8Ev" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">playlist</a> of some of the matches reenacted using LEGO characters. Students then recreate one of their favorite World Cup moments by producing a similar video using LEGOs, playdough, or drawn&nbsp;characters.</p>

<p>They could also show this highlight in a comic. <a href="http://www.friendstrip.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Friendstrip</a>&nbsp;is a&nbsp;free app&nbsp;students can use to transform their own drawings into a comic&nbsp;strip.</p>

<h3>3. Act As a Commentator For One Of the Matches</h3>

<p>Introduce students to football/soccer vocabulary, rules, and phrases. Use ESL Library&#39;s <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/97/lessons/1476" target="_blank">Soccer/Football</a> lesson to teach learners the vocabulary and interesting&nbsp;details.</p>

<p>You will also want to introduce students to the idioms and expressions used by commentators to describe what is happening in the game. You can adapt this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/boogafrito/9681785406" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Football Commentator Bingo&nbsp;card</a>.</p>

<p>Motivate students to practice the lingo they&rsquo;ve learned by playing a commentator&nbsp;game!</p>

<p>Play a current or previous video clip of any of the World Cup matches without sound. Provide students with background information about the teams, players, and match. Students watch the video clip at least 2 times without the sound and write down what they want to say as a commentator. They should use the vocabulary and idioms they were taught. Then call on two students at a time to stand in front of the video and pretend they are the commentators while you play it again without the&nbsp;sound.</p>

<h2>Make Predictions</h2>

<p>FIFA&rsquo;s Fan Zone has different options for users to create their own fantasy World Cup team or make their own World Cup predictions. Students can play the digital games listed below or you can always create your own prediction activity based on these&nbsp;examples.</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li><a href="https://bracketchallenge.fifa.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Bracket Challenge</a>: Compete with others and predict the group stage results and knockout matches. Earn points and win&nbsp;prizes.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/news/match-predictor-heats-up-join-now" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Match Predictor (web/iOS/Android)</a>: Predict the winners of each of the 64 matches. Compete with&nbsp;others.</li>
</ul>

<h2>More Resources</h2>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Our low-intermediate <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1895" target="_blank">World Cup lesson</a> includes a listening and short reading about the World Cup as well as a few vocabulary review exercises. Students also read a fun story about Pickles the World Cup&nbsp;hero.</li>
	<li>Our intermediate to&nbsp;high-intermediate <a href="https://www.ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1894" target="_blank">World Cup lesson</a> includes a listening and short reading with basic history about the FIFA World Cup. Friendly and competitive vocabulary games are used to review new words. Students practice summarizing in an information gap pair&nbsp;activity.</li>
	<li>Check out this <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/a-world-cup-of-knowledge-teach-the-world-cup" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">slide presentation</a> with these ideas&nbsp;visualized.</li>
	<li>Don&#39;t miss <a href="http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2018/01/26/the-best-sites-for-learning-about-the-2018-world-cup-in-russia/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Larry Ferlazzo&rsquo;s Top Sites For Learning About The 2018 World Cup In&nbsp;Russia</a>.</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.eslgamesworld.com/members/games/vocabulary/WorldCup/Worldcup.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ESL Games World</a> has a fun World Cup vocabulary online&nbsp;game.</li>
	<li>ESOL Courses has <a href="https://www.esolcourses.com/search-results.html?cx=partner-pub-4907793087507170%3A7922225246&amp;cof=FORID%3A10&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=world+cup&amp;sa=Search" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">online games and video quizzes</a> for English&nbsp;learners.</li>
</ul>

<p>What other World Cup activities and resources do you use to teach&nbsp;English? If you want to read more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell" target="_blank">ESL&nbsp;Library&nbsp;posts</a>!</p>


A World Cup of Knowledge! 18+ Resources & Activities

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

Young Learners

<p>The last few weeks of school are often centered around review and having fun. Here are three silly games to try along with some materials from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/#young-learners-literacy">Young Learners &amp; Literacy</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<h1>1. Clown Around</h1>

<p>Suggestion: Use this game with our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2503">Simple Present</a> lesson in our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons">Fun Grammar Lessons</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<p>This game is like <em>Simon Says</em>, except the person at the front of the room is the <em>Class Clown</em>. The Class Clown cannot laugh! If a student makes him/her laugh, they get to switch places. However, students must always follow the Class Clown&rsquo;s commands. The ringmaster (you, the teacher) decides what constitutes as a&nbsp;laugh!</p>

<p>There are 5 things the Class Clown can say (write these on the&nbsp;board):</p>

<ul>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, do a disappearing act!&rdquo; <em>[students hide or try to get as small as&nbsp;possible]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, do an animal act!&rdquo; <em>[students pretend to act or sound like an&nbsp;animal]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, do a balancing act!&rdquo; <em>[students balance something on their heads or stand or hop on one&nbsp;leg]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;The Class Clown says, clown around!&rdquo; <em>[students make a silly face or act as silly as&nbsp;possible]</em></li>
	<li>&ldquo;Clown around!&rdquo;*</li>
</ul>

<p>*Just as in <em>Simon Says</em>, the students have to freeze if they don&rsquo;t hear &ldquo;The Class Clown says&hellip;&rdquo; before a command. Whoever accidentally clowns around has to sit out for a&nbsp;shift.</p>

<p>Teach your students the English expression &ldquo;class clown&rdquo; (<em>the person in the class who is always telling jokes or getting people to&nbsp;laugh</em>).</p>

<h1>2. Dizzy Dictionary</h1>

<p>Suggestion: Try this game with any of ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a>&nbsp;lessons.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Create a theme‑based vocabulary word list (e.g., <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Zoo Animals</a>) that has as many words as students in your classroom. Write each word on a slip of paper (or simply print the flashcards that go with the lesson). Hand one word to each&nbsp;student.</li>
	<li>Ask your students to write an easy definition or synonym for their word on a separate piece of paper. (Help your students with sentence structure.) Students will hand in their&nbsp;definitions.</li>
	<li>Mix up the definitions and hand one out to each student. Each student should now have one word and one definition (most won&rsquo;t&nbsp;match).</li>
	<li>
	<p>Tell your students to stand up in a line or circle to become a Talking Dictionary! The students will read their word and definition out loud one at a time (most will be mixed up and won&rsquo;t make&nbsp;sense).</p>

	<blockquote>
	<p><strong>Ella:</strong> Octopus &ndash; not a real fish, shaped like a&nbsp;star</p>
	</blockquote>
	</li>
	<li>After everyone has read out their silly match, give students 5&ndash;10 seconds to wildly trade definitions in an attempt to create the correct Talking Dictionary. (To keep it fun, don&rsquo;t give them enough time to get it all correct during the first&nbsp;switch.)</li>
	<li>When the 10 seconds are up, tell the students to get back in place and read the entire dictionary out loud again. Did they get it right this time? If not, give them another five seconds. Repeat until the Talking Dictionary is 100% correct. You might also encourage students to organize themselves in alphabetical&nbsp;order.</li>
</ol>

<h1>3. Manner Police</h1>

<p>Suggestion: Try this game after you use our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2530">Adverbs of Manner</a> lesson from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons">Fun Grammar Lessons</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<ol class="spaced-list">
	<li>Prepare two small blank slips of paper per&nbsp;student.</li>
	<li>
	<p>Ask your students to come up with as many action verbs as there are students in the classroom. You, the teacher, will write each suggested word on a slip of paper. Place these words in an envelope or&nbsp;pile.</p>

	<p>Here are some examples: <em>dance</em>, <em>sing</em>, <em>walk</em>, <em>jump</em>, <em>eat</em>, <em>write</em>, <em>wait</em>, <em>talk</em>, <em>laugh</em>, <em>sit down</em>, <em>pass</em>, <em>stand up</em>, <em>whisper</em>,&nbsp;<em>chew</em></p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>Now challenge your students to come up with the same number of <em>adverbs of manner</em>. Write each adverb on a separate slip of paper and place these in a separate pile or&nbsp;envelope.</p>

	<p>Here are some examples: <em>carefully</em>, <em>quietly</em>, <em>happily</em>, <em>slowly</em>, <em>nervously</em>, <em>loudly</em>, <em>politely</em>, <em>blindly</em>, <em>nicely</em>, <em>sleepily</em>, <em>fast</em>, <em>well</em>, <em>gently</em>, <em>angrily</em>, <em>crazily</em>,&nbsp;<em>hungrily</em>.</p>
	</li>
	<li>Now, hand out one verb and one adverb to every student. (Students must not show each other their&nbsp;words.)</li>
	<li>Tell your students to stand up and form a circle or&nbsp;line.</li>
	<li>Choose a student who is standing quietly to stand in the middle of the circle (or front of the line). This student is the <em>Manner&nbsp;Police</em>.</li>
	<li>Now, tell all of the other students to act out what&rsquo;s in their hands (e.g., whisper slowly, jump&nbsp;blindly).</li>
	<li>
	<p>The Manner Police must try to guess what the other students are&nbsp;doing.</p>

	<blockquote>
	<p><strong>Manner Police:</strong> Paul is skipping&nbsp;hungrily.</p>

	<p><strong>Paul:</strong> Yes!</p>
	</blockquote>

	<p>If the Manner Police guesses correctly, the student doing the action gets to sit down. (Paul can&rsquo;t lose the&nbsp;game.)</p>
	</li>
	<li>
	<p>The other students continue acting out their modified verbs. Every time the Manner Police makes an incorrect guess, everyone who is still playing has to exchange one word (verb or adverb) with another&nbsp;player.**</p>

	<blockquote>
	<p><strong>Manner Police:</strong> Elena is laughing&nbsp;loudly.</p>

	<p><strong>Elena:</strong> Nope!</p>

	<p><strong>Teacher:</strong> Switch words!</p>
	</blockquote>

	<p>The goal is to NOT be the last student standing. The last student standing goes to grammar&nbsp;jail.</p>

	<p>**As the teacher, you can decide if you want to change who the Manner Police is during play to give other students a chance to guess. You may also want to yell <em>Switch</em> after three wrong&nbsp;guesses.</p>
	</li>
</ol>

<p>We hope you have fun clowning around with your&nbsp;kids!</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2503">Simple Present</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Zoo Animals</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2530">Adverbs of Manner</a>: Fun Grammar Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1437">Cirque du Soleil</a>: Famous Things</li>
</ul>


Clowning Around in the ESL Classroom

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

Grammar & Usage

<p>At ESL Library, we think spelling is swell! We&rsquo;ve recently completed a <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/spelling-rules-for-regular-past-verbs/">blog post</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2732">grammar resource</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1594">grammar lesson</a> on spelling rules for adding -<em>ed</em> to regular past verbs. The rules for adding -<em>er</em> to form comparative adjectives and -<em>est</em> for superlative adjectives are quite similar to the rules for adding -<em>ed</em> to regular past&nbsp;verbs.</p>

<p>If your students aren&rsquo;t familiar with the form and function of these adjectives, review our posts on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/comparative-adjectives/">comparative adjectives</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/superlative-adjectives/">superlative adjectives</a> before presenting the spelling rules below. You can also check out the related materials at the end of this post for further examples and&nbsp;practice.</p>

<h1>Spelling Rules for Comparative&nbsp;Adjectives</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2162"><img alt="Spelling Rules for Comparative Adjectives chart" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/233/content_Tanya_Comparative-Adjectives-Spelling_Chart.png" /></a></p>

<p class="caption"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2162">Comparative Adjectives</a> &ndash; Grammar &amp; Usage&nbsp;Resources</p>

<h2>Examples</h2>

<ol>
	<li>The hotel room is <strong>larger than</strong> my bedroom at&nbsp;home.</li>
	<li>An elephant is <strong>bigger than</strong> a&nbsp;horse.</li>
	<li>Today&rsquo;s test was <strong>easier than</strong> last&nbsp;week&rsquo;s.</li>
	<li>My new pillow is <strong>softer than</strong> my old&nbsp;one.</li>
</ol>

<h1>Spelling Rules for Superlative&nbsp;Adjectives</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2163"><img alt="Spelling Rules for Superlative Adjectives chart" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/234/content_Tanya_Superlative-Adjectives-Spelling_Chart.png" /></a></p>

<p class="caption"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2163">Superlative Adjectives</a> &ndash; Grammar &amp; Usage&nbsp;Resources</p>

<h2>Examples</h2>

<ol>
	<li>My painting is <strong>the largest</strong> one on the&nbsp;wall.</li>
	<li>He is working for <strong>the biggest</strong> company in the&nbsp;city.</li>
	<li>That was <strong>the easiest</strong> test I&rsquo;ve ever&nbsp;taken.</li>
	<li>This puppy is <strong>the softest</strong> one in the&nbsp;litter.</li>
</ol>

<h1>Practice</h1>

<p>Have students write the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives below.</p>

<p>Example: big = bigger, biggest</p>

<h4>Adjectives</h4>

<ol>
	<li>hot</li>
	<li>loud</li>
	<li>close</li>
	<li>thin</li>
	<li>noisy</li>
	<li>quiet</li>
	<li>safe</li>
	<li>funny</li>
	<li>wet</li>
	<li>high</li>
</ol>

<h4>Answers</h4>

<ol>
	<li>hotter, hottest</li>
	<li>louder, loudest</li>
	<li>closer, closest</li>
	<li>thinner, thinnest</li>
	<li>noisier, noisiest</li>
	<li>quieter, quietest</li>
	<li>safer, safest</li>
	<li>funnier, funniest</li>
	<li>wetter, wettest</li>
	<li>higher, highest</li>
</ol>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607">Equative, Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1600">Comparatives &amp; Superlatives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons/1556">Comparatives &ndash; Who Is Taller?</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2531">Comparative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2532">Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2162-comparative-adjectives">Comparative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2163-superlative-adjectives">Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/comparative-adjectives/">Comparative Adjectives</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/superlative-adjectives/">Superlative Adjectives</a></li>
</ul>


Spelling Rules for Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

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Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

<p>Are your students heading off for the summer? Have you taught your learners some different expressions for <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1736/">Saying&nbsp;Goodbye</a>?</p>

<p><em>See You Later, Alligator</em> is a fun, easy skit to celebrate the end of a school year or term. This skit can be adapted depending on the number of students you have. If you have fewer than 20 students, cut out some of the parts. If you have more students, put your thinking cap on and come up with some more goodbye rhymes. You may want to throw in some other&nbsp;languages or change some of the rhymes to better suit your students&rsquo; personalities. Have&nbsp;fun!</p>

<h1>Characters</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Teacher (or a student dressed/acting like the&nbsp;teacher)</li>
	<li>Students (organized in pairs)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Props</h1>

<ul>
	<li>backpacks</li>
	<li>school books</li>
	<li>one coat</li>
	<li>animal masks/signs (optional&mdash;if including, you may want to use our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/14/flashcard_categories">Animals &amp; Wildlife</a> flashcard set)</li>
	<li>noisemaker for teacher (optional)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Script</h1>

<h2>See You Later, Alligator</h2>

<p>The teacher (this can be you or a student acting like/dressed like the teacher) stands front and center. The students stand on two sides of the teacher with their backpacks on (Student 1 left stage; Student 2 right stage, etc.). After the first few lines, Students 1 and 2 walk from opposite sides of the stage and meet up in the center to say their line. After they each say their line, they give high-fives/fist pumps or shake hands and walk off the stage going opposite ways and waving goodbye to the remaining students and teacher until only the teacher remains on the&nbsp;stage.</p>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Teacher:</th>
			<td><em>[extra sweetly to class]</em> I can&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s the last day of&nbsp;school!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>All&nbsp;students:</th>
			<td><em>[loudly]</em> Me neither!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Teacher:</th>
			<td><em>[to audience/parents]</em> I need a breather.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Teacher:</th>
			<td>I&rsquo;ll miss you all this summer!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>All&nbsp;Students:</th>
			<td><em>[loudly]</em> Me too!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Teacher:</th>
			<td><em>[to audience/parents]</em> What a zoo!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>&nbsp;</th>
			<td><em>[Students 1 and 2 walk to center stage from opposite&nbsp;sides.]</em></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;1:</th>
			<td>See you later, alligator.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;2:</th>
			<td>In a while, crocodile.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>&nbsp;</th>
			<td><em>[Students 1 and 2 wave or give high-fives and walk off in opposite directions. Stage actions repeat for each pair of students until only the teacher&nbsp;remains.]</em></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;3:</th>
			<td>See you soon, cute racoon.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;4:</th>
			<td>Bye-bye, house fly.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;5:</th>
			<td>Take care, panda bear.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;6:</th>
			<td>Farewell, snail shell.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;7:</th>
			<td>Toodle-oo, caribou.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;8:</th>
			<td>On my way, stingray.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;9:</th>
			<td>Grab your coat, billy goat.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;10:</th>
			<td><em>[runs to grab coat from the ground]</em> Till next year, white-tailed&nbsp;deer.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;11:</th>
			<td>Hasta ma&ntilde;ana, fuzzy llama.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;12:</th>
			<td><em>[makes peace sign]</em> Peace out, rainbow trout.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;13:</th>
			<td>Thanks for the laugh, tall giraffe.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;14:</th>
			<td><em>[makes a gesture for friend to call him/her]</em> Let&rsquo;s talk,&nbsp;peacock.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;15:</th>
			<td>Hit the road, little toad.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;16:</th>
			<td>Off you go, buffalo.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;17:</th>
			<td>See you at the park, great white shark.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;18:</th>
			<td>Catch you at the lake, rattlesnake.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;19:</th>
			<td>Ciao for now, daisy cow.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;20:</th>
			<td>Cheers, rabbit ears.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Teacher:</th>
			<td><em>[waving]</em> Keep in touch, creatures. Don&rsquo;t miss your&nbsp;teachers!</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>Note: If you have an uneven number of students or a very shy student (or twins who want to go up together), have two students come out as the &ldquo;giraffes&rdquo; and change the peacock&rsquo;s line to &ldquo;Thanks for the laughs, tall giraffes.&rdquo; The two students can both say the line: <em>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s talk,&nbsp;peacock.&rdquo;</em></p>

<h1>Vocabulary for Leave-Taking</h1>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Saying Goodbye</th>
			<th>Usage</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Goodbye.</th>
			<td>formal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Bye.</th>
			<td>less formal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Bye-bye.</th>
			<td>often used with children</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>See you later.</th>
			<td>common, formal or informal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>See you/ya.</th>
			<td>common, informal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Talk to you soon.</th>
			<td>spoken or written</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Keep in touch.</th>
			<td>often written</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Later.</th>
			<td>informal</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Cheers.</th>
			<td>informal, friendly</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Have a nice day/week/summer!</th>
			<td>common, formal or informal</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1736">Saying Goodbye</a>: Functional English</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Animals &amp; Wildlife</a>: Flashcards</li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-skit-for-young-learners-so-long-polar-bear">English Skit for Young Learners: So Long, Polar&nbsp;Bear</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-skit-for-ells-spring-fever">English Skit for ELLs: Spring Fever</a></li>
</ul>


End-of-Year English Skit for ELLs: See You Later, Alligator

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<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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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, what the world needs most are dreamers that&nbsp;do.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Sarah Ban Breathnach</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The <a href="http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/events/eltons" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ELTons</a> are highly regarded international awards that have been recognizing innovation in English Language Teaching (ELT) for 16 years.</p>

<p>Each November, innovators are invited to submit their projects and products for consideration in five separate categories: <em>Excellence in Course Innovation</em>, <em>Innovation in Learner Resources</em>, <em>Innovation in Teacher Resources</em>, <em>Digital Innovation</em>, and <em>Local Innovation</em>. The submissions are judged by a panel of experts in the field of English language&nbsp;teaching.</p>

<p>In March, the shortlisted projects and products are announced and the project contributors are invited to the awards ceremony, which takes place in London in June.</p>

<p>In addition to announcing the winners, the British Council Lifetime Achievement award is given. The blue carpet event is live-streamed for anyone to watch online.</p>

<p>Check out the <a href="https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/eltons-finalists-2018" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">full list of&nbsp;2018 finalists</a>. We wish them luck! Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/bceltons" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">@BCELTons</a> or the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eltons?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">#ELTons</a> hashtag on Twitter to find out when the event is live-streamed.</p>

<p>Below, you&#39;ll&nbsp;discover a list of 19 English language teaching innovations from past winners that provide teachers with free&nbsp;resources.</p>

<h2>Excellence in Course Innovation</h2>

<h3><a href="https://www.moderna.com.br/qrcode-richmond/peace.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Students for Peace</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>View a digital version of the first of its four English series, which helps secondary school students develop English fluency and skills to promote peace and&nbsp;tolerance.</p>

<h3><a href="http://dystefl.eu/index.php?id=20&amp;L=%27%27%272%2Ftrainers.php%3Fid%3D%270%3DA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dyslexia for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language</a> (2014)</h3>

<p>This free online self-study course is 10 units and covers four&nbsp;main topics: understanding dyslexia, understanding the effect of dyslexia on learning, classroom management and teaching techniques, and&nbsp;assessment.</p>

<h2>Innovation in Learner Resources</h2>

<h3><a href="https://developeap.weebly.com/resources.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Develop EAP: A Sustainable Academic English Skills Course</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>This is a free course for university students based on the UN&rsquo;s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).</p>

<p>Download a free PDF of the course booklet and a file to upload to Moodle with a variety of assessment tools and engaging activities that develop students&rsquo; academic skills as they reflect on their role as responsible global&nbsp;citizens.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.learningunlimited.co/publications/free-resources" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Literacy for Active Citizenship</a> (2016)</h3>

<p>Learning Unlimited is a not-for-profit organization that provides books and resources to ESOL teachers, programs, and communities with a focus on adult and family learning and literacy. Some of the resources include: the <em>Parents&rsquo; integration through Partnership (PIP) Toolkit</em>, <em>PIP into the Kitchen</em> (a collection of over 20 recipes from 12 countries), <em>Family Learning in Prisons - A Complete Guide</em>, and <em>Maths4Us</em> (three&nbsp;online courses to help adults manage money better and support their children with&nbsp;math).</p>

<h3><a href="https://bit.ly/3riTcS1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sounds: The Pronunciation App</a> (2012)</h3>

<p>This was the first app to win an ELTon. It is available for iOS and Android devices. The free version provides access to the Interactive Phonemic Chart in British and American&nbsp;English.</p>

<h2>Innovation in Teacher Resources</h2>

<h3><a href="https://www.tigtagworld.com/clil/mindmap/#/lessons/CLASS00269" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tigtag CLIL</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>Teachers can access one free science and geography lesson about various materials, their composition, and their uses. The lesson is complete with short film clips, learning objectives, a glossary, a word bank, a description of instructional strategies, and engaging activities. The online digital lessons are based on the CLIL approach and aimed at learners ages 7 to&nbsp;11.</p>

<h3><a href="https://peacheypublications.com/books/digital-video-a-manual-for-language-teachers" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Digital Video &ndash; A Manual for Language Teachers</a> by Nik Peachey (2016)</h3>

<p>The digital book is available at a very low price and Nik Peachey offers several free resources, lesson plans, activities and valuable information for teachers integrating technology on his various&nbsp;blogs.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.macmillanenglish.com/life-skills/classroom-resources/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Life Skills</a> (2015)</h3>

<p>Find several lesson plans for adult learners to download on a variety of topics, such as social skills, critical thinking, networking, time management, cultural awareness, and study&nbsp;skills.</p>

<h3><a href="http://film-english.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Film English</a> by Kieran Donaghy (2013)</h3>

<p>Find several lesson plans and activities based on film&nbsp;clips.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Teacher Training Videos</a> by Russell Stannard (2010)</h3>

<p>Features screencasts and tutorials for teachers to introduce them to various free web tools and apps to teach English&nbsp;learners.</p>

<h3><a href="http://lessonstream.org/lessons" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lesson Stream</a> by Jamie Keddie (2009)</h3>

<p>Previously called TEFLClips. This website provides tons of free lesson plans based on engaging YouTube videos for English learners of various levels and&nbsp;ages.</p>

<h1>Digital Innovation</h1>

<h3><a href="https://textinspector.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Text Inspector</a> (2017)</h3>

<p>Analyze up to 250 words of an English text you want to use with learners for free. Just copy and paste the text into the website&rsquo;s box and a score will be given as well as statistics and information about the difficulty and&nbsp;level.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.mooveez.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mooveez</a> iOS/Android App (2016)</h3>

<p>Learn English with famous movies and documentaries. Scripts and subtitles are provided along with grammar exercises. You can also create audio flashcards based on the&nbsp;movie.</p>

<h3><a href="https://www.littlebridge.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Little Bridge</a> (2015)</h3>

<p>The free basic account allows teachers to create 20 student accounts. Little Bridge is an online platform where children worldwide, ages six&nbsp;to 12, meet others in a virtual English-speaking community. Children play games and complete activities to improve their English and learn how to respect and communicate with learners of different&nbsp;cultures.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.speechinaction.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Cool Speech by Richard Cauldwell</a> (2013)</h3>

<p>Find lesson plans, recordings, and other resources to help instructors teach listening and pronunciation more&nbsp;effectively.</p>

<h3><a href="http://maryglasgowplus.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mary Glasgow&rsquo;s Magazines</a> (2009)</h3>

<p>Find print, audio, and video resources to help teens learn grammar, speaking, pronunciation, listening, reading, and&nbsp;writing.</p>

<h2>The Macmillan Education Award for New Talent in Writing</h2>

<h3><a href="http://www.onestopenglish.com/esp/eap/eap-for-the-21st-century-learner/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Academic English for the 21st Century Learner </a> by Aylin Graves (2016)</h3>

<p>Find free PDFs of several of the lesson plans from the book to enhance students&#39; Academic&nbsp;English.</p>

<h3><a href="https://www.onestopenglish.com/esp-lesson-plans/teaching-eap-literature-shakespeare-part-3/555101.article" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">EAP Shakespeare </a> by Dr. Chris Lima (2015)</h3>

<p>Find free PDFs of lesson plans to help students learn Academic English and about Shakespeare and his famous&nbsp;writings.</p>

<h3><a href="http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/integrated-skills/compass/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Compass</a> by Lizzie Pinard (2014)</h3>

<p>Find free PDFs of lesson plans for upper-intermediate adults. Each of the 12 one-and-a-half-hour lessons complement each other and focus on&nbsp;culture.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>What other important English Language Teaching Awards do you know about that recognize the incredible contributions to our field?</p>

<p><em>Our contributing writer <a href="http://teacherrebootcamp.com/about/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shelly Terrell</a> has attended two ELTons ceremonies for the shortlisted projects she co-organized, <a href="https://twitter.com/eltchat?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">#ELTChat</a> and the <a href="http://www.virtual-round-table.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Virtual Round Table Language and Technology online conference</a>. If you want to receive more of Shelly&rsquo;s tips for online resources for teaching English, check out her other <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/authors/shelly-terrell" target="_blank">ESL&nbsp;Library posts</a>!</em></p>


19 Award-Winning English Language Teaching Innovations

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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>Are you looking for Mother&#39;s-Day-themed ideas for your YL classroom? This is the perfect week to talk, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdwsKn4Fr9Y" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sing</a>, and learn about animals and their fur babies!</p>

<p>In our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/word-bank" target="_blank">Word Bank</a> section, we have a lesson all about <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2411" target="_blank">Animal Families</a>. After you&#39;ve tried the lesson, here are some questions and related videos to share in class. You&#39;ll notice in some of the videos that animal mothers are the best teachers! It&#39;s no wonder <strong>Teacher Appreciation Week</strong> ends on <strong>Mother&#39;s Day</strong>!</p>

<h1>What are some names of animal babies?</h1>

<div class="video-container"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cJg4YFtvOp8" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h1>What are groups of animals called?</h1>

<p>The speaker goes very quickly! How many names can your students pick up? (This may be a fun activity for older or more advanced students.) You can also talk about why these animal groups have these names.</p>

<div class="video-container"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hvVQwpnZTvM" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>Did you know that a group of baby pugs is called a grumble? What do you call a baby chick that thinks it&#39;s a pug?</p>

<div class="video-container"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6ybOamnmT-w" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h1>How are animal families different from human families?</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/aw-vs-awe/" target="_blank">Aw!</a> You might need some tissues for this one.</p>

<div class="video-container"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yNy9jTeolUk" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h1>What do animal mothers teach their babies?</h1>

<p>How many verbs can your students come up with when you put this starter sentence on the board: Animal mothers teach their babies how to...</p>

<div class="video-container"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DnovRHCFfXY" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h1>What is a surrogate mother?</h1>

<p>This week, you might want to teach about different types of mothers, including birth mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, and even <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1287-surrogacy" target="_blank">surrogate</a> mother.</p>

<div class="video-container"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OgpXZvcpJx4" width="640"></iframe></div>

<p>Happy Mother&#39;s Day to all of the great moms out there!<br />
Thanks for caring for your children (and fur babies)!</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2411" target="_blank">Animal Families</a>: Word Bank</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/14/flashcard_categories/6" target="_blank">Animals</a>: Flashcards</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1869" target="_blank">Mother&#39;s Day</a>&nbsp;(Int &ndash; High Int): Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2948-mother-s-day">Mother&#39;s Day</a> (Low Int): Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3296-mother-s-day">Mother&#39;s Day</a> (Beg): Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3583-mother-s-day" target="_blank">Mother&#39;s Day</a> (Pre Beg): Word Bank</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/3610-mother-s-day-gifts">Mother&#39;s Day Gifts</a> (Beg): Word Bank Readers</li>
</ul>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="918" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HpG1_tlvd7A" title="Happy Mother’s Day from the Ellii Team! #shorts #behindthescenes #vocabulary" width="516"></iframe></p>


Mother's Day Videos for Teaching English: Animals & Babies

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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>Have you tried ESL&nbsp;Library&#39;s home-themed <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a>&nbsp;lessons?</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2419">House</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2552">Apartment</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2424">Bedroom</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2423">Bathroom</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2398">Kitchen</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2425">Living Room</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2388">Tools</a></li>
</ul>

<p>What about our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2515">Prepositions of Place</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2492">There Is / There Are</a>&nbsp;lessons?</p>

<p>Try some of these lessons before you try this follow-up listening activity: <em>Home Sweet&nbsp;Home</em>.</p>

<h1>Listening Activity</h1>

<p>Play the recording of <em>Home Sweet Home</em> in class, or have your students listen to it for&nbsp;homework.</p>

<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/248372848&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>

<h2>Home Sweet Home</h2>

<p>I moved into my new home today. It is a one-bedroom house. It has a small front yard and a big backyard with a garden. It has a green door and a blue&nbsp;roof.</p>

<p>My new home has a large main floor. I love my new kitchen. The fridge and stove are stainless steel. The stove is across from the fridge. I keep my microwave, kettle, and toaster on the countertop. I keep my pots and pans in the cabinets under the&nbsp;sink.</p>

<p>The living room is huge. I have space for a couch, a love seat, and a recliner. My coffee table is in front of the couch. The love seat is beneath the window. There is a TV and a painting on the&nbsp;wall.</p>

<p>The bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. My bathroom is tiny. There is only space for a sink, a toilet, and a shower. There is no space for a bathtub, a bathmat, or a towel rack! I keep my shampoo, soap, towels, and toilet paper in a cabinet under the sink. I need a new mirror and some new&nbsp;faucets.</p>

<p>There is only one bedroom in my new house. It is pretty small, but I love it. I have a new comforter, pillow, and blanket on my bed. There is a lamp on my nightstand. I have a small closet to hang my clothes, but I don&#39;t have any hangers yet. I also need curtains for my&nbsp;window.</p>

<p>Home sweet&nbsp;home!</p>

<h1>Vocabulary Sorting</h1>

<p>Are your students familiar with the vocabulary in the audio? You will find these words in our home‑themed <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a> lessons. Challenge your students to sort the theme-based vocabulary into categories such as&nbsp;these.</p>

<h2>Rooms / Spaces</h2>

<ul>
	<li>front / backyard</li>
	<li>garden</li>
	<li>roof</li>
	<li>main floor</li>
	<li>upstairs (second floor)</li>
	<li>kitchen</li>
	<li>living room</li>
	<li>bedroom</li>
	<li>bathroom</li>
</ul>

<h2>Built-In Interior</h2>

<ul>
	<li>door</li>
	<li>wall</li>
	<li>countertop</li>
	<li>cabinets</li>
	<li>sink</li>
	<li>toilet</li>
	<li>shower</li>
	<li>closet</li>
	<li>window</li>
</ul>

<h2>Appliances</h2>

<ul>
	<li>fridge</li>
	<li>stove</li>
	<li>microwave</li>
	<li>kettle</li>
	<li>toaster</li>
</ul>

<h2>Furnishings &amp; Household Products</h2>

<ul>
	<li>pot</li>
	<li>pan</li>
	<li>TV</li>
	<li>painting</li>
	<li>bathmat</li>
	<li>towel rack</li>
	<li>comforter</li>
	<li>blanket</li>
	<li>pillow</li>
	<li>curtains</li>
	<li>hangers</li>
	<li>shampoo</li>
	<li>soap</li>
	<li>toilet paper</li>
</ul>

<h2>Furniture</h2>

<ul>
	<li>couch</li>
	<li>love seat</li>
	<li>recliner</li>
	<li>coffee table</li>
	<li>lamp</li>
	<li>end table</li>
	<li>nightstand</li>
	<li>bed</li>
</ul>

<h1>Comprehension</h1>

<p>Here are some questions you can ask your students after they listen to the&nbsp;story:</p>

<h2>Questions</h2>

<ol>
	<li>How big is her house?</li>
	<li>Where is the garden?</li>
	<li>What is on the main floor?</li>
	<li>Where does she keep her pots and&nbsp;pans?</li>
	<li>Describe the bathroom.</li>
	<li>What is on the bed?</li>
	<li>What does she need to buy for her new&nbsp;home?</li>
</ol>

<h2>Answers</h2>

<ol>
	<li>Her house has a big main floor and a small second floor. It has a small front yard and a big&nbsp;backyard.</li>
	<li>The garden is in the&nbsp;backyard.</li>
	<li>There is a living room and a kitchen on the main&nbsp;floor.</li>
	<li>She keeps her pots and pans in the cabinet under the kitchen&nbsp;sink.</li>
	<li>The bathroom is tiny. There is only a toilet, a shower, and a sink with a cabinet&nbsp;underneath.</li>
	<li>There is a new comforter, blanket, and pillow on the&nbsp;bed.</li>
	<li>She needs to buy a mirror, faucets, hangers, and&nbsp;curtains.</li>
</ol>

<h1>Speaking Practice</h1>

<p>Invite your students to talk about their own homes (or dream homes). Encourage them to use vocabulary that they learned in the lessons above. They can write a transcript or speak naturally without writing anything down. They will naturally use prepositions of place as they give an oral tour. Record your students as they speak, and play it back for&nbsp;them.</p>


Home Sweet Home: Reviewing Prepositions of Place

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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

https://esllibrary-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/title_image/1604/Tanya_Opposites_Banner.png

<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>


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