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

Grammar & Usage

<p>Transition words and phrases are used to connect ideas in formal writing and speaking. Using transitions helps a piece of writing flow seamlessly from one thought to the next. These terms also help readers understand the purpose of the next thought (adding information, giving an example, contrasting a previous point,&nbsp;etc.).</p>

<p>Intermediate to advanced learners can benefit from studying typical transition words and phrases to use in academic and business prose, but it&rsquo;s not enough to simply hand students a list of words. They must also learn how to use them correctly, and this includes learning the various sentence positions, punctuation rules, and exceptions. Try presenting transition words and phrases using the chart, rules, and examples&nbsp;below.</p>

<h1>Word List</h1>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<h5>Addition</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>in addition</li>
				<li>moreover</li>
				<li>furthermore</li>
				<li>additionally</li>
				<li>as well</li>
				<li>also</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<h5>Contradiction</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>however</li>
				<li>on the other hand</li>
				<li>on the contrary</li>
				<li>conversely</li>
				<li>nevertheless</li>
				<li>unlike</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<h5>Comparison</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>similarly</li>
				<li>in comparison</li>
				<li>comparatively</li>
				<li>at the same time</li>
				<li>likewise</li>
				<li>like</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<h5>Order &amp; Sequence</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>first / first of all</li>
				<li>next</li>
				<li>then</li>
				<li>finally</li>
				<li>previously</li>
				<li>meanwhile</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<h5>Example</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>for example</li>
				<li>for instance</li>
				<li>such as</li>
				<li>like</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<h5>Cause &amp; Effect</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>therefore</li>
				<li>as a result</li>
				<li>consequently</li>
				<li>thus</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<h5>Clarification</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>in other words</li>
				<li>that is</li>
				<li>as mentioned</li>
				<li>again</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<h5>Conclusion</h5>

			<ul>
				<li>in conclusion</li>
				<li>in summary</li>
				<li>in brief</li>
				<li>overall</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>Check out our Grammar &amp; Usage resource on <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2546" target="_blank">Transition Words&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Phrases</a>.</p>

<h1>Sentence Positions</h1>

<p>Most transition words and phrases can appear in four places in a sentence. Note the typical punctuation associated with each&nbsp;position.</p>

<h2>Position #1</h2>

<h4>At the beginning</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Hurricanes claim many lives each year. <strong>Moreover</strong>, these powerful storms cause millions of dollars in&nbsp;damage.</li>
	<li>Initial research seemed to support the theory. <strong>However</strong>, the latest test results weren&rsquo;t&nbsp;conclusive.</li>
	<li>Anxiety disorders can manifest in physical symptoms. <strong>For</strong> <strong>example</strong>, a patient may become dizzy or have trouble&nbsp;breathing.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Position #2</h2>

<h4>In the middle (usually after the subject)</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Hurricanes claim many lives each year. These powerful storms, <strong>moreover</strong>, cause millions of dollars in&nbsp;damage.</li>
	<li>Initial research seemed to support the theory. The latest test results, <strong>however</strong>, weren&rsquo;t&nbsp;conclusive.</li>
	<li>Anxiety disorders can manifest in physical symptoms. A patient, <strong>for</strong> <strong>example</strong>, may become dizzy or have trouble&nbsp;breathing.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Position #3</h2>

<h4>At the end</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Hurricanes claim many lives each year. These powerful storms cause millions of dollars in damage, <strong>moreover</strong>.</li>
	<li>Initial research seemed to support the theory. The latest test results weren&rsquo;t conclusive, <strong>however</strong>.</li>
	<li>Anxiety disorders can manifest in physical symptoms. A patient may become dizzy or have trouble breathing, <strong>for&nbsp;example</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Position #4</h2>

<h4>Between two sentences</h4>

<p>Note that in formal writing, the two sentences can also be joined by a semi‑colon before the transition word (instead of a&nbsp;period).</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>Hurricanes claim many lives each year; <strong>moreover</strong>, these powerful storms cause millions of dollars in&nbsp;damage.</li>
	<li>Initial research seemed to support the theory; <strong>however</strong>, the latest test results weren&rsquo;t&nbsp;conclusive.</li>
	<li>Anxiety disorders can manifest in physical symptoms; <strong>for</strong> <strong>example</strong>, a patient may become dizzy or have trouble&nbsp;breathing.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Exceptions</h1>

<p>Some transition words don&rsquo;t follow the normal rules for sentence&nbsp;position.</p>

<h2>Exception #1</h2>

<p><em>Such as</em> appears after a noun (never at the beginning or end of a&nbsp;sentence).</p>

<ul class="spaced-list">
	<li>There are many ways to improve one&rsquo;s quality of sleep, <strong>such as</strong> no TV before bed and no food after 8:00&nbsp;pm.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Exception #2</h2>

<p><em>Also</em> can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence. At the end, it is not preceded by a comma. <em>As well</em> should only come at the end of a sentence with no preceding&nbsp;comma.</p>

<ul>
	<li>New employees are expected to start at 9:00&nbsp;am sharp. <strong>Also</strong>, they must dress professionally at all&nbsp;times.</li>
	<li>New employees are expected to start at 9:00&nbsp;am sharp. They must dress professionally at all times&nbsp;<strong>also</strong>.</li>
	<li>New employees are expected to start at 9:00&nbsp;am sharp. They must dress professionally at all times <strong>as&nbsp;well</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Exception #3</h2>

<p><em>Thus</em>, <em>again</em>, <em>likewise</em>, <em>like</em>, and <em>unlike</em> usually only appear at the beginning of a sentence. Note that&nbsp;<em>like</em> and&nbsp;<em>unlike</em> should be followed by a&nbsp;noun.</p>

<ul>
	<li>There was no conclusive evidence. <strong>Thus</strong>, the scientists decided to begin testing all over&nbsp;again.</li>
	<li>This essay has demonstrated the relationship between vitamins and good health. <strong>Again</strong>, taking vitamin supplements ensures the body receives proper&nbsp;nutrients.</li>
	<li>Dogs make great pets. <strong>Likewise</strong>, cats are wonderful&nbsp;companions.</li>
	<li><strong>Like</strong> cats, dogs make great&nbsp;pets.</li>
	<li><strong>Unlike</strong> snakes, dogs make great&nbsp;pets.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Exception #4</h2>

<p><em>Meanwhile</em> can appear at the beginning of a sentence or after a&nbsp;subject.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Hiring had begun. <strong>Meanwhile</strong>, interviews were still taking&nbsp;place.</li>
	<li>Hiring had begun. Interviews, <strong>meanwhile</strong>, were still taking&nbsp;place.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Related Resources</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/2035" target="_blank">How to Write a Compound Sentence</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1968" target="_blank">How to Compare and Contrast</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/74/lessons/1831" target="_blank">How to Write Body Paragraphs</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1755" target="_blank">Following Procedures</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/however-7-sentence-positions-2-uses" target="_blank">However: 7 Sentence Positions &amp; 2&nbsp;Uses</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/adverb-clauses/" target="_blank">Adverb Clauses</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/adverb-phrases" target="_blank">Adverb Phrases</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/commas-in-independent-dependent-clauses" target="_blank">Commas in Independent &amp; Dependent Clauses</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1608" target="_blank">Complete Sentences</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-explain-despite-vs-although" target="_blank">How to Explain Despite Vs. Although</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/can-we-start-a-sentence-with-a-conjunction" target="_blank">Can We Start a Sentence with a&nbsp;Conjunction?</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1615" target="_blank">Conjunctions</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1632" target="_blank">Connector Stories</a></li>
</ul>


Transition Words & Phrases

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

Articles

<p>It&#39;s that spooky time of year again! Kids in many countries are getting excited for Halloween on October&nbsp;31. To get your class into the eerie spirit, try our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2439" target="_blank">Halloween vocabulary&nbsp;lesson</a>!</p>

<p>This nine-page <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank</a> lesson&nbsp;includes a colorful picture dictionary with Halloween images including pumpkin, jack-o&#39;-lantern, ghost, skeleton, witch, etc.</p>

<p>Activities such as a matchup, word choice, word search, word scramble, spelling bee, and listening help make this lesson engaging and fun.</p>

<p>Finish up with the discussion questions so that your students can try using the new vocabulary in&nbsp;context!</p>

<p>Be sure to check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/collections/24/lessons" target="_blank">Halloween Lesson Collection</a> for related lessons and resources for teens and&nbsp;adults. Happy Halloween!</p>

<h2>Related</h2>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/46" target="_blank">Halloween Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/scaredy-cat" target="_blank">The Scaredy-Cat: ESL Halloween Listening Activity</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons/2510" target="_blank">Spiders: Discovery Lesson</a></li>
</ul>


Halloween Vocabulary Lesson for Young Learners

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<p>Frankenstein Day takes place on the last Friday of October. Do your students know the story of Frankenstein? Do they know the story behind the story?</p>

<h2>Listen or Read: The Story Behind Frankenstein&nbsp;</h2>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1518/mary-shelley-contest.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<blockquote>
<p>The Story Behind Frankenstein</p>

<p>Mary Shelley was in a writing group. The writers challenged each other to think of a ghost story. They talked about scary things that were happening in the world to help inspire each other.</p>

<p>Mary Shelley tried to think of an idea, but she couldn&#39;t come up with anything. The other writers were busy at work!</p>

<p>Finally, Mary Shelley had a bad dream about a scientist who created a monster that ended up coming to life. According to legend, Mary Shelley had the dream while she was awake!</p>

<p>She was afraid of her own dream, and she decided to write it down. Her idea turned into a novel and a film.</p>

<p>Many people think the monster&#39;s name in the story is Frankenstein. It&#39;s not! In Mary Shelley&#39;s novel, Frankenstein is actually the last name of the scientist who created the monster. Over the years, it&#39;s almost like the monster claimed the name for itself. Creepy!</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Activity Idea</h2>

<p>Here is a fun activity that you can do with your students this month.</p>

<ol>
	<li>Share&nbsp;the background about Mary Shelley and Frankenstein with your students. You can play the listening above, read it out loud yourself, or paraphrase it.&nbsp;You can also try our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/83/lessons/1495" target="_blank">Frankenstein</a> lesson from our Easy Readers section.</li>
	<li>Put your students into small groups just like Mary Shelley and her writing friends. Ask the students to tell each other about some dreams that they have had recently. They can share funny, scary, or strange dreams. They can also talk about things that scare them.</li>
	<li>Have students brainstorm a list of at least five scary words. Allow them to use a dictionary or thesaurus. Encourage them to use at least three nouns and at least two adjectives. If they can come up with ten words, that&#39;s even better! Check out Tanya&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/morbid-words-to-learn-for-halloween/" target="_blank">Morbid Words to Learn for Halloween</a>.</li>
	<li>Challenge each student to go home (or back to their desks) and write a spooky ghost story for Frankenstein Day or Halloween. They should try to use all of the scary words their group thought of.</li>
	<li>On Frankenstein Day or Halloween, ask your students to hand in their stories. Give them the option of being part of the contest. Read the stories first, to make sure that they are appropriate for class.&nbsp;Ask students to hold a secret vote for the scariest story! Give the winning writer this&nbsp;<strong>Mary Shelley Award for Spooky Fiction</strong>. Ask for permission from your student, then copy and paste the winning story in the comments below.</li>
</ol>

<p><a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2157/content_ESL-Library_Mary-Shelley-Certificate.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="Mary Shelley Certificate preview" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2158/content_Tara_Writing-Contest-Frankenstein-Day_Certificate_Preview.png" /></a></p>


A Writing Contest for Frankenstein Day

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<p>Have you tried ESL Library&#39;s Halloween-themed <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3396"><strong>The Scaredy-Cat</strong></a> lesson with your young learners? In this lesson, your young learners will learn some Halloween vocabulary in a fun way. We also have a <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2439"><strong>Word Bank</strong></a> lesson&nbsp;and a&nbsp;fun lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2515"><strong>Prepositions of Place</strong></a> in our Fun Grammar Lessons section. Try both of these lessons before you try this follow-up Halloween listening&nbsp;activity.</p>

<h1>Listening Activity</h1>

<p>This activity works best if you have already introduced your students to Halloween vocabulary (see this&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/46">Halloween Flashcards</a></strong> set) and prepositions of place. Play the recording and have your students listen to find out where the witch&#39;s black cat is hiding. Listen a few more times and ask your students to listen for the prepositions of place. They can also draw a scene from the&nbsp;story. Why not share this story on <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/pets/national-black-cat-day/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><strong>National Black Cat Day</strong></a> (Oct 27)? You can talk about why black cats are often left in animal shelters with no&nbsp;homes.</p>

<h1>The Scaredy-Cat</h1>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HhtOelNRyRc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p><em>(Transcript)</em></p>

<blockquote>
<p>One Halloween night, a young witch lost her black cat. &quot;Here, kitty kitty,&quot; the witch called, but the cat did not come&nbsp;out. The witch walked down her street and called again. &quot;Here, kitty kitty,&quot;&nbsp;the witch called, but again the cat did not come&nbsp;out.</p>

<p>The young witch walked across the street and up the hill. At the top of the hill, there was a big house with Halloween decorations. It looked like a haunted house. There was a zombie in front of the fence. Behind the fence, there was a tree. A ghost hung on a tree branch. Below the tree, there was a&nbsp;graveyard. The little witch stood in the graveyard and called her cat, but it did not come out. It was time to ask for&nbsp;help. The witch walked up the steps and knocked on the door of the house. A young boy in a pirate costume opened the door.</p>

<p>&quot;You didn&#39;t say trick or treat,&quot; he&nbsp;said.</p>

<p>The witch laughed. &quot;I am not looking for candy. I am looking for my black cat. Can you help me find her? She is afraid of&nbsp;Halloween.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;That&#39;s funny,&quot; the boy said. &quot;You have a black cat that is afraid of&nbsp;Halloween!&quot;</p>

<p>He stepped out of his house and helped the witch. They looked behind the pumpkins and under the welcome mat. They looked in the garden and in between the&nbsp;cars. Just then, they heard a lady scream across the street. The boy and the witch ran to help the lady. She had a candle in her hands.</p>

<p>&quot;I took the lid off my jack-o&#39;-lantern and a black cat jumped out,&quot;&nbsp;the lady said. &quot;It scared&nbsp;me!&quot;&nbsp;This time the witch laughed.</p>

<p>&quot;Don&#39;t be scared. That was my cat. She&#39;s afraid of&nbsp;Halloween.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Here, kitty kitty,&quot;&nbsp;the witch called, and the black cat ran out of the bushes and into her&nbsp;arms.</p>

<p>&quot;That&#39;s one scaredy-cat,&quot;&nbsp;the boy said, and they all&nbsp;laughed.</p>

<p>The lady put the candle inside the jack-o&#39;-lantern. &quot;I like your costumes,&quot; she said, and she gave the boy and the witch some candy. &quot;Happy&nbsp;Halloween!&quot;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h1>Vocabulary</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Halloween</li>
	<li>skeleton</li>
	<li>pirate</li>
	<li>witch</li>
	<li>black cat</li>
	<li>pumpkin</li>
	<li>zombie</li>
	<li>jack-o&#39;-lantern</li>
	<li>ghost</li>
	<li>haunted house</li>
	<li>graveyard</li>
	<li>costume</li>
	<li>candle</li>
	<li>candy</li>
	<li>scaredy-cat</li>
</ul>

<h1>Questions</h1>

<ol>
	<li>Why is the cat&nbsp;hiding?</li>
	<li>What decorations does the big house&nbsp;have?</li>
	<li>Who helps the witch find the&nbsp;cat?</li>
	<li>Why does the lady across the street&nbsp;scream?</li>
	<li>What does the pirate call the cat at the end of the&nbsp;story?</li>
</ol>

<p><strong>Answers</strong></p>

<ol>
	<li>The cat is hiding because it is afraid of&nbsp;Halloween.</li>
	<li>The house has a graveyard beside it with a zombie and a ghost. It also has&nbsp;pumpkins.</li>
	<li>A boy in a pirate costume helps the witch look for the&nbsp;cat.</li>
	<li>The lady across the street screams because the witch&#39;s cat jumped out of the jack-o&#39;-lantern.</li>
	<li>The pirate calls the cat a &quot;scaredy-cat.&quot;</li>
</ol>

<h1>Draw a Scene from the Story</h1>

<p>Invite your students to draw a scene from the story. They can write a sentence underneath their picture. You can put these examples on the board to review some prepositions of&nbsp;place.</p>

<ul>
	<li>The witch is on the&nbsp;street.</li>
	<li>The zombie is in front of the&nbsp;fence.</li>
	<li>The ghost is on the&nbsp;branch.</li>
	<li>The pirate is behind the&nbsp;door.</li>
	<li>The cat is in the jack-o&#39;-lantern.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Related Materials</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3396">The Scaredy-Cat</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2439">Halloween: Word Bank Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2515">Prepositions of Place: Fun Grammar Lessons</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/46">Halloween: Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/24/lessons">Halloween: Lesson Collection</a></li>
</ul>


The Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Listening Activity (YL)

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<p>Prepositions are little words with many functions. Prepositions like <em>in</em> and <em>on</em> get used for multiple purposes, including <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2112">place</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2110">time</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2409">direction</a>. But even within a specific purpose such as prepositions of place used for transportation, <em>in</em> and <em>on</em> can be difficult for our English students to learn. Why do we say&nbsp;<em>in a car</em> but <em>on a&nbsp;bus</em>?</p>

<p>Try presenting the following guidelines to make transportation prepositions easier to teach and&nbsp;learn.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2538"><img alt="Prepositions of Place resource" height="auto" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/239/content_103_Transportation-Prepositions-In-On_Page-2.png" width="400" /></a></p>

<p class="caption">Grammar &amp; Usage Resources &ndash; <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2538">Prepositions of Place: In&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;On</a></p>

<h1>Transportation Prepositions</h1>

<h2>Rule #1</h2>

<p>Use <em>in</em> when the noun is <strong>inside</strong> a <strong>small</strong> mode of transportation (such as a car). Note that we also use <em>in</em> with box or bowl shapes (such as wagon or canoe) even though they&rsquo;re not&nbsp;enclosed.</p>

<ul>
	<li>in a car</li>
	<li>in a truck</li>
	<li>in an SUV</li>
	<li>in a minivan</li>
	<li>in a Porsche</li>
	<li>in a taxi</li>
	<li>in a wheelchair</li>
	<li>in a stroller</li>
	<li>in a wagon</li>
	<li>in a canoe</li>
	<li>in a kayak</li>
	<li>in a rowboat</li>
</ul>

<h3>Note</h3>

<p>Depending on the type of chair, <em>in</em> and <em>on</em> are both&nbsp;possible:</p>

<ul>
	<li>in an armchair/recliner</li>
	<li>on a dining room chair/office chair/sofa</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #2</h2>

<p>Use <em>on</em> when the noun is <strong>on top of</strong> a <strong>small</strong> mode of transportation (such as a motorcycle) or <strong>inside </strong>a <strong>large</strong> vehicle (such as a&nbsp;bus).</p>

<ul>
	<li>on a bicycle</li>
	<li>on a tricycle</li>
	<li>on a motorcycle</li>
	<li>on a horse</li>
	<li>on a skateboard</li>
	<li>on a bus</li>
	<li>on a train</li>
	<li>on the subway</li>
	<li>on a boat</li>
	<li>on a ferry</li>
	<li>on a ship</li>
	<li>on an airplane</li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>For some modes of transportation, <em>in</em> and <em>on</em> are both&nbsp;possible.</p>

<ul>
	<li>in/on a helicopter</li>
	<li>in/on a submarine</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h1>Practice Activity</h1>

<p>Have students cut out pictures of various modes of transportation from magazines (or use our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/19/flashcard_categories/104">flashcard set</a>). Then have students quiz each other by holding up an image and asking <em>Where&rsquo;s the puppy?</em> Students must answer with <em>The puppy is in&hellip;</em> or <em>The puppy is&nbsp;on&hellip;</em>.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/grammar-usage/resources/2538-prepositions-of-place-in-on">Prepositions of Place: In &amp; On</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2112">Prepositions of Place: Grammar Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2515">Prepositions of Place: Grammar Lesson for Kids</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2418">Prepositions of Place: Vocabulary Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2516">Transportation: Word Bank Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/4/flashcard_categories/77">Prepositions of Place: Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/19/flashcard_categories/104">Types of Transportation: Flashcards</a></li>
</ul>


Transportation Prepositions: In & On

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<p>A prefix is a syllable or two that has a specific meaning and can be attached to the beginning of many root words, such as <em class="inlineBlock">re-</em> (<em>review</em>, <em>revise</em>, <em>redo</em>) or <em class="inlineBlock">un-</em> (<em>unnecessary</em>, <em>unbelievable</em>,&nbsp;<em>undone</em>).</p>

<p>Do you specifically teach prefixes to your English students? When I first started teaching, I would only share a prefix&rsquo;s meaning if it came up in class. Then one day I decided to share a list of common prefixes with my intermediate‑level students, and I noticed it helped them pick up new vocabulary more easily. It gave my students confidence to see a new word and realize they already knew half the&nbsp;meaning.</p>

<p>The key is moderation. We don&rsquo;t want to give our students a list of 100 prefixes&mdash;that&rsquo;s overwhelming and frustrating. Instead, try presenting the condensed list of 23 common prefixes below, or try teaching only one a day. And practice makes perfect! The review activities suggested below will help the new meanings&nbsp;stick.</p>

<h1>Prefix Chart</h1>

<p>Check out our Grammar &amp; Usage resource on <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2521">Prefixes</a> for a list of common prefixes and a practice&nbsp;activity.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2521"><img alt="Prefixes resource chart" height="auto" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/245/content_Tanya_Prefixes_Chart.png" width="400" /></a></p>

<p class="caption"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2521">Prefixes</a> &ndash; Grammar &amp; Usage</p>

<h1>Prefix Activities</h1>

<p>Here are some other activities you can do with your students! Some of these activities use flashcards. You&rsquo;ll find <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2522">Prefix Flashcards</a> in our <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Grammar &amp; Usage Resources</a> section, but most activities can be adapted by writing the prefix on the board instead of holding up a&nbsp;flashcard.</p>

<h2>What Does It Mean?</h2>

<p>Divide the class into two teams. Hold up a flashcard in front of the class. Whoever calls out the meaning first gets a point for their&nbsp;team.</p>

<h2>How Many Words?</h2>

<p>Divide the class into two teams. Hold up one prefix and have students shout out as many words beginning with that prefix as they can. Alternatively, challenge pairs to write lists of words that match the prefixes you hold up. The team or pair with the most words for a given prefix is the winner of that&nbsp;round.</p>

<h2>Rooting Around</h2>

<p>As a review of common prefixes + root words, have students sit in a circle, and place the prefix flashcards face up in the center. Call out a root word, and any student can jump up and grab a matching prefix (or have them take turns to avoid collisions). Some roots may have more than one answer (e.g., <em>review</em>, <em>preview</em>) for bonus&nbsp;points.</p>

<h2>Quiz Time</h2>

<p>Put students into small groups or pairs and give them a set of flashcards. Have them take turns quizzing each other. If a student says the correct meaning, he or she can keep the card. The student with the most cards at the end is the&nbsp;winner.</p>

<h2>Mix &amp; Match</h2>

<p>Give pairs 20 slips of paper each and have them create a list of 10 words that use a prefix. They must write the prefix on one slip and the corresponding root word on the other. Then each pair can mix up their cards and pass them to another group. Challenge students to reassemble their classmates&rsquo; words by matching the prefixes and root&nbsp;words.</p>

<h2>Board Race</h2>

<p>On the board, write the meanings of the prefixes in two columns (use the same words in both columns but mix up the order so that it&rsquo;s harder to cheat off the other team). Then divide students into two teams and have them line up at the back of the class. Team members (one at a time per team) must run up to the board and fill in one of the prefixes. The next person in the team can only go when the first person has run back and tagged them. The first team to complete their list correctly is the&nbsp;winner!</p>

<h1>Related Resources</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2521">Prefix Chart &amp; Worksheet</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2522">Prefix Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2316">Suffix Chart &amp; Worksheet</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2523">Suffix Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/english-word-endings-suffixes-that-show-the-part-of-speech/">English Word Endings: Suffixes That Show the Part of&nbsp;Speech</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/2201">Flying Affixes Warm-Up</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1605">Parts of Speech Grammar Lesson</a></li>
</ul>


Prefixes

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<p>Have you tried our Word Bank lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2399"> <strong>Fruit</strong></a>? In this lesson, your new or young learners will review and practice the English words for some of the most common types of fruit. Our flashcard set of <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/13/flashcard_categories/42">Fruit</a>&nbsp;features many more words and&nbsp;pictures. Do you teach young learners who love and need to run around? Try reviewing these words with an active vocabulary game that is often played in preschool classrooms. This game works best outside or in a&nbsp;gymnasium.</p>

<h1>How to Play &quot;Fruit Salad&quot;</h1>

<ol class="spaced-list">
	<li>Tell students to sit in a circle. This is the fruit&nbsp;bowl.</li>
	<li>Choose one person to sit in the middle and close their eyes. This is the&nbsp;spoon!</li>
	<li>Ask students to call out three fruits that they know. Choose the first three you hear (e.g., apples, bananas,&nbsp;strawberries).</li>
	<li>Walk around the circle and assign each student one of these three fruits. Tap your students&#39; shoulders as you assign each one a&nbsp;fruit.</li>
	<li>Now, tell the person in the middle (the spoon) to open their eyes. The spoon will shout one of the fruits (apple, banana, or strawberry) and stand&nbsp;up.<strong>*</strong></li>
	<li>Anyone who was assigned the fruit that was called out must also stand up. Now all of the standing students must run <strong>clockwise</strong> around the circle and try to find an empty spot in the fruit bowl. (The spoon will run to the outside of the circle and also try to find a vacant spot.) The last person standing goes in the middle and becomes the&nbsp;spoon.</li>
	<li>Begin again with three different fruits (or repeat the same ones if your students need more&nbsp;practice).</li>
</ol>

<p><strong>*</strong>When your students are ready, add a spin-off rule. The teacher (or spoon) can sometimes shout out &quot;Fruit Salad!&quot; Then everyone in the bowl has to get up and switch places, and the spoon has to find a spot too. Remind students that everyone must move clockwise in order to avoid collisions! If you&#39;re worried about kids running into each other, make a different action, such as everyone stands up and does three jumping jacks when &quot;fruit salad&quot;&nbsp;is&nbsp;called.</p>

<h1>How to Adapt This Game</h1>

<p>You can adapt this game for many different word sets. If you&#39;re reviewing types of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2389">birds</a>, play &quot;Treetops.&quot; If you&#39;re reviewing types of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">zoo animals</a>, play &quot;Zoo.&quot;&nbsp;If you&#39;re reviewing types of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2432">toys</a>, play &quot;Toy&nbsp;Box.&quot;</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2399">Word Bank &ndash; Fruit</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/13/flashcard_categories/42">Flashcards &ndash; Fruit </a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/110/lessons/2337">Super Simple Questions &ndash; What Color Is It?</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2389">Word Bank &ndash; Birds</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2427">Word Bank &ndash; Zoo Animals</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2432">Word Bank &ndash; Toys</a></li>
</ul>


Fruit Salad – Vocabulary Game for YL

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<p>Learning regular and irregular plural forms is one thing, but learning the possessive form for each type can cause some pretty big headaches for our students! In one of our Functional English lessons,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1757" target="_blank">Finding the Restroom</a>, students will see&nbsp;<em>men&#39;s room</em>&nbsp;but they might wonder&nbsp;why it isn&#39;t spelled&nbsp;<em>mens&#39; room.</em></p>

<p>Our publishing team recently&nbsp;discussed how tricky it is for students to learn how to spell <em>men&rsquo;s room</em> and <em>ladies&rsquo; room</em>. Why <em>don&rsquo;t</em> we spell it <em>mens&rsquo; room</em>? And how can we help our English language learners learn possessive&nbsp;plurals?</p>

<p>The answer lies in thinking about the plural form <em>before</em> it becomes possessive. The plural of <em>man</em> is <em>men</em>, so the possessive follows the normal rule of adding an <span class="inlineBlock">apostrophe + s</span> to form <em>men&rsquo;s room</em>. The plural of <em>lady</em> is <em>ladies</em>, so the possessive follows the normal rule of adding only the apostrophe to a plural word ending in ‑s, which gives us <em>ladies&rsquo; room</em> (scroll down for the complete list of rules).</p>

<p>Let&rsquo;s take a look at some other common English plurals and possessive forms in the table&nbsp;below.</p>

<h1>Regular &amp; Irregular Possessive Plural&nbsp;Forms</h1>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th colspan="4">Regular Plurals</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Singular</th>
			<th>Possessive Singular</th>
			<th>Plural</th>
			<th>Possessive Plural</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>lady</td>
			<td>lady&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>ladies</td>
			<td>ladies&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>guy</td>
			<td>guy&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>guys</td>
			<td>guys&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>girl</td>
			<td>girl&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>girls</td>
			<td>girls&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>boy</td>
			<td>boy&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>boys</td>
			<td>boys&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>kid</td>
			<td>kid&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>kids</td>
			<td>kids&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>student</td>
			<td>student&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>students</td>
			<td>students&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>teacher</td>
			<td>teacher&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>teachers</td>
			<td>teachers&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>school</td>
			<td>school&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>schools</td>
			<td>schools&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>book</td>
			<td>book&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>books</td>
			<td>books&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th colspan="4">Irregular Plurals</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Singular</th>
			<th>Possessive Singular</th>
			<th>Plural</th>
			<th>Possessive Plural</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>man</td>
			<td>man&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>men</td>
			<td>men&rsquo;s</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>woman</td>
			<td>woman&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>women</td>
			<td>women&rsquo;s</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>child</td>
			<td>child&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>children</td>
			<td>children&rsquo;s</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>person</td>
			<td>person&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>people</td>
			<td>people&rsquo;s</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>baby</td>
			<td>baby&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>babies</td>
			<td>babies&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>wife</td>
			<td>wife&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>wives</td>
			<td>wives&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>foot</td>
			<td>foot&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>feet</td>
			<td>feet&rsquo;s</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>tomato</td>
			<td>tomato&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>tomatoes</td>
			<td>tomatoes&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>class*</td>
			<td>class&rsquo;s</td>
			<td>classes</td>
			<td>classes&rsquo;</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>*Note</h5>

<p>A singular word ending in ‑s takes an apostrophe +&nbsp;s, as in <em>class&rsquo;s</em>. Most current style guides follow this&nbsp;rule.</p>
</div>

<h1>Summary of Rules</h1>

<h2>Rule #1</h2>

<p>For singular and plural nouns that don&rsquo;t end in ‑s: <strong>noun +&nbsp;&rsquo;s</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>boy + &rsquo;s = boy&rsquo;s</li>
	<li>men + &rsquo;s = men&rsquo;s</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #2</h2>

<p>For singular nouns ending in ‑s: <strong>noun +&nbsp;&rsquo;s</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>class + &rsquo;s = class&rsquo;s</li>
</ul>

<h2>Rule #3</h2>

<p>For plural nouns ending in ‑s: <strong>nouns +&nbsp;&rsquo;</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>ladies + &rsquo; = ladies&rsquo;</li>
</ul>

<h1>Examples</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Excuse me, do you know where the <strong>men&rsquo;s</strong> room&nbsp;is?</li>
	<li>The <strong>ladies&rsquo;</strong> room is down the hall to the&nbsp;right.</li>
	<li>Jimmy, do you need to use the little <strong>boys&rsquo;</strong>&nbsp;room?</li>
	<li>My cousins and I always have to sit at the <strong>kids&rsquo;</strong>&nbsp;table.</li>
	<li>Where are the <strong>children&rsquo;s</strong> books in this&nbsp;store?</li>
	<li>My <strong>class&rsquo;s</strong> poem won first place. It beat the other&nbsp;<strong>classes&rsquo;</strong>&nbsp;submissions.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1757" target="_blank">Finding the Restroom</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&nbsp;‑s</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/olympics-singular-or-plural" target="_blank">Olympics: Singular or Plural?</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>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/count-non-count-nouns/" target="_blank">Count &amp; Non-Count Nouns</a></li>
</ul>


Confusing Possessive Plurals

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<p><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3783"><strong>Orange Shirt Day</strong></a> takes place in Canada on September&nbsp;30. This annual event honours survivors of Canada&#39;s residential schools. The orange shirt represents the Indigenous child whose everyday life was stripped&nbsp;away.</p>

<p>Phyllis Webstad was six years old in 1973 when she chose a bright, new orange shirt to wear for her first day of school. When she arrived at the residential school in Williams Lake, BC, her orange shirt (a gift from her granny) was stripped off and she never saw it again. Phyllis was devastated and she felt worthless. Those feelings remained with her into adulthood, and the colour orange has always reminded her of that&nbsp;pain.</p>

<p>When Phyllis began sharing the story of her first day of school as part of her healing process, the idea for Orange Shirt Day caught on. Since 2013, many schools and businesses across Canada have taken part in this day to acknowledge the pain and harm caused to First Nations children through the residential school&nbsp;system.</p>

<p>We hope you&#39;ll share Phyllis&#39;s story with your students and encourage them to wear orange on the last day of school in September. If you teach intermediate to advanced students, you may want to try our Historic Events lesson about <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons/2092" target="_blank">Residential Schools</a> to learn more about what children like Phyllis went&nbsp;through. We also have a lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/3783">National Day for Truth and Reconciliation</a>.&nbsp;</p>


Orange Shirt Day: Phyllis's Residential School Story

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<p>Are you looking for grammar lessons for young English learners? ESL&nbsp;Library&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons" target="_blank">Fun Grammar Lessons</a> section&nbsp;offers ready-made lessons on all the main grammar targets that make up the building blocks of English. These kid-friendly lessons are packed with visual support and fun activities to keep young learners&nbsp;engaged.</p>

<h1>Grammar Lesson Categories</h1>

<p>Our Fun Grammar Lessons are divided into the following&nbsp;categories:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Verbs</li>
	<li>Nouns &amp; Pronouns</li>
	<li>Adjectives &amp; Adverbs</li>
	<li>Prepositions</li>
	<li>Modals</li>
	<li>Gerunds &amp; Infinitives</li>
	<li>Sentence Constructions</li>
</ul>

<p>Lessons can be sorted into these categories using the tag filter on the main <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons" target="_blank">Fun Grammar Lessons</a> page. They can also be sorted&nbsp;alphabetically (A&ndash;Z icon) and from easiest to most difficult (1&ndash;9 icon). Note that the difficulty filter is very handy if you&#39;re looking for our suggested teaching order for all of these&nbsp;lessons!</p>

<p><img alt="Screenshot of filters" height="37" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2163/content_Tanya_FGL-Filters.png" width="141" /></p>

<h1>Levels</h1>

<p>These lessons have been categorized into the following&nbsp;levels:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Beg</li>
	<li>Beg &ndash; Low Int</li>
	<li>Low Int &ndash; Int</li>
	<li>Int</li>
	<li>Int &ndash; High Int</li>
</ul>

<p>Please preview the lessons to find out if the levels we&#39;ve chosen are suitable for your learners. To filter by level, use the sort buttons on the left of the main <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons" target="_blank">Fun Grammar Lessons</a> page.</p>

<p><img alt="Screenshot of level filters" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2164/content_Tanya_FGL-Level-Filters.png" width="154" height="37"></p>

<p>For the recommended teaching order of lessons within the same level, use the difficulty filter&nbsp;(1&ndash;9 icon) on the right of the main&nbsp;page.</p>

<h1>Lesson Tasks</h1>

<p>These comprehensive lessons can be stretched out to last several days. You can choose only those tasks (PDF or digital) that you&#39;d like to do, or you can do them all in the order we&#39;ve set. You can also save some tasks to assign for homework.</p>

<p>Here are some of the exercise types you will find in these lessons (note that task types vary slightly from the PDF to the digital version, though most content is the same):</p>

<ul>
	<li>Grammar notes</li>
	<li>Practice exercises</li>
	<li>Pair speaking tasks</li>
	<li>Writing tasks</li>
	<li>Fun activities (cards, games,&nbsp;etc.)</li>
	<li>Quizzes</li>
	<li>Class surveys</li>
</ul>

<h1>Sample Lesson</h1>

<p>If you aren&#39;t an <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing" target="_blank">ESL Library member</a> yet, check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2503" target="_blank">Simple Present</a> sample lesson to get a feel for what these lessons look like. (You can view a lesson from each of our lessons sections in our <a href="https://ellii.com/sample/lessons" target="_blank">Sample&nbsp;Lessons</a>&nbsp;area.)</p>

<p>Note: Our Fun Grammar Lessons were designed for teaching young learners. If you teach teen and adult learners, we recommend our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons" target="_blank">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a> section. You will find some overlap in these lessons, so please choose the lesson that is more suitable for your age&nbsp;group. Also note that many teachers have told us their teen and adult learners sometimes prefer our <a href="http://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons" target="_blank">Fun Grammar Lessons</a> since they are a easier and illustrated.</p>

<h1>More Fun for Kids</h1>

<p>Here are some other ESL Library sections that you can use with young learners and middle&nbsp;schoolers:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons" target="_blank">Word Bank</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/117/lessons" target="_blank">Discovery</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons" target="_blank">Grammar Stories</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/89/lessons" target="_blank">Basic Grammar Sentences</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/91/lessons" target="_blank">Simple Sentences</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/83/lessons" target="_blank">Easy Readers</a></li>
</ul>

<h1>Flashcards</h1>

<p>Our Flashcard section can be used with our grammar lessons. You can edit the vocabulary to any word form or tense you need or even print the images without words for quizzes, games, and tests. Be sure to check out all of our new and updated <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/" target="_blank">Flashcards</a>.</p>


Fun Grammar Lessons for Teaching Young Learners

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Teaching with Ellii

<p>Recently a subscriber asked us to share some ideas on reviewing vocabulary in a one-to-one teaching setting. Getting vocabulary to stick is often a matter of choosing vocabulary that is necessary or relevant for your student. After you pick the right vocabulary sets, find different ways to play with the words to ensure they become part of your student&rsquo;s active&nbsp;vocabulary.</p>

<p>Here are some ideas to try in your one-to-one&nbsp;lessons:</p>

<h1>Wh- Questions</h1>

<p>After your student learns a new word, work together to come up with 5 Wh- questions that relate to it. <strong>Example:</strong> &ldquo;interrupt&rdquo;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Who <strong>interrupts</strong> you a lot?</li>
	<li>What do people <strong>interrupt</strong> teachers for?</li>
	<li>Where do people often <strong>interrupt</strong>?</li>
	<li>When is <strong>interrupting</strong> essential?</li>
	<li>When is <strong>interrupting</strong> rude?</li>
	<li>How do you <strong>interrupt</strong> politely?</li>
</ul>

<h1>Speed Sort</h1>

<p>Choose a set of words or flashcards that you&rsquo;ve been working on and place them on individual slips of paper facedown in front of your&nbsp;student.</p>

<p>Now, have your student flip over the cards quickly, sorting them into two piles, <em>Words I Know</em> and <em>Words I Don&rsquo;t Know</em>. Any time you see your student hesitate when placing a word into the <em>Words I Know</em> pile, shout &ldquo;Challenge&rdquo; and ask your student to place the card in front of the two&nbsp;piles.</p>

<p>Now your student has to be able to define the word <em>and</em> use it in a sentence. You may want to test your student&rsquo;s spelling and pronunciation,&nbsp;too.</p>

<p>If your student gets a word wrong, move it to the <em>Words I Don&rsquo;t Know</em> pile. After the sorting and challenging is over, go through the <em>Words I Don&rsquo;t Know</em> pile and help your student learn these words by going over definitions, examples, pronunciation,&nbsp;etc.</p>

<p>Play again at the beginning of your next session. You may want to pull a few random cards from the <em>Words I Know</em> pile to make sure your student really knows the&nbsp;word.</p>

<p><em>Tip: Be sure to search our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Flashcard</a> section to see if we have the words you need. Keep in mind that you can edit the text of an image to any word or word form you&nbsp;need!</em></p>

<h1>Reduce, Reuse, Recycle</h1>

<p>Choose 10 words from a reading that you are working on. Work together to write a story, poem, or letter that features all of the new or tricky words. You could write it like a chain, where your student writes one sentence (and crosses off a word) and you write the&nbsp;next.</p>

<h1>Vocab Collage</h1>

<p>Bring in some old magazines and have your student cut out objects and large words that he or she is familiar with in&nbsp;English.</p>

<p>While your student is making a collage of familiar words, point to useful words and objects in a magazine that your student may not know (but should). If your student does not know the word, cut the picture or word out and make your own collage with the unfamiliar&nbsp;words.</p>

<p>Go over the word collage regularly until your student knows all of the vocabulary. Try to use a balance of words and pictures to make the collage visually appealing. Vocab collages can be done in themes or just as a random vocabulary building activity that will also get your student&nbsp;talking.</p>

<h1>Role Reversal</h1>

<p>Teaching is the best way to learn. Tell your student to pretend that you are the learner. Your student will have to use examples, definitions, and drawings to get you to guess words from a list of new&nbsp;words.</p>

<h1>Word Soup</h1>

<p>Build Word Soup by focusing on themes or word forms. Draw a pot on a piece of paper or on a board. Slowly call out related words and have your student write them in the pot (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>school</em>, <em>teacher</em>, <em>pencil</em>, <em>pen</em>, <em>desk</em>). Then call out a word that doesn&rsquo;t belong (e.g., <em>vacuum cleaner</em>). If your student detects the odd word, have him start a new Word Soup beginning with this word. If your student doesn&rsquo;t spot the word, keep going for a while and then ask your student to spot the odd&nbsp;ingredient.</p>

<p>Get your student to create a big Word Soup before writing a word that doesn&rsquo;t go into it. You could do this with themes or with word forms (e.g., Verbs, Adjectives). For odd words, choose words that go with other word sets you have studied in the past. Make notes of the spelling mistakes and review them with your&nbsp;student.</p>

<h1>RSP Detective</h1>

<p>Have your student do regular detective work by trying to find a <em>root</em> and a <em>suffix</em> or <em>prefix</em> for a new word. Then open a dictionary together and try to find at least one related&nbsp;word.</p>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> &ldquo;interrupt&rdquo;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>prefix &ndash; inter</p>

<p>root &ndash; rupt</p>

<p>related words &ndash; <em>interrogate</em>, <em>interaction</em>, <em>rupture</em>, <em>erupt</em></p>
</blockquote>

<h1>What Would an Elephant Do with This&nbsp;Word?</h1>

<p>When you get to know your one-to-one students well, you&rsquo;ll learn what topics they are interested in (or even obsessed about). Find one animal, character, sport, or other subject that your student is passionate about (e.g., <em>elephant</em>, <em>soccer</em>, <em>baking</em>). Whenever you come across a new word, ask your student to come up with a sentence that combines this passion and the new&nbsp;word.</p>

<p>For example, imagine the new word is <strong>interrupt</strong> and your private lesson students have the following&nbsp;interests:</p>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant</th>
			<td>An elephant would <strong>interrupt</strong> a sleeping family as it walked&nbsp;by.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Soccer</th>
			<td>Don&rsquo;t <strong>interrupt</strong> me when I&rsquo;m watching&nbsp;soccer.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Baking</th>
			<td>Someone always <strong>interrupts</strong> me while I&rsquo;m measuring&nbsp;sugar.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>Now imagine the new phrase these three students learned was <strong>special occasion</strong>. They might come up with these&nbsp;sentences:</p>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant</th>
			<td>I rode an elephant once. It was a <strong>special&nbsp;occasion</strong>.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Soccer</th>
			<td>At <strong>special occasions</strong>, the men in my family sit in the living room and watch&nbsp;soccer.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Baking</th>
			<td>I bake cakes for <strong>special occasions</strong>&nbsp;such as&nbsp;birthdays.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Top 10 Booklet</h1>

<p>Who doesn&rsquo;t love a good Top 10 list? Whenever you cover a theme or grammar target, have your student make a Top Ten list. Keep all of the Top 10 lists together and quiz your student on these words&nbsp;regularly.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Top Ten Simple Past Verbs</li>
	<li>Top Ten Entertainment Genres</li>
	<li>Top Ten Kitchen Nouns</li>
	<li>Top Ten Adverbs</li>
	<li>Top Ten Small Talk Subjects</li>
</ul>

<p>See our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a> lessons for other ways to review 10&ndash;12 words in a&nbsp;set.</p>

<h1>Word Fit</h1>

<p>One-to-one lessons often take place in libraries or study halls where you feel like you have to keep your voice down and sit in one place. Why not get out and about once in a while? Grab two pens and two notebooks and go out for a walk. Set a time limit. Set a vocabulary goal too. Here are some possible vocabulary goals for a walk with your English&nbsp;student:</p>

<ul>
	<li>spot 10 words you learned this&nbsp;week</li>
	<li>write down all of the action verbs you&nbsp;see</li>
	<li>write down ten things you see that you don&rsquo;t know the word for (in one&rsquo;s own language, try to describe in English back in the&nbsp;class)</li>
	<li>write down 20 natural things that you&nbsp;see</li>
	<li>spot 20 manmade objects</li>
	<li>write 20 adjectives that come to mind as you walk (in class have the other person guess what noun went with&nbsp;them)</li>
	<li>write 10 things that you don&rsquo;t know how to pronounce properly</li>
	<li>write 10 business names that you see (in class discuss any play on words and talk about why these names are appropriate or&nbsp;not)</li>
	<li>make a list of opposites (e.g., one of you writes beautiful things and the other writes ugly things, or one writes white things and one writes black&nbsp;things)</li>
</ul>

<p>When you get back to your lesson area, have a discussion about what you saw. Go over your&nbsp;lists.</p>

<h1>Record and Compare</h1>

<p>Record a word list, and have your student record it too. Compare the recordings. Does your student&rsquo;s version need some pronunciation tweaks? Practice any difficult sounds or words. Then have your student try recording it&nbsp;again.</p>

<h1>Yes/No Questions</h1>

<p>Have a word list in mind or create one together based on your last few sessions. Then play a game where you think of one of the words, and your student has to ask Yes/No questions to find out which word you are thinking&nbsp;of.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>A: Is it a noun?<br />
B: No.</p>

<p>A: Is it a verb?<br />
B: Yes.</p>

<p>A: Is it something you do at work?<br />
B: Yes.</p>

<p>A: Is it a nice verb?<br />
B: Umm. No.</p>

<p>A: Is it a rude verb?<br />
B: Yes. Sometimes.</p>

<p>A: Does it start with an &ldquo;i&rdquo;?<br />
B: Yes!</p>

<p>A: Is it &ldquo;interrupt&rdquo;?<br />
B: Yes!</p>
</blockquote>

<h1>Vocabulary Box</h1>

<p>As you introduce new vocabulary, try collecting items that represent or relate to the new words. These can be actual items or pictures or objects that relate to the words. Place the items in a box or bag and look through it at the beginning or end of a lesson. Can your student remember why each item or picture is in the Vocabulary&nbsp;Box?</p>

<p>You can also use the Vocabulary Box for other activities such as writing prompts or spelling quizzes. It may even come in handy when you need game pieces for a <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2487-board-games">board game</a>. Clear out the collection once in a while and start a fresh&nbsp;collection!</p>

<h1>Share your ideas&hellip;</h1>

<p>Do you teach one-to-one? Leave a comment with your tips and ideas for reviewing vocabulary and using ESL&nbsp;Library materials! Which sections and tasks from our lessons work well in your private lessons? What adaptations have you&nbsp;made?</p>


One-to-One Vocabulary Review Activities

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<p>Commonly confused words are terms with similar sounds or meanings that English language learners often struggle with. In the past, I&#39;ve blogged about <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/make-vs-do" target="_blank">make vs. do</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/hope-vs-wish" target="_blank">hope vs. wish</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/commonly-confused-prepositions-above-over-below-under" target="_blank">above, over, under &amp; below</a>, to name a few. Today I want to discuss two verbs that my students often mix up:&nbsp;<strong>come </strong>and<strong><em>&nbsp;</em>go</strong>. I&#39;d often hear &quot;When I come back to Japan&#39;&quot;or &quot;When I go back to here&quot;&nbsp;in my Canadian&nbsp;classroom.</p>

<h1>Coming or Going?</h1>

<p>Though they have similar meanings, most cases of <em>come</em> and <em>go</em> are clear‑cut. <strong>Come</strong> means to move toward something. We often use it for sentences about visiting and&nbsp;home.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Come here.</li>
	<li>Come over.</li>
	<li>Come to my place around 7:00&nbsp;pm.</li>
	<li>My aunt is coming to visit next&nbsp;week.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Go</strong> means to move in a direction. We often use it for sentences about travel or other&nbsp;outings.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&#39;m going on&nbsp;vacation.</li>
	<li>Let&#39;s go to the&nbsp;movies.</li>
	<li>I can&#39;t wait to go to the beach next&nbsp;weekend!</li>
	<li>He will go to the grocery store on his way&nbsp;home.</li>
</ul>

<p>Sometimes either <strong>come</strong> or <strong>go</strong> is possible, with no substantial difference in meaning, especially with progressive (<em>-ing</em>)&nbsp;tenses.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Are you coming to my&nbsp;party?</li>
	<li>Are you going to my&nbsp;party?</li>
	<li>I&#39;m coming with&nbsp;you.</li>
	<li>I&#39;m going with&nbsp;you.</li>
</ul>

<p>In the expression<em>&nbsp;coming or going</em>,&nbsp;<strong>coming</strong> means&nbsp;<em>arriving</em> and&nbsp;<strong>going</strong> means&nbsp;<em>leaving</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&#39;m so glad I ran into you! Are you coming or&nbsp;going?</li>
</ul>

<h1>Come Back Vs. Go Back</h1>

<p>The expressions <em>come back&nbsp;</em>and&nbsp;<em>go back</em>&nbsp;follow a simple&nbsp;rule:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Use &quot;come back&quot;&nbsp;if you are <strong>currently at the place</strong> you&#39;re referring&nbsp;to.</p>

<p>Use &quot;go back&quot;&nbsp;if you are <strong>not currently at the place</strong> you&#39;re referring&nbsp;to.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Let&#39;s compare!</p>

<table class="has-borders">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Example</th>
			<th>Notes</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>I want to <strong>come back</strong> to California next&nbsp;year.</td>
			<td>(I&#39;m on vacation in California right&nbsp;now.)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>I want to <strong>go back</strong> to California next&nbsp;year.</td>
			<td>(I&#39;m back home in Korea right&nbsp;now.)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><strong>Come back</strong> after dropping your friend&nbsp;off.</td>
			<td>(We&#39;re at my house right&nbsp;now.)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><strong>Go back</strong> and return the item you took by&nbsp;mistake.</td>
			<td>(We&#39;re outside of the store right&nbsp;now.)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Are you <strong>coming back</strong>&nbsp;later?</td>
			<td>(We are both at a party right now, and you are about to&nbsp;leave.)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Let&#39;s <strong>go back</strong> to&nbsp;class.</td>
			<td>(We are in the cafeteria right&nbsp;now.)</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>Are there any other commonly confused words that your students mix up? Do you have any tips that will help students remember the differences? Share them with us in the Comments section&nbsp;below!&nbsp;</p>


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