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

<blockquote>
<p>If I were you&hellip;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>English doesn&rsquo;t just have verb tenses, it also has voices and <strong>moods</strong>. One of the moods that students struggle with most is the <strong>subjunctive</strong>. The subjunctive is used only in specific cases that students aren&rsquo;t often exposed to until they reach a high‑intermediate or advanced level. But presenting the subjunctive earlier on isn&rsquo;t a bad idea&mdash;when it&rsquo;s laid out in certain patterns (see below), it becomes easier to understand and remember. Also, this form is often included in certain tests such as the TOEIC, and students of all levels take these tests. Most students wish the subjunctive <em>were</em> easier to learn&mdash;make their wish a&nbsp;reality!</p>

<h1>The Subjunctive</h1>

<p>In English, the subjunctive is a grammatical mood that is used to express an <em>unreal</em> situation such as a wish, possibility, or action that may or may not happen. The most common occurrences of the subjunctive that students are likely to encounter include sentences reporting suggestions, the second conditional, and sentences with&nbsp;&ldquo;wish.&rdquo;</p>

<h1>1. Reporting Suggestions</h1>

<h2>Use #1</h2>

<p>The subjunctive form is used for reporting suggestions. Certain verbs (that I like to call<strong> verbs of suggestion</strong> to help students easily pick them out) in the independent (main) clause will result in the base form of the verb in the dependent &ldquo;that&rdquo; clause. Point out this pattern to&nbsp;students:</p>

<p><strong>Verb of suggestion + that + base&nbsp;verb</strong></p>

<p>Some of the more common verbs of suggestion that follow this pattern include: <em>advise</em>, <em>ask</em>, <em>demand</em>, <em>insist</em>, <em>prefer</em>, <em>propose</em>, <em>recommend</em>, <em>request</em>, <em>require</em>, <em>suggest</em>, and <em>urge</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>His boss demanded that he <strong>work</strong>&nbsp;overtime.</li>
	<li>Her teacher suggested that she <strong>study</strong> for three hours last&nbsp;night.</li>
	<li>I prefer that he <strong>speak</strong> to me&nbsp;directly.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Use #2</h2>

<p>The subjunctive form is also used for giving strong suggestions or commands. Certain adjectives (that I call <strong>adjectives of importance</strong> to help students remember) in the independent clause will result in the base form of the verb in the dependent &ldquo;that&rdquo; clause. Point out this pattern to&nbsp;students:</p>

<p><strong>Adjective of importance + that + base&nbsp;verb</strong></p>

<p>Some common adjectives that follow this pattern include: <em>important</em>, <em>necessary</em>, <em>imperative</em>, <em>essential</em>, <em>vital</em>, and&nbsp;<em>urgent</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>It was important that he <strong>call</strong> me&nbsp;yesterday.</li>
	<li>It is essential that the operator of this machine <strong>remain</strong> calm during an&nbsp;emergency.</li>
	<li>I think it is necessary that your dog <strong>be</strong> <strong>kept</strong> on a leash while in this&nbsp;area.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Notes</h2>

<h3>Note #1</h3>

<p>Make sure you don&rsquo;t give students example sentences where they won&rsquo;t notice the base verb. If you use the simple present tense and a subject other than the third-person singular, students may think it&rsquo;s a simple present verb in the dependent clause instead of a base verb. For instance, in the sentence <em>They suggest that we look over the document</em>, &ldquo;look&rdquo; could be mistaken for a simple present verb instead of a base&nbsp;verb.</p>

<h3>Note #2</h3>

<p>The subjunctive often occurs in clauses that begin with &ldquo;that.&rdquo; Point out to students that seeing &ldquo;that&rdquo; is a good indication that the subjunctive may be required (particularly on a test such as the TOEIC). However, &ldquo;that&rdquo; can be dropped in English, so it isn&rsquo;t always a surefire way to spot the subjunctive. (E.g., <em>I suggested that he study for at least two hours. / I suggested he study for at least two hours.</em>) It&rsquo;s more important to notice the verb or adjective in the main clause. Is the meaning of the verb &ldquo;suggestion&rdquo;? Is the meaning of the adjective &ldquo;importance&rdquo;? If so, the subjunctive should be&nbsp;used.</p>

<h1>2. The Second Conditional</h1>

<p>The second conditional, also known as the unreal conditional, follows this&nbsp;pattern:</p>

<p><strong>If + past, would + base verb</strong></p>

<p>It is used to show an unlikely or impossible outcome that probably wouldn&rsquo;t happen. The subjunctive mood becomes apparent when we use the <strong>be</strong> verb. This verb always takes the form of <strong>were</strong>, no matter what the subject is. It&rsquo;s a holdover from long ago when we used certain forms to express mood far more often than we do nowadays. It&rsquo;s important to point out this <strong>was/were</strong> case to your students because they won&rsquo;t be expecting it! Give them a few examples (make sure the subject would normally take &ldquo;was&rdquo;). You could also print out the lyrics to &ldquo;If I Were a Boy&rdquo; by Beyonce and play it in class as a fun way to see the subjunctive in&nbsp;use.</p>

<ul>
	<li>If I <strong>were</strong> rich, I&rsquo;d travel around the&nbsp;world.</li>
	<li>If he <strong>weren&rsquo;t</strong> so lazy, he would get good&nbsp;grades.</li>
</ul>

<p>For more tips on the conditional forms, check out my blog post: <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/an-easy-way-to-teach-conditionals">An Easy Way to Teach Conditionals</a>. For an example of this form in use, look at the quote in the Grammar Review section of our Mini‑Debates lesson <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/73/lessons/1312">The Right to&nbsp;Die</a>.</p>

<h1>3. Wish</h1>

<p>Another case where the subjunctive is used in English is with the verb <strong>wish</strong>. When <strong>wish</strong> is used in the independent clause, the <strong>be</strong> verb always takes the form <strong>were</strong> in the dependent clause when there is a present or future meaning. This confuses students for two reasons: 1) Why do we use a past verb when our meaning is present or future? 2) Why don&rsquo;t we use <strong>was</strong> for the first and third persons singular? Again, we use <strong>were</strong> to indicate a hypothetical or unreal situation. It&rsquo;s good to get them to memorize the pattern <strong>wish&nbsp;+&nbsp;were</strong>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I wish I <strong>were</strong> able to go to Vegas with you next month, but there&rsquo;s no way I can get the time off&nbsp;work.</li>
	<li>She wishes that she <strong>were</strong>&nbsp;taller.</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Note about wish and&nbsp;hope</h5>

<p><strong>Wish</strong> indicates an <em>impossible</em> or <em>unlikely</em> situation (much like the second conditional); use <strong>were</strong>, a <strong>past </strong>verb, a <strong>past perfect</strong> verb, or <strong>would&nbsp;+&nbsp;verb</strong>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I wish you <strong>would stop</strong> growing so&nbsp;fast.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Hope</strong> indicates a <em>possible</em> situation (much like the first conditional); use a&nbsp;<strong>present </strong>verb or&nbsp;<strong>will&nbsp;+&nbsp;verb</strong>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I hope you<strong>&nbsp;feel</strong> better&nbsp;soon.</li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>If I were filthy rich, I&rsquo;d still blog about&nbsp;grammar!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>

<h1>Sources</h1>

<ul>
	<li><em>Collins Cobuild English Grammar</em>, section 7.40.</li>
	<li>My own brain after 10 years of teaching TOEIC. :)</li>
</ul>


Tips for Teaching the Subjunctive

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<blockquote>
<p>Are you yourself confused by reflexive pronouns being used intensively, or is it only your students who are&nbsp;confused?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As we were working on the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/84/lessons/1541">Gerald R. Ford lesson</a> this week at ESL&nbsp;Library, the topic of <em>intensive pronouns</em> came up because of this&nbsp;sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;President Nixon <strong>himself</strong> resigned a year later due to his involvement in an illegal cover‑up related to his re‑election&nbsp;campaign.&rdquo;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This got us talking about reflexive pronouns that are specifically used for emphasis, which are known as <em>intensive pronouns</em>. But what are the differences in usage and sentence position between reflexive pronouns in general and intensive pronouns? Here is the breakdown for teaching these pronouns to your&nbsp;students:</p>

<h1>Reflexive Pronouns</h1>

<h2>Usage</h2>

<p>Reflexive pronouns reflect the <em>subject</em> of the verb. Use these pronouns when the <em>subject</em> and <em>object</em> of the verb are the <em>same</em>&nbsp;person.</p>

<h2>Sentence Position</h2>

<p>Reflexive pronouns are most often found in the <em>object</em> position. They can also appear in an <em>indirect object</em> position, meaning they can follow a&nbsp;preposition.</p>

<h2>Examples</h2>

<ul>
	<li>We asked <strong>ourselves</strong> if the new system would actually&nbsp;work. (direct object)</li>
	<li>I really hurt <strong>myself</strong> this morning when I fell down the&nbsp;stairs.&nbsp;(direct object)</li>
	<li>She looked at <strong>herself</strong> in the mirror for&nbsp;hours.&nbsp;(indirect object)</li>
	<li>They think of <strong>themselves</strong> as upstanding members of the&nbsp;community. (indirect object)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Intensive Pronouns</h1>

<h2>Usage</h2>

<p>Intensive pronouns are reflexive pronouns that are used to <em>emphasize</em> the subject or object&nbsp;noun.</p>

<h2>Sentence Position</h2>

<p>Intensive pronouns are usually <em>appositive</em>, meaning they <em>follow the subject</em> directly. They can also follow an&nbsp;<em>object</em>.</p>

<h2>Examples</h2>

<ul>
	<li>President Nixon <strong>himself</strong> resigned a year later due to his involvement in an illegal cover-up related to his re‑election&nbsp;campaign.</li>
	<li>Even though everyone expected her to know it already, she <strong>herself</strong> was surprised by the&nbsp;news.</li>
	<li>I am not a very punctual person&nbsp;<strong>myself</strong>.</li>
	<li>You don&rsquo;t need help. You can do it&nbsp;<strong>yourself</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Summary</h1>

<p><strong><em>Reflexive</em></strong> pronouns are the <strong>object</strong> or<strong> indirect object</strong> of the main verb, and therefore will <strong>follow the verb</strong>. <strong><em>Intensive</em></strong> pronouns will never appear in an object position; they will <strong>follow a noun</strong>&nbsp;(appositive).</p>

<p>Compare the following sentences to make the distinction crystal&nbsp;clear:</p>

<ul>
	<li>I cut <em>myself</em>. (<strong>Reflexive</strong>; <em>myself</em> is the object of the verb <em>cut</em>; I did this action to&nbsp;myself.)</li>
	<li>I cut her hair <em>myself</em>. (<strong>Intensive</strong>; <em>my hair</em> is the object of the verb <em>cut</em>; <em>myself</em> emphasizes the subject <em>I</em> because it&rsquo;s surprising/unexpected&nbsp;that I cut her hair since I&rsquo;m not a&nbsp;hairdresser.)</li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>A preposition isn&rsquo;t enough to determine whether a pronoun is reflexive or intensive. The important thing is to look for the <strong>object</strong>. Remember, if there is another object, the pronoun is probably&nbsp;<em>intensive</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Why were you staring at <em>yourself</em> in the mirror? (<strong>Reflexive</strong>; <em>at yourself</em> is the indirect object of the verb <em>were&nbsp;staring</em>.)</li>
	<li>You can do it by <em>yourself</em> (<strong>Intensive</strong>; <em>it</em> is the object of the verb&nbsp;<em>do</em>.)</li>
</ul>
</div>

<p>I myself hope that you&rsquo;ve enjoyed this&nbsp;post!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>

<h4>Sources</h4>

<ul>
	<li><em>Chicago Manual of Style</em>, 16th edition, section&nbsp;5.49.</li>
	<li><em>Collins Cobuild English Grammar</em>, section&nbsp;1.121.</li>
</ul>


Reflexive Vs. Intensive Pronouns

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<h1>Everyday practice means practicing every day...</h1>

<p>As a teacher, I saw students often confuse the terms&nbsp;<strong>everyday</strong> and <strong>every day</strong>, mostly because they were unaware of the grammar involved. And as an editor, I see this mistake in native speakers&rsquo; writing all too frequently. It&rsquo;s not only a matter of spelling; the spelling reflects the grammar rules that must be adhered to. But fear not! The grammar rules are easy to remember, and if you read through this post, you and your students will most likely never make this mistake again.</p>

<blockquote>
<h2>Rule</h2>
If you&rsquo;re unsure which form to use, look for the <strong>noun</strong>. Is there a noun that follows? If so, use <strong>everyday</strong>. If not, use <strong>every day</strong>.</blockquote>

<h3>Everyday</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Everyday</strong>, spelled as one word, is an <strong>adjective</strong> that must come before a <strong>noun</strong> (see the note below concerning this adjective following the <em>be</em> verb).</p>

<ul>
	<li dir="ltr">Our band has an <strong>everyday</strong> <em>practice session</em>.</li>
	<li dir="ltr">The <strong>everyday</strong> <em>uses</em> of this new technology are numerous.</li>
	<li dir="ltr">These are just my <strong>everyday</strong> <em>clothes</em>. I&rsquo;ll dress up tonight.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Every day</h3>

<p><strong>Every day</strong>, spelled as two words, is a time expression that is best defined as an <strong>adverbial expression</strong>. It takes the same sentence position as many adverbs and adverb clauses do, namely at the beginning or end of the sentence or clause. It is technically an adjective and a noun (but note that some grammar books, unlike most dictionaries, classify <strong>every</strong> as an article or quantifier), though together these terms take on an <strong>adverb function</strong>.</p>

<ul>
	<li dir="ltr">Our band practices <strong>every day</strong>. (<em>Note</em>: the American spelling of the verb is <em>practices</em>.)</li>
	<li dir="ltr"><strong>Every day</strong> before school, I review my notes from the previous lesson.</li>
	<li dir="ltr">He calls his girlfriend <strong>every day</strong> to show her that he cares.</li>
</ul>

<h3 dir="ltr">Note</h3>

<p dir="ltr">In English, most adjectives can either come before a noun or follow the verb <em><strong>to be</strong></em> (e.g., She is <em>intelligent</em>. The painting was <em>beautiful</em>.) However, the adjective <strong>everyday</strong> will not occur in this position (e.g., The practice session is&nbsp;<em>everyday </em>at 6:00 pm. = <strong>incorrect</strong>). When we use the <em>be</em> verb in this case, the meaning is about the <em>time</em> or <em>frequency</em>, so we should write the time expression <strong>every day</strong> (e.g., The practice session is&nbsp;<em>every day </em>at 6:00 pm. = <strong>correct</strong>). It&rsquo;s a good idea to point this out to students so that they won&rsquo;t make the understandable mistake of using the adjective form after the <em>be</em> verb for this case.</p>

<p dir="ltr">You can see examples of these terms in use right in the titles of these ESL Library&#39;s sections: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/77/lessons">Everyday Idioms</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons">Everyday Dialogues</a>.</p>

<p>I really should (and will!) write a blog post dedicated to the different time expressions in English: adverbs of frequency (e.g., always, sometimes), adverb clauses (e.g., when + SVO), and adjective + noun (e.g., every day, once a week). Coming soon!</p>

<p dir="ltr">Wishing you happiness every day,</p>

<p dir="ltr">Tanya</p>

<p>&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

Everyday Vs. Every Day

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<h3>Analyzing English words can be addictive!</h3>

<p dir="ltr">I love getting into the nitty-gritty aspects of the English language. At ESL Library, we have a lesson coming out in May about <strong>Gaming Addiction</strong>, and we started wondering about the &ldquo;addict&rdquo; word family. Are both <strong>addictive</strong> and <strong>addicting</strong> adjectives? Which is the better choice?</p>

<p dir="ltr">I dug into my reference books to see what I could come up with, but came up a little flat. There was no mention of usage for these two words in <em>Merriam-Webster&rsquo;s Dictionary of English Usage</em>, <em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em>, <em>The Copyeditor&rsquo;s Handbook</em>, or <em>Bryson&rsquo;s Dictionary for Writers and Editors</em>. Also, both <em>Merriam-Webster&rsquo;s Collegiate Dictionary</em> and <em>Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English</em> only have an entry for <strong>addictive</strong> and don&rsquo;t mention <strong>addicting</strong> as a possible adjective form. Luckily, I did find a few entries online, namely from <a href="http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/addictive-versus-addicting.aspx" target="_blank">Grammar Girl</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://grammarist.com/usage/addicting-addictive/" target="_blank">Grammarist</a>. So what did I conclude, and, more importantly, what should you teach your students?</p>

<h3>Addictive</h3>

<p dir="ltr">This is the &ldquo;correct&rdquo; form, and you can never go wrong using <strong>addictive</strong> in an adjective position. According to <em>Merriam-Webster</em>, <strong>addictive</strong> is defined as &ldquo;causing or characterized by addiction.&rdquo;&nbsp;Here are a few examples:</p>

<ul>
	<li dir="ltr">Most <strong>addictive</strong> substances, such as drugs and alcohol, are not good for your health.</li>
	<li dir="ltr"><em>The Walking Dead</em> is really <strong>addictive</strong>; I&rsquo;ve been recommending it to all my friends.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Addicting</h3>

<p dir="ltr">Who is guilty of using <strong>addicting</strong> as an adjective? I&rsquo;m pretty sure I&rsquo;ve used it and have heard it being used a time or two. Because of the lack of an entry for <strong>addicting</strong>, my reference books seem to suggest that&nbsp;<strong>addicting</strong> should not be used as an adjective. But the online sources mentioned above said that <strong>addicting</strong> is becoming more commonplace; however, they both warn that it&rsquo;s a contentious issue among grammarians and that you&rsquo;re better off sticking with <strong>addictive</strong>.</p>

<h3>Conclusion for teachers:</h3>

<p dir="ltr">My advice is to teach your students that <strong>addictive</strong> is the correct adjective form. For more advanced students, you could get a discussion going about how language changes over time, and give <strong>addicting</strong> as an example. It might be a fun project to get your students to go online or read through newspapers or magazines and see if they can find the words <strong>addictive</strong> and <strong>addicting</strong> in use.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Hope you enjoyed this post, my fellow grammar addicts!</p>

<p dir="ltr">Tanya</p>

Addictive Vs. Addicting

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

Articles

<h1>Under the microscope&hellip;</h1>

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library recently received a request from one of our subscribers to explain what the concepts <strong>macro</strong> and <strong>micro</strong> <strong>lesson planning</strong> meant. To be honest, it was the first time I&rsquo;d come across these terms. After a bit of research, I realized both methods of lesson planning were indeed familiar to me because I&rsquo;d put them into practice many times during my teaching career. Let&rsquo;s look at macro and micro lesson planning in more&nbsp;detail.</p>

<h2>Macro Lesson Planning</h2>

<p>The term <strong>macro</strong> comes from Greek <em>makros</em> meaning &ldquo;long, large.&rdquo;&nbsp;For teachers, <strong>macro lesson planning</strong> means coming up with the curriculum for the semester/month/year/etc. Not all teachers feel they are responsible for this as many schools have set curriculums and/or textbooks determined by the academic coordinator. However, even in these cases, teachers may be called upon to devise a curriculum for a new class, modify an older curriculum, or map out themes to match the target lessons within the&nbsp;curriculum.</p>

<p>At my old school, for instance, I had the chance to develop the curriculum for a TOEIC Intermediate and a TOEFL Advanced class when they were first introduced at our school. I&rsquo;ve also modified older curricula (or curriculums, if you prefer&mdash;both are acceptable) for various levels because of students&rsquo; changing needs. And finally, my old school kindly granted the teachers one day a month of paid prep time/new student intake, where we&rsquo;d decide on the themes that we&rsquo;d be using for our class to ensure there wasn&rsquo;t too much overlap with other classes. We did have a set curriculum in terms of grammar points, but themes and supplementary materials were up to us. Doing a bit of planning before the semester started ensured that we stayed organized and kept the students&rsquo; interest throughout the&nbsp;semester.</p>

<p>Another benefit of macro lesson planning is that teachers can share the overall goals of the course with their students on the first day, and they can reiterate those goals as the semester progresses. Students often lose sight of the big picture and get discouraged with their English level, and having clear goals that they see themselves reaching helps prevent&nbsp;this.</p>

<h2>Micro Lesson Planning</h2>

<p>The term <strong>micro</strong> comes from the Greek <em>mikros</em> meaning &ldquo;small, little.&rdquo;&nbsp;In the ELT industry, <strong>micro lesson planning</strong> refers to planning one specific lesson based on one target (e.g., the simple past). It involves choosing a topic or grammar point and building a full lesson to complement it. A typical lesson plan involves a warm-up activity, which introduces the topic or elicits the grammar naturally, followed by an explanation/lesson of the point to be covered. Next, teachers devise a few activities that allow students to practice the target point, preferably through a mix of skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing). Finally, teachers should plan a brief wrap-up activity that brings the lesson to a close. This could be as simple as planning to ask students to share their answers from the final activity as a&nbsp;class.</p>

<p>Some benefits of micro lesson planning include classes that runs smoothly and students who don&rsquo;t get bored. Lesson planning ensures that you&rsquo;ll be prepared for every class and that you&rsquo;ll have a variety of activities on hand for whatever situation may arise (well, the majority of situations&hellip;I&rsquo;m sure we&rsquo;ve all had those classes where an activity we thought would rock ends up as an epic&nbsp;fail).</p>

<p>For more information on micro lesson planning, check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-make-a-lesson-plan">How to Make a Lesson Plan</a>, a blog post I wrote last year, where I emphasized the importance of planning fun, interesting fillers so that students stay engaged. I also provided links in that post to many examples of activities you can use for warm-ups, main activities, fillers, homework, etc.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Can anyone think of other benefits of macro or micro lesson planning? Does anyone have a different definition of these terms? Let us know&nbsp;below.</p>

<p>Happy planning!<br />
Tanya</p>

Macro and Micro Lesson Planning

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<h1>Don&rsquo;t be an April fool...figure out the rules before talking about this holiday in class!</h1>

<p>April 1 is fast approaching, and that means it&rsquo;s time to watch out for pranksters in many countries. Though the origin of April Fools&rsquo; Day isn&rsquo;t entirely known, Ellii&rsquo;s <a day="" href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1878" lesson="" title="April Fools">April Fools&rsquo; Day&nbsp;</a>lesson covers many of the possibilities with a reading, vocab, and fun activities. But whether you do an entire lesson with your class, discuss it momentarily, or just need to answer students&rsquo; questions, it&rsquo;s a good idea to brush up on the correct capitalization and punctuation rules about this day of jokes and hoaxes.</p>

<h2>1. April Fools&rsquo; Day</h2>

<p>According to Merriam-Webster&rsquo;s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition), the correct spelling of this holiday includes using the plural form &ldquo;Fools&rdquo; and capitalizing each word. This dictionary has the apostrophe after the &ldquo;s&rdquo; to show the possessive form of the plural noun. If you are teaching students in the US, this is the form you should use.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Interestingly, the Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English spells it &ldquo;April Fool&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo;&nbsp;This dictionary uses the singular form of the noun and thus puts the apostrophe before the &ldquo;s.&rdquo;&nbsp;So if you are teaching students in Canada, you should use &ldquo;April Fool&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo;&nbsp;I would assume that the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries also use &ldquo;April Fool&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo;&nbsp;If you can confirm this, please leave a comment below!</p>

<h2>2. April Fool</h2>

<p>What do you shout out after you&rsquo;ve pulled a prank on someone? The correct answer, according to Merriam-Webster&rsquo;s, is &ldquo;April fool!&rdquo; (The Oxford Canadian dictionary didn&rsquo;t have an entry for this case.) This was a surprise to me, because I grew up shouting &ldquo;April fool&rsquo;s!&rdquo; and always assumed it was just the shortened version of the holiday name. Now I know that the correct version is &ldquo;April fool,&rdquo;&nbsp;and that&rsquo;s what I suggest teaching your students. Note that &ldquo;fool&rdquo; is not capitalized&mdash;it is just a common noun in this case. If you are teaching students about this holiday in more detail, note that the alternative name for this holiday is &ldquo;All Fools&rsquo; Day.&rdquo;&nbsp;Also, people sometimes shout out &ldquo;April fish&rdquo; in certain countries (&ldquo;poisson d&rsquo;Avril&rdquo; in French).<br />
<br />
Don&rsquo;t be fooled by all these rules!<br />
&mdash;Tanya</p>

April Fools' Day Capitalization and Punctuation Rules

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Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<blockquote>&quot;You had me at <strong>ready-made</strong> lesson plans.&quot; &mdash;New ESL-Library subscriber</blockquote>

<h3>ESL Library Attends the TESOL Convention in Dallas</h3>

<p>We received hugs at the ESL Library booth at the TESOL convention in Dallas this week. Vee Govan even subscribed to our site before I could show it to her. What does this tell me? Teachers are overworked! And yet, they still take time out of their hectic schedules for professional development. I always come home from teacher conferences feeling inspired and excited to get back to work. TESOL 13 was a fantastic experience, and ESL-Library will be a better resource site for teachers because of it.</p>

<h3>Our Goal at TESOL</h3>

<p>Our goal this year was to discover new trends in ELT publishing and introduce ESL-Library to busy teachers and administrators. Having three members of the team (from Winnipeg, Toronto, and Vancouver) at the convention instead of two allowed us to attend more sessions, have longer chats with teachers, and even take coffee breaks from time to time. Tanya and I taught English together in Vancouver over ten years ago, and it is a pleasure to be working with her again.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Highlights from TESOL 13</h3>

<p>We attended great sessions on grammar, pronunciation, authentic materials, vocabulary, and publishing. We also chatted with fascinating people who have great ideas about modernizing the ELT industry and making language learning more engaging. Here were some of the most memorable people, places, and things we stumbled upon during our trip to Dallas.</p>

<p><strong>The Incredible Slapping Head Lady -</strong>&nbsp;On the plane from Toronto to Dallas, the man sitting beside told me his whole life story. (You can learn a lot about raising chameleons in 3 hours.) I was so busy practising my listening skills that I didn&#39;t notice David Deubelbeiss&nbsp;sitting right behind me. I caught up with David during a shuttle ride from the Dallas airport. As we drove to the convention center we both noticed a female driver (in the fast lane) who was slapping her head repeatedly with one hand while she used the other to hold her cell phone. She went on like this for several minutes, and it wasn&#39;t until our shuttle driver passed her that we all realized she was driving with her knees! &nbsp;When you&#39;re at a teaching conference every experience and observation inspires a classroom activity.&nbsp;<strong><em>Why is the crazy lady slapping her head?</em></strong>&nbsp;We all made our predictions, and David taught our taxi driver some new vocabulary (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).</p>

<p><strong>Language Cloud</strong> - This learner management system just might take over the ELT world. The platform is still in progress, but we think it&#39;s worth waiting for! Co-founders John and Billy put together an excellent demo for TESOL, and we wish them the best of luck. (Read about the magic behind <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/02/20/digital/language-startup-rises-to-cloud-nine/#.UVG3C1vF0hN">Language Cloud in the Japan Times</a>.)</p>

<p><strong>David Harrington&#39;s textbooks</strong> - We know what it&#39;s like to be a small publisher in ELT, and we always love catching up with David at the conferences. This year he had some really fun titles to show us.</p>

<p><strong>Nick Robinson&#39;s &#39;Balancing Act&#39; session for materials writers</strong> - So it wasn&#39;t Nick&#39;s session per se, but as &#39;the only ELT agent in the world,&#39; he was a key player on the panel and had some excellent advice for materials writers and publishers. We wish Nick the best of luck with his launch of &#39;Small Epic&#39; at IATEFL next week. If you have ever thought about publishing your own materials, be sure to keep @nmkrobinson on your radar.</p>

<p><strong>Cosmic Caf&eacute;</strong> - We discovered <a href="http://www.cosmiccafedallas.com/">this great vegetarian restaurant</a>. It had excellent food, service, and atmosphere.</p>

<p><strong>Uptown Dallas</strong> - If you&#39;ve ever been to downtown Dallas, you might wonder where all the people are! Thank goodness for chatty cab drivers who helped us find our way around. Uptown Dallas is the place to go if you&#39;re looking for life after 10pm.</p>

<h3>What our subscribers told us about ESL Library</h3>

<p>One of my favourite things to do at the TESOL convention is chat with current subscribers. I take notes madly after they tell me what they love, what they need, and what we can do to improve their user experience. Here are a few things they told us about ESL-Library this year.</p>

<ul>
	<li>It&#39;s easy to navigate.</li>
	<li>They use it to supplement their core textbooks.</li>
	<li>Their teenagers love the content.</li>
	<li>They love the layout of the lesson plans.</li>
	<li>They no longer have to make their own lesson plans.</li>
	<li>They appreciate how integrated the site is.</li>
	<li>They set their accounts to auto renewal.</li>
	<li>They appreciate our customer service.</li>
	<li>They want more academic English materials.</li>
	<li>They want the ability to customize our materials.</li>
	<li>They hope we add more materials for pre and post-assessment.</li>
</ul>

<h3>Thank you!</h3>

<p>I&#39;m going to use this space to say a quick thank you to all of the new subscribers (like Nance from Kuwait, left) who signed up excitedly at our booth. Your enthusiasm made us feel like we are on the right track. Thank you to our long-term subscribers who took the time to stop by to offer us praise and feedback. Thank you also to TESOL for the iPhone app that made it so easy to keep track of the sessions we wanted to attend! And finally, thank you to Ben for the great trip, and for giving us the opportunity to learn and grow.</p>

<p><strong>See you in Portland at TESOL 14! </strong></p>


Highlights of TESOL 13 in Dallas

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<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Laughter is more than just a pleasurable activity...When people laugh together, they tend to talk and touch more and to make eye contact more frequently&quot;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Gretchen Rubin</p>
</blockquote>

<p>April Fool&rsquo;s Day is around the corner and it&rsquo;s a great time to get your students laughing while learning. Laughter is healthy and gets us to relieve the stress of language learning.</p>

<p>Many of these lessons deal with studying the language in jokes. Jokes are cultural. They play on words, take critical thinking skills to decipher, and enhance the classroom atmosphere. Many will make your students roll their eyes but they will still smile.</p>

<p>Try a few of these ideas and let us know how much your students enjoyed them!</p>

<h2>Joke Mingle</h2>

<p>You can have students bring in jokes for any topic, grammar, or vocabulary you teach. Have them bring in jokes about food, with a phrasal verb, that play on a word, that include a gesture, are their favorites. Remember to have a discussion beforehand to keep it clean!</p>

<ul>
	<li>Students memorize at least one of the jokes.</li>
	<li>Put students in pairs facing each other.</li>
	<li>Give them 30 seconds to a minute to tell their jokes.</li>
	<li>Blow the whistle. They must tell their jokes to different students.</li>
	<li>Create a checklist for them to carry around and check off every time they hear a joke:<br />
	✓ Was it funny?<br />
	✓ Did you get it?<br />
	✓ Have you heard this joke before?</li>
</ul>

<h2>My Favorite Joke</h2>

<p>Have students present their favorite jokes to the class then discuss where they first heard the joke, who told them the joke, and why they think the joke is so funny.</p>

<h2>Corniest Joke Contest</h2>

<p>One of the ways to get your students laughing is to have them tell corny jokes. Have them bring in at least 5 and host a contest for the one that gets the most eye rolls.</p>

<h2>Jokes Across Cultures</h2>

<p>Have a discussion with your students about various types of jokes. Brainstorm on a cognitive map the different types of jokes they come up with such as knock, knock jokes, the chicken crossed the road joke, how many (profession) does it take to screw a lightbulb, etc.</p>

<p>You can use a tool like <a href="http://popplet.com/">Popplet</a> to create a collaborative mindmap. Pair or group learners and have them search for an example of each to include in the mindmap.</p>

<p>Poll your students to see if their countries share similar joke styles. My students in Germany had never heard of knock-knock jokes but they had heard of the <em>how many does it take to screw a lightbulb</em> joke.</p>

<p>Have students create a comic that illustrates the meaning behind the jokes they found. Your students do not have to register to create comics at <a href="http://writecomics.com/">WriteComics</a>, <a href="http://chogger.com/creator">Chogger</a>, and <a href="http://makebeliefscomix.com/">MakeBeliefs</a>.</p>

<h2>Research a Joke</h2>

<p>With a mindmapping tool like <a href="http://popplet.com/">Popplet</a>, students include the origins, history, vocabulary, grammar, of a joke. They present their joke research to the class.</p>

<h2>Mobile Joke Telling: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?</h2>

<p>Put students in a circle. Tell them a few of the chicken crossed the road jokes. Then ask them to think of reasons why the chicken crossed the road.</p>

<p>Using the audio recording feature of a cell phone, record the first student asking, &ldquo;Why did the chicken cross the road?&rdquo; Student B gives a clever answer, then repeats, &ldquo;Why did the chicken cross the road?&rdquo; Student C gives a clever answer and continues the cycle.</p>

<h2>Jigsaw Jokes</h2>

<p>Cut jokes and their punchlines into strips. Distribute each slip to different students. You can have them grab the paper strips from a bag.</p>

<p>The students with the joke search for the student with the matching punchline. Instruct them to read their jokes aloud each time they approach someone.</p>

<p>When a pair finds each other have them work together to figure out the meaning. After everyone finds their partners, have them read the joke aloud to the class.</p>

<p>Then have a class vote on the funniest joke, the corniest joke, and the most difficult joke to understand (and why).</p>

<h2>Some Digital Tools and Ideas</h2>

<p>Your student will love having their jokes told by colorful characters using the <a href="http://voki.com/">Voki</a> speaking tool.</p>

<ul>
	<li>With <a href="http://blabberize.com/">Babblerize</a> your students can take a picture of an animal, pet, or object to tell their joke. It looks funny because a fake mouth is created.</li>
	<li>Your students can illustrate their jokes with 2 characters at <a href="http://goanimate.com/">GoAnimate</a>. They can also create reactions to the joke, like the character laughing a lot or saying something like, &ldquo;Argggghhhh!&rdquo;</li>
	<li>If you&rsquo;re using mobile devices, check out apps like <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sock-puppets/id394504903">Sock Puppets</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puppet-pals-pocket/id395844666?mt=8">Puppet Pals</a>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>A Laughing Diary</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Have students keep a small notebook with them.</li>
	<li>Instruct them to write down the details of every time they laugh.</li>
	<li>After a week have them share the details and have a discussion about what makes us laugh. The class can see if any similar incidences make them laugh.</li>
	<li>Do this with a class from another country and compare to see if upbringing or culture might influence the outcomes.</li>
</ul>

<h2>More Great Websites and Resources</h2>

<p>Find more ideas and safe jokes to share with students using these websites:</p>

<ul>
	<li>My <a href="http://www.pearltrees.com/shellyterrell/teaching-english-jokes/id6912440">bookmarks of Joke sites and lesson ideas</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://manythings.org/jokes">Many Things- Jokes for English Language Learners</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://theoatmeal.com/djtaf">Dumb Jokes That are Funny</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://lessonstream.org/2011/10/04/chickens-crossing/">Lesson plan: Chicken Crossing</a> by Lesson Stream</li>
	<li><a href="http://lessonstream.org/2007/11/09/the-train-tunnel-joke">Lesson plan: The Train Tunnel Joke</a> by Lesson Stream</li>
</ul>


Let’s Laugh! 10+ Resources Activities for Inspiring Laughter in Your Class

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<p><em>Updated January 2016</em></p>

<blockquote>
<p>If I remember all the conditional patterns, I will pass the&nbsp;test!</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Let&rsquo;s talk about conditionals. I find that the usual textbook method of presenting one conditional pattern in isolation means that students will only remember and be able to use that one type. When another pattern is introduced weeks or months later, they often won&rsquo;t remember the previous pattern well enough to keep them both straight, and confusion is the&nbsp;result.</p>

<p>I started laying out all four patterns at once in my TOEIC classes, where students needed to be able to distinguish between all types of conditional sentences in the grammar section of the test. After a lot of positive feedback from students, I started using this method in all my classes whenever one conditional pattern came up in the textbook (or just came up in&nbsp;conversation).</p>

<p>I really found that all my students, even the low‑intermediate ones, understood conditionals so much better when all four patterns were clearly laid out for them. The following chart is how I prefer to present conditionals in my classes. Write out this chart on the board, or download and print it out. You&rsquo;ll also find some useful tips below the&nbsp;chart.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2164"><img alt="Conditionals Chart" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/212/content_Tanya_An-Easy-Way-to-Teach-Conditionals_Chart.png" /></a></p>

<p class="caption"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2164" target="_blank">Conditionals Chart</a> &ndash; Grammar &amp; Usage&nbsp;Resources</p>

<h1>Patterns</h1>

<h3>1. If + Present, Present</h3>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> <em>If he takes vitamins every day, he doesn&rsquo;t get sick. / He doesn&rsquo;t get sick if he takes vitamins every&nbsp;day.</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>This is called the <strong>zero&nbsp;conditional</strong>.</li>
	<li>Use this conditional to show an outcome that happens if a specific <strong>repeated</strong> condition is&nbsp;met.</li>
	<li>The verbs in the <em>if clause</em> and in the <em>main clause</em> will both be <strong>simple present</strong> verbs (remind students that third person singular verbs end in&nbsp;‑s).</li>
	<li>Make sure that students realize, for all the conditional patterns, that the <em>if clause</em> and the <em>main clause</em> order doesn&rsquo;t matter&mdash;the meaning is the same. I like to write out both versions of my example, as I&rsquo;ve done above, so that this point hits home. Also note that a comma is needed when the <em>if clause</em> comes before the main&nbsp;clause.</li>
</ul>

<h3>2. If + Present, Will + Verb</h3>

<p><strong>Example:</strong><em> If she studies for the test, she will get a good grade. / She will get a good grade if she studies for the test.</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>This is called the <strong>first conditional</strong> or the <strong>real&nbsp;conditional</strong>.</li>
	<li>Use this conditional to show a <strong>likely</strong> or <strong>possible</strong> outcome that will probably happen if a specific condition is&nbsp;met.</li>
	<li>The verb in the&nbsp;<em>if clause </em>is a <strong>simple present</strong> verb, and the verb in the&nbsp;<em>main clause</em> is <strong>will + base</strong> form of the&nbsp;verb.</li>
	<li>Make sure to point out that the verb in the <em>if clause</em> will end in ‑s if the subject is third person&nbsp;singular.</li>
</ul>

<h3>3. If + Past, Would + Verb</h3>

<p><strong>Example</strong> (of an <strong>unlikely</strong> situation): <em>If he won the lottery, he would quit his job. / He would quit his job if he won the&nbsp;lottery.</em></p>

<p><strong>Example</strong> (of an <strong>impossible</strong> situation): <em>If I had wings, I would fly to Antarctica. / I would fly to Antarctica if I had&nbsp;wings.</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>This is called the <strong>second conditional</strong> or the <strong>unreal&nbsp;conditional</strong>.</li>
	<li>Use this conditional to show an <strong>unlikely</strong> or <strong>impossible</strong> outcome that probably wouldn&rsquo;t happen (unless a specific condition were&nbsp;met).</li>
	<li>The verb in the&nbsp;<em>if clause&nbsp;</em>is a&nbsp;<strong>simple past</strong>&nbsp;verb, and the verb in the&nbsp;<em>main clause</em>&nbsp;is&nbsp;<strong>would + base </strong>form of the&nbsp;verb.</li>
	<li>Make sure to point out that this is one case where it&rsquo;s correct to use a past tense verb for a future&nbsp;situation.</li>
	<li>Note: The verb<em> to be</em> is always <strong>were </strong>with this conditional, even in the first and third person singular. I usually give an example to ensure that students understand this strange exception: <em>If I were rich, I would buy you a car. / I would buy you a car if I were&nbsp;rich.</em></li>
</ul>

<h3>4. If + Had + P.P., Would + Have +&nbsp;P.P.</h3>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> <em>If I had remembered to call my friend last night, she wouldn&rsquo;t have sent me an angry text message. / My friend wouldn&rsquo;t have sent me an angry text message if I had remembered to call her last&nbsp;night.</em></p>

<ul>
	<li>This is called the <strong>third&nbsp;conditional</strong>.</li>
	<li>Use this conditional to show a <strong>past regret </strong>or<strong> different</strong> outcome that would have happened if a specific condition had been&nbsp;met.</li>
	<li>The verb in the <em>if clause</em> is a <strong>past perfect</strong> verb (<strong>had + past participle</strong> form of the verb), and the verb in the&nbsp;<em>main clause</em> is a <strong>past modal</strong> pattern (<strong>would + have + past participle</strong> form of the&nbsp;verb).</li>
	<li>Make sure to tell students that this conditional isn&rsquo;t very common. We don&rsquo;t often speculate about what might have happened in the past, because we already know what actually&nbsp;happened.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Quick Review</h2>

<p>As a review the next day, write this chart on the board to reiterate the four conditional&nbsp;patterns:</p>

<ol>
	<li><strong>Present (Repeated): </strong>If + Present,&nbsp;Present</li>
	<li><strong>Future (</strong><strong>Likely/Possible/Real):</strong> If + Present, Will +&nbsp;Verb</li>
	<li><strong>Future (</strong><strong>Unlikely/Impossible/Unreal):</strong> If + Past, Would +&nbsp;Verb</li>
	<li><strong>Past (Regret/Different Outcome):</strong> If + Had + P.P., Would + Have +&nbsp;P.P.</li>
</ol>

<p>For more practice, check out ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons">lesson plans and flashcards</a> on&nbsp;conditionals! We also have a <a href="https://youtu.be/s59ygVYxpag">First Conditional video on YouTube</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1602">on our site</a>, with videos for the second conditional and third conditional coming soon!&nbsp;</p>

<p>If you try this method in your class, I will be very&nbsp;happy!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


An Easy Way to Teach Conditionals

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<blockquote>
<p>Teaching students to use big, long lists of&nbsp;adjectives&hellip;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>No native English speaker would say &ldquo;the red, big house&rdquo; because we all know that &ldquo;the big, red house&rdquo; sounds better. Students, on the other hand, need to be taught the correct order of multiple adjectives because they can&rsquo;t rely on what sounds right. Luckily, rules about adjective order do exist and can be followed easily to avoid awkward errors. And what about using commas with multiple adjectives? Read on for the solutions to all your adjective teaching&nbsp;woes!</p>

<h1>I. Punctuation of Multiple Adjectives</h1>

<p>If the adjectives are all being used to describe the noun (aka coordinate adjectives), commas should separate them. Using &ldquo;<strong>and</strong>&rdquo; is a good test to determine if the multiple adjectives you&rsquo;re using should follow this rule. (For an example of when a comma should not be used, see #8, <em>Purpose</em>,&nbsp;below.)</p>

<h2>Examples of Punctuation with Multiple&nbsp;Adjectives</h2>

<ul>
	<li>She has <em>long</em>, <em>dark</em> hair. (She has long and dark hair; both <em>long</em> and <em>dark</em> are adjectives that describe the noun&nbsp;<em>hair</em>.)</li>
	<li>I live in the <em>big</em>, <em>red</em> house down the street. (I live in the big and red house; both <em>big</em> and <em>red</em> describe the noun&nbsp;<em>house</em>.)</li>
	<li>I admired the <em>expensive</em>, <em>new</em>, <em>German</em> cars at the car show. (I admired the expensive and new and German cars; <em>expensive</em> and <em>new</em> and <em>German</em> all describe the noun&nbsp;<em>cars</em>.)</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h3>Note</h3>

<p>Using &ldquo;<strong>and</strong>&rdquo; is necessary when there is no noun that follows the adjectives: The cars were expensive, new, <em>and</em> German. Her hair is long <em>and</em>&nbsp;dark.</p>
</div>

<h2>II. Order of Multiple Adjectives</h2>

<p>The natural order for multiple adjectives is based on what type of adjectives are used. Adjectives should appear in this&nbsp;order:</p>

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>#</th>
			<th>Type of Adjective</th>
			<th>Examples</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>1</th>
			<th>Opinion</th>
			<td>
			<p>(what you think about something)</p>

			<ul>
				<li>beautiful</li>
				<li>expensive</li>
				<li>easy</li>
				<li>delicious</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>2</th>
			<th>Size</th>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>big</li>
				<li>small</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>3</th>
			<th>Age</th>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>young</li>
				<li>old</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>4</th>
			<th>Shape</th>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>round</li>
				<li>rectangular</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>5</th>
			<th>Color</th>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>red</li>
				<li>white</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>6</th>
			<th>Origin</th>
			<td>
			<p>(where something came from)</p>

			<ul>
				<li>European</li>
				<li>Japanese</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>7</th>
			<th>Material</th>
			<td>
			<p>(what something is made from)</p>

			<ul>
				<li>metal</li>
				<li>silk</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>8</th>
			<th>Purpose</th>
			<td>
			<p>(what something is used for)</p>

			<ul>
				<li>sleeping (as in sleeping bag)</li>
				<li>English (as in English teacher)</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h3>Note</h3>

<p>Adjectives of purpose are also included in this list, but please be careful about punctuation with these adjectives. Purpose adjectives are a bit different in that they end up specifying what the noun is rather than just describing it. For example, <em>sleeping bag</em> is now a specific type of bag, whereas <em>red bag</em> could be any type of bag that is red. Be careful about punctuation with purpose adjectives: You will NOT need a comma between another type of adjective and a purpose adjective. For&nbsp;example:</p>

<ul>
	<li>I have a <em>red sleeping</em> bag. (color, <strong>no comma</strong>, purpose)</li>
	<li>I have a <em>comfortable</em>, <em>red sleeping</em> bag. (opinion, <strong>comma</strong>, color, <strong>no comma</strong>, purpose)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Examples of Order with Multiple&nbsp;Adjectives</h2>

<ul>
	<li>My friend is a <em>talented</em>, <em>young</em> musician. (opinion,&nbsp;age)</li>
	<li>That car is a <em>beautiful</em>, <em>older</em>, <em>Italian</em> model. (opinion, age,&nbsp;origin)</li>
	<li>I bought a <em>shiny</em>, <em>small</em>, <em>square,</em> <em>metal</em> vase. (opinion, size, shape,&nbsp;material)</li>
	<li>We browsed through the many <em>antique</em>, <em>colorful</em>, <em>silk</em> dresses in the boutique. (age, color,&nbsp;material)</li>
</ul>

<h3>Note</h3>

<p>If the multiple adjectives are of the same type, then you can use any order you want. For&nbsp;example:</p>

<ul>
	<li>She has a <em>funny</em>, <em>kind</em> coworker. (opinion,&nbsp;opinion)</li>
	<li>She has a <em>kind</em>, <em>funny</em> coworker. (opinion,&nbsp;opinion)</li>
</ul>

<p>I hope that these confusing, stress-inducing rules are now clear in your mind so that you can easily teach them to your students! If anything is still unclear, please let me know in the comment section below. For a ready-made lesson that includes practice with adjective order, try this <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2093">Adjectives</a>&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>&mdash;Tanya</p>

<h1>Sources</h1>

<ul>
	<li><em>Chicago Manual of Style</em>, 16th edition, sections 5.90 and&nbsp;6.33.</li>
	<li>University of Victoria English Language Centre, <span style="overflow-wrap: break-word; word-wrap: break-word; -ms-word-break: break-all; word-break: break-all;">http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/adjord.htm</span>.</li>
</ul>


Adjective Order and Punctuation

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<blockquote>
<p>Have you ever <strong>tried to study</strong> (but couldn&rsquo;t) or <strong>tried studying</strong> (started, then stopped) these tricky&nbsp;verbs?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In last week&rsquo;s blog post, we saw a method for <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/gerunds-and-infinitives-helpful-teaching-tips">teaching gerunds and infinitives</a> to students in a clear, organized way. We learned that, following a main verb, there is a lot of memorization and practice required on the students&rsquo; part in order to keep which verbs take gerunds and which take infinitives&nbsp;straight.</p>

<p>As if that wasn&rsquo;t difficult enough, there are certain verbs in English that change their meaning depending on if they&#39;re followed by a&nbsp;gerund or an infinitive! These verbs are best left for high‑intermediate or advanced learners to muddle through, but when they&rsquo;re ready, here is a handy list of some of the most common verbs of this&nbsp;type.</p>

<h1>1. Try</h1>

<h2>Try + Gerund</h2>

<p><strong>Try + Gerund</strong> means that you started doing something, then stopped for some reason (usually because it was too&nbsp;difficult).</p>

<ul>
	<li>She <em>tried learning</em> French, but she gave up after a few months. (She found French too&nbsp;difficult.)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Try + Infinitive</h2>

<p><strong>Try + Infinitive</strong> means that you attempted something but couldn&rsquo;t do it for some&nbsp;reason.</p>

<ul>
	<li>She <em>tried to get</em> into the club, but she got ID&rsquo;d. (She attempted to enter the club even though she was underage, but she didn&rsquo;t get&nbsp;in.)</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Be careful!</h5>

<p>Sometimes you can hear &ldquo;try&rdquo; with both a gerund and an infinitive where the meaning is essentially the same. The reason this is possible is because the focus is slightly different. For&nbsp;example:</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <em>tried calling</em> you last night. (I attempted to call you once [or many times], but I eventually gave&nbsp;up.)</li>
	<li>I<em> tried to call</em> you last night. (You never picked up the phone, so I couldn&rsquo;t talk to&nbsp;you.)</li>
</ul>
</div>

<h1>2. Stop</h1>

<h2>Stop + Gerund</h2>

<p><strong>Stop + Gerund</strong> means you quit doing&nbsp;something.</p>

<ul>
	<li>He <em>stopped smoking</em> last week. (He quit&nbsp;smoking.)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Stop + Infinitive</h2>

<p><strong>Stop + Infinitive</strong> means you were doing something and then took a break, or you stopped on your way&nbsp;somewhere.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Even though he was behind in his work, he <em>stopped to smoke</em> a cigarette. (He stopped working to have a smoke&nbsp;break.)</li>
	<li>I <em>stopped to buy</em> milk on my way home. (I went to the store before going&nbsp;home.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>3. Forget</h1>

<h2>Forget + Gerund</h2>

<p><strong>Forget + Gerund</strong> means that you have already done something, but can&rsquo;t remember doing&nbsp;it.</p>

<ul>
	<li>She didn&rsquo;t recognize him at all. She <em>forgot meeting</em> him last summer. (She forgot that she had met him&nbsp;before.)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Forget + Infinitive</h2>

<p><strong>Forget + Infinitive</strong> means that you had the intention of doing something, but didn&rsquo;t remember to do&nbsp;it.</p>

<ul>
	<li>She <em>forgot to meet</em> her client for lunch, so she got an angry phone call from him later. (She had plans to meet her client, but she didn&rsquo;t remember to do&nbsp;it.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>4. Remember</h1>

<h2>Remember + Gerund</h2>

<p><strong>Remember + Gerund</strong> means that you did something in the past, and you can remember doing it. (This is usually used when you&rsquo;re surprised that you that recall that far back. It&rsquo;s also used when you&rsquo;re reminiscing with&nbsp;friends.)</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <em>remember falling</em> down the stairs when I was four years&nbsp;old.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Remember + Infinitive</h2>

<p><strong>Remember + Infinitive</strong> means that you had the intention of doing something, and you remembered to do&nbsp;it.</p>

<ul>
	<li>My husband was happy that I <em>remembered to pay</em> the bills on time last&nbsp;month.</li>
</ul>

<h1>5. Regret</h1>

<h2>Regret + Gerund</h2>

<p><strong>Regret + Gerund</strong> means that you did something that you wish you&nbsp;hadn&rsquo;t.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <em>regretted telling</em> him my secret because he told everyone at my school. (I wish I hadn&rsquo;t told him my&nbsp;secret.)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Regret + Infinitive</h2>

<p><strong>Regret + Infinitive</strong> means that you&rsquo;re sorry (usually used in formal cases&nbsp;only).</p>

<ul>
	<li>We<em> regret to tell</em> you that your application was not accepted. (We&rsquo;re sorry to have to tell you&nbsp;this.)</li>
</ul>

<p>Don&rsquo;t <em>stop to worry</em> about these difficult verbs, just <em>stop&nbsp;worrying</em>! :)</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


5 Verbs with Meaning Changes: Gerunds & Infinitives (Advanced)

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<blockquote>
<p>I like teaching and I like to&nbsp;teach&hellip;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Gerunds (the <em>‑ing form</em> of a verb) and infinitives <em>(to + the base form</em> of a verb) are strange little creatures. They combine the action meaning of the verb with the grammatical function of a noun. They are useful because they allow us to use verbs as subjects and objects. But in the object position, the choice of gerund or infinitive can seem quite arbitrary. Also, because they have so many positions in a sentence, they can be confusing for students to learn. Fear not! There are some sentence patterns that ensure the correct choice of a gerund or an&nbsp;infinitive.</p>

<h1>Gerunds</h1>

<h2>1. as the subject of a sentence</h2>

<h4>S = Ger</h4>

<p>This position commonly calls for a gerund. While an infinitive is also possible, it is very formal and not&nbsp;common.</p>

<ul>
	<li><em><strong>Shopping</strong></em> is my favourite&nbsp;hobby.</li>
	<li><em><strong>Working out</strong></em> has really improved my&nbsp;health.</li>
</ul>

<h2>2. following a preposition</h2>

<h4>Prep + Ger</h4>

<p>Here is another common gerund position. This rule applies to all prepositions, including ones that are part of phrasal&nbsp;verbs.</p>

<ul>
	<li>She thought <strong>about</strong> <em>calling</em> him, but decided she&nbsp;wouldn&rsquo;t.</li>
	<li>They are planning <strong>on</strong> <em>going</em> to the party&nbsp;tonight.</li>
</ul>

<h2>3. as the object of a verb</h2>

<h4>V + Ger</h4>

<p>This is the one position where both gerunds and infinitives are commonly used. The choice of which to use all depends on the verb. Some common ones are: <em>advise</em>, <em>avoid</em>, <em>enjoy</em>, <em>finish</em>, <em>practise</em>, <em>quit</em>, and&nbsp;<em>suggest</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>He <strong>enjoyed</strong> <em>learning</em> about&nbsp;gerunds.</li>
	<li>My teacher <strong>suggested</strong> <em>studying</em> for the upcoming quiz.</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>Don&rsquo;t forget that some verbs take either a gerund or an infinitive with no change in meaning. While students don&rsquo;t have to worry about these verbs, they should still be pointed out. Some common verbs are: <em>like</em>, <em>love</em>, and&nbsp;<em>hate</em>.</p>
</div>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>love</strong> <em>eating&nbsp;</em>pasta.</li>
	<li>I <strong>love</strong> <em>to eat&nbsp;</em>pasta.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Infinitives</h1>

<h2>1. following an adjective</h2>

<h4>Adj + Inf</h4>

<p>Though it is possible in some cases to use a gerund after an adjective, it is more common to use an infinitive, making it the better choice for&nbsp;students.</p>

<ul>
	<li>It is <strong>nice</strong> <em>to meet</em>&nbsp;you.</li>
	<li>She mentioned that it was <strong>dangerous</strong> <em>to stand</em> near that&nbsp;machine.</li>
</ul>

<h2>2. following a noun or pronoun</h2>

<h4>N + Inf</h4>

<p>If the verb has an object that is a noun or a pronoun, it is almost always followed by an infinitive. This makes it easy for students to choose the correct&nbsp;form.</p>

<ul>
	<li>You asked <strong>me</strong><em> to call</em> you.</li>
	<li>The doctor advised <strong>Mark</strong> <em>to eat</em> more vegetables. (Note that the verb &ldquo;advise&rdquo; normally takes a gerund, as in &ldquo;The doctor <strong>advised</strong> <em>eating</em> more vegetables.&rdquo; But because there is a noun object in this sentence, we must use the infinitive. The noun rule supersedes the verb rule, which is great news for&nbsp;students.)</li>
</ul>

<h2>3. as the object of a verb</h2>

<h4>V + Inf</h4>

<p>This is the one position where both gerunds and infinitives are commonly used. It all depends on the verb. Some common ones are: <em>ask</em>, <em>choose</em>, <em>decide</em>, <em>get</em>, <em>need</em>, <em>plan</em>, <em>promise</em>, and&nbsp;<em>want</em>.</p>

<ul>
	<li>They <strong>want</strong> <em>to get</em> their tests back as soon as&nbsp;possible.</li>
	<li>The students <strong>are planning</strong><em> to have</em> a party this&nbsp;Friday.</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>ESL Library&rsquo;s new and improved gerund and infinitive lessons are coming soon. In those lessons, we put verbs into categories to help students figure out whether to use a gerund or an infinitive. Also, googling &ldquo;gerunds and infinitives verb list&rdquo; brings up several lists that students can use for&nbsp;reference.</p>
</div>

<h1>One final teaching point</h1>

<p>Because both gerunds and infinitives retain their verb meanings (even though they function as nouns), they too can have objects. That means it&rsquo;s not uncommon to see a sentence with two or more objects when gerunds or infinitives are in play. For&nbsp;example:</p>

<ul>
	<li>I enjoy <strong>studying</strong> <em>English</em>. (&ldquo;studying&rdquo; is the direct object of &ldquo;enjoy,&rdquo; and &ldquo;English&rdquo; is the direct object of&nbsp;&ldquo;studying&rdquo;)</li>
	<li>My boss asked <em>me</em> <strong>to help</strong> <em>her</em>. (&ldquo;me&rdquo; is the indirect object of &ldquo;asked,&rdquo; &ldquo;to help&rdquo; is the direct object of &ldquo;asked,&rdquo; and &ldquo;her&rdquo; is the direct object of &ldquo;to&nbsp;help&rdquo;)</li>
</ul>

<p>I hope you liked learning/to learn about this grammar&nbsp;point!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


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