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

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

Teaching with Ellii

<blockquote>
<p>Practice makes perfect&mdash;reviewing new vocabulary can be&nbsp;fun!</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Teaching new vocabulary is all well and good, but without review and practice, it&rsquo;s almost impossible for students to remember all those new words. Simply studying and memorizing the words and definitions can be pretty boring, which makes the new vocab harder to remember. By making vocab review as fun as possible, you will help your students stay interested, and they will retain the new words far more effectively. If you missed my post on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-teach-new-vocabulary">teaching new vocabulary</a>, check it out first, then use the following techniques to review the vocab on subsequent&nbsp;days.</p>

<h1>1. Hotseat</h1>

<p>This is a classic! If you know a variation different from the one I&rsquo;ll list here, feel free to leave a comment explaining the changes you make below. We&rsquo;d love to hear your&nbsp;version!</p>

<ul>
	<li>First, divide the students into two&nbsp;teams.</li>
	<li>Have one student from each team sit at the front of the class, in two chairs that face their classmates (with their backs to the board).</li>
	<li>Tell the two students that they&rsquo;re in the &ldquo;hotseat.&rdquo; You will write a word on the board, and students from their team can yell out descriptions of the word. They must not use gestures, give the first letter, or say the actual&nbsp;word.</li>
	<li>Write one word on the board and let the chaos begin! The first student to guess the word correctly gets a point for their&nbsp;team.</li>
	<li>Choose another member from each team, and repeat. Once all the students have had one or two turns (or you&rsquo;ve run out of words), add up the scores. The team with the most points&nbsp;wins!</li>
	<li>If neither student in the hotseat can guess the word, you can give them a hint such as the first letter or a clear&nbsp;description.</li>
</ul>

<p>Warning: This game can get very loud, but it is guaranteed&nbsp;fun!</p>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Teaching Tip</h5>

<p>When students know that this game will be played the following day, they are really motivated to study so that they don&rsquo;t let their team&nbsp;down.</p>
</div>

<h1>2. Matchup</h1>

<p>If you used this technique for <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-teach-new-vocabulary">teaching vocab</a>, this is a great way to reuse the slips of paper that you cut&nbsp;up.</p>

<ul>
	<li>If you haven&rsquo;t already done so, print out a list of words and definitions (one list per small group or pair), and then cut all of the words and definitions into slips of paper and mix them up. Don&rsquo;t forget to keep a master list for yourself for easy&nbsp;reference.</li>
	<li>Distribute the words and definitions to the groups/pairs. For lower levels, separate the word slips and the definition slips into two piles to make it a bit&nbsp;easier.</li>
	<li>Tell students to match up the words and definitions. To make it more competitive, the first group/pair to correctly match everything up&nbsp;wins!</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Teaching Tip</h5>

<p>While this activity takes a long time when students are initially learning the words (and guessing), it is very quick as a review activity, and may not be worth all the time you spend cutting up the slips of paper if you didn&rsquo;t use them to teach the vocab&nbsp;too. Note that you can also use these slips for activities 3 and 4 below!</p>
</div>

<h1>3. Concentration &ndash; Activity&nbsp;A</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Use the slips of paper from activity&nbsp;#2, and arrange them face down on the table for each pair or small group of&nbsp;students.</li>
	<li>Students take turns turning over any two of the cards. If students choose correctly (they turn over a word that matches the definition or vice versa), they can keep the pair of paper slips. If they choose incorrectly, they must turn the slips over again and place them back in the same&nbsp;place.</li>
	<li>Once all the slips have been matched up, students should add up how many pairs they have. The student with the most matches&nbsp;wins!</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Teaching Tip</h5>

<p>This popular game is also known as &ldquo;Memory.&rdquo;</p>
</div>

<h1>4. Concentration &ndash; Activity&nbsp;B</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Draw a grid on the board with 20 squares (5&nbsp;&times;&nbsp;4). Write the numbers 1&ndash;20 in the top left hand corner of each square. Have a master list for yourself that you can refer to with ten words and ten corresponding definitions filled into the grid (one word or definition per square, with the order mixed&nbsp;up).</li>
	<li>Divide the students into two teams. Ask one student from team&nbsp;A to choose one box. Write the word or definition in the center of the box. Have that same student choose another box. Fill in that box&nbsp;too.</li>
	<li>If the two boxes create a match (word + definition), leave the words written in the boxes and give that team a point. If they don&rsquo;t match, erase both boxes and repeat the process with a student from team&nbsp;B.</li>
	<li>Continue until all the boxes are filled in. For the last pair of boxes, make it more challenging by having that team member guess the last box (i.e., if the word is chosen, write the word in the box, but then the student must tell you the definition without seeing the last box, and vice versa). The team with the most points&nbsp;wins!</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<h5>Teaching Tip</h5>

<p>Most boards will clearly show which spots have been erased, thus making it easier for students to remember which numbers have already been chosen. To make it more challenging, when setting up the board, run the eraser over the center of each box before starting the&nbsp;game.</p>
</div>

<p>I hope these activities will make it easier for your students to remember new words. Have&nbsp;fun!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


4 Activities for Reviewing Vocabulary

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<blockquote>
<p>Mix things up by introducing new vocabulary with these fun&nbsp;techniques!</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Vocabulary&hellip;it&rsquo;s a double‑edged sword. Students universally recognize the need to expand their vocabulary in order to improve their fluency, but it&rsquo;s difficult&mdash;and often boring&mdash;to memorize word after word. Varying the types of vocabulary exercises used will engage your students and enable them to retain the new words more effectively. Remember: your goal as a teacher is to get the students to be able to <em>use</em> the new words when they speak or write. As such, repetition is key&mdash;but using the same technique over and over will cause students to lose interest. Using a combination of the following methods will hopefully get your students excited about vocabulary&nbsp;again!</p>

<h1>1. Vocabulary Board Game</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Write all of the new words in a long list on the left side of the&nbsp;board.</li>
	<li>Divide students into two teams, and explain that you&rsquo;ll be reading out a definition to one team at a&nbsp;time.</li>
	<li>If that team can correctly guess the corresponding word, they get $100 (pretend money, of course!). If they guess the wrong word, the other team can &ldquo;steal&rdquo; the money by guessing the correct word for $50. If the second team still can&rsquo;t guess correctly, it goes back to the first team for $50, and so on until one team gets it right. Play then resumes with the next definition getting read to the second team, for $100 if&nbsp;correct.</li>
	<li>You can provide students with a copy of a word-definition list after the game to save them from having to stop and write down the definitions as you go. Or, to save trees, write the definitions next to the words as they are guessed correctly, and students can copy them&nbsp;down.</li>
	<li>The winning team is the one who has the most money once all the definitions are filled in! For the last definition (since it will obviously correspond to the only word left on the board), I often make it more challenging by making the team tell me what they think the definition is. If correct, they get $100; if not, the other team can try for $50, and so&nbsp;on.</li>
</ul>

<h1>2. Matchup</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Have one page of words and definitions for each pair or small group of students. Cut each word and definition from that page into strips (a paper cutter works wonders here). Repeat for each page (paper clips help to keep the piles separated). Don&rsquo;t forget that you can keep the strips for vocabulary review later, or for review for a&nbsp;test.</li>
	<li>Give a mixed-up pile of strips (words and definition) to each group. Get students to match&nbsp;up the words with the correct definitions.</li>
	<li>Circulate, pointing out where students have made an incorrect guess so that they can make another attempt with that particular word. Don&rsquo;t forget to keep a master list for yourself; it helps to refer to it as you&nbsp;circulate.</li>
	<li>When all the students are finished, you can go over the answers as a class. To make it more exciting, you can turn it into a competition by naming the first group to correctly match everything up as the&nbsp;winner.</li>
</ul>

<h1>3. Mini-Presentations</h1>

<ul>
	<li>Assign one new word to each student. Have them look up the definition in their dictionaries (preferably English&ndash;English).</li>
	<li>Tell them to write down the definition in their own words. They can ask you for help, if necessary. Circulate to check that their definitions are&nbsp;clear.</li>
	<li>Also, get them to write down an example sentence, so that their classmates will be able to better understand the meaning of the new word. Circulate to check that the example sentences make&nbsp;sense.</li>
	<li>When all of the students are done, have them come up to the front of the class one by one. Get each student to write the word and definition on the board, and while the other students are copying it down, have that student read the example sentence. You can add additional clarification at this time, if need&nbsp;be.</li>
</ul>

<h1>4. Context</h1>

<p>Being able to use the context (the sentences or paragraphs that surround the word) to figure out the meanings of new words is an essential skill that you want all of your students to be able to master one day. Because it is difficult to do, try it as a class activity once in a while to get students used to&nbsp;it.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Have students read through the text first. You can have them do it silently or out loud. Reading out loud enables you to correct their pronunciation and intonation, which is a good use of time since you&rsquo;re practicing several skills at&nbsp;once.</li>
	<li>Once you&rsquo;ve gone through the text, point out the new words one by one, and have students guess at each word&rsquo;s possible meaning as a class. After a few guesses, you can give students the answer if they are unable to come up with it. Point out the contextual clues that could help them figure out the meaning for next&nbsp;time.</li>
	<li>This exercise is especially helpful in preparing for examinations like TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS,&nbsp;etc.</li>
</ul>

<p>It&rsquo;s important to note that going over vocabulary only once will rarely result in retention. In my next post, I&rsquo;m writing about <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-activities-for-reviewing-vocabulary">fun vocabulary review activities</a>, so check back soon! You can also check out <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-ways-to-use-flashcards-in-class">10 Ways to Use Flashcards in Class</a> for ideas on using flashcards for vocabulary practice and review. Our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/91/lessons">Simple Sentences</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a> lessons have lots of vocabulary activities for lower levels&nbsp;too.</p>

<p>I hope your students will find learning vocabulary to be more engaging after employing these&nbsp;techniques!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


4 Ways to Teach New Vocabulary

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<blockquote>
<p>Which is correct: <strong>all of the people</strong>, <strong>all the people</strong>, or <strong>all people</strong>? Give your students this simple&nbsp;explanation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Not only do students have to contend with the articles <strong>a</strong>, <strong>an</strong>, and <strong>the</strong>, but they also have to learn to use many other quantifiers. Words like <strong>all</strong>, <strong>some</strong>, and <strong>none</strong> seem simple enough to learn, but when students have to use them with <strong>the</strong>, confusion abounds. If you follow the steps below, you will be able to clearly convey the three different quantifier sentence patterns to your&nbsp;students.</p>

<h1>Step #1</h1>

<p>First, explain the terms &ldquo;specific&rdquo; and&nbsp;&ldquo;general.&rdquo;</p>

<p>In English, a <em>specific</em> noun is one that you can see, that there&rsquo;s only one of, or that you&rsquo;ve already mentioned&nbsp;before.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Please pass me <strong>the pen</strong> that is in front of&nbsp;you.</li>
</ul>

<p>A <em>general</em> noun is one that you can&rsquo;t see or that there are many&nbsp;of.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&rsquo;m hungry. I wish I had <strong>a&nbsp;sandwich</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Step #2</h1>

<p>Next, give the three main sentence patterns and explanations for&nbsp;quantifiers.</p>

<div class="whiteBox">
<p>Note: In the three patterns below,&nbsp;<strong>Ns</strong> refers to either a plural noun or a non‑count&nbsp;noun.</p>
</div>

<h2>all of the + Ns</h2>

<p>Use this pattern when you want to talk about <em>specific</em>&nbsp;nouns.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p><strong>All of the students</strong> in my class studied hard for the test. (plural count&nbsp;noun)</p>
	</li>
	<li>I used <strong>all of the paper</strong> in my notebook to write my essay. (non‑count&nbsp;noun)</li>
</ul>

<h2>all the + Ns</h2>

<p>Explain to students that this pattern is the <em>casual form</em> of the &ldquo;<strong>all of the + Ns</strong>&rdquo; pattern, where &ldquo;<strong>of</strong>&rdquo; is simply dropped to shorten the phrase. Most textbooks don&rsquo;t mention it, but shortening phrases is very common in English, especially spoken English, and should be taught to your&nbsp;students.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>All the students</strong> in my class studied hard for the test. (plural count&nbsp;noun)</li>
	<li>I used <strong>all the paper</strong> in my notebook to write my essay. (non‑count&nbsp;noun)</li>
</ul>

<h2>all + Ns</h2>

<p>Use this pattern when you want to talk about <em>general</em>&nbsp;nouns.</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>All students</strong> (in the world) have to take exams. (plural count&nbsp;noun)</li>
	<li>Not <strong>all water</strong> (in the world) is drinkable. (non‑count&nbsp;noun)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Step #3</h1>

<p>Finally, you can mention that these three patterns also apply to other quantifiers in&nbsp;English.</p>

<p>Alternatively, you could repeat these rules using different quantifiers on other days&nbsp;as a review. I find it helps to give students approximate percentages of amounts, to help them understand the meaning of each&nbsp;quantifier.</p>

<ul>
	<li>100% =&nbsp;All</li>
	<li>95% =&nbsp;Almost all</li>
	<li>80% =&nbsp;Many (count nouns), much (non‑count&nbsp;nouns)</li>
	<li>50% =&nbsp;Some</li>
	<li>20% =&nbsp;A few (count nouns), a&nbsp;little (non-count&nbsp;nouns)</li>
	<li>5% =&nbsp;Almost none</li>
	<li>0% =&nbsp;None</li>
</ul>

<div class="whiteBox">
<p>Note: Make sure you point out that &ldquo;<strong>almost all</strong>&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t possible without the &ldquo;<strong>all</strong>.&rdquo;&nbsp;I often hear students mistakenly saying, &ldquo;Almost people&rdquo; or &ldquo;Almost of the people.&rdquo;&nbsp;This is also a very common question in the grammar section of the TOEIC&nbsp;test.</p>
</div>

<p>I hope<strong> all students</strong> benefit from <strong>all (of) the info</strong>&nbsp;here!&nbsp;:)</p>

<p>&mdash;Tanya</p>


When Do We Use "All of the," "All the," or "All"?

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<blockquote>
<p>Two ‑ING verbs in the same clause, gerunds vs. infinitives&hellip;there&rsquo;s a lot going on with the common expression &ldquo;looking forward&nbsp;to&rdquo;!</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Many, many times I&rsquo;ve heard my students say things like &ldquo;<em>I&rsquo;m look forward to sleeping in</em>&rdquo; or &ldquo;<em>I&rsquo;m looking forward to sleep in</em>&rdquo; instead of the correct &ldquo;<em>I&rsquo;m looking forward to sleeping in</em>.&rdquo; Their confusion is understandable when you look at all of the usual grammar rules that they&rsquo;re trying to apply, albeit incorrectly, to the expression &ldquo;looking forward&nbsp;to.&rdquo;</p>

<h1>Question #1</h1>

<h4>Can we use two ‑ING verbs in the same&nbsp;sentence?</h4>

<p>Yes, we can! In fact, the expression &ldquo;looking forward to&rdquo; is most often used with the<strong> present progressive</strong> (aka present continuous) verb tense to express a future&nbsp;meaning.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&rsquo;m <strong>looking</strong> forward to <strong>sleeping</strong> in on&nbsp;Saturday.</li>
</ul>

<p>Note that this expression can be used with other tenses, but still mainly with those that use ‑ING&nbsp;verbs.</p>

<ul>
	<li>She has been <strong>looking</strong> forward to <strong>going</strong> on vacation for months. (Present Perfect&nbsp;Progressive)</li>
	<li>He was <strong>looking</strong> forward to/had been <strong>looking</strong> forward to <strong>going</strong> on vacation before he found out that he couldn&rsquo;t get the time off. (Past Progressive or Past Perfect&nbsp;Progressive)</li>
	<li>I <strong>look</strong> forward to <strong>seeing</strong> you every day. (Simple&nbsp;Present)</li>
</ul>

<h1>Question #2</h1>

<h4>Doesn&rsquo;t the base form of the verb follow&nbsp;&ldquo;to&rdquo;?</h4>

<p>Usually, yes. The construction <strong>to + base verb</strong> forms the <strong>infinitive</strong> verb. Infinitive verbs have many uses in English; for example, they are used after certain main verbs (<em>I want <strong>to buy</strong> a new shirt</em>), after nouns (<em>I asked my friend <strong>to help</strong> me</em>),&nbsp;etc.</p>

<p>However, don&rsquo;t forget that &ldquo;to&rdquo; is also a preposition (<em>I went <strong>to</strong> the store</em>) and that prepositions are almost always followed by a gerund (‑ING verb&nbsp;form).</p>

<ul>
	<li>This tool is used <strong>for&nbsp;cutting</strong>.</li>
	<li>We got here <strong>by taking</strong> the&nbsp;bus.</li>
	<li>They are looking forward <strong>to doing</strong> their&nbsp;presentations.</li>
</ul>

<p>So the &ldquo;to&rdquo; in &ldquo;looking forward to&rdquo; is a preposition that is part of an expression. Remember the rule <strong>preposition + gerund</strong>&hellip;it is usually applicable, even if the preposition is &ldquo;to.&rdquo; Try to determine, in each case, whether &ldquo;to&rdquo; is a preposition that is part of an expression, or if &ldquo;to&rdquo; is part of an infinitive verb.&nbsp;</p>

<h1>Question #3</h1>

<h4>Can we use three ‑ING verbs in the same&nbsp;sentence?</h4>

<p>Yes, and we commonly do so with the expression &ldquo;looking forward to&rdquo; because of the <strong>go + gerund</strong>&nbsp;construction.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&rsquo;m <strong>looking</strong> forward to <strong>going skiing</strong> next&nbsp;weekend.</li>
</ul>

<p>Explain to your students that there are three separate things happening here. First, &ldquo;am looking&rdquo; uses ‑ING because of the <strong>present progressive</strong> (with a future meaning) verb tense. Second, we use &ldquo;going&rdquo; because of the <strong>preposition + gerund</strong> rule (see the second Q&amp;A). And third, we use &ldquo;skiing&rdquo; because of the <strong>go + gerund</strong> construction (used for many activities, such as <em>go shopping</em>, <em>go dancing</em>, <em>go surfing</em>, <em>go hiking</em>,&nbsp;etc.).</p>

<h1>Question #4</h1>

<h4>Can we use &ldquo;looking forward to&rdquo; with just a&nbsp;noun?</h4>

<p>Yes. Because prepositions are also commonly followed by nouns, the &ldquo;to&rdquo; in this expression can be followed by a&nbsp;noun.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I&rsquo;m looking forward to&nbsp;<strong>dinner</strong>.</li>
	<li>She&rsquo;s looking forward to <strong>the&nbsp;class</strong>.</li>
	<li>He&rsquo;s looking forward to&nbsp;<strong>Friday</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<p>You can find more examples of &ldquo;looking forward to&rdquo; in <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/79/lessons/1801">Detective Series&nbsp;1, Episode&nbsp;6</a>.</p>

<p>I&rsquo;m looking forward to hearing that your students aren&rsquo;t having any more trouble with this&nbsp;expression! ;)</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


Why Do We Use “Looking Forward To” with a Second ‑ING Verb?

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

Articles

<p>Help your students get to know each other and feel more comfortable right from the start!</p>

<p>First days are stressful for students and teachers alike. Naturally, it&rsquo;s a little difficult to feel at home in a classroom when there is a sea of new faces around you.</p>

<p>Students usually worry about their English level and that they won&rsquo;t be able to express themselves properly when they&rsquo;re called on. Introductions are an essential first step to putting everyone at ease, but sometimes, talking about yourself while everyone is staring at you is the most anxiety-producing part of the first day!</p>

<p>As teachers, using an icebreaker activity that varies from the traditional self-introduction can help students feel a lot more comfortable in your classroom.</p>

<h2>Interview a classmate</h2>

<p>This is one of my favorite icebreaker activities because it gives students a chance to talk to just one person for a while before getting to know everyone else. I find my students are far more comfortable with a pair activity rather than with a group activity on the first day, and often they form instant friendships with the person they are paired up with.</p>

<h3>Beg &ndash; Low-Int</h3>

<p>1. Give students a list of questions, either on a handout or on the board.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<p>Suggestions: What&rsquo;s your name? Where are you from? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do you have any pets? What do you like to do in your free time? What do you do/what would you like to do in the future (job)? Do you prefer summer or winter? What&rsquo;s your favorite food? What&rsquo;s your favorite movie? What kind of music do you like? Etc.</p>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>2. Put students into pairs.</p>

<p>3. Have them ask each other all the questions. Assign a time limit, such as 10&ndash;15 minutes.</p>

<p>4. If some students are finished quickly, encourage them to think of other questions to ask each other.</p>

<p>5. When everyone is finished, have each student introduce their partner to the rest of the class. You can allow them to give as much information as they want, but if you have a big class, you may want to limit their talking time by saying something like, &ldquo;Tell us three interesting things that you learned about your partner.&rdquo;</p>

<h3>High-Int&nbsp;&ndash; Adv</h3>

<p>1. Put students into pairs.</p>

<p>2. Tell them they should get to know each other by asking any questions they&rsquo;d like. Assign a time limit, such as 15&ndash;20 minutes.</p>

<p>3. If some students are finished more quickly than others, encourage them to continue their conversation by asking their partner to elaborate on something that they found interesting during the interview.</p>

<p>4. When everyone is finished, have each student introduce their partner to the rest of the class. You can allow them to give as much information as they want, but if you have a big class, you may want to limit their talking time by saying something like, &ldquo;Tell us three interesting things that you learned about your partner.&rdquo;</p>

<p>By using this method, I hope you and your students will feel relaxed and comfortable!</p>

My Favorite Icebreaker Activity

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of&nbsp;being.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Goethe</p>
</blockquote>

<p>For many of us, the first day of our new classes is right around the corner. For many students starting classes is frightening.</p>

<p>Our learners will be meeting new teachers and students.</p>

<p>They will have to get used to a new routine, class schedule, and sleeping and eating schedule. They will have to adapt to new rules and new environments.</p>

<p>Sounds a little overwhelming, but as teachers, we have the ability to make the experience less frightening.</p>

<p>We can alleviate some of this stress by creating a safe and welcoming environment. If we do this at the beginning of our classes, our students will feel more comfortable participating, making mistakes, and using the language they have&nbsp;learned.</p>

<h1>Tips for creating a safe environment</h1>

<p>I hope the following tips and resources will help you in creating a safe environment for your learners.</p>

<h2>Tip #1</h2>

<h4>Let Them Know You Believe in&nbsp;Them</h4>

<p>All students should feel they can succeed in your classroom and that you aren&rsquo;t holding their past against them. Some of your students may have had behavior&nbsp;problems.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Greet them at the door with a smile, handshake or hi‑five!</li>
	<li>Let your students know they all have a clean slate and all can be successful if they choose&nbsp;to.</li>
	<li>Call their parents the first week of school and tell them something positive about their&nbsp;child.</li>
	<li>Find more parent engagement tips in this post, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/tips-for-engaging-parents/" target="_blank">Tips for Engaging&nbsp;Parents</a>.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Tip #2</h2>

<h4>Surround Them with Motivation</h4>

<p>When our students walk in the classroom, they should feel inspired to learn. Here are a few&nbsp;suggestions:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Post motivational posters around the&nbsp;classroom.</li>
	<li>Write a quote on the board each day they walk in the room. Have them submit their own favorite quotes as&nbsp;suggestions.</li>
	<li>You can find <a href="http://pinterest.com/shellyterrell/inspiration-for-world-changers/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">many inspirational quotes and posters</a> bookmarked in my&nbsp;Pinterest!</li>
</ul>

<h2>Tip #3</h2>

<h4>Establish the Ground Rules for Respect</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Gather in a circle and ask students to tell you what is acceptable/unacceptable behavior towards each&nbsp;other.</li>
	<li>Let your students know the signals you will be giving them when they need to stop what they are doing and listen to you, line‑up, etc. Try using nonverbal cues so that way you never have to raise your voice. One example is when you are getting the class to be silent, raise your hand and put your finger on your mouth. As students see this, they will also raise their hands until the entire class has their hands raised and is&nbsp;quiet.</li>
	<li>If a student misbehaves, speak with them privately versus embarrassing them in front of the class. If you begin instilling fear in the first week then you will create a wall between you and that&nbsp;student.</li>
	<li>Try not to grade anything the first week of class but instead have various participation activities so the students feel they are starting off successfully. When I have to give grades the first week, I give them free 100s activities. Basically, the student will get a free 100 if they complete a task like sending me an email, posting on the class website, filling out a survey,&nbsp;etc.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Tip #4</h2>

<h4>Build Relationships</h4>

<p>Students need to feel like they can approach you with problems, questions, and ideas. That means they need to get to know you! Here are a few&nbsp;ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Have them interview you! Give students slips of papers and have each student write a question for you. Don&rsquo;t have them sign their names. Collect the slips in a bag then pull each out and answer the question. Remind students to be respectful in their questions and make a clause that you have the right to not answer a question if it&rsquo;s too&nbsp;personal.</li>
	<li>Create a collage that gives students important information about you. Then have the students guess 3 things about you according to the collage. You can create a digital collage using <a href="http://glogster.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Glogster</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://thinglink.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">ThingLink</a>. Then have students create their own collages where their peers will guess 3 things about them.</li>
</ul>

<p>Students are less likely to pick on each other if they feel their peers are their friends. The first few days of class are great for getting our students to build relationships with each other. The following are some icebreaker&nbsp;ideas.</p>

<h3>Hotseat</h3>

<p>Play a hotseat game where students are gathered in a circle and the person in a designated hotseat is asked questions. You can start off in the hotseat and have students ask you questions.</p>

<p>One hotseat game I play is Who? What? When? Where? Why? Students ask questions during the first round that begin with What? In the second round they ask questions that begin with What? As they ask the questions, I write the correct form on the&nbsp;board.</p>

<h3>I can circle</h3>

<p>Students gather their chairs in a circle. You stand in the middle and begin. You will be playing this game with them which means there will always be one more student than a chair. The person in the middle says something he/she can do. The students who can do this will run to another chair, including the person in the middle. Whoever is left standing must say something he/she can&nbsp;do.</p>

<h2>More resources</h2>

<p>You can find more ideas in these&nbsp;posts:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="external-link"><a href="http://www.lessonplansinc.com/classroom_management_safe_environment.php" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Create a Safe Classroom&nbsp;Environment</a></li>
	<li class="external-link"><a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/20-tips-create-safe-learning-environment-rebecca-alber" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">20 Tips for Creating a Safe Learning&nbsp;Environment</a></li>
</ul>

<p>What other ideas do you have?</p>


A Beautiful Beginning: Tips and Resources for Creating a Safe Classroom Environment

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<p>How many times have you heard students say &ldquo;I am exciting&rdquo; or &ldquo;I am boring&rdquo;? Grasping when to use ‑ED and ‑ING endings with participial adjectives is very confusing. That is, the <em>adjectives</em> are confus<strong>ing</strong>, and the <em>students</em> are confus<strong>ed</strong>!</p>

<p>Even after countless written exercises, students often make mistakes with these &ldquo;feeling&rdquo; adjective endings while speaking. Here are some teaching tips to help clarify the situation for your&nbsp;students.</p>

<h1>1. Sentence Patterns</h1>

<p>Start by reminding students of the two adjective patterns used in English&nbsp;sentences:</p>

<h2>Be + Adj</h2>

<ul>
	<li>The book <strong>is&nbsp;interesting</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<p>In this example, the adjective <em>interesting</em> describes the noun&nbsp;<em>book</em>.</p>

<h2>Adj + N</h2>

<ul>
	<li>This is an <strong>interesting&nbsp;book</strong>.</li>
</ul>

<p>In this example, the adjective <em>interesting</em> describes the noun&nbsp;<em>book</em>.</p>

<h1>2. Feelings</h1>

<p>Now you can remind your students that ‑ED/‑ING adjectives are used to describe&nbsp;<strong>feelings</strong>.</p>

<p>Give some examples, such as <em>interested/interesting</em>, <em>bored/boring</em>, <em>excited/exciting</em>, <em>tired/tiring</em>,&nbsp;etc.</p>

<h1>3. -ING Adjectives: Be +&nbsp;Adj</h1>

<p>You use the ‑ING ending when the noun is the REASON or CAUSE of the &ldquo;feeling&rdquo; adjective. In other words, -ING adjectives show <em>why</em> a person is feeling a certain way. -ING adjectives are used primarily with nouns that are&nbsp;THINGS.:</p>

<ul>
	<li>This movie is <strong>boring</strong>. (The noun <em>movie</em> is the REASON/CAUSE of my feeling of&nbsp;boredom.)</li>
	<li>My life is <strong>exciting</strong>. (The noun <em>life</em> is the REASON/CAUSE of my feeling of&nbsp;excitement.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>4. -ING&nbsp;Adjectives: Adj +&nbsp;N</h1>

<ul>
	<li>This is a <strong>boring </strong>movie. (The noun <em>movie</em> is the REASON/CAUSE of my feeling of&nbsp;boredom.)</li>
	<li>I have an <strong>exciting</strong> life. (The noun <em>life</em> is the REASON/CAUSE of my feeling of&nbsp;excitement.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>5. -ED Adjectives: Be + Adj</h1>

<p>You use the ‑ED ending to show the RESULT or EFFECT. In other words, ‑ED adjectives describe <em>how</em> a person is feeling. -ED adjectives are used primarily with nouns that are&nbsp;PEOPLE.</p>

<ul>
	<li>She is <strong>bored</strong>. (The adjective <em>bored</em> describes how <em>she</em> is&nbsp;feeling.)</li>
	<li>My friend is <strong>excited</strong>. (The adjective <em>excited</em> describes how <em>my friend</em> is&nbsp;feeling.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>6. -ED Adjectives: Adj +&nbsp;N</h1>

<p>You can mention to students that this pattern is possible, but not often used with ‑ED&nbsp;adjectives.</p>

<ul>
	<li>A <strong>bored </strong>girl fell asleep on the bus. (The adjective <em>bored</em> describes how <em>the girl</em> is&nbsp;feeling.)</li>
	<li>My <strong>excited</strong> friend can&rsquo;t wait to go on vacation. (The adjective <em>excited</em> describes how <em>my friend</em> is&nbsp;feeling.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>7. Cause &amp; Effect</h1>

<p>For further clarification, you can give some examples of CAUSE and EFFECT (i.e., the REASON and RESULT) in sentence pairs. It really helps students to see the adjectives side by side like&nbsp;this.</p>

<ul>
	<li>This is a <strong>boring </strong>movie. I am <strong>bored</strong>. (The movie CAUSES my feeling; the EFFECT is that I feel&nbsp;bored.)</li>
	<li>I have an <strong>exciting</strong> life. I am <strong>excited</strong>. (My life is the REASON for my feeling; the RESULT is that I feel&nbsp;excited.)</li>
</ul>

<h1>8. Exceptions</h1>

<p>Here&rsquo;s where it gets tricky for students! Can you use ‑ING with a PERSON instead of a THING? Unfortunately, yes, if the person is the CAUSE of the&nbsp;feeling.</p>

<ul>
	<li>The teacher is <strong>confusing</strong>. The students are <strong>confused</strong>. (<em>The teacher</em> CAUSES the confusion, perhaps by not explaining something clearly, so the EFFECT is that <em>the students</em> feel&nbsp;confused.)</li>
	<li>The artist is <strong>interesting</strong>. We are <strong>interested</strong> in him. (<em>The artist</em>, because of his talent, is the REASON for our interest; <em>we</em> are interested in him and his art as a&nbsp;RESULT).</li>
</ul>

<p>Make sure you explain to students that when they say &ldquo;I am boring,&rdquo; it actually means that they are uninteresting people, not that they are feeling&nbsp;bored!</p>

<h1>9. Advanced</h1>

<p>If you have higher-level students, you may wish to point out that we have several verbs in English besides &ldquo;Be&rdquo; that you can use to indicate how you&rsquo;re feeling. Some examples include: <em>feel</em>, <em>seem</em>, <em>look</em>, <em>appear</em>,&nbsp;etc.</p>

<ul>
	<li>I <strong>am</strong> confused.</li>
	<li>She <strong>feels</strong> confused.</li>
	<li>He <strong>seems</strong> confused.</li>
	<li>They <strong>appear</strong> confused.</li>
</ul>

<p>Here&rsquo;s hoping your students are both interested and interesting!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2496">Adjectives</a> &ndash; Fun Grammar&nbsp;Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2531">Comparative Adjectives</a> &ndash; Fun Grammar&nbsp;Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2532">Superlative Adjectives</a> &ndash; Fun Grammar&nbsp;Lessons</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2093">Adjectives</a> &ndash; Grammar Practice&nbsp;Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1600">Comparatives &amp; Superlatives &ndash; Adjectives &amp; Adverbs</a> &ndash; Grammar Practice&nbsp;Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1607">Equative, Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjectives</a> &ndash; Grammar Practice&nbsp;Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1612">Adjective Clauses</a> &ndash; Grammar Practice&nbsp;Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/1611">Adjective Phrases</a> &ndash; Grammar Practice&nbsp;Worksheets</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1631">Comparative &amp; Superlative Adjective Stories</a> &ndash; Grammar&nbsp;Stories</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/1647">Adjective Clause &amp; Phrase Stories</a> &ndash; Grammar&nbsp;Stories</li>
</ul>


How to Teach -ED/-ING Adjectives: 9 Simple Steps

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<blockquote>&ldquo;As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen.&rdquo; &ndash; Winnie The Pooh</blockquote>

<p>One of my favorite activities I show teachers is to go into a play area and watch very young kids learn without the parameters of a school. When you observe kids playing with other kids, they are exploring their curiosities and discovering ways to make sense of their world. At the same time, they are motivated and engaged because they have the freedom to explore hands-on and no one is telling them they shouldn&rsquo;t or can&rsquo;t.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, when kids go to school, they end up mostly sitting in their desks for the majority of the class period. As teachers, we can ensure they get to explore, move, and achieve their learning objectives.</p>

<p>Below are a few ideas and resources to get you started, as well as some reasons why you should give it a try.</p>

<h3>Lesson Ideas</h3>

<p>Here a few ideas to get your students moving:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Take a lesson outside! Make it a hands-on adventure where students are paired or grouped and allowed to explore within a confined and chaperoned space for a few minutes. Then have them gather back as a group and show their findings to the rest of the class.</li>
	<li>Have students play a game. Students can play various games like Simon Says and the musical chairs to get them moving. Here is a <a href="http://pinterest.com/shellyterrell/kids-classroom-games-for-learning/">list of several classroom games</a> including jump rope chants.</li>
	<li>Get them to jump rope and speak English.</li>
	<li>Get them to do <a href="http://pinterest.com/shellyterrell/total-physical-response/">Total Physical Response</a> tasks with <a href="http://pinterest.com/shellyterrell/chanting-games/">chants</a>.</li>
	<li>Sit on pillows on the floor for your next discussion or take the discussion outside.</li>
	<li>Take a class field trip and get students to create videos where they find specific information and report it live. They can use digital cameras, their cell phones, or an app like <a href="http://outfit7.com/apps/talking-news/">Talking Tom and Ben Newsreporter</a>.</li>
	<li>Get students to do stretches or yoga and when they use part of the body they can name what they are doing.</li>
	<li>Take in a game console for a day or once a week as a treat. A&nbsp;Wii, Playstation or other game console will have your learners using English to play interactive games. They can play guitar hero, Wii sports, Dance! Dance! Revolution, singing games and so much more. <a href="http://www.pearltrees.com/shellyterrell/learning-game-consoles-ar/id5627627">These resources</a> will give you some ideas.</li>
	<li>Try integrating a mobile device and do things like host scavenger hunts. Specific ideas are <a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2012/04/23/magical-moments-in-mobile-learning-20-tips-resources/">included in this post</a>.</li>
	<li>Set-up tasks in a <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/ShellTerrell/getting-learners-to-speak-english-during-the-break">class calendar that students aim to complete</a>. This could include visiting the local library, finding a sign in English, and more. These are tasks that students complete outside of school and for points. By the end of each month, the students can exchange their points for small prizes like stamps, stickers, badges, cool erasers or whatever else you can imagine. Sharon Hartle includes a <a href="http://hartlelearning.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/christmas-is-approaching/">PowerPoint advent calendar</a> here that you can edit and customize. Use this <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/how-to-create-a-personalized-advent-calendar-HA010336527.aspx?CTT=3">template to create a calendar in PowerPoint or </a> this <a href="http://ilearntechnology.com/?p=4395">post by Kelly Tenkely</a> will help you create one through Glogster or Wix.</li>
	<li>Set-up a karaoke or dance day! <a href="http://gret.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/divingintoaskypingadventure/">Greta Sandler</a> does this with her English learners in Argentina and they look forward to every Friday when they can sing.</li>
</ul>

<h3>More Resources</h3>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/2011/02/08/goal-7-play-and-have-fun-30goals/">Play and Have Fun with Your Classes!</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=169047">How Do I Make My Classroom a Playground?</a></li>
</ul>

<h3>Reasons Why?</h3>

<p>When your students are active physically while learning they:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Get more physical activity, which promotes physical and mental well-being</li>
	<li>Are using up their natural energy which makes managing classroom behavior easier</li>
	<li>Release endorphins that get them thinking creatively and feeling good</li>
	<li>Look forward to your classes</li>
	<li>Discover that learning is all around them</li>
	<li>Store more in their long-term memory, which is often seen in <a href="http://pinterest.com/shellyterrell/total-physical-response/">Total Physical Response</a> activities</li>
</ul>

<p>What ways do you get your learners moving and learning English?</p>


We Like To Move It

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<blockquote>
<p>Should we say &ldquo;the Olympics <em>is</em>&rdquo; or &ldquo;the Olympics <em>are</em>&rdquo;?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It&rsquo;s safe to say that the Olympics is on everybody&rsquo;s mind these days. I remember the excitement of living in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics. The city was alive and vibrant, full of excitement, hope, and team spirit. I also love how each Olympics seems to bring the world&nbsp;together.</p>

<p>With everyone talking about the Olympics, it is rather important to determine if a singular or plural verb should follow this subject. This very question came up a few days ago, when we were&nbsp;getting ready to rerecord the audio for&nbsp;an updated&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1890">lesson on the Olympics</a>, which I was about to edit. She asked me if the lesson should use a singular or a plural verb with &ldquo;the Olympics,&rdquo; and likewise with &ldquo;the Olympic Games.&rdquo; I was stumped, and set about doing some research. It&rsquo;s funny how we commonly hear both singular and plural verbs used with &ldquo;the Olympics,&rdquo; and most of us, including me, probably haven&rsquo;t given it much&nbsp;thought!</p>

<p>Unfortunately, my dictionaries and style guides didn&rsquo;t have any direct references to the Olympics. I did some internet research instead. Right away, I noticed multiple uses of both singular and plural verbs following &ldquo;the Olympics.&rdquo; Most examples of &ldquo;the Olympic Games&rdquo; used a plural verb, although I did see some examples of singular verbs used,&nbsp;too.</p>

<h1>Decision Time</h1>

<p>We at ESL&nbsp;Library decided to go with <strong>&ldquo;the Olympics&rdquo; + singular verb</strong> and <strong>&ldquo;the Olympic Games&rdquo; + plural verb</strong>. Basically, &ldquo;the Olympics&rdquo; is a collective noun like <em>team</em> or <em>United States</em>, and usually takes a singular verb. &ldquo;Games,&rdquo; on the other hand, is a plural noun that should take a plural verb. It&rsquo;s possible to consider &ldquo;the Olympic Games&rdquo; as a collective noun, but &ldquo;the Olympic Games <strong>is</strong>&hellip;&rdquo; just doesn&rsquo;t sound right to me. &ldquo;The Olympic Games <strong>are</strong>&hellip;&rdquo; sounds much&nbsp;better!</p>

<h1>Examples</h1>

<h2>Example #1</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, <strong>is</strong> scheduled to take place from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia, with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya&nbsp;Polyana.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">Source: Wikipedia, &ldquo;2014 Winter Olympics,&rdquo; accessed July&nbsp;29,&nbsp;2012, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Winter_Olympics" target="_blank">www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Winter_Olympics</a>.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Example #2</h2>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;In a speech watched around the world, Games chief Jacques Rogge said: &lsquo;The Olympic Games <strong>are</strong> coming home&nbsp;tonight.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">Source: BBC News UK, &ldquo;Young athletes light London 2012 Olympic flame,&rdquo; accessed July&nbsp;29,&nbsp;2012, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19008471" target="_blank">www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19008471</a>.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I&rsquo;d love to know what you think, too! Do you agree with our decision? Why or why&nbsp;not?</p>

<p>Go for the&nbsp;gold,<br />
Tanya</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2612">Winter Olympics</a> (Word Bank)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1890">Winter Olympics</a> (Holidays &amp; Events)</li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/7/flashcard_categories/114">Winter Olympics Flashcards</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/20/lessons">The Olympics Lesson Collection</a></li>
</ul>


Olympics: Singular or Plural?

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<blockquote>
<p>To &ldquo;They&rdquo; or not to &ldquo;They,&rdquo; that is the&nbsp;question!</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Why oh why doesn&rsquo;t English have a gender-neutral third person singular pronoun? Life as an editor, and as any kind of writer, would be <em>so</em> much easier. French has <em>on</em>, Spanish has <em>usted</em>, and English has&hellip;<em>one</em>, which is so darn formal that we rarely use it. So what do we do? Do we dare use &ldquo;they&rdquo;?</p>

<h1>If you know the gender</h1>

<p>Obviously, if the gender of the referent is known, this isn&rsquo;t even an issue because we can use &ldquo;he&rdquo; or &ldquo;she.&rdquo; For example, if &ldquo;Angelina Jolie&rdquo; is mentioned in the previous sentence, we can use &ldquo;she&rdquo; in the following sentences. If only it were always this&nbsp;easy!</p>

<h1>If you don&rsquo;t know the&nbsp;gender</h1>

<p>What happens when, as is commonly the case, the gender of the referent is unknown? Newspaper articles deal with this situation all the time. For example, if &ldquo;a teacher&rdquo; is mentioned in the previous sentence, we don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s a &ldquo;he&rdquo; or a&nbsp;&ldquo;she.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Also, sometimes we want to refer to a person in general, so we wouldn&rsquo;t want to specify the&nbsp;gender.</p>

<p>In these two cases, we have several&nbsp;options:</p>

<ul>
	<li>We can use &ldquo;he or she&rdquo; or &ldquo;he/she&rdquo; or &ldquo;s/he,&rdquo; or alternate between &ldquo;he&rdquo; and &ldquo;she,&rdquo; but all of these choices are awkward and&nbsp;cumbersome.</li>
	<li>We can use &ldquo;one,&rdquo; but this is very&nbsp;formal.</li>
	<li>We can rewrite the sentence, but this can involve a lot of&nbsp;work.</li>
	<li>We can use &ldquo;they,&rdquo; but this is quite&nbsp;controversial.</li>
</ul>

<h1>What do the style guides&nbsp;recommend?</h1>

<p>My two style guides both recommend using &ldquo;they&rdquo; for a singular referent in most cases. The Chicago Manual of Style (16th&nbsp;ed.) states the&nbsp;following:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;A singular antecedent requires a singular referent pronoun. Because <em>he</em> is no longer accepted as a generic pronoun referring to a person of either sex, it has become common in speech and in informal writing to substitute the third-person plural pronouns <em>they</em>, <em>them</em>, <em>their</em>, and <em>themselves</em>, and the nonstandard singular <em>themself</em>. While this usage is accepted in casual contexts, it is still considered ungrammatical in formal writing&hellip;&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">(2010, 215&ndash;6)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The Copyeditor&rsquo;s Handbook agrees:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;&hellip;the newer grammar books recommend using the plural pronoun after an indefinite subject&hellip;&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">(Einsohn 2011, 361)</p>
</blockquote>

<h1>What do I recommend?</h1>

<p>Until I became an editor, I happily used &ldquo;they&rdquo; for all my singular, gender-neutral needs. I was taught to do it and I don&rsquo;t really have a problem with it. I even encouraged my own students to do it (though I usually advised using the <em>general plural</em> rather than the singular where possible). But once I started taking editing courses, I realized what a contentious issue it really is. Now, I will still use &ldquo;they,&rdquo; but not with a clear conscience! My obsessive, perfectionist side doesn&rsquo;t like using something that many consider&nbsp;&ldquo;wrong.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Nowadays, I try to rewrite sentences as much as possible to avoid this problem altogether. I find the easiest way to accomplish this is by making the referent plural. Then I can use &ldquo;they&rdquo; all I want, guilt&nbsp;free!</p>

<p>For example, instead of writing &ldquo;Tell the student to read his or her paragraph out loud,&rdquo; I&rsquo;ll write &ldquo;Tell the students to read their paragraphs out loud.&rdquo; Usually the meaning remains the same with a switch from singular to plural, especially in general cases like&nbsp;this.</p>

<p>I would encourage you to teach your students to use the general plural when writing their essays as well. For example, if the topic was &ldquo;stress,&rdquo; students could start their essays by saying something like &ldquo;People have a lot of stress in their lives these days&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;Each person has a lot of stress in his or her life these&nbsp;days.&rdquo;</p>

<p>When there is a specific singular referent but the gender is unknown, I would advise rewriting the sentence to avoid pronoun use if at all possible. Failing that, the choice is yours! Personally, I would use &ldquo;they,&rdquo; but you can choose any one of the four ways mentioned in the bulleted list above. Then cross your fingers and hope it doesn&rsquo;t come back to bite you in the you‑know‑what!</p>

<p>Have a nice &ldquo;they,&rdquo;<br />
Tanya</p>


The Great Debate over the Third Person Singular Pronoun: He, She, or They?

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<div class="white-box">
<h5>Note</h5>

<p>We updated this blog post in November&nbsp;2016. See <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/present-perfect-two-uses/">Present Perfect: Two Uses</a> and <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/present-perfect-vs-present-perfect-progressive/">Present Perfect Vs. Present Progressive</a> for new charts and&nbsp;tips.</p>
</div>

<p>What do you do when textbook grammar presentations just don&rsquo;t cut it? The present perfect is a confusing verb tense for ESL learners. Students get confused about when to use it versus when to use the simple past, and also when to use it versus the present perfect progressive (also known as the present perfect&nbsp;continuous).</p>

<p>Unfortunately, most of the textbooks I&rsquo;ve come across don&rsquo;t explain all the uses clearly. The result is that students can conjugate verbs into the blanks provided in textbook exercises, but they flounder in real life when they have to choose which tense to&nbsp;use.</p>

<p>In other words, when it comes time to choose between the simple past, present perfect, and present perfect progressive (for example, when speaking, writing, or doing a test like the TOEIC), students struggle. That&rsquo;s why I started to present all three tenses at once in my TOEIC classes, and gradually started to use this method for other general classes, too, with successful results. I hope it will help your students as&nbsp;well!</p>

<h1>Step #1</h1>

<h3>Present Perfect</h3>

<p>Start by telling your students that there are two uses of the present perfect (most students are not even aware of this). Point out that diagram&nbsp;A indicates a <strong>finished past action</strong>. Diagram&nbsp;B shows an action that <strong>started in the past, continued to the present, and may continue into the&nbsp;future</strong>.</p>

<p><img alt="Diagrams A and B" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/31/content_Tanya_5-Easy-Steps-for-Teaching-PP-and-PPP_Diagrams-A-B.png" /></p>

<p>A) I <strong>have been</strong> to&nbsp;Paris.</p>

<p>B) I <strong>have lived</strong> in Vancouver for two&nbsp;years.</p>

<h1>Step #2</h1>

<h3>Present Perfect Vs. Simple&nbsp;Past</h3>

<p>Next, focus on the first use of the present perfect (from diagram&nbsp;A). Help your students understand when they can use this <strong>finished past action</strong> by comparing it to the simple past&rsquo;s <strong>finished past action</strong>. Explain that we use the simple past tense when we want to communicate <strong>when</strong> we did something, as in diagram&nbsp;C. We use the present perfect tense when we <strong>don&rsquo;t</strong> want to indicate the time, either because we don&rsquo;t know it or it isn&rsquo;t important, as in diagram&nbsp;D.</p>

<p><img alt="Diagrams C and D" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/32/content_Tanya_5-Easy-Steps-for-Teaching-PP-and-PPP_Diagrams-C-D.png" /></p>

<p>C) I <strong>went</strong> to Paris last&nbsp;month.</p>

<p>D) I <strong>have been</strong> to&nbsp;Paris.</p>

<h1>Step #3</h1>

<h3>Time Markers for the Present Perfect &amp; Simple Past</h3>

<p>At this point, I find it useful to point out the <em>time markers</em> that are associated with these verb tenses. Time markers are words that indicate the time when an action is performed, and they will help students both to recognize which verbs to use in exercises and to produce natural language. I usually get the students to brainstorm these words as a class. Here are the most common time markers for these&nbsp;tenses:</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Time markers for the simple past:</strong> <em>yesterday</em>, <em>the day before yesterday</em>, <em>last</em>, <em>ago</em>, <em>when</em> (for joining two past&nbsp;sentences)</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Time markers for the present perfect (as in diagrams A and D):</strong> usually, no time marker is used, but for emphasis, it is possible to use <em>already</em>*, <em>yet</em>*, <em>still</em>*, <em>ever</em>, <em>never</em></li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>*Note</h5>

<p>Here is a quick note about <em>already</em>, <em>yet</em>, and <em>still</em>. These three adverbs are very common, so it&rsquo;s a good idea to teach them along with the present perfect, though you could teach them in a separate lesson if you think your students&rsquo; heads will explode from all this&nbsp;information.</p>

<p><strong><em>Already</em></strong> (used to emphasize that an action has been accomplished in the past) follows the normal pattern of Verb + Adverb + Verb, as in <em>I have already read that&nbsp;book</em>.</p>

<p><strong><em>Yet</em></strong> (used to signify the intention to do something) follows an unusual pattern. You use <em>yet</em> at the end of a sentence, and the verb must be negative, as in <em>I haven&rsquo;t read</em> <em>that book&nbsp;yet</em>.</p>

<p><strong><em>Still</em></strong> (like <em>yet</em>, it is used to signify the intention to do something) also follows an unusual pattern. You use <em>still</em> before both parts of the verb, and the verb must be negative, as in <em>I still haven&rsquo;t read that&nbsp;book</em>.</p>

<p>Be careful that students don&rsquo;t get confused with the other use of <em>still</em> (used to emphasize an ongoing action), which is commonly used with a positive verb and the present progressive tense, as in <em>I am still waiting for your call</em>. No wonder English is difficult to&nbsp;learn!</p>
</div>

<h1>Step #4</h1>

<h3>Present Perfect Vs. Present Perfect&nbsp;Progressive</h3>

<p>Finally, focus on the second use of the present perfect (from diagram&nbsp;B). Explain to students that for this use, the present perfect and the present perfect progressive are pretty much interchangeable. Basically, the present perfect shows an action that <strong>starts in the past, continues to the present, and may continue into the&nbsp;future.</strong></p>

<p>For example, in diagram&nbsp;E, the emphasis is on the two months I have lived in Vancouver. I might be moving to another city tomorrow, or I might continue living in Vancouver for many more years. The future is not really important in this case; if it is important, that&rsquo;s when the present perfect progressive should be used&nbsp;instead.</p>

<p>The present perfect progressive shows an action that <strong>starts in the past, continues to the present, and will definitely continue into the future.</strong> In diagram&nbsp;F, it is clear that I have lived in Vancouver for two months, but also that I am not leaving and will continue to live here for an unspecified amount of&nbsp;time.</p>

<p>I also point out to students that when in doubt, use the present perfect since it is more commonly&nbsp;used.</p>

<p><img alt="Diagrams E and F" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/33/content_Tanya_5-Easy-Steps-for-Teaching-PP-and-PPP_Diagrams-E-F.png" /></p>

<p>E) I <strong>have lived</strong> in Vancouver for two&nbsp;months.</p>

<p>F) I <strong>have been living</strong> in Vancouver for two&nbsp;months.</p>

<h1>Step #5</h1>

<h3>Time Markers for the Present Perfect &amp; Present Perfect Progressive</h3>

<p>Now, you can point out the time markers for these two&nbsp;tenses:</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Time markers for the present perfect (as in diagrams B and E):</strong> <em>for</em>**,&nbsp;<em>since</em>**</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Time markers for the present perfect progressive:</strong> <em>for**</em>, <em>since**</em>, <em>all</em> (as in all morning, all week,&nbsp;etc.)</li>
</ul>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>**Note</h5>

<p>I also explain to my students that <em>for</em> is used to show the <strong>duration</strong> of the continuing action, while <em>since</em> is used to show the <strong>starting point</strong> of the continuing&nbsp;action.</p>
</div>

<p>Of course, there are other cases and exceptions to these basic rules (for example, <em>It has been raining</em> can indicate that the rain recently stopped, which is technically a finished past action), but I believe there&rsquo;s no need to completely overwhelm your students. I suggest dealing with exceptions on a case‑by‑case basis if they come up in the&nbsp;lesson.</p>

<p>For lessons on the present perfect and the present perfect progressive, check out ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s <a href="http://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a> section. Check out our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons/">Grammar Stories</a> section&nbsp;too.</p>

<p>Enjoy presenting and&nbsp;perfecting!</p>

<p>Tanya</p>


5 Easy Steps for Teaching the Present Perfect & the Present Perfect Progressive

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<h3>What do you do when you&rsquo;re just plain stumped?</h3>

<p>Sound familiar? A student asks a seemingly innocuous question, and suddenly our faces start to go red, we start to stammer, and beads of perspiration form on our foreheads because we just can&rsquo;t think of the answer. Contrary to what students might think or expect,&nbsp;teachers aren&rsquo;t walking dictionaries or style guides. Even after years of experience, there are always some questions that you just don&rsquo;t know the answers to. So when you face this situation, and you <em>will </em>face it often, what do you do? Here are some tips based on how I&rsquo;ve dealt with this over the past ten years.</p>

<h3>What you shouldn&rsquo;t say:</h3>

<p><strong>1. Don&rsquo;t lie and make up a reason.</strong> Remember that teachers get stumped all the time. It happens to everyone. Resist the impulse to try to fake your way out of it by lying&hellip;this only makes things worse. Even if you don&rsquo;t go home and look it up, some students will, and they&rsquo;ll confront you about your lie the next day.<br />
<br />
<strong>2. Don&rsquo;t say, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just the way it is&rdquo; or &ldquo;Just because.&rdquo;</strong> This is the easy way out and it&rsquo;s very tempting, but it&rsquo;s not going to help students. They asked the question because they are truly trying to figure out the mysterious, complex English language. It&rsquo;s funny how teachers worry about losing face when unable to answer a question, yet students often have more respect for them if they admit they&rsquo;re not sure of the answer and need to look it up. Most students will accept this without batting an eye.<br />
<br />
<strong>3. Don&rsquo;t tell students that it&rsquo;s an exception.</strong> It may very well turn out to be an exception, but until you&rsquo;ve looked it up and know this for a fact, avoid this easy-out answer. However, when I have looked something up and can&rsquo;t find an answer, I have come back to students with &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry, I couldn&rsquo;t find out anything about it. It&rsquo;s probably an exception, and you&rsquo;ll just have to try to remember it.&rdquo;</p>

<h3>What you should say:</h3>

<p><strong>1. Make students feel proud for stumping you.</strong> Try saying something like, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not often I get stumped on a question, but you did it; good for you!&rdquo; This reinforces that it&rsquo;s not a common occurrence, and gives that student a bit of positive attention. After a few years of teaching, I found that I started to look forward to the times when I could be surprised by a question, and I enjoyed researching the answer and learning something new.<br />
<br />
<strong>2. Empathize with your students.</strong> You can say something like, &ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t English difficult? I know the answer is X, but I&rsquo;m not sure about the reason. Let me look it up tonight and get back to you tomorrow.&rdquo; Remember that students are often relieved to find out that English is hard for everyone, sometimes even for teachers. (Also, before saying this, I would often throw up my hands or roll my eyes and say, &ldquo;Crazy English!&rdquo; This usually brought on fits of laughter from students and diffused the situation nicely.)<br />
<br />
<strong>3. Enlist your coworkers.</strong> You can try saying, &ldquo;Hmmm, that&rsquo;s an interesting question. I&rsquo;m going to ask the other teachers at lunch and get back to you.&rdquo; Often it&rsquo;s something simple that you&rsquo;ve just forgotten, and a coworker will think of it right away or can help you figure it out. With this strategy, even if you come back without an answer, you can say, &ldquo;None of the other teachers were sure about this, so I think it&rsquo;s just an exception&rdquo; and &ldquo;If English teachers don&rsquo;t know the answer, it&rsquo;s not worth worrying about.&rdquo; Don&rsquo;t forget that students are often so worried about understanding every little detail that they lose sight of the big picture.<br />
<br />
<strong>4. Come back to it later.</strong> If you&rsquo;re feeling particularly embarrassed (on your first day or when you&rsquo;re being evaluated, for example), you can always say, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a great question, but I&rsquo;ll explain it tomorrow since we don&rsquo;t have time today.&rdquo; That way, you buy yourself some time. You could also say, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just going to move on now, so I&rsquo;ll talk to you about it during the break.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s far less embarrassing to admit you&rsquo;re unsure to just one student. I&rsquo;ve even brought out a reference book during a break and looked something up together with the student(s); they enjoy being involved.</p>

<h3>Where can you find answers?</h3>

<p><strong>1. Grammar Reference Books:</strong> Having a reference book is a must-have for teachers. Most schools will provide one or two in the teachers&rsquo; room, but I invested in one to have on my desk so it would be available at any time.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Collins Cobuild &ndash; <em>English Grammar</em></li>
	<li>Azar &ndash; <em>Understanding and Using English Grammar</em> &ndash; 4<sup>th</sup> Edition &ndash; my personal favorite. (Azar actually isn&rsquo;t a reference book, but a students&rsquo; book. However, the explanations at the beginning of every chapter are clear and concise, and often help me frame my answers to students&rsquo; questions.)</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>2. Dictionaries:</strong> Any English&ndash;English dictionary will do, but here are some well-known ones.</p>

<ul>
	<li><em>Merriam-Webster&rsquo;s Collegiate Dictionary</em> &ndash;&nbsp;11<sup>th</sup> Edition &ndash; US spelling.</li>
	<li><em>Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English</em> &ndash; Canadian spelling.</li>
	<li><em>Oxford English Dictionary</em> &ndash; UK spelling.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>3. Style Guides:</strong> Styles guides are something I wasn&#39;t familiar with when I was teaching, but are essential to me now as an editor. I only wish I knew about this invaluable resource back when I was teaching, because answers about grammar and usage are often easier to find in these types of books (especially true for some of the stranger questions you&rsquo;ll get).</p>

<ul>
	<li><em>The Chicago Manual of Style</em> &ndash; 16<sup>th</sup> Edition</li>
	<li><em>Merriam-Webster&rsquo;s Dictionary of English Usage</em></li>
</ul>

<p><strong>4. Websites:</strong> There are many websites and forums that provide answers to grammar-related questions, including <a href="http://chicagomanualofstyle.org" target="_blank">chicagomanualofstyle.org</a>, where you can sign up for a free 30-day trial. When I can&rsquo;t find an answer in one of the above places, I type my question or key word(s) into a search engine, and click on the first couple of links. Just be careful to check more than one site, since you may have more than one opinion to sort through. I use options 1-3 before checking a website, but sometimes the student&rsquo;s question is so unusual that I can only get the answer from the Web.</p>

<h3>To Sum Up</h3>

<p>Stay calm, don&rsquo;t panic, and above all, don&rsquo;t let your fear of embarrassment stop you from asking students if they have any questions. I strongly feel that teachers should encourage students to ask questions and help them better understand our fascinating language. All we can do is try our best to answer them. So what&rsquo;s your strategy? I hope we can pool our resources in the comments section below; it&rsquo;d be great if we could share our strategies and favorite reference materials with each other!<br />
<br />
Here&rsquo;s hoping you&rsquo;re seldom stumped!<br />
&mdash;Tanya</p>

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