If you don't think bad grammar can cost you, think again. In this case, one teeny, tiny, little comma actually cost one company five million dollars. That's one expensive comma! The Serial Comma Strikes Again An Oxford comma, also known as a serial comma, refers to the final comma in a list of items. It … Continue reading The $5 Million Comma: The True Tale of the Oxford Comma Lawsuit
Category: Grammar
Breaking News! ESL Students prefer playing games to studying grammar. Thanks, Captain Obvious. Now, let's really drive it home: Hello, students! Raise your hand if you want to study grammar. (crickets.) Raise your hand if you want to play a game. (48 hands are up in a class of 24.) What have we learned from … Continue reading Variations on 4 Card Games ESL Students Will Flip Over
If you know how to use flashcards in online ESL classrooms, they can be fantastic for memorizing irregular verbs. And they don't have to be boring, either! Here are my favorite flashy ways to use flashcards in online ESL classrooms. Why Flashcards? Let's cut straight to the obvious: flashcards are for memorizing. As a veteran … Continue reading 8 Flashy Ways To Use Flashcards for Online ESL
When you have a strong understanding of how to use used to and usually, we can talk about 2 more similar phrases that students find confusing: be used to and get used to.
It's easy to confuse these two terms. They are used when we give or take something that will be returned (Well, we hope it will!) LEND = Give To lend is to give someone something for a short time. Lend requires a direct pronoun (money, a phone, a sweater, etc.) and an indirect object pronoun (me, … Continue reading Borrow or Lend: What’s the difference?
TOO = A negative description When something is not good, or you don't like it, or you can't use it, use too to describe it. When you use too in a sentence, it means that you are not happy, or there is a negative result. The driver was going too fast. (He crashed his car … Continue reading Too vs. So: What’s the difference?
Cats are so funny. You never know what they are really thinking about you, but we can guess from the look on their faces. They make such good expressions! THE BASIC RULE: S0 + ADJECTIVE When SO means "very," it is usually followed by an adjective. It's so hot today.The cats are so funny.She looks … Continue reading So or Such: What’s the difference?
These two very common words are easy to confuse. They both relate to a measure of time. However, they have completely different meanings, and it's important to know which one to choose.
When talking about travel, it's easy to confuse the phrasal verbs go back and come back. They both mean to return. So what's the difference? It's actually very simple. It all depends on where you are at the time of speaking. For example, if you are from Italy, but you are in California right now, you would say: I'm going … Continue reading Go Back or Come Back: What’s the Difference?
SAY and TELL are similar - they are used to communicate information. So what's the difference? The major difference is TELL can include the listener. SAY typically does not include the listener, only what is being said. (Incorrect) She said me to call her. (Correct) She told me to call her. TELL TELL is … Continue reading Say vs. Tell: What’s the Difference?
Robot: What are you going to do today? Astronaut: I'm going to visit the sun. R: But it's too hot! You'll burn up! A: I'll be fine. I'm going to go at night.
English students sometimes feel lost when using the prepositions in, on, and at. Luckily, there are a few rules you can follow (most of the time!). Prepositions can be learned by topic. Topics can include transportation, location, time and date, and technology.
Students often confuse the verbs to do and to be when asking questions. Do you know the difference between Do you...? and Are you...?
Talkin' Town English 