Embedded Files
Official information on when classes will restart would be posted here.
Board pics from this week... and last (sorry for the delay)
Board pics from this week... and last (sorry for the delay)
Remember, board pics are like these Buddhist Sand paintings, unless we use the website:
...and even then, in the long term, nothing is permanent ;)but you can use this site as long as it lasts. Hopefully forever!Remember, board pics are like these Buddhist Sand paintings, unless we use the website:
Just my bag of tricks...
A laptop,
some guessing games,
conversation dice sets,
books, books, books,
and that is an iced green tea match a latte in front.
Some bits of vocabulary:
Hair is for people, fur is for animals; no hair = bald (me almost)
Dermatologist = skin doctor
Dead animal skin is made into leather for shoes, bags or other things.
Remember how to use in, on and at with time!
in is for big times: months, years, centuries, etc.
on is for dates and days of the week
at is the most specific and gives a specific time
(we had to call my mom to find out my birth time...)
When we learned how to play : "Happy Birthday" on the guitar, we also reviewed the parts of the guitar, and the body parts we use to play the guitar!
These include:
Shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, fingers, hands, thumbs, palms, etc.
(zoom in on the picture)Preposition basics:
Preposition basics:
We talked about in, on , and at and time. We added around, under, and on top to our list. (see above as well), or check out this grammar site:
We talked about in, on , and at and time. We added around, under, and on top to our list. (see above as well), or check out this grammar site:
Remember gerunds and infinities (scroll down we covered this).
Remember gerunds and infinities (scroll down we covered this).
Oh yeah, and a bit
Oh yeah, and a bit
Week 3: Hobbies, questions, gerunds and infinities
Week 3: Hobbies, questions, gerunds and infinities
Above: Last week (8/10) we talked about
Above: Last week (8/10) we talked about
the 2 kinds of questions in English:
the 2 kinds of questions in English:
Y/N
Y/N
and
and
Wh-
Wh-
For more see here: Transit Talk: Question Formation
For more see here: Transit Talk: Question Formation
One answer to the question is explained on the board above. It involves gerunds and infinitives (click the links to google more).
One answer to the question is explained on the board above. It involves gerunds and infinitives (click the links to google more).
Here are some easier explanations:
Here are some easier explanations:
Gerund: -ing form of verb = noun
Gerund: -ing form of verb = noun
Infinitive: to + base form = noun, but sometimes adverb or adjective; often used for purpose...
Infinitive: to + base form = noun, but sometimes adverb or adjective; often used for purpose...
When to choose: you'll have to google that! Gerunds vs. infinitives in English
When to choose: you'll have to google that! Gerunds vs. infinitives in English
POS*: Parts Of Speech!
POS*: Parts Of Speech!
We talked about the parts of speech when one student asked about the word |volunteer|.
We talked about the parts of speech when one student asked about the word |volunteer|.
This word can be a noun, verb, or adjective!
This word can be a noun, verb, or adjective!
Don't believe me?
Don't believe me?
Look at the board (above)!
Look at the board (above)!
Reading emails:
Reading emails:
I know, yawn, right? Boooooring... But someone has to tell you about this...
So email:
From = sender
To = Receiver
CC = carbon copy = copy the email and send it to other people
BCC= blind carbon copy = send a secret copy to someone else (sneaky, but sometimes legally necessary)
Subject = the reason for the email
Opening = Salutation = saying Hello, or Hi, or Hey! ( very informal) or more formally: Dear, ... Esteemed + title, (very formal)
The opening is usually followed by the receiver's name: Dear Bob; or title: Dear Mom, Dear Dr. Zhivago; whatever.
Body = the main text; it is like the middle of your own body. (That's where the word comes from.)
Closing = Valediction (if you want to be fancy and Latinate) = saying goodbye.
BUT we don't write "goodbye." That looks silly.
Instead try: take care, see you soon ( both informal) or Best wishes, Best Regards, or Sincerely (all more formal)
Thank you is both formal and informal. Sometimes people can find it rude, so watch out!
Finally: your name (or the sender's name)
and really finally sometimes you include extra information about yourself after your name:
Best Regards,
Christopher Nazzaro
Adjunct English Professor at Large
(123) 456-7890 extension 000
and really, really finally sometimes there's a P.S. or PS
PS = post scriptum or post script = after the letter = afterthoughts
And yes, there is a possibly infinite series of PSes and PPSes and PPPSes and PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPSes
But please don't use these so much. Say what you want to say in the body of the email god damn it!
8/ 17 Week 3: Summer and Free time
8/ 17 Week 3: Summer and Free time
Reading and writing focus
Reading and writing focus
Reading lesson:
Reading lesson:
Read an email
Read an email
Picture dictionary
Picture dictionary
Writing lesson:
Writing lesson:
Writing exercises and practice
Writing exercises and practice
Editing and talking about our writing
Editing and talking about our writing
Week 2: Free time In the house
Week 2: Free time In the house
Review of site and remembering each other
Review of site and remembering each other
Vocabulary: hobbies and chores
Vocabulary: hobbies and chores
Read and match Listening activities
Read and match Listening activities
Games and talking about hobbies
Games and talking about hobbies
Grammar: p.126,
Grammar: p.126,
What do you like to do
What do you like to do
How often do you like to ___________?
How often do you like to ___________?
Reviewing the simple (one word) present tense
Reviewing the simple (one word) present tense
Board pics from class 1
Board pics from class 1
remember, you don't have to take notes or pictures in class
Two Us = w
Two Us = w
so two Us, as in U U or UU or VV vv (because V and U are really the same letter) are the same as W? So three English letters are the SAME...Well, sure, but not quite.
Also Single is for one
and Double is for two
Can we think of the other numbers in this sequence?
Ask me next class and the explanation could wind up here!
Just reviewing
Just reviewing
Above is the present of B
Introductions: Class one
Introductions: Class one
Today we will meet each other and learn to use this website.
Today we will meet each other and learn to use this website.
Basic Questions:
Basic Questions:
What's your name?
What's your name?
...and, who are you?
...and, who are you?
Where do you live?
Where do you live?
What do you do?
What do you do?
Find someone who:
Find someone who:
Lives in your neighborhood, or close to it.
Has the same birthday as you.
What do you do in your free time?
What do you do in your free time?
PREVIOUS UNITS (FROM EARLIER IN THE SUMMER BELOW)
PREVIOUS UNITS (FROM EARLIER IN THE SUMMER BELOW)
Extra/advanced materials!
Extra/advanced materials!
Board pics from class 8:
Board pics from class 8:
backyard vocabulary
backyard vocabulary
Connecting words
Connecting words
and joins sentences:
and joins sentences:
I am watering the yard and washing the car with the hose.
while shows two things happening at the same time:
while shows two things happening at the same time:
Mom was cutting the grass while Sam was washing the dog.
when also shows that two things happened at the same time:
when also shows that two things happened at the same time:
When I was washing the dishes, you took out the trash.
(note: took (simple past) can interrupt was washing(progressive)).
Formula:
Formula:
Q: What is ________ doing?
A: (He, She, or It) (is/'s) _________________ the ___________.
We saw that it was easy to fill in the blanks with your vocabulary.
Notice the spelling: cutting (TT) and getting (TT); take>taking
Remember the pronouncing the -ing words video
What do we....
What do we....
cut? wash? do? (check the image>>>)
Do you like thinking about how words go together?
research common English
Class 8, Topic three: Daily living
Class 8, Topic three: Daily living
June 22
June 22
miming chores
miming chores
Reading and writing about daily routines
Reading and writing about daily routines
Board pics from class 7
Board pics from class 7
Cleaning vocabulary:
Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting (all things I was doing in this room yesterday)
We talked about my living room:
Wingback chair + Ottoman (the yellow Chair)
We talked about and practiced questions:
We talked about and practiced questions:
Don't forget: There are 2 kinds of questions in English
• Y/N questions, whose answer is "Yes" or "No" and that start with the verb
•Wh- questions that ask for more information (see question word vocabulary below)
Remember HoW is still a Wh- word.
See the video page for pronouncing WH.
The rooms of the house and what we are doing in them and what we are doing to clean them:
The rooms of the house and what we are doing in them and what we are doing to clean them:
Extra: "to"
Extra: "to"
We use to with places, but NOT with home or other preposition-named places:
inside/outside
uptown/downtown, etc...
We don't use to with -ing words:
Going shopping
going running
Class 7, Topic three: Daily Living
Class 7, Topic three: Daily Living
June 15
June 15
miming chores
miming chores
(yes/no questions and wh- questions: what are they doing?)
(yes/no questions and wh- questions: what are they doing?)
P. 117 The rooms of the house
P. 117 The rooms of the house
Board pics from class 6
Board pics from class 6
We spent time pronouncing s as z: goes, does, sells, his...
A niece is your brother or sister's daughter;
a nephew is your brother or sister's son.
The noun form is sale:
There is a sale at Macys.
There's also a sale at H&M?
Two sales? That's good news!
The verb form is sell:
A salesperson sells clothes.
She sells them online.
There's lots to sell at the market.
____________________________________
NOTE: Nurse does not have an r at the end!
(see below for more)
Possession is hard:
's for singular
s' for plural
_______________
Waiter is for males
Waitress is for females
-tress is unusual
USE server for everyone.
The unit vocabulary included words like:
Salesperson
Bus Driver
Painter
Cashier
Receptionist
Some of these words end in -er and mean a person who ____s
Some do not end in -er, like: assistant, life guard, nurse, paralegal (lawyer's assistant) clerk, and chef (as well as salesperson and receptionist above).
What do these people do? (Check the next picture!)
Note: use is a good general verb:
A truck driver uses a truck.
A receptionist uses a phone.
A cashier uses a cash register.
Specific verbs are better than general:
A truck driver drives a truck.
A receptionist answers the phone.
A cashier counts money.
A mechanic fixes cars.
A painter paints walls or houses and uses paint.
A teacher's assistant helps the teacher, and uses books.
_________________________________
Plus:
A dog walker walks dogs.
A gardener tends gardens.
A chef cooks. A cook cooks too!
A life guard saves lives.
An accountant counts money.
Class 6, Topic two: Work
Class 6, Topic two: Work
June 8
June 8
Reviewing games for this unit.
Reviewing games for this unit.
Can you:
Can you:
...make and answer Yes/No questions in the simple present (with does/doesn't)?
...make and answer Yes/No questions in the simple present (with does/doesn't)?
....give short answers with does/ doesn’t?
....give short answers with does/ doesn’t?
... read and write about jobs?
... read and write about jobs?
Help wanted:
Help wanted:
Guess the jobs that need help!
Guess the jobs that need help!
Board pics from class 5
Board pics from class 5
Questions about the weekend:
Questions about the weekend:
What did you do over the holiday weekend?
OR
What did you do over the weekend?
Answer: (Example) I went to a wedding!
Using do/ making simple present questions:
Using do/ making simple present questions:
See below (from class 4) for more on forming questions.
Here we reviewed how to go from I do! to Do I?
Questions in simple present are formed from the emphatic or do form of the verb/ sentence. Changing the word order is the key!
Vocabulary in action (+ question formation)
Vocabulary in action (+ question formation)
Job title vocabulary with what the person does:
A __(job title)____ Verb in simple present_____object.
Forming Y/N questions about these jobs:
Does a ___(job title)____ Verb in simple present_____object?
There are two types of questions in English:
There are two types of questions in English:
Y/N:
Y/N:
Yes or no questions; when the answer is always "yes" or "no" and then usually some more information. These start with some part of the verb usually the helper/auxiliary verb.
Yes or no questions; when the answer is always "yes" or "no" and then usually some more information. These start with some part of the verb usually the helper/auxiliary verb.
Wh- or Information questions:
Wh- or Information questions:
The question starts with a question word and have more information for answers.
The question starts with a question word and have more information for answers.
Questions about Jobs and Work:
Questions about Jobs and Work:
Class 5, Topic two: Work
Class 5, Topic two: Work
June 1
June 1
Does and doesn't in questions and short answers.
Does and doesn't in questions and short answers.
Reading a help wanted ad.
Reading a help wanted ad.
Vocabulary/picture dictionary of jobs and job activities.
Vocabulary/picture dictionary of jobs and job activities.
Jobs and Work
Jobs and Work
May 18
May 18
Description:Identify jobs
Description:Identify jobs
What is your job? (What do you do?)
What is your job? (What do you do?)
Job actions
Job actions
What do you do at work?
What do you do at work?
What do yo do at your job?
What do yo do at your job?
Do/Does: What does a _________________ do?
Do/Does: What does a _________________ do?
(Play right after break)
Kahoot 1: JOBS
Kahoot 1: JOBS
(play just before break)
Kahoot 2: Does/do
Kahoot 2: Does/do
(play just before class is over)
Previous lessons below:
Previous lessons below:
Board pics from class 3
Board pics from class 3
Our review of clothing items from our photos.
Spelling consonant clusters (see video for pronunciation)
There is also a list of stores we shop at on this board...
Remember that we talked about how often one goes shopping:
Never = 0 times
Once = one time (1x)
Twice = two times (2x)
Thrice (rare) = three times (3x)
4, 5, 6, etc times after that.
You can go once (or any number of times)
a week
a month
a year
a = per
We read a receipt 9p. 94
We read a receipt 9p. 94
and talked about phone numbers a bit:
and talked about phone numbers a bit:
Shopping practically vs. fashion: class 3
Shopping practically vs. fashion: class 3
writing practice and reviewing games from Ventures Basic Unit 7
writing practice and reviewing games from Ventures Basic Unit 7
there is/there are
there is/there are
singular vs plural nouns
singular vs plural nouns
questions with have
questions with have
have vs need
have vs need
Board pics from class 2
Board pics from class 2
Pronouncing numbers:
Pronouncing numbers:
We talked about pronouncing numbers 1 to 1,000,000,000 (see the video page for more info)
Remember 13 and all teen numbers have a "tah" sound and stress the teen: thir•TEEN,
while all "dy" numbers after 30 (40, 50, 60, etc.) are pronounced with a stress on the number and then the letter D: THIR•dee.
Don't forget that we usually split years:
1956 = 19 | 56 (nineteen | fifty-six)
**Note: tuxedo, unrelated to numbers, is men's formal wear for parties (see photo page for an example)
Count and Noncount (or uncountable):
Count and Noncount (or uncountable):
How many? is the question for countable items:
How many shirts do you own?
How much is for uncountable items:
How much clothing do you need?
How much fabric do we need to make a dress?
Countable items can be plural (+s)
Uncountable items are singular
Questions use is or are depending on the item:
How much* are the shoes? [are b/c shoes=plural]
*In how much questions, money is implied: How much [money] is it? You do not have to say [money].
What were we wearing?
What were we wearing?
We used adjectives such as colors and patterns to describe out clothes.
Remember, in English, the adjective comes BEFORE the noun: a BLACK shirt, BLUE pants, and so on...
OR adjectives come after be (am, is, are):
The jacket is GREEN.
Her socks are PURPLE.
Links for patterns here:
Shopping for clothes : Class two
Shopping for clothes : Class two
What are we wearing?
What are we wearing?
What clothes do we buy?
What clothes do we buy?
there is/there are
there is/there are
singular vs plural nouns
singular vs plural nouns
have/has (simple present)
have/has (simple present)
questions with does
questions with does
count/noncount nouns
count/noncount nouns
How much is/are...?
How much is/are...?
Full contents of this page
Board pics from this week... and last (sorry for the delay)
Remember, board pics are like these Buddhist Sand paintings, unless we use the website:
Remember gerunds and infinities (scroll down we covered this).
Week 3: Hobbies, questions, gerunds and infinities
Above: Last week (8/10) we talked about
the 2 kinds of questions in English:
For more see here: Transit Talk: Question Formation
So this week we looked at a specific question:
What do you like to do/what does (he, she, it) _______ like to do?
Here are some easier explanations:
Gerund: -ing form of verb = noun
Infinitive: to + base form = noun, but sometimes adverb or adjective; often used for purpose...
When to choose: you'll have to google that! Gerunds vs. infinitives in English
We talked about the parts of speech when one student asked about the word |volunteer|.
This word can be a noun, verb, or adjective!
8/ 17 Week 3: Summer and Free time
Reading and pronunciation video
Writing exercises and practice
Editing and talking about our writing
Week 2: Free time In the house
Review of site and remembering each other
Vocabulary: hobbies and chores
Read and match Listening activities
Games and talking about hobbies
How often do you like to ___________?
Reviewing the simple (one word) present tense
Today we will meet each other and learn to use this website.
See the class by class page for a course overview
See the documents page for the policies of the class
What do you do in your free time?
PREVIOUS UNITS (FROM EARLIER IN THE SUMMER BELOW)
while shows two things happening at the same time:
when also shows that two things happened at the same time:
Class 8, Topic three: Daily living
Reading and writing about daily routines
We talked about and practiced questions:
The rooms of the house and what we are doing in them and what we are doing to clean them:
Class 7, Topic three: Daily Living
Description: Things that we do inside:
vocabulary of chores and family
(yes/no questions and wh- questions: what are they doing?)
Did you post your homework or write it in a notebook?
fill in the letter/ write about your family and friends.
Reviewing games for this unit.
...make and answer Yes/No questions in the simple present (with does/doesn't)?
....give short answers with does/ doesn’t?
... read and write about jobs?
Guess the jobs that need help!
Using do/ making simple present questions:
Vocabulary in action (+ question formation)
There are two types of questions in English:
The question starts with a question word and have more information for answers.
Questions about Jobs and Work:
Does and doesn't in questions and short answers.
Vocabulary/picture dictionary of jobs and job activities.
What is your job? (What do you do?)
Do/Does: What does a _________________ do?
and talked about phone numbers a bit:
Shopping practically vs. fashion: class 3
writing practice and reviewing games from Ventures Basic Unit 7
Count and Noncount (or uncountable):
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