ESL

If you are new to teaching English as a second or foreign language, you will have noticed that it's not the same as teaching English to native speakers. There's a need for a completely different approach to teaching the language including a strong focus on teaching the nuts and bolts of grammar. Nothing can be taken for granted, as there are false beginners and absolute beginners. Teaching tenses is one of the key elements to teaching. These guides should help:

How to Teach the Present Simple
How to Teach the Present Continuous
How to Teach the Past Simple
How to Teach the Present Perfect
How to Teach Future Forms

This last week there has been a great response to the proverb activities suggestions sheet. As so many have requested further proverb resources, here are twenty proverbs appropriate for each level with short definitions and a situation matching exercise to help you learn.

Easy Proverbs
Intermediate Level Proverbs
Advanced Level Proverbs

English for Medical Purpose is one of many different types of English for Specific Purposes. You can find a number of resources including nursing vocabulary and wide range of dialogues such as a dialogue making a doctor's appointment, or dental hygiene. Learning vocabulary for specific purposes is an important part of each English learner's self-directed study. Take charge of learning the specific English you need for your profession by using these techniques to create vocabulary lists.

This guide to text organization will help you improve your writing skills. There's information on how to link sentences together, how to compare and contrast ideas, and how to sequence your text.

The proverb Every dog has his day means that each person will have a chance at success. Using proverbs in class can spawn interesting cultural discussions, as well as be used for writing inspiration. These activities with proverbs provide suggestions, as well as a list of level appropriate proverbs or sayings. Try them out in class, or use them with fellow English learners to stretch your imagination as well as your English skills.

Here are the rules to word order in English including placement of adjectives, verbs, objects and more. One of the biggest challenges is word order in long strings of adjectives. For example, what's the order for this string?

Italian / interesting / leather - shoes

The correct order is: She bought a pair of interesting Italian leather shoes. Learn the rules of adjective placement and then check your understanding with this adjective placement quiz.

This family relationships lesson plan provides a number of situations on which students can create role-plays. Asking students to write-up, proof and act out role-plays provides a great opportunity for skills consolidation. This lesson plan can be used as part of a larger theme in class of exploring relationships, or a focus on using drama scripts in class such as creating a mini soap opera.

Like is often used in questions as a verb and a preposition. These questions can be rather confusing:

What does he like?
What is he like?
What does he look like?
What would he like?

These are very different questions. The first asks a general question, the second about character, the third about physical appearance, and the fourth about the present moment in time. Learn the rules to questions with 'like' and test your knowledge with this quiz on like. Teachers can use this lesson plan on the different uses of like in class.

Which short passage is more interesting?

Tom said he wanted to leave Martha while they were having lunch. Martha said she couldn't believe him. Tom then said he was very sorry, but he wasn't going to change his mind.

OR

Tom blurted out he wanted to leave Martha while they were having lunch. Martha gasped she couldn't believe him. Tom then mumbled he was very sorry, but he wasn't going to change his mind.

The second version uses a number of reporting verbs which help show how someone said something. These verbs make for a much more interesting story. In this article on replacing he said she said learn which type of verbs express how people say something.

This guide on how to create vocabulary lists provides a five step method to finding and learning vocabulary that is important to your profession. It provides details on online tools that will help you  find relevant vocabulary easily, create a mindmap or vocabulary tree to memorize the new vocabulary by grouping rather than simply listing, practice the spelling and start to use the vocabulary in context.