Rules For Past Simple Tense

Sun, 03 Mar 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences A Summary of All English Tenses for ESL Teachers and Learners The tense system of English is probably one of the most daunting areas for many speakers of other languages. Multiple tenses should be taught through explaining strict grammar rules while allowing the students to practice proper structure, as well as evaluating themselves with quizzes and examples. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: 1. The Past Tenses 1) Simple Past Tense 2) Past Continuous Tense 3) Past Perfect Tense 4) Past Perfect Continuous Tense 2. The Present Tenses 1) Simple Present Tense 2) Present Continuous Tense 3) Present Perfect Tense 4) Present Perfect Continuous Tense 3. The Future Tense 1) Simple Future Tense 2) Future Continuous Tense 3) Future...  [Read more]

Tue, 28 May 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching Multiple Tenses: Should You Do It and If So Which Ones? Teaching multiple tenses might sound frightening as teaching a single tense can sometimes be a challenge on its own. However, while it might seem difficult the first time you try it, it isn't as daunting as you would think. When teaching more than one tense at a time there are two main factors to consider: which tenses to teach together and what language level you are teaching. Table of Contents Simple Rules to Consider When Teaching Tenses Future Tense Forms Perfect Continuous Tenses Other Tense Options Are you ready to teach English grammar abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching Multiple Tenses: The Past, Present, and Future Tenses In English, varying tense forms will change the structure of a sentence and verb conjugation. When studying English grammar, learning different tenses can present a great challenge to learners as well as teachers. English language learners may have to adjust to a greater number of tenses in English than in their native tongue. According to ITTT course materials, experts will state there are twelve tenses in the English language. The changes informing English verbs which mark past, present and future tenses are a key concept for learners to grasp to communicate effectively. Table of Contents Peculiarities of the English Language Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense Do you...  [Read more]

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Importance of Grammar and How We Teach it Teaching grammar is one of the most challenging things for a teacher of English. As a student, it is essential to learn grammar as this gives you accuracy both in writing and speaking. This applies to every language, not only to English. Table of Contents Grammar vs. Math Balanced Approach to Teaching Verb as a Core of Language Teaching Approaches to Teaching Grammar Past Perfect Past Tense Present Future Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Adrian D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Grammar vs. Math In many ways grammar can be...  [Read more]

Providers TEFL Teaching Check out tefl tesol about Providers TEFL Teaching and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts G.K. - Russia said: Teaching GrammarGrammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well. We all know what words are, for example: met, she, yesterday her friend. These words tell us little but what we can do is combine all these words to make sentences, which can tell us a lot more: She met her friend yesterday. This is not as simple as it may seem ? we can?t simply put words together in a...  [Read more]

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences What is Grammar in English - Everything EFL Teachers Need to Know English language grammar has a whole lot of definitions that focus on sound rules, words, sentences, and the combination and interpretation of other elements to make complete sense. To achieve this, the International TEFL and TESOL Training Lessons outline several aspects of the English language, such as parts of speech, present tense, past tense, future tense, phrasal verbs, and passive voice. Table of Contents PARTS OF SPEECH Nouns Pronouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbs Prepositions Conjunctions Gerunds Articles TENSES IN SENTENCES The Present Tenses Past Tenses Future Tenses MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS METHODOLOGIES Conclusion Are you ready to...  [Read more]

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 Federico Riva TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The Challenge of Teaching English Grammar One of the most intimidating requirements for many English teachers is teaching English grammar. This is due to the many components of English grammar, including, but not limited to, parts of speech, as well as past, present, and perfect tenses. Conditionals, direct and reported speech, modals, and phrasal verbs all fall under the English grammar umbrella. Table of Contents Understanding the Components of Grammar Navigating Tenses and Verb Forms Exploring Voices and Modals Mastering English Grammar Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Disclaimer: The views...  [Read more]

Overview of All English Tenses - Present Tenses Overview - Present Continuous   Our second example sentence 'I am playing football at the moment.' is the present continuous tense. This has a different structure as the subject 'I', the verb 'to be' in the present tense 'am', 'is' or 'are' plus the verb with an '?ing' on the end. So here: 'I am playing football at the moment.' Whereas the present simple tense is used to talk about habits routines and facts, the present continuous tense is used to talk about actions in progress at the time of speaking or around the time of speaking. Our third example sentence is the present perfect: 'I have played football twice this week.' Here, the structure is the subject 'I', auxiliary verb 'have' or 'has' plus the past participle. The past...  [Read more]

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Challenges and Principles of Teaching Tenses and Conditionals In the early lessons of the course, I was able to better understand the components of the sentence, and the knowledge about word types was expanded. It includes a definite article, adjective, noun, verb, preposition, adverb, conjunction, gerund, personal pronoun. Table of Contents Tenses Conditionals The five main conditionals are as follows: Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Phuong P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Tenses In unit 4, we have started talking about tenses in English. I looked at the four present...  [Read more]

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas 7 Activities for Teaching the Simple Past for the ESL Classroom The simple past is one of the most important tenses in the English language. As it describes past actions, it's quite an easy tense to teach using a variety of fun and interactive activities. Here are 7 activities for teaching the simple past for the ESL classroom. Table of Contents 1. Preparations 2. Good Days and Bad Days 3. Charades Series 4. Dear Diary 5. Get Out and About 6. Accurate Endings 7. Double Duty Review Listen to this blog post Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: For more activities check out: 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple 1. Preparations For this activity, the students think of significant accomplishments in their lives....  [Read more]

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Problems for Learners in France and How to Overcome Them Being an American living in France has given me firsthand experience as to what it is like to struggle with learning a new language. I studied Spanish for six years, in Junior High and High school. Language acquisition was easier then. I can attest to the fact that younger learners learn more quickly. For me, the two major problems with learning French are the tenses and not being able to understand what people are saying. I get stuck in the present tense, often forgetting to change tenses in conversation. I also need to hone up on my listening skills. Table of Contents What problems do native French speakers have with the English language? The other big problem that people...  [Read more]

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The English Language and its Peculiarities The English Language is universally derided for its difficulty and the absurd number of exceptions to every rule. To teach English effectively in an EFL setting, it is important to make note of these difficulties and teach students both the rules and the plentiful exceptions. My personal experience as a teacher and the knowledge I've gleaned from this course illustrate the importance of incorporating games and group practice so that students feel motivated. I want my students to find learning English fun rather than frustrating. It is key, especially when teaching young learners, to pick one's battles: a pedantic mindset will only breed frustration and lead to a classroom full of anxious...  [Read more]

The Best Teaching Ideas for TEFL Teachers Lesson Planning: Secret Strategies to Know Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is about lesson planning. Our TEFL graduate explains why teachers need to plan, and how students can benefit from it. Why Stories Are Essential for Language Learning Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This article was written by our TEFL student, who shares their thoughts on the importance of using stories in ESL teaching. Rules of Phonetics and Phonology in ESL Teaching Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Our TEFL trainee shares their thoughts on phonetics and phonology as an integral part of the English language learning. Consequences of Low Motivation Level in The Classroom Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this blog post, our...  [Read more]

Company Fulltime TEFL Check out tefl tesol about Company Fulltime TEFL and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: Check out ITTT's Blog Posts B.B. - Sweden said: Accents British accent tends to be rhotic, meaning the letter ?R? is pronounced hard, whereas American accent tends to be non-rhotic. However, within both Great Britain and the USA there are several accents so in essence it is incorrect to speak about the British or the American accents. Loosely speaking, spoken British English (?B.E.?) sounds more ?proper? and ?sophisticated? than American English (?A.E.?). Tenses In A.E. recent actions that have an...  [Read more]

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences How can an instructor effectively use games with adult EFL students? When I first made the transition from primary school to university, I knew that my lesson plans were clearly going to have to change. As I began to come up with ideas for my new job, I was disappointed that most of the content I previously used had no place in the university. Games, such as Hangman and Pictionary, worked excellently in capturing the interests of my young students, but I didn't think these childish games had any place in a university classroom. I found out weeks later how wrong I was when I used Pictionary at the beginning of one of my courses to 'preview' the vocabulary we would be covering in class that day. I discovered that day that games can...  [Read more]

Sun, 05 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Why I Decided To Take A TEFL Course Over the last month and a half, I have been completing a TEFL course. I am currently working as an assistant language teacher at a Japanese high school. Overall, I have found the experience to be very useful. The following reasons are why a TEFL course should be completed. Firstly, you gain a better understanding of how English grammar works. Secondly, from my perspective, it has reinforced and improved my current teaching strategies and practices. Thirdly, it gives teachers a structural theoretical framework to create lessons. Finally, completing a TEFL course gives you lesson ideas and activities. For these reasons, it is important to complete a TEFL course. Table of Contents English Grammar...  [Read more]

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences 3 Distinct Peculiarities of the English Language For the native English speaker, English is easy. It is only when learning another language do L1 English speakers begin to see peculiarities in their own language. It is then compounded when beginning to teach English as a foreign language. Although the English language has commonalities with other languages, especially since English is derived from other languages, there are plenty of unusual aspects of English that can cause difficulties when learning and teaching the language. For example, English spelling, grammar, and pronunciation all contain such peculiarities. Table of Contents English spelling is inconsistent English grammar differs from many other languages English contains sounds...  [Read more]

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Help Chinese Native Speakers to Follow English Grammar Rules in Speaking Grammar is the rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in a natural language. Simply put, grammar is the general rule of a language. Language is logical; grammar tells us in which order we say words. It's about how words become phrases; how words and phrases become sentences and how sentences become language. Table of Contents The Essence of Grammar Different languages have different grammar rules How to teach grammar (EFL: how to teach Chinese students English) Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yang S. Please note that this blog post...  [Read more]

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching a Multilingual Classroom: The Importance of Understanding Basic, Building Block Language Concepts Teachers of English as a Foreign Language are often native English speakers. As such, there are many language concepts, especially grammatical ones, that are subconsciously understood due to having learned them in early childhood. One of the most important parts of TEFL training is relearning these concepts from the perspective of one who does not speak English. This can often be one of the most revelatory parts of the process as it can be disconcerting to uncover seemingly unfamiliar concepts and rules to language one already know perfectly. In a monolingual class, this can sometimes be remedied by relating vocabulary and...  [Read more]

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games as a Game-Changer in an ESL Classroom There are many benefits to using games in the classroom, including the creation of an engaging learning experience for students, a positive learning environment, and the potential for students to practice real-life situations with instant feedback. Also, gamification of learning can use students' natural inclination for socialization, achievement, and award. Thus, games can be a great tool for teaching English as a foreign language. Table of Contents Reasons to use games Ready-to-use games Games in grammar and vocabulary teaching Pitfalls of using games Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tassyn...  [Read more]

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Common Issues for Chinese Learners of English Over the decades, the English language has reached the status of a global language and is commonly known as the lingua franca around the world. It has become one of the most widely spoken language as a mother tongue, international communication as well as language taught in millions of schools around the globe. The use of the English language is widespread in many sectors in the global market as many organizations begin to adopt the language as an official language. In the economic world, the language plays a significant role in international trade/business between two of the most powerful global economic powerhouse mainly the United States of America and China. Table of Contents...  [Read more]

Thu, 30 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Peculiarities of The English Language I did not realize how difficult English is until I became fluent in Spanish. I am currently studying French and I am pretty good at French. I have a basic knowledge of Esperanto. Table of Contents English is difficult for several reasons English is not a phonetic language There are exceptions to every rule Some examples of other exceptions to English rules Pronunciation Are you ready to teach English all over the world? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wayne K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English is difficult for several reasons I will just touch on each of...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Read my articles 6 Questions About Teaching Abroad | ITTT | TEFL Blog Jon ITTT TEFL Information This ITTT TEFL article answers 6 questions about what is needed when you want to teach English as a foreign language abroad. 6 Important Steps to Getting a Teaching Job | ITTT | TEFL Blog Jon ITTT TEFL Information This ITTT TEFL article takes you through the 6 steps involved in completing a TEFL course and find a job a an English teacher abroad. 10 Exciting Activities for the Past Simple | ITTT | TEFL Blog Jon ITTT Teaching Ideas This ITTT TEFL article looks at 10 activities you can use in your classroom when teaching the past simple tense. Rules of Etiquette in 4 Latin American Countries | ITTT | TEFL Blog Jon ITTT Destinations This ITTT TEFL article looks at...  [Read more]

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 Federico Riva Alumni Experiences What is Reported Speech? We can quote people through what's called direct speech. In written form it would look like "Corey said we're moving house next week". We've used quotes and we've quoted Corey directly, i.e. used the exact words that he used. There is however another way we can quote people, and this is through reported speech. We don't quote their exact words, but we simply let people know what has been said. Table of Contents Watch the video about this topic Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Watch the video about this topic In English we often have a need to quote people. We can do so through what's called direct...  [Read more]

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How to Learn English Grammar In today's world learning English is no longer a possibility, but an essential part of being a world citizen. However, we must face the fact- for some people- to learn English grammar is not so easy and fun, they hate grammar and even think it is the most boring part of learning a new language. On the other hand, others are extremely interested in learning grammar rules and practice it as much as they can. Table of Contents There are Eight Practical Steps to Learn Grammar Easily. Learn as many words as you can Talk to people Watch, Listen and Learn Ask for Correction Know the parts of speech Look for patterns Practice verb forms Use Technology in your favor Do you want to teach English abroad or online?...  [Read more]

Tue, 21 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Foreign Language Experience in The Teaching Practice Although many ESL teachers do have foreign language experience, many are not aware of how much this experience benefits them. Sure, if they are teaching English in Japan, having Japanese language experience is helpful for daily life situations, but how could it bleed into the classroom as well? And the language experience doesn't necessarily have to involve the first language of the students, either. Having foreign language experiences allows the teacher to understand just how hard learning a language is, can understand where certain errors may come from, see English from a different perspective, and gives them a stronger grasp on English grammar. Table of Contents Having...  [Read more]

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 Shirin Sophy TEFL Information Teaching Ideas An Overview of Stephen Krashen's Theories of Second Language Acquisition Second or foreign language learning, which appears to be an ever-present hurdle for many, has constantly been a topical issue with numerous Hypotheses centered around it, including language acquisition theory or monitor model with its sweeping effects on language learning in classrooms around the world. This well-known theory, first presented by Stephen Krashen in the 1970s, is initially based on six Hypotheses ( The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, the Natural Order Hypothesis, the Monitor Hypothesis, the Input Hypothesis, the Affective Filter Hypothesis, and the Reading Hypothesis) that will be discussed in this article. Table of Contents The...  [Read more]

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 Laura Payne Teaching Ideas 5 Creative Writing Activities for the ESL Classroom Much of language learning comes through language experimentation; steering away from examples and formulas and attempting to arrange your own ideas into words. No matter what a student's goal may be in learning English, they will eventually have to do this by leaving the classroom and using English on their own. Activities like creative writing are one method to encourage the practice of experimentation and expression in ESL students. In this post, we're going to look at five different activities students can use to put their thoughts into writing. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: 1. (New Year's) Resolutions 2. Letters to the Future 3. Cultural Ambassadors 4. Travel Itinerary...  [Read more]

Mon, 13 May 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Why Teachers Need to Be Careful with British English and American English Learning English is very difficult, there are many various grammatical and spelling differences between the English spoken throughout the world. Most notably is British and American English grammar. There are also differences in the pronunciation and meanings of many words. While you would think learning English would be a simple task, it is not, after all how different can English be from English? There are a few additional factors - Canadian, Australian, South African, Indian English, etc. have their own differences, these are differences that must be taken into consideration while you study the English Language. Table of Contents Why Learners Have to...  [Read more]

Mon, 27 May 2019 William Noble Destinations Teaching Ideas English Speaking and Writing Errors made by Chinese Primary Students I have been an online ESL teacher to Chinese students for over 13 years, mostly with primary students but also with secondary and adult students. I am also a father and have homeschooled my daughter over her primary years. Like many teachers, I've enjoyed teaching at this level of education as it lays the foundation in English. As it set the foundation, my teaching helped students to overcome common errors in production skills, speaking and writing. Teaching both my daughter and Chinese students at the primary level also helped me also to understand the different expectations between first language and second language students. Table of Contents Speaking...  [Read more]