Friday, 1 August 2025

EF5 Class 24

Good morning, everyone.

 

Today’s Agenda

Friday- Final day

·      Teach modal auxiliaries

·      Return optional replacement quiz/test

No optional RW for bonus point

·      Return “Self-Assessment Reflections”

·      One-on-one meetings if you want

·      Final marks and reports

I will submit final marks and reports to the office on Friday at noon.

 

 

COMING UP

·      FINISH        “Odd Word Out 2” from two weeks ago

·      Verb tense- modals

 

 

 

 

**Replacement Quiz**

Write an appropriate sentence for each:

SIMPLE SENTENCE

1.    SSV              beach

COMPOUND SENTENCES

2.    and              market

3.    so                warm         

COMPLEX SENTENCES

4.    since           late

5.    when          like

6.    if                  try    

 

**Replacement test (150w+) or essay (300w+)

Write a paragraph or essay on the following topic.

What are your next steps for developing your English skills?

 

 

 

Modals/ Modal Auxiliaries

modals / modal auxiliaries

 

model

 

modal(adj) mode(n)

music modes-

photocopier/printer – modes

 

auxiliary verb- extra verb, helper verb

 

modal auxiliary – extremely useful, high-frequency

 

Example:

can

can + eat   can eat

I can eat

You can eat

They can eat

 

 

MOST HIGH-FREQUENCY MODALS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


one-word modals

-can

-could

-may

-might

-must

-shall RARELY USED

-should

-will

-would

 

 

two-word modals

-have to

-need to

-ought to

-used to

 

three-word modals

-be able to

-be going to

-be supposed to

-have got to


 

GRAMMAR FOR MODALS

modal + infinitive – ‘to’     infinitive “to go”

 

might + to go = might go      She might go home early today.

                                                   You might go home early today.

                                                   I might go home early today.

                                                   She might go home early today.

 

SIMPLE PRESENT

subject/verb agreement SV AGR

I go

You go

He goes

 

MODAL

should + to go = should go

I should go

You should go

She should go

We should go

NEXT LEVEL

might + go to sleep

might be  GERUND

might be sleeping

might be working

 

 

MODAL + INFINITIVE –‘to’

must + to try = must try        We must try to be patient.

                                                   You must try these wontons.

 

 

*shall

I shall ...  Forget it!

We shall go. NOT COMMONLY USED

possible for polite invitation, affected, formal: Shall we go? Let’s go.

Shall we dance?

Shall We Dance Japanese movie

Not common English- very special usage

 

I use ‘shall’ everyday in this class.

Let’s take a break, shall we? POLITE

 

Verb structure for modals:

 

modal + infinitive – ‘to’

*will – simple future

e.g.    will + to watch= will watch

Mei will watch her sister play violin in the orchestra tonight.

We will take a month=long break.

 

Modals- the verb doesn’t have to agree

will go

I will go

You will go

We will go

She will go

 

HANDOUT

“10-10 Summary Chart of Modals and Similar Expressions”

 

*may- permission

May I order a coffee? -polite request

You may leave early. VERY POLITE, VERY FORMAL, NOT COMMON

Commonly used “You can”

 

“Can I have a coffee?” MORE AUTHENTIC, MORE CASUAL

 

CHOICE: May I   Can I

 

*might- maybe yes, maybe no

He might go to party.   might + to go

COMMON ERRORS

He might goes to party.  XXX

He might went to party.  XXX

He might going to party.   XXX

 

HIGHER LEVEL EF6

might + am going

might + to be going

might be going

She might be sleeping.

 

 

 

 

MODALS SUGGEST TENSES

She might be sleeping. suggests the present , now

HIGHER LEVEL

She might have been sleeping when you phoned her. suggests the past

 

‘might’ is more commonly used than ‘may’

 

She might have been sleeping when you phoned her. MORE AUTHENTIC

She may have been sleeping when you phoned her. GRAMMAR BOOK

 

*should- advice

should + to ABC

I should try the new flavour of ice cream.

ERRORS

I should to try the new flavour of ice cream.

I should trying the new flavour of ice cream.

I should tried the new flavour of ice cream.

 

YOUR ONLY OPTION

I should try the new flavour of ice cream.

 

*ought to- should

two-word modal

ought to + to call

I ought to call my sister more often.

 

*had better – strong should, closer to ‘must’

MEANING It would be better if you did this.

My son had better go to bed early tonight.

He had better leave his country before a war starts.

 

 

 

*be supposed to – obliged, responsibility

three-word modal

Students are supposed to get to class on time.

We are supposed to will finish our class today.

I am supposed to have to get my marks in this afternoon

I am supposed to go to work, but I might not.

Kids are supposed to read everyday after school. Do they?

You were supposed to clean up the bathroom yesterday. Why didn’t you do it.

I am supposed to pick up my daughter from school, but my boss asked me to work late.

Am I supposed to bring anything to the party?

Is that little kid supposed to be playing with those sharp knives?

Is your hair supposed to look like that?

 

*must

The doctor said that I must quit smoking.

She must get to work on time.

 

*have to – weak ‘must’

We have to get groceries tomorrow.

He has to pick up his daughter at/from school.

have to – has to

I have to

He has to

We have to

Sarah has to

 

have to = need to

You need to calm down.

He needs to get a better job.

She needs to be more proficient in English.

We need to buy a car.

 

*have got to – very strong ‘must’, really important

I have got to take my medication every day.

A diabetic person has got to watch their sugars.

He has got to return the money that he borrowed from Big Louis. ADJ CL

I have got to pay my parking ticket by tomorrow, or the price will go up.

 

She has got to bring her passport to the airport.

She has got to remember to bring her passport to the airport.

 

NEW VERB FORM

I have to remember to call my sister.

He remembered to send a birthday card.

 

*will- simple future

*be going to- simple future

 

*can- ability

She can speak three languages.

Can I borrow your phone for a second?

 

*could – possibility, request

Could you help me?

Could you drive me to the airport?

I could bring an extra tent if you want.

We could try a new dance if you like.

could – suggests the future

 

can/could

Can you help me? Could you help me?- almost the same meaning. ‘could’ sounds a little deferential

deferential- excessively polite, too much

 

suggests the past

He could to have gone to the US, but he decided to come to Canada.

He could have gone to the US.

He has gone to the US.

I could run fast when I was a child.

I could swim when I was five.

 

I couldn’t find my phone this morning. – suggest the past

 

I could/can pick you up tomorrow if you want. suggest the future

 

I can swim two km. suggest now

 

I can drive tomorrow. more forceful, confident

I could drive tomorrow. more deferent

 

*be able to- ability NOT AS COMMONLY USED

He will not be able to come to class tomorrow.

 

*would

Would you like tea or coffee?

I would like some coffee, please.

 

*used to – activity in the past

She used to drink coffee, but (now) she switched to yerba mate.

She used to drink coffee, but now she prefers yerba mate.

yerba mate- substitute for coffee, very healthy

 

She used to do yoga, but now she is too busy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He used to be able to write Chinese characters, but he forgot most of them.

He was able to write Chinese characters, but he forgot most of them.

used to use to

 

COMPLICATED VERB She used to be able to speak Arabic, but she forgot a lot of it.

EASIER VERB She used to speak Arabic, but she forgot a lot of it.

 

Jun used to play badminton when she was a kid. She doesn’t play any more.

 

He didn’t used to like sushi, but now he can’t get enough of it.

IDIOM can’t get enough- really like it

 

I lived in Turkey. SIMPLE PAST V TENSE

I used to live in Turkey. MODAL- suggests the past

 

I was able to live in Turkey. I was not able to live in the US.

He was not able to enter the US.

She was not able to enter the US legally, so she snuck across the border.

 

 

Most useful/highest frequency modals- one-word modals

 

 

I will pass everything back. Then I will start doing final reports.

You can just relax and party.

 


Thursday, 31 July 2025

EF5 Class 22

 

Good morning, everyone.

 

Today’s Agenda

·      Dialogue presentations 4- final presentations

·      Return Test3, multiparagraph writing

Optional RW for bonus point

Marked last night. I did not have time to give detailed feedback on the sentence writing.

Structure was ok.

Sentences need improvement. SIMPLE, COMPOUND, COMPLEX

Next steps for many of us.

·      IF TIME Modal auxiliaries

·      Optional replacement quiz and/or test,essay

Chance to replace one quiz and/or one test, essay

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4  and/or T1 T2 E1

The replacement mark will replace your original mark.

If you are satisfied with your marks, just leave them.

 

*I will mark all of these tonight. I will not have time to give detailed feedback on the sentence writing.

 

Friday- Final day

·      Return optional replacement quiz/test

No optional RW for bonus point

·      One-on-one meetings if you want

·      Final marks and reports

I will submit final marks and reports to the office on Friday at noon.

 

 

COMING UP

·      FINISH        “Odd Word Out 2” from two weeks ago

·      Verb tense- modals

 

 

IDIOMS

-speak off the top of your head

-speak off the cuff

 

VOCAB ad lib

speak extemporaneously – to talk about a subject without any preparation

 

want to get more comfortable speaking out loud, public speaking

Toastmasters – group for practicing giving speeches

https://www.toastmasters.org/

 

speech(n)- an official talk to a group

She gave a speech at the wedding.

 

Meetup.com   Meet people who have the same interests, hobbies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essay#1

Write an organized multiparagraph essay of at least 300 words on ONE of the following topics.

FREE ADVICE:      Organize your ideas before you write.

Be specific.

Write good sentences.

 

CHOOSE ONE:

1.    What would you do if you won the lottery?

2.    What are the secrets of a happy life?

 

IN GENERAL

*essay format was mostly proficient

Introductory para

Body paragraphs

Concluding paragraph

*clear organization was often developing

Body 1

Body 2

Body 3

The solution to that is prewriting.

 

*Quality of sentences- developing, emerging

 

Every sentence has to be SIMPLE, COMPOUND, or COMPLEX.

 

Optional RW for a bonus point

 

 

FInal 90m (10:30-12) – Replacement quiz/ and/or test/essay

 

 

Remember to tell me which quiz and/or test/essay you want to replace.

Write Replace Quiz1 and/or Replace Test2 or Replace Essay

 

 

 

 

 

**Replacement Quiz**

Write an appropriate sentence for each:

SIMPLE SENTENCE

1.    SSV              beach

COMPOUND SENTENCES

2.    and              market

3.    so                warm         

COMPLEX SENTENCES

4.    since           late

5.    when          like

6.    if                  try    

 

**Replacement test (150w+) or essay (300w+)

Write a paragraph or essay on the following topic.

What are your next steps for developing your English skills?

 

Wednesday, 30 July 2025

EF5 Class 21

 

Good morning, everyone.

 

Headphones-Shokz

bone-conduction

You can hear what’s going on around you.

 

 

Today’s Agenda

·      Dialogue presentations 3

·      Return Quiz4

Go over

Optional RW for bonus point

·      Continue present perfect verb tense

Go over exercises from HW

·      Test 3- multiparagraph writing- several paragraphs

*I will mark all of these tonight. I will not have time to give detailed feedback on the sentence writing.

 

Thursday

·      Dialogue presentations 4

·      Return Test3, multiparagraph writing

Optional RW for bonus point

·      Optional replacement quiz and/or test

Chance to replace one quiz and/or one test.

*I will mark all of these. I will not have time to give detailed feedback on the sentence writing.

 

Friday- Final day

·      Return optional replacement quiz/test

No optional RW for bonus point

·      One-on-one meetings

·      Final marks and reports

I will submit final marks and reports to the office on Friday.

 

COMING UP

·      FINISH        “Odd Word Out 2” from two weeks ago

·      Verb tense- modals

 

 

 

Quiz4

Phones and devices away.

Write a sentence with an adjective clause for each.

Pass it in by 9:20

1.    country      which

This is the country which I was born in.

This is the country where I was born.

We visited the country of Sri Lanka, which has beautiful beaches.

 

2.    believe       who

Joe is the guy who believes in aliens.

He That guy who believes in aliens is my friend. No adj cl after a pron

You Sarah who lives in Burnaby  works in Vancouver.

A person who believes in themself can accomplish anything.

believe in yourself

You have believe in yourself.

IDIOM believe in yourself – have confidence, have a sense of self-worth

She is a girl who believes in love. She is a romantic.

 

PRONOUNS

he/she- singular

they- plural

MODERN USAGE, becoming more mainstream, popular- they - singular

Jon is coming over. They/He/She will be here at 3 o’clock.

 

My family is very happy. family- collective noun, one group of people

family

team

class

committee

band

The class is delightful.

VOCAB delightful-wonderful, fun, nice to be around

The class members are very hardworking.

The people in the class are wonderful.

 

My family is arguing with each other.

The people in my family are arguing with each other.

 

My family gets along with each other mostly.

My four family members get along with each other.

 

sneeze Gesundheit! German word- God bless you!

Bless you!

 

English constantly changing. There is no institution in charge of determining how English will change or develop.

Spanish, French, Mandarin- government body in charge of the language

 

i.e. France- try to keep English out

3.    play             who

The kids who are playing outside are very happy.

 

4.    drink           who

My friend who drank too much at that party made a fool of himself.

 

5.    report         that

The report that you presented yesterday was very informative.

The news report that I made/wrote yesterday impressed her manager.

The report that S V yesterday was very ADJ.

The report that she submitted yesterday was very excellent.

 

 

6.    house         that

We rent a house that has a big garden.

The house that my family built was old.

The house that my ancestors built has been in the family for generations.

 

 

Sentence types/ sentence styles

*SIMPLE SV    SSV   SVV  Imperative   Interrogative

*COMPOUND   SV, SOBA SV.   SV; SV.   SV; TRANS, SV.

*COMPLEX

-adverb clause   because   if    when   since   unless, etc.

-noun clause think   say   know

-adjective clauses   who   that   which

The notes will be on the blog forever. Feel free to access the blog as much as you like. Use the SEARCH bar to locate specific topics.

 

ADVICE: Writing Improvement 567- focussed on sentence writing

 

 

Optional RW for a bonus point

 

 

Present Perfect Tense Exercises

Add a verb with a present perfect tense to each of these sentences:

 

1.    I __________ my homework.

2.    She has planned her trip already.

She hasn’t planned her trip already.

She has begun/started/finished her trip already.

She has gone/been on her trip already.

She hasn’t chosen the destination for her trip already.

 

3.    They have lived/been/resided in this city for ten years.

VOCAB reside(v) resident(n,person) residential(adj)

She lives in a residential areas. He works in an industrial/commercial area.

She have been living in BC for ten years.

NEW VERB TENSE- present perfect progressive, mostly interchangeable with present perfect

They have settled in Canada.

IDIOM They have put down roots in Canada.

It is hard to pull up your roots and move to a new country.

 

residential- living areas

commercial- business area

industrial – manufacturing area

 

 

4.    He __________ sushi before.

has eaten/ has never eaten   has had   has never tried

5.    We __________ that museum several times.

have visited   have gone to   have been to  

IDIOM have taken in – view or experience

We took in a movie last night.

She took in the view of Lake Louise.

 

 

6.    I __________ reading books.

have enjoyed   have started   have missed

 

7.    Doris __________ cats her whole life.

has had   has owned   has looked after   has adopted   has kept   has raised

She is a cat person.

I am a dog person.

She is a bird/snake person. She likes to raise snakes.

He is a horse person.

 

8.    Thi __________ at the store since July.

has worked   has been working   has sold clothes

has been manager

 

9.    She __________ to him since the argument.

hasn’t talked   has never said a word

I haven’t said a word to her since we had a fight last week.

I am giving her the cold shoulder.

 

MEDICAL frozen shoulder shoulder won’t move, painful, sore

 

 

10.                       I __________ my keys again.

have lost   have found   have misplaced

 

grab- casual  ‘take’ eat or drink quickly

Let’s grab a coffee.  take-away, grab and go

I’m going to grab some lunch.

 

 

11.                       __________ to Paris?

VACATION

Have you ever been

Have you ever travelled

Have you ever visited to

 

Have long have you been in Paris?

 

How many times have you been to Paris?

 

12.                       He __________ his leg three times in his life.

has broken   has sprained   has fractured

has hurt

She sprained/twisted/overextended her ankle when she was hiking.

She got new boots with ankle support.

dislocate- the joint is separated

Her ankle was swollen.

His cheek was bruised.

 

IDIOM love-bite, hickey

 

13.                       We __________ each other since childhood.

have known   have been friends

know   knew   known

14.                       They __________ in that old apartment for six months.

have lived   have been   have been living= present perfect progressive

 

15.                       I __________ her name already.

have forgotten

have heard

I have met her already.

We have met already.

I called her name already.

 

16.                       The little girl __________ a fever since yesterday.

has had

I have had a migraine since Monday.

 

had had – past perfect NOT COMMONLY USED substitute simple past

 

 

17.                       We __________ where to go for vacation.

have decided- present perfect

decided – simple past

haven’t chosen

have discussed

 

18.                       He __________ that book twice already.

has read   has borrowed   has bought

She has been married five times already.

She is currently married to Joe.

 

19.                       The weather __________ unusually warm lately.

has been

The weather has been so nice recently.

 

Essay#1

Write an organized multiparagraph essay of at least 300 words on ONE of the following topics.

FREE ADVICE:      Organize your ideas before you write.

Be specific.

Write good sentences.

 

CHOOSE ONE:

1.    What would you do if you won the lottery?

2.    What are the secrets of a happy life?

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

EF5 Class 20

 

Good morning, everyone.

 

Today’s Agenda

·      Dialogue presentations 2

·      Quiz4- adjective clauses- FINAL QUIZ

·      Verb tense- present perfect FINAL VERB TENSE FOR THIS COURSE

·      Essay work- prepare for the test tomorrow

 

Wednesday

·      Dialogue presentations 3

·      Continue present perfect verb tense

·      Test 3- multiparagraph writing- NOT A FULL ESSAY

We haven’t covered essays in detail.

Test- several paragraphs

 

Thursday

·      Dialogue presentations 4

·      Return Test3, multiparagraph writing

Optional RW for bonus point

·      Optional replacement quiz and/or test

Chance to replace one quiz and/or one test.

 

Friday- Final day

·      Return optional replacement quiz/test

No optional RW for bonus point

·      One-on-one meetings

·      Final marks and reports

I will submit final marks and reports to the office on Friday.

 

COMING UP

·      FINISH        “Odd Word Out 2” from two weeks ago

·      Verb tense- modals

 

 

 

Quiz4

Phones and devices away.

Write a sentence with an adjective clause for each.

Pass it in by 9:20

1.    country      which

2.    believe       who

3.    play             who

4.    drink           who

5.    report         that

6.    house         that

 

 

Verb tenses:

SIMPLE- simple present, simple past, simple future

PROGRESSIVE- present progressive, past progressive, future progressive- less commonly used

 

Confusion about simple present

-overusing simple present – habitual action

 

 

Next verb tense – present perfect – very useful

TIME FRAME- present perfect – started in the past, continues up to now

span of time – from then until now

 

Timeline   ------------------------------à

 

present perfect – doesn’t mean Perfect!’ perfection, just a word, from Latin

‘perfect’ does not imply perfection or great, fantastic

 

PRESENT PERFECT – started in the past, continues until now, span of time

 

VERY COMMON USAGE of present perfect

Molly has lived in Vancouver since 2022.

Molly has lived in Vancouver for three years.

has lived – present perfect verb tense

 

has lived- two words

auxiliary verb ‘to have’  OR ‘to be’   +  past participle ‘lived’

 

 

 

 

VERB FORMS:

PRESENT              PAST                      PARTICIPLE

live                         lived                      lived

put                        put                        put

He puts the kids to bed at 8.

He put the kids to bed already. CASUAL TALKING, AUTHENTIC

He has put the kids to bed already. HIGHER LEVEL

I put / have put the groceries away already.

 

set                         set                         set

read                      read                      read

She reads everyday.

She read the book last night.

She has read the book already.

 

I finished all of my work.

I have finished all of my work.

 

I have studied English for two years. I will keep on with it.

 

**

NUMBERS and NUMERALS

Write them out: one two three four five six seven eight nine

Use numerals: 10 11 12 56 142

 

Different style guides give different advice.

Pick a style that you like and stick with it.

My style is one, two, three… eight, nine, and then 10, 11, 57, 12056

 

 

 

 

 

drive                      drove                    driven

He drives to school every day.

He drove to Burnaby yesterday.

He has driven 10000km so far/already this year.

 

eat                         ate                         eaten

She eats an apple every day. SIMPLE PRESENT VERB TENSE

She ate an apple yesterday. SIMPLE PAST VERB TENSE

She will eat/is going to eat an apple tonight. SIMPLE FUTURE VERB TENSE

She is eating an apple right now. PRESENT PROGRESSIVE VERB TENSE

She was eating an apple at lunchtime when she found a worm. PAST PROGRESSIVE VERB TENSE

IDIOM An apple keeps the doctor away.

She has eaten her apple already. PRESENT PERFECT VERB TENSE

 

The little girl’s mother gave her $5. She has spent it on candy already.

IDIOM Money burns a hole in your pocket. -love to spend

 

OPPOSITE frugal, good with money

NEGATIVE MEANING  stingy(adj) tight-fisted

Her uncle is a tight-fisted miser.

 

Her son is frugal. He is careful with his money.

 

She is very generous with her friends.

He often picks up the tab.

IDIOM It’s on me. Allow me. Let me get this. My treat. You get it next time.

 

IDIOM It’s on the house. The restaurant gives you something for free.

 

IDIOM Let’s split it. Let’s go halves. – one bill, each pay half

50% half

Separate bills

 

 

 

 

 

No substantial difference in meaning. Both convey the same meaning.

She has eaten her apple already. PRESENT PERFECT VERB TENSE

She ate her apple already. SIMPLE PAST VERB TENSE

 

He has eaten an apple already, but he wants to have another one.

Ok, but not necessary.

 

 

“Irregular Verb List” HANDOUT

-hold- held-held

He has held his sister’s hand for the whole ride.

-forget-forgot-forgotten

He has forgotten my name since I last saw him.

I have forgotten a lot of my French.

-felt

He has felt sick since last Tuesday.

-woken

She woke up when her mother left.

She has woken up every morning at 5 for/in the past week.

She wakes up every morning at 5.

-sell sold sold

The saleswoman has sold three cars in the past two days.

Apple has sold 6000000 iphone 16s so far.

 

Can you smell burning toast?

It means you are having a stroke.

 

VERBS THAT ARE ALMOST THE SAME

-lie/lay

She will lie down for a catnap.

He lay the baby down for a nap.

-shut shut shut

The Bay has shut all of its stores since 2023.

I have shut all of the windows already.

She has shut down all of the laptops.

Starbucks has never shut a store in Vancouver. true?

My aunt has never shut her mouth since I met her.

IDIOM She is a motormouth(n).

My dad’s joke: When she dies, we will have to beat her mouth to death with a stick.

-throw threw thrown

He has thrown his recycling in the recycling bin since he came to Canada.

She has thrown a birthday party for herself every year for the past five years.

IDIOM throw a party

throw a fit- get very loud and upset

throw a temper tantrum- when a child loses their temper

 

-drink drank drunk VERBS

He has drunk three litres of water so far today.

She drank two glasses of wine; she was a little drunk. (adj)

VOCAB drunk- tipsy- a little bit drunk,

SLANG He was pissed.  very drunk

 

I will leave the blog up forever. You can come back and check it whenever you want.

 

-run ran run

She has run her family business for the past six years since her father retired. She will stay on as CEO for a few more years.

CEO chief executive officer – boss, head, president

CFO chief financial officer

COO chief operations officer

 

 

 

 

Try some for homework. We can share them tomorrow:

1.    I have finished/done/completed/lost/handed in my homework.

I haven’t finished my homework yet.

Have you finished your homework, yet?

2.     

3.    They have lived in this city for ten/10 years.

4.     

 

 

 

Essay writing, essay structure-

self-study

 

 

HOMEWORK

Brainstorm three good ideas for one of these topics.

Write a rough draft of an essay.

We can look at them tomorrow.

 

TOPICS:

1. How to be a good friend

2. How to stay healthy for your whole life

3. What is your favourite place to visit? Why?