Monday Motivation

Good morning, dear students!  I hope you've all enjoyed your ''long'' weekend-- some of us had Friday off but others didn't.  Either way, I hope you enjoyed your weekend and took some time to relax.  Mondays are always a little difficult, and Mondays after extra time off can be especially difficult, but that doesn't mean it has to be a bad day (and if it is a bad day, that doesn't mean it has to be a bad week!).  I hope you left your bed this morning in an optimistic mood.  However, if you didn't, it's not too late to change your perspective-- how many Mondays have started off in a challenging way and ended up being a great start to the week?  I hope that your Monday, no matter how difficult it may be to start, ends up being a great, productive day!

Happy Monday and happy studying!

Thursday Music Mini-Lesson

Good morning, dear students!

Today I have a great song to present to you, by a very important musician.  B.B. King, who died very recently, is from the state of Mississippi (although he is widely considered to be a Memphian after insisting it is his home), and is credited with creating the blues movement for which the city of Memphis is famous.

He is my favorite Memphis musician (there are a lot to choose from!) and to hear of his passing made me feel so sad.  He was an amazing performer that created his own style of blues.  He named all of his guitars ''Lucille'', and the way he played is distinctive-- no one (despite many attempts) has ever been able to emulate his talent.

That said, have a listen to his song ''Why I Sing The Blues''.

You can read the lyrics to the song here.

Remember,

• ''Wanna'' is the relaxed pronunciation of ''Want to''.
• ''Ya'll'' is an imaginary contraction used in the Southern U.S. to mean ''You all''.
• If you pay your dues, you show respect to the people that deserve it (especially people that have helped you or people that are older/in a more difficult situation than you).

If there are other words or phrases that confuse you, make a list and bring it to our next class, or write them in the comments below!  Did you like this song?  Why or why not?  Did you know who B.B. King was before now?

I hope that you enjoy this particular song-- B.B. King is, in my opinion, the most important Memphian in the history of the city.  He is a legend, and if you aren't familiar with his music, I hope this motivates you to listen to more of his work.  

As a bonus, check out his sweet guitar solo in the video below!

Happy Thursday and Happy studying!

Tuesday Quick Tip: A vs. An

Good morning, dear students!

Today I want to take a moment to explain the REAL rule for when to use ''a'' and when to use ''an''.  The traditional rule of looking at the beginning of the next word and choosing ''a'' for words starting with consonants, or ''an'' for words starting with vowels, is simply not good enough!

I have a better rule for you, and it's not any more difficult than the old rule!  Check it out!

Questions?  Comments?  Does this new rule make sense to you?  Leave your remarks in the comments section below, and bring any questions you may have with you to class!  

Happy Studying!

Monday Motivation

Good morning, dear students!  I hope you have all had a great start to your morning and week!  If you watch or read the news and are updated on your friends' lives on social media, seeing bad news and all the sad or ugly things that happen in the world can be overwhelming.  But there is a lot of good in the world!  There are teachers and children working together every day to prepare the next generations to take care of and improve our world.  There are nurses and doctors and researchers working hard every day to help people be healthier and to cure diseases.  There are farmers and bakers and chefs growing and preparing all the delicious food that we are fortunate enough to eat.  There is a lot of good in our world, even though it may not make the news.  I hope that you can recognize the good things and people in your life this week, and I hope that you feel motivated to do some good for others.

Happy Monday and happy studying!

Verb Tense Review: Present Simple, Present Progressive, and Present Perfect

Good morning, dear students!!

Today I want to talk about a few verb tenses that are often confused.  It's not always really important for you to know the name of a verb tense-- knowing how to use a verb tense is much more important than remembering its name.  However, many students get confused about which verb tense can be used for what because the names can be very tricky.

Today, let's look at the differences between the present simple, the present progressive, and the present perfect.

We all know from our early years in school that ''present'' means ''now''.  However, these tenses don't all talk about things happening ''now''.

1) Present Simple

The present simple, as shown above, is used to explain general truths or routines/habits.  Someone's general appearance and skills are usually discussed in the present simple.  Facts about history, science, and economics are also often presented in the present simple.  Additionally, habits and routines are always explained in the present simple, usually with a key word at the beginning or end of the sentence to indicate the frequency of the action. 

The Present Simple is most commonly used when:

• making introductions
• talking about work responsibilities
• describing physical or personality traits
• describing your daily/weekly schedule
• talking about traditions
• general truths

2) Present Progressive/Continuous

The present progressive (also called the present continuous) describes an action happening right now, such as in the yellow tag.  It also describes actions that are technically in-process, but might not be happening at this exact moment, such as reading a book or learning a language.  Finally, the present progressive can also be used to discuss plans in the near future, as shown in the blue tag.

To recap, this tense is most commonly used:

• When talking on the telephone (you usually explain where you are and what you're doing)
• to describe an ongoing action or project (reading books and watching shows)
• Plans in the near future (''near'' can obviously mean different things for different people, but in general refers to a plan that will happen soon).

3) Present Perfect

The present perfect is used to discuss past actions without giving any reference to when the action happened.  We also use this tense to talk about general experiences, such as traveling or studying.  It is never used for actions in the present, for general truths and routines, or for a specific time in the past.

This tense is best used to describe:

• past actions that don't include a specific time (if you say ''last year'' or ''yesterday'', you need to use the past simple, not the present perfect).
• general actions from the past that have happened more than once (I have traveled to Asia three times.)
• general actions from the past that have happened for a while (I have studied Spanish for 12 years.)

Questions?  Leave them below in the comments and bring them to our next class!
Which verb tense is the hardest for you?  Have you ever confused these verb tenses before?  Practice using these tenses in your own writing and speaking practice-- we'll be reviewing them in class during the next two weeks!

Monday Motivation

Happy Monday, my dear students!  Everyone knows that the worst thing about Monday is that it's back to work, and going from the weekend to full-speed work mode can be a shock. It's easy to forget that we're humans that need to nurture our relationships, curiousities, and areas of development that don't include our careers.  Trips to museums, watching movies, going to restaurants or cooking a new recipe, and taking time to read something that's interesting to you can help you feel refreshed, even when your work schedule is intense.  We will all have to go to work tomorrow and the next day, but if that's the case, save some for tomorrow!  What will you do today to take better care of yourself and your loved ones?  What will you do this week to exercise your body and your brain?

Personally, I'm going to call my mom an extra time this week and send some postcards back home to the kids in my family.  I'm also going to watch a documentary online and work on my Portuguese studies with Duolingo!

Welcome to the week!  Happy studying! See you all in class!

Monday Motivation

Good morning, students!  Happy Monday!  What's your biggest, strongest excuse when it comes to language learning?  I bet a lot of you have the same excuse that I have when it comes to studying Portuguese-- I just don't have time... It's a strong excuse, of course.  We all have jobs, other studies, families, friends, and of course, we have to take care of ourselves.  But the ''I don't have time'' myth is often that-- just a myth.  Where can you find extra time in your schedule to read an English news article, review a verb list, or study some vocabuary words?  I'm going to work on my duolingo program this week between classes, and I'm going to make a vocabulary list of ten words I want to know how to use by Friday.  Tell me in the comments below what you're going to do this week to overcome your excuses! And remember to check out my other blog features, like the Extra Resources page or the tags to find quick ways to sneak in some English practice.  Happy studying!

Idiom Series: Mythology and History- To Rest on your Laurels

Welcome to the Idiom Series: Mythology and History!

Today, the idiom is ''rest on your laurels''.  Let's look at the full meaning of this idiom:

This idiom comes from the Greek tradition of using laurel wreaths as symbols of victory and status.  

Laurel wreaths were often presented to victors of war and athletic competitions, as well as politicians.

To rest on your laurels is to be so satisfied with your current or past success that you stop making an effort to improve or succeed further.

Getting the score you need on the TOEFL is a great achievement, but it's no reason to rest on your laurels--you still need to practice your academic writing skills.

In this sentence, it is understood that, while getting a good score on the TOEFL is a wonderful accomplishment, there is still more work to do.  Relaxing after a big accomplishment can be hazardous to further progress.

Can you think of a clever way to use this new idiom?  Leave it in the comments below, and tell me in our next class!