Past Continuous Video

My latest Youtube video is a story using the past continuous.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

The Haunted House - A past continuous story

I was waking my dog, Max. It was starting to get dark. We were walking past an old, abandoned house when Max ran off and into the house. I called out to him, but he didn't come back. I walked towards the house and went through the open door. I was scared. I was looking for Max when I thought I saw a ghost. But when I walked closer, I saw that it was just a white curtain that was blowing in the wind. I was calling Max's name when I heard a crash from one of the rooms. I was terrified. I was walking into the room when a black cat ran past me. Then I heard Max barking in the backyard. He was digging up bones in the garden! He was digging in a pet cemetery. I grabbed Max's leash and ran home as fast as I could.

Now let's review the grammar used in this story.

The story used the past continuous to describe unfinished actions as they were happening within the story.

The past continuous has three main functions:
1. to describe background in a story
2. to describe actions in progress in the past
3. and to describe longer actions interrupted by shorter actions

This chart shows the grammar we need to make past continuous sentences. Let's look at some examples from the story.

It was starting to get dark. This sentence set the scene for the story.

I was walking my dog. This event was happening for a period of time in the story.

I was calling Max's name when I heard a crash. Here the action of calling his dog's name was interrupted by the scary sound that he heard.

Daily Routines Video

My latest Youtube video shows how to talk about daily routines.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Here's the script of the video:

In this video we will learn how to talk about daily routines. First, let's review some vocabulary for things we do every day.
get up
take a shower
get dressed
have breakfast
go to work
start work
have lunch
finish work
arrive home
have dinner
watch tv
go to bed

Now let's look at some questions we can ask about daily routines and the answers we might hear. What time do you usually wake up? I usually wake up at 7 o'clock.
Note the difference between wake up and get up. For example, I usually wake up at 7 o'clock and then I get up or get out of bed ten minutes later.
What's the first thing you do after you get up? I shave.
Do you ever skip breakfast? No, I don't. I never skip breakfast.
How do you get to work? I usually walk.
What do you usually have for lunch? I usually have a salad.
What do you usually do after you get home? I usually take a nap.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to read books.

Now we will hear what Emily does on a normal day. This story is in the third person present singular so we add an S to the verb. To help describe her daily routine we can use sequence adverbs.
Emily usually wakes up at 7:30.
First, she has breakfast.
Then she brushes her teeth.
Next, she takes a shower.
After that she gets dressed.
Then she puts on make-up.
She goes to work at 8:30. The subway ride takes 20 minutes.
She starts work at 9 o'clock.
Later, she has lunch.
At 5 o'clock she finishes work and goes home.
When she gets home she cooks dinner.
She sometimes goes to the gym in the evening.
Finally, she goes to bed at 11 o'clock.

Here's a homework assignment. Answer these questions by putting your answers in the comments and I'll check your answers.
1. What time do you usually get up?
2. Do you ever skip breakfast?
3. What do you usually have for lunch?
4. What do you usually do after you get home?
5. What do you like to do in your free time?
Answer in full sentences.

Jobs Video

Here is my latest video about jobs.

If you like this video, please click 'like' and subscribe to my Youtube channel.


Here's the script of the video:

First let's review the vocabulary for some common jobs.

What does Lucy do? She's a housewife. What does a housewife do? A housewife manages her home.

What's Derek's job? He's a dentist. What does a dentist do? A dentist cares for teeth.

What's Sarah's occupation? She's a pharmacist. Where does a pharmacist work? A pharmacist works in a pharmacy.

What does Colin do? He's a mechanic. Where does a mechanic work? A mechanic works in a garage.

What does Mark do? He's retired. What did he do before he retired? He was an accountant.

What does Claire do for a living? She unemployed, but she has an interview for a job today.

Now we will review some follow-up questions related to jobs.

What's your job? I'm a salesperson. How do you get to work? I usually drive? I sometimes take the subway.

What's your occupation? I'm an office worker. What days do you work? I work Monday to Friday.

What do you do for a living? I'm an engineer. Do you like your job? Yes, I do. It's interesting.

What's your job? I'm a travel agent. Where do you work? I work for ABC Travel Company.

What do you do? I'm a student. What do you study? I study economics.

Now let's play a fun game. I'm thinking of one these jobs. Can you guess who I'm thinking about by asking yes/no questions?

Do they wear a uniform? Yes, they do.

Do they wear a hat? No, they don't.

Do they help people? Yes, they do.

Can you guess who it is?

Is she a nurse? Yes, she is.

Let's play again. Can you guess who I'm thinking of?

Do you they use tools? No, they don't.

Do they wear a hat? Yes, they do.

Do they work on a plane? Yes, they do.

Is the person a flight attendant? No.

Then it must be the pilot. Yes, you're right.

A Fun Game for Kids. Alphabet Quiz

This game challenges students' listening skills and general knowledge of English. Divide the class into two or three groups. Start by writing the alphabet on the board.

The groups take turns in choosing a letter. The group is then asked a question with an answer that begins with the letter they chose. For example, if the students chose the letter A, they will be asked a question like this: What A is a vehicle used to take people to hospital? The answer being ambulance. Teams get points for every correct answer. If they get an answer wrong, the question can be given to another team.

Below is a list of questions from A to Z. If you play this game regularly, the students will quickly learn the answers, so be ready to make some more questions to keep it fresh and challenging.

A. What A is a vehicle used to take people to hospital? Ambulance
B. What B do we blow up with air? Balloon
C. What C do we drive on the road? Car
D. What D cares for our teeth? Dentist
E. What E is an animal with a long nose? Elephant
F. What F is the opposite of slow? Fast
G. What G is an animal with a long neck? Giraffe

H. What H do we wear on our head? Hat

I. What I is a cold dessert? Ice cream

J. What J is the month after May? June

K. What K do we use to open doors? Key

L. What L is a sour fruit? Lemon

M. What M is the day before Tuesday? Monday

N. What N is the time between evening and morning? Night

O. What O is the opposite of new? Old

P. What P is a baby dog? Puppy

Q. What Q is married to a king? Queen

R. What R helps us draw straight lines? Ruler

S. What is a long, thin reptile? Snake

T. What T is the opposite of short? Tall

U. What U do we use to stay dry on a rainy day? Umbrella

V. What V is a person who helps sick animals? Vet

W. What W is the coldest season of the year? Winter

X. What X is a percussion musical instrument? Xylophone

Y. What Y is a colour in the rainbow? Yellow

Z. What Z is a black and white striped animal? Zebra

A Fun Game for Kids. Quiz

This is a competitive game that challenges students' listening skills and their general knowledge of English. Divide the class into two groups. Write these numbers on the board:

100     200     300     400     500     600
100     200     300     400     500     600
100     200     300     400     500     600

These numbers are the scores for answering a question correctly. 100 point questions are the easiest, while 600 point questions are the most difficult. The students get to choose the difficulty of their question. If they get a difficult question correct then they score more points. If they get a question wrong, then the question is given to the other team to answer, so students need to be very careful when choosing the difficulty of their question. Then that other team gets to choose their next question. As teams choose the scores for their questions, cross off the scores on the board. There are a total of 18 questions in this example of the game.

The game might be difficult the first time it is played, but the students will quickly learn the answers and it will be easier the second time. New questions can be added to keep the game fresh and challenging. A small prize for the winning team will make the game more fun and exciting.

Here are some examples of questions. You might think some of these questions are easier or more difficult than the score I have given them.

100 points
Which African animal has a very long neck? Giraffe

Which orange root vegetable begins with the letter C? Carrot
Which country does pizza and pasta come from? Italy

200 points

Which part of the body do we put into a glove? Hand
How many sides does a triangle have? Three
What is the opposite of tall? Short

300 points

In which sport do you use a racket and a shuttlecock? Badminton
Which yellow citrus fruit has a sour taste? Lemon
What is the fastest land animal? Cheetah

400 points
How many legs does an octopus have? Eight

Which joint connects our arms to the rest of our bodies? Shoulders
In which country is the Eiffle Tower? France

500 points

In which continuent is Spain? Europe
What are the five vowels of the English alphabet? A, E, I, O, U
What is the capital of the U.S.A.? Washington D.C.

600 points
In which sport do you use a rod and bait? Fishing
What is H20? Water
What is the nearest star to Earth? The Sun

A Fun Game for Kids. Bingo

Bingo is a great game to play with children. It builds vocabulary, improves listening skills and it's fun. Students need a piece of paper and a pencil. First choose the vocabulary list that you want to teach to the students, such as buildings, jobs, fruit or animals (see below for a list of jobs). Ask the students to tell you the vocabulary that they know. Write the words on the board. Once the students have given you all the words that they know, you can add more words to the list. Choose words that are most relevant for your students, such as common animals in that country or the jobs of your students' parents. Be ready to help the students understand what each of the words are in their language - flashcards are a great way to do this.

Then ask the students to randomly choose six words from the board (or any number you want) and write them on their pieces of paper. Once every student has done this, slowly call out words from the list. Say each word twice, so that all the students can hear. As you call out the words, write down or check off all the words on a piece of paper. Don't check them off on the board as this is a listening activity. Tell the students that the first person to cross off all of their words should shout BINGO! Then ask the student to read out their words, so you can check that you did indeed say those words. That child is then the winning. A small gift to the winner motivates the children and makes the game even more fun.

One way to make the game more difficult and to keep it fresh and challenging is to ask questions instead of calling out the vocabulary words, for example: Who flies a plane? or Who works in a library?

Here is a list of jobs which you can use. Add other jobs that you think are relevant to your students.

teacher
police officer
fire fighter
doctor
chef
pilot
nurse
waiter
dentist
librarian
bus driver
baker
farmer
mail carrier
mechanic
professor
accountant
civil servant
veterinarian
salesclerk
photographer
fisherman
flight attendant
hair dresser
butcher
soldier