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Teaching with Ellii

<p>Love stories are a lot of fun when they involve people you know. This month, ask your students to interview a couple that they know. They should interview one person at a time using the same four questions (provided below). After the interview, they can practice using the simple past tense to retell the love story to their classmates. Which couple had the best love&nbsp;story?</p>

<h1>1. Choose a&nbsp;Couple</h1>

<p>Tell your students to choose a couple that they know. Here are some&nbsp;ideas:</p>

<ul>
	<li>mom &amp; dad</li>
	<li>grandma &amp; grandpa</li>
	<li>cousin &amp; boyfriend/girlfriend</li>
	<li>a married couple next door or at church/soccer</li>
	<li>teacher &amp; husband/wife</li>
</ul>

<h1>2. Interview the&nbsp;Couple</h1>

<p>Print two copies of&nbsp;the <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3471">Love Interview</a> for each student. Each student needs two pages so that students can interview the two people separately. They should ask each person the following four&nbsp;questions.</p>

<ol>
	<li>How did you meet (<em>sweetheart&#39;s name</em>)?</li>
	<li>Why did you like (<em>sweetheart)</em>?</li>
	<li>What&rsquo;s the best gift (<em>sweetheart</em>) ever gave&nbsp;you?</li>
	<li>Describe (<em>sweetheart</em>) in one&nbsp;word.</li>
</ol>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources/3471"><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1180/content_Tara_A-Love-Story.jpg" /></a></p>

<h1>3. Share the Love&nbsp;Story</h1>

<p>Have your students report their findings to a classmate or the whole class as a Valentine&rsquo;s Day&nbsp;activity.</p>

<h2>Example</h2>

<ul>
	<li>My grandparents met at a grocery&nbsp;store.</li>
	<li>My grandpa liked my grandma&rsquo;s long&nbsp;hair.</li>
	<li>My grandma liked my grandpa&rsquo;s sense of&nbsp;humor.</li>
	<li>The best gift my grandma received was an engagement&nbsp;ring.</li>
	<li>The best gift my grandpa received was a subscription to a car&nbsp;magazine.</li>
	<li>The word my grandpa used to describe my grandma was&nbsp;<em>genius</em>.</li>
	<li>The word my grandma used to describe my grandpa was&nbsp;<em>joker</em>.</li>
</ul>

<h1>Optional Activity: Fact or&nbsp;Fiction?</h1>

<p>Older or more advanced learners might have fun mixing this activity up a little. During the sharing time, tell your students they can change the answers if they want to. Some of the answers can be true, and some can be made up. My students love fooling their friends&mdash;don&rsquo;t&nbsp;yours?</p>

<table class="has-borders horizontal">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>My grandparents met at the Olympic&nbsp;Games.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;B:</th>
			<td>I don&rsquo;t believe you!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>It&rsquo;s true!</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;B:</th>
			<td>Really? Why did your grandpa like your&nbsp;grandma?</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>My grandpa liked my grandma because she was a good&nbsp;cook.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;B:</th>
			<td>I believe that.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Student&nbsp;A:</th>
			<td>You do? I fooled you. My grandma is a terrible cook! My grandpa liked my grandma because she wore a pretty&nbsp;dress.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>The interview couple might also like to see each other&rsquo;s answers. Encourage your students to share the answers out loud with the couple&nbsp;too.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Grandpa said you met at a grocery store. Grandma said she liked your sense of&nbsp;humor.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Happy Valentine&rsquo;s Day!<br />
Tara</p>

<p>PS. I hope you&rsquo;ll come back and share a love story with us in the&nbsp;comments!</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/116/lessons/2504">Simple Past Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="collection"><a href="https://ellii.com/collections/4/lessons">Love &amp; Relationships</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/21/flashcard_categories/107">Valentine&rsquo;s Day Flashcards</a></li>
</ul>


Valentine's Day Interview: A Love Story

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<p>You never know what you&rsquo;ll find when you step out your door! My good friend found a set of fun puns taped to her community mailbox the other day, and we thought it&rsquo;d be great to share this idea on our&nbsp;blog.</p>

<p>We know how hard it is for teachers to keep coming up with interesting and educational warm‑ups and fillers, so we had our designer create a pdf based on these puns that you can download, print, and use in the classroom. This &ldquo;punny&rdquo; activity will be fun and challenging for your intermediate- to advanced‑level&nbsp;learners!</p>

<h1>Punny Stuff</h1>

<p><a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/136/content_Blog_Tearable-Puns.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="a tearable puns sheet" height="auto" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/137/content_Blog_Tearable-Puns.png" width="400" /></a></p>

<p class="caption"><a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/136/content_Blog_Tearable-Puns.pdf" target="_blank">Download the Tearable Puns sheet</a></p>

<h1>Method</h1>

<p>Ask the class to explain the pun in the activity title (<em>tearable</em> because you can tear off the strips; <em>terrible</em> because some of the puns might make you groan). Then explain what a pun is (<em>a play on words; a joke involving a word or two similar‑sounding words that have two&nbsp;meanings</em>).</p>

<p>Next, put students into pairs (or small groups) and have each pair tear off a pun. Have them try to work out what makes their pun funny. Then have each pair explain the pun to the class. Discuss which puns they&nbsp;find hilarious and which make them roll their&nbsp;eyes.</p>

<p>Once you&rsquo;ve covered the puns in the first pdf, have your students research or write their own for the second (blank) pdf. You could also write your own with idioms or expressions you&rsquo;ve been studying in&nbsp;class.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/8-ways-to-practice-idioms-in-class" target="_blank">8 Ways to Practice Idioms in&nbsp;Class</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/77/lessons" target="_blank">Everyday Idioms 1</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/78/lessons" target="_blank">Everyday Idioms 2</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/102/lessons" target="_blank">Everyday Idioms 3</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/79/lessons" target="_blank">Detective Series 1</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/101/lessons" target="_blank">Detective Series 2</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/105/resources" target="_blank">Warm-Ups &amp; Fillers</a></li>
</ul>


10 Tearable Puns: An English Language Activity

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<p>Recently a subscriber asked us to share some ideas on reviewing vocabulary in a one-to-one teaching setting. Getting vocabulary to stick is often a matter of choosing vocabulary that is necessary or relevant for your student. After you pick the right vocabulary sets, find different ways to play with the words to ensure they become part of your student&rsquo;s active&nbsp;vocabulary.</p>

<p>Here are some ideas to try in your one-to-one&nbsp;lessons:</p>

<h1>Wh- Questions</h1>

<p>After your student learns a new word, work together to come up with 5 Wh- questions that relate to it. <strong>Example:</strong> &ldquo;interrupt&rdquo;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Who <strong>interrupts</strong> you a lot?</li>
	<li>What do people <strong>interrupt</strong> teachers for?</li>
	<li>Where do people often <strong>interrupt</strong>?</li>
	<li>When is <strong>interrupting</strong> essential?</li>
	<li>When is <strong>interrupting</strong> rude?</li>
	<li>How do you <strong>interrupt</strong> politely?</li>
</ul>

<h1>Speed Sort</h1>

<p>Choose a set of words or flashcards that you&rsquo;ve been working on and place them on individual slips of paper facedown in front of your&nbsp;student.</p>

<p>Now, have your student flip over the cards quickly, sorting them into two piles, <em>Words I Know</em> and <em>Words I Don&rsquo;t Know</em>. Any time you see your student hesitate when placing a word into the <em>Words I Know</em> pile, shout &ldquo;Challenge&rdquo; and ask your student to place the card in front of the two&nbsp;piles.</p>

<p>Now your student has to be able to define the word <em>and</em> use it in a sentence. You may want to test your student&rsquo;s spelling and pronunciation,&nbsp;too.</p>

<p>If your student gets a word wrong, move it to the <em>Words I Don&rsquo;t Know</em> pile. After the sorting and challenging is over, go through the <em>Words I Don&rsquo;t Know</em> pile and help your student learn these words by going over definitions, examples, pronunciation,&nbsp;etc.</p>

<p>Play again at the beginning of your next session. You may want to pull a few random cards from the <em>Words I Know</em> pile to make sure your student really knows the&nbsp;word.</p>

<p><em>Tip: Be sure to search our <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres">Flashcard</a> section to see if we have the words you need. Keep in mind that you can edit the text of an image to any word or word form you&nbsp;need!</em></p>

<h1>Reduce, Reuse, Recycle</h1>

<p>Choose 10 words from a reading that you are working on. Work together to write a story, poem, or letter that features all of the new or tricky words. You could write it like a chain, where your student writes one sentence (and crosses off a word) and you write the&nbsp;next.</p>

<h1>Vocab Collage</h1>

<p>Bring in some old magazines and have your student cut out objects and large words that he or she is familiar with in&nbsp;English.</p>

<p>While your student is making a collage of familiar words, point to useful words and objects in a magazine that your student may not know (but should). If your student does not know the word, cut the picture or word out and make your own collage with the unfamiliar&nbsp;words.</p>

<p>Go over the word collage regularly until your student knows all of the vocabulary. Try to use a balance of words and pictures to make the collage visually appealing. Vocab collages can be done in themes or just as a random vocabulary building activity that will also get your student&nbsp;talking.</p>

<h1>Role Reversal</h1>

<p>Teaching is the best way to learn. Tell your student to pretend that you are the learner. Your student will have to use examples, definitions, and drawings to get you to guess words from a list of new&nbsp;words.</p>

<h1>Word Soup</h1>

<p>Build Word Soup by focusing on themes or word forms. Draw a pot on a piece of paper or on a board. Slowly call out related words and have your student write them in the pot (e.g.,&nbsp;<em>school</em>, <em>teacher</em>, <em>pencil</em>, <em>pen</em>, <em>desk</em>). Then call out a word that doesn&rsquo;t belong (e.g., <em>vacuum cleaner</em>). If your student detects the odd word, have him start a new Word Soup beginning with this word. If your student doesn&rsquo;t spot the word, keep going for a while and then ask your student to spot the odd&nbsp;ingredient.</p>

<p>Get your student to create a big Word Soup before writing a word that doesn&rsquo;t go into it. You could do this with themes or with word forms (e.g., Verbs, Adjectives). For odd words, choose words that go with other word sets you have studied in the past. Make notes of the spelling mistakes and review them with your&nbsp;student.</p>

<h1>RSP Detective</h1>

<p>Have your student do regular detective work by trying to find a <em>root</em> and a <em>suffix</em> or <em>prefix</em> for a new word. Then open a dictionary together and try to find at least one related&nbsp;word.</p>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> &ldquo;interrupt&rdquo;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>prefix &ndash; inter</p>

<p>root &ndash; rupt</p>

<p>related words &ndash; <em>interrogate</em>, <em>interaction</em>, <em>rupture</em>, <em>erupt</em></p>
</blockquote>

<h1>What Would an Elephant Do with This&nbsp;Word?</h1>

<p>When you get to know your one-to-one students well, you&rsquo;ll learn what topics they are interested in (or even obsessed about). Find one animal, character, sport, or other subject that your student is passionate about (e.g., <em>elephant</em>, <em>soccer</em>, <em>baking</em>). Whenever you come across a new word, ask your student to come up with a sentence that combines this passion and the new&nbsp;word.</p>

<p>For example, imagine the new word is <strong>interrupt</strong> and your private lesson students have the following&nbsp;interests:</p>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant</th>
			<td>An elephant would <strong>interrupt</strong> a sleeping family as it walked&nbsp;by.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Soccer</th>
			<td>Don&rsquo;t <strong>interrupt</strong> me when I&rsquo;m watching&nbsp;soccer.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Baking</th>
			<td>Someone always <strong>interrupts</strong> me while I&rsquo;m measuring&nbsp;sugar.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>Now imagine the new phrase these three students learned was <strong>special occasion</strong>. They might come up with these&nbsp;sentences:</p>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>Elephant</th>
			<td>I rode an elephant once. It was a <strong>special&nbsp;occasion</strong>.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Soccer</th>
			<td>At <strong>special occasions</strong>, the men in my family sit in the living room and watch&nbsp;soccer.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Baking</th>
			<td>I bake cakes for <strong>special occasions</strong>&nbsp;such as&nbsp;birthdays.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Top 10 Booklet</h1>

<p>Who doesn&rsquo;t love a good Top 10 list? Whenever you cover a theme or grammar target, have your student make a Top Ten list. Keep all of the Top 10 lists together and quiz your student on these words&nbsp;regularly.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Top Ten Simple Past Verbs</li>
	<li>Top Ten Entertainment Genres</li>
	<li>Top Ten Kitchen Nouns</li>
	<li>Top Ten Adverbs</li>
	<li>Top Ten Small Talk Subjects</li>
</ul>

<p>See our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons">Word Bank</a> lessons for other ways to review 10&ndash;12 words in a&nbsp;set.</p>

<h1>Word Fit</h1>

<p>One-to-one lessons often take place in libraries or study halls where you feel like you have to keep your voice down and sit in one place. Why not get out and about once in a while? Grab two pens and two notebooks and go out for a walk. Set a time limit. Set a vocabulary goal too. Here are some possible vocabulary goals for a walk with your English&nbsp;student:</p>

<ul>
	<li>spot 10 words you learned this&nbsp;week</li>
	<li>write down all of the action verbs you&nbsp;see</li>
	<li>write down ten things you see that you don&rsquo;t know the word for (in one&rsquo;s own language, try to describe in English back in the&nbsp;class)</li>
	<li>write down 20 natural things that you&nbsp;see</li>
	<li>spot 20 manmade objects</li>
	<li>write 20 adjectives that come to mind as you walk (in class have the other person guess what noun went with&nbsp;them)</li>
	<li>write 10 things that you don&rsquo;t know how to pronounce properly</li>
	<li>write 10 business names that you see (in class discuss any play on words and talk about why these names are appropriate or&nbsp;not)</li>
	<li>make a list of opposites (e.g., one of you writes beautiful things and the other writes ugly things, or one writes white things and one writes black&nbsp;things)</li>
</ul>

<p>When you get back to your lesson area, have a discussion about what you saw. Go over your&nbsp;lists.</p>

<h1>Record and Compare</h1>

<p>Record a word list, and have your student record it too. Compare the recordings. Does your student&rsquo;s version need some pronunciation tweaks? Practice any difficult sounds or words. Then have your student try recording it&nbsp;again.</p>

<h1>Yes/No Questions</h1>

<p>Have a word list in mind or create one together based on your last few sessions. Then play a game where you think of one of the words, and your student has to ask Yes/No questions to find out which word you are thinking&nbsp;of.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>A: Is it a noun?<br />
B: No.</p>

<p>A: Is it a verb?<br />
B: Yes.</p>

<p>A: Is it something you do at work?<br />
B: Yes.</p>

<p>A: Is it a nice verb?<br />
B: Umm. No.</p>

<p>A: Is it a rude verb?<br />
B: Yes. Sometimes.</p>

<p>A: Does it start with an &ldquo;i&rdquo;?<br />
B: Yes!</p>

<p>A: Is it &ldquo;interrupt&rdquo;?<br />
B: Yes!</p>
</blockquote>

<h1>Vocabulary Box</h1>

<p>As you introduce new vocabulary, try collecting items that represent or relate to the new words. These can be actual items or pictures or objects that relate to the words. Place the items in a box or bag and look through it at the beginning or end of a lesson. Can your student remember why each item or picture is in the Vocabulary&nbsp;Box?</p>

<p>You can also use the Vocabulary Box for other activities such as writing prompts or spelling quizzes. It may even come in handy when you need game pieces for a <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2487-board-games">board game</a>. Clear out the collection once in a while and start a fresh&nbsp;collection!</p>

<h1>Share your ideas&hellip;</h1>

<p>Do you teach one-to-one? Leave a comment with your tips and ideas for reviewing vocabulary and using ESL&nbsp;Library materials! Which sections and tasks from our lessons work well in your private lessons? What adaptations have you&nbsp;made?</p>


One-to-One Vocabulary Review Activities

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<h1>Free Teaching Resource</h1>

<p>Do you teach swimming to English learners or newcomers or know someone who does? <a href="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2156/content_107_Following-Instructions-at-the-Pool_Free.pdf" target="_blank">Following Instructions at the Pool</a> is a useful introduction to swimming words and instructions that newcomers may not be familiar with. We&#39;ve made this resource available for non-members so that lifeguards and swimming instructors who may not be English language teachers can access it freely.</p>

<p>Here is the audio that goes with the listening activity on page 4. You can stream or download the audio. ESL Library members will also find this resource (and many related materials) in our <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources" target="_blank">Visual Learning</a> section.</p>

<div class="ckeditor-html5-audio">
<audio controls="controls" controlslist="nodownload" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/1551/following-swimming-instructions.mp3">&nbsp;</audio>
</div>

<h3>Copyright</h3>

<p>Here&rsquo;s what you can / cannot do with this PDF: You can use this resource for free with your students or swimmers for educational purposes. You may make photocopies for your students and your classroom walls. You may email your students a link to this page, so that they can access the file on their own. You may not alter or republish the resource. You may not upload the poster to any server. Thanks for respecting our work!</p>

<p>We hope you&#39;ll find time to talk about water safety in your classes this year and possibly inspire your students to register for swimming lessons!</p>

<h3>Related on ESL Library</h3>

<p>Here are some related materials for members of ESL Library.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/visual-learning/resources/2482-following-instructions-at-the-pool" target="_blank">Following Instructions at the Pool</a> (identical to FREE resource)</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2484" target="_blank">Swimming</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2486" target="_blank">Swimming Pool</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/2374" target="_blank">Handling a Medical Emergency</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/9/flashcard_categories/10" target="_blank">At the Beach</a></li>
	<li class="flashcards"><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/9/flashcard_categories/133" target="_blank">At the Pool</a></li>
</ul>


Following Instructions at the Pool

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<p>Whether you&rsquo;re just starting out with Ellii wrapping up the school year, or thinking about placement for next semester, ready-made tests are always a handy resource for&nbsp;teachers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Below you will find links to a series of grammar tests that can be used for placement, assessment, or review.&nbsp;This post, and the tests themselves, will help you determine which Ellii level to use with your students as well as which targets to focus on.&nbsp;</p>

<h1>Levels</h1>

<p>We have four new tests in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools">Assessment Tools</a> category of our <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Resources</a>&nbsp;section:</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2448-grammar-test-1">Grammar Test 1 &ndash; Beginner</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2449-grammar-test-2">Grammar Test 2 &ndash; Low-Intermediate</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2450-grammar-test-3">Grammar Test 3 &ndash; High-Intermediate</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2451-grammar-test-4">Grammar Test 4 &ndash; Advanced</a></li>
</ul>

<h1>Uses</h1>

<p>Though developed as a result of teacher requests for grammar placement tests, these tests can in fact be used for&nbsp;a variety of&nbsp;reasons:</p>

<h2>Placement</h2>

<p>Determine your students&rsquo; levels within your school&rsquo;s program, or discover what level of materials to use within Ellii&nbsp;(specifically in our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/grammar-practice-worksheets">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a>&nbsp;section).</p>

<h2>Assessment</h2>

<p>Use these tests as major end-of-level tests to see how well students retained the grammar they learned. You could also select the parts of the tests that you covered in class during a certain period to create your own exit exam or review quiz&nbsp;(by skipping certain sections of the PDF or assigning only certain tasks digitally).</p>

<h2>Review</h2>

<p>Use these tests for review before students take school exams or other major tests like the&nbsp;TOEIC.</p>

<h2>Customization</h2>

<p>These tests can be used to personalize your classes by uncovering which grammar targets your students are struggling with. Center your lessons around these troublesome areas, or at least focus any extra time on these targets. You can find comprehensive lessons on the grammar points from the tests in our <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/grammar-practice-worksheets">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<h1>Scoring</h1>

<p>Each test is out of 100 and includes an optional speaking and writing component. (If you choose not to do the speaking or writing, the total will be between 60 and 80, depending on the test.) Aside from the speaking and writing portions, the tests are meant to be scored quickly and thus contain multiple-choice and one-word answers as much as&nbsp;possible.</p>

<p>Our guidelines for placement are as&nbsp;follows:</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2448-grammar-test-1">Grammar Test 1</a></h2>

<p>A low or mid-range score indicates that students should use our beginner-level materials. A high score indicates that they can use our low-intermediate&nbsp;materials.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2449-grammar-test-2">Grammar Test 2</a></h2>

<p>A low or mid-range score indicates that students should use our high-beginner or low-intermediate materials. A high score indicates that they can use our high-intermediate&nbsp;materials.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2450-grammar-test-3">Grammar Test 3</a></h2>

<p>A low or mid-range score indicates that students should use our low to high-intermediate materials. A high score indicates that they may be ready for our advanced&nbsp;materials.</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2451-grammar-test-4">Grammar Test 4</a></h2>

<p>A low or mid-range score indicates that students should use our high-intermediate materials. A high score indicates that they can use our advanced materials as well as authentic reading and listening&nbsp;materials.</p>

<h1>Grammar Targets</h1>

<p>The tests cover the following grammar&nbsp;targets:</p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2448-grammar-test-1">Grammar Test 1</a></h2>

<ul>
	<li>simple present</li>
	<li>present progressive</li>
	<li>parts of speech</li>
	<li>subject &amp; object pronouns</li>
	<li>articles</li>
	<li>nouns</li>
	<li>adjectives</li>
	<li>adverbs of frequency</li>
	<li>prepositions of time</li>
	<li>prepositions of place</li>
	<li>simple present &amp; present progressive (mixed-tense exercise)</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2449-grammar-test-2">Grammar Test 2</a></h2>

<ul>
	<li>simple past</li>
	<li>simple future</li>
	<li>count &amp; non-count nouns</li>
	<li>pronouns</li>
	<li>adverbs of manner</li>
	<li>adverbs &amp; adjectives</li>
	<li>prepositions of direction</li>
	<li>conjunctions</li>
	<li>modals</li>
	<li>gerunds &amp; infinitives</li>
	<li>simple present, past &amp; future</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2450-grammar-test-3">Grammar Test 3</a></h2>

<ul>
	<li>simple past &amp; past progressive</li>
	<li>simple future &amp; future progressive</li>
	<li>simple past &amp; present perfect</li>
	<li>present perfect &amp; present perfect progressive</li>
	<li>pronouns</li>
	<li>tag questions</li>
	<li>comparative &amp; superlative adjectives &amp; adverbs</li>
	<li>first, second &amp; third conditional&nbsp;</li>
	<li>review of simple tenses</li>
</ul>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/resources/assessment-tools/2451-grammar-test-4">Grammar Test 4</a></h2>

<ul>
	<li>past perfect &amp; past perfect progressive</li>
	<li>future perfect &amp; future perfect progressive</li>
	<li>passive voice</li>
	<li>past modals</li>
	<li>causative &amp; passive causative</li>
	<li>adjectives clauses</li>
	<li>adjective phrases</li>
	<li>adverb clauses &amp; phrases</li>
	<li>direct &amp; reported speech</li>
	<li>embedded questions</li>
	<li>subjunctive</li>
	<li>review of all tenses</li>
</ul>

<h1>Digital Tasks</h1>

<p>These grammar tests are available on our digital platform for users on any plan! Using the digital version of these tests means that some tasks, such as multiple-choice and matching tasks, will automatically generate students&rsquo; scores in real time. That means much less marking for the teacher! Note that tasks where students have to type out sentences will still require correction by the&nbsp;teacher.</p>

<h2>Accessing Digital Tasks</h2>

<p>To access the digital tasks for our grammar tests, click on Task Player on the <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/104/resources/2448">main page</a> of the grammar test of your choice. Click the title of each task under the &quot;Launch&quot; column to being each task. You can also&nbsp;click on the Assign Tasks button to assign the tasks to your students. For a step-by-step guide, see <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">How to Assign Tasks (Digital Homework)</a>. If you haven&rsquo;t set your classes up on our digital platform yet, see our <a href="https://help.ellii.com/category/253-digital-homework">Help Docs</a> for&nbsp;guidance.</p>

<h2>Assigning Digital Tasks</h2>

<p>Teachers can assign the digital version of these tests in class or as homework by clicking on Assignment Manager. If you assign a test (or portions of a test) for homework, your students can complete it at home on a computer or mobile device and you will see their scores for each task in real&nbsp;time.</p>

<h2>Scoring Digital Tasks</h2>

<p>The scoring is similar to the pdf version and will total 100 points if you assign all the sections of a test. If you choose to forgo the writing and speaking portions, the total will be between 60 and 80, depending on the test. Note that our digital platform currently assigns a score per task, so you will need to calculate the student&rsquo;s final test score based off the task scores. (We&rsquo;re working on making a total available for each student for these&nbsp;tests.)</p>

<h1>Other Ready-Made Tests &amp; Tools</h1>

<p>Aside from our new grammar tests, many of our sections include ready-made quizzes and assessment tasks and tools. Most of our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a> lessons include a quiz at the end of the lesson, and many of our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons">Functional English</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons">Everyday Dialogues</a> lessons include review and assessment tasks. You can also find ready-made and customizable assessment tools and forms in our <a href="https://ellii.com/resources">Resources</a>&nbsp;section.</p>

<p>What other types of tests and materials would you like to see on our&nbsp;site?</p>


Ellii's Grammar Tests

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<p>There are many benefits to using <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres" target="_blank">flashcards</a> in class. Use them to elicit, practice, or review vocabulary or grammar structures. Use them as a warm-up, filler, or review for a related lesson. You can even use them as a vocabulary or grammar lesson unto themselves. But <em>how</em> can we use flashcards in class? Get creative with the activities suggested&nbsp;below!</p>

<h1>1. Memory (also called&nbsp;<em>Concentration)</em></h1>

<p>Print out one set of flashcard images and one set of flashcard words per group of four or more students. Lay out cards facedown in a grid. Students take turns flipping over two cards. If the word and image match, they can keep the pair and go again. If not, they flip them back over and another student takes a turn. At the end, the student with the most pairs&nbsp;wins.</p>

<h1>2. Go Fish</h1>

<p>Print out one set of flashcard images and one set of words per group of four to six students. Deal out five cards to each student. One student asks&nbsp;<em>Do you have a ______?</em> to one person in the group and tries to match the word or image of a card they have in their hand. If the student has the card, he or she must hand it over and it&rsquo;s still the first student&rsquo;s turn. If the student doesn&rsquo;t have that card, he or she says <em>Go fish</em>. The first student must then take a card from the deck, and it&rsquo;s the next student&rsquo;s turn. The object is to collect word/image pairs and get rid of all the cards. At the end, the student with the most pairs&nbsp;wins.</p>

<h1>3. Matching Game</h1>

<p>Half of the students get an image flashcard, and half get a corresponding word flashcard. Students must find their match by giving clues that describe the image or word. (Example clues with animal cards: <em>I have fur</em>, <em>I can swim</em>, <em>I live in the forest</em>,&nbsp;etc.)</p>

<h1>4. Pictionary</h1>

<p>Divide the class into two teams. One student from team A comes to the board, picks a word flashcard, and draws the image on the board. The team has 30 seconds to guess&mdash;if they can name it, they get a point. At the end, the team with the most points&nbsp;wins.</p>

<h1>5. Bingo</h1>

<p>You can make your own Bingo cards by cutting out 25 images and pasting them in random order into <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/warm-ups-fillers/resources/2172-bingo" target="_blank">this Bingo template</a>. Or, to save yourself a lot of prep time, choose the maximum flashcard print-per-page option of 16 images (see this&nbsp;<a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/50-how-to-print-flashcards" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Help Doc</a> for instructions on using flashcards on our site). Switch the order every time you print, and print out enough so that each student has one. Hand out one Bingo card to each student. Call out the image names. Students should cross off the corresponding images on their cards. The first student to get a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line yells <em>Bingo!</em> and is the winner. To make the game last longer, students must have two (or three, or four) lines before yelling&nbsp;<em>Bingo!</em></p>

<h1>6. Spelling Bee</h1>

<p>Divide the class into two teams. Show a flashcard to one student from team&nbsp;A. If he or she can spell the word correctly, that team gets a point. At the end, the team with the most points&nbsp;wins!</p>

<h1>7. Pronunciation Bee</h1>

<p>Same as the spelling bee, but show a flashcard and have a student from one team try to pronounce it&nbsp;correctly.</p>

<h1>8. Categories</h1>

<p>Divide students into two teams. Print out flashcards from various categories and spread them out on a table or the floor (have 50 or 100 if possible). When you yell <em>Go!</em> all students must run to the area and find flashcards that fit into that category (e.g., clothes you wear in winter, things you can eat or drink, etc.). The team with the most correct flashcards wins. Play as many times as you&rsquo;d like with different categories. You can reset the scores after each round, or have a cumulative total to determine the ultimate winning&nbsp;team.</p>

<h1>9. Story Time</h1>

<p>Play as a class or in small groups. Put students in a circle. Have one student draw a flashcard from a deck (prepare flashcards from one category that you&rsquo;ve been practicing, or from various categories for fun). The student must make a sentence using the image on the card. Then next student must draw a card and continue the story. If you want to score this, allow students who use the image correctly in a sentence to keep the card. If they don&rsquo;t know the word or use it incorrectly, they must put the card back into the deck. The student with the most cards at the end is the&nbsp;winner.</p>

<h1>10. Guess Who?</h1>

<p>Tape one flashcard to the back of each student. Students then move about the class asking their classmates Yes/No questions until they can guess who or what they are. This activity works with many categories such as jobs, animals, food, tools, furniture, clothes, etc. (Example questions with animal cards: <em>Do I have fur? Can I swim? Do I live in the forest?</em>&nbsp;etc.)</p>

<h1>Flashcard Library</h1>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres" target="_blank">ESL Library has more than 2,000 flashcards</a> in 18 broad categories and many common subcategories. There are also many printing and customizing options so that you can generate exactly what you need for your learners.</p>

<p>For more activities, especially with specific sets of flashcards, see <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/flashcard-fun-shelly-terrell" target="_blank">Flashcard Ideas</a> on our&nbsp;blog.</p>

<p>If there&rsquo;s a flashcard set we don&rsquo;t have that you&rsquo;d like to see, drop us a line! We&rsquo;re always developing new sets and love teacher&nbsp;requests.</p>


10 Ways to Use Flashcards in Class

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library is not just the name of our site. It is literally a library full of readings for English learners. As a subscriber, your license allows you to download and print unlimited graded readings for your students. And there are hundreds of&nbsp;choices! This week I came across an excellent Edutopia article titled <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-choice-student-reading-susan-barber" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Building Choice Into Your Students&#39; Reading</a> about giving students more reading choices to encourage the growth of&nbsp;readers. In the article, one of the recommended activities for creating a &#39;literary-rich environment&#39; at school is <strong>speed&nbsp;dating</strong>.</p>

<blockquote>In the library, all sorts of books are arranged on many different tables. The teacher has a timer and sets it off every two to three minutes as the students browse the books and find titles they are interested in. Students keep a log of books they like. At the end of the activity, they choose one book to begin reading immediately and a few to try later in the&nbsp;year.</blockquote>

<h1>Speed Dating with ESL&nbsp;Library&nbsp;Readings</h1>

<p>Here&#39;s how to adapt this reading activity with ESL&nbsp;Library readings and&nbsp;ELLs:</p>

<p>1. Choose several topics from the <strong>Reading &amp; Discovery</strong> sections. Filter by level in order to find appropriate reading&nbsp;materials.</p>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons" target="_blank">Famous People</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons" target="_blank">Famous Places</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons" target="_blank">Famous Things</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/98/lessons" target="_blank">Historic Events</a></li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/83/lessons" target="_blank">Easy Readers</a>&nbsp;</li>
	<li class="course"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/97/lessons" target="_blank">Sports &amp; Leisure</a></li>
</ul>

<p>2. Print a double-sided copy of pages 1 and 2 from each topic that you choose. Page 1 includes the lesson image and page 2 includes the reading. Make sure you have selected at least as many topics as you have students in your class, so that someone is always reading&nbsp;something.</p>

<p>3. Spread the readings on several tables or desks around your classroom or library. You can choose to organize the readings by theme or category or just mix them up and place them randomly around the&nbsp;room.</p>

<p>4. Start a timer on your mobile device and tell students to find something to read (just page 2). Since they are reading articles rather than books, give them less time (try 1&ndash;2 minutes). When the buzzer goes, have them find another reading topic. (You may want to ask them to make a list of the readings they picked and&nbsp;liked.)</p>

<p>5. After about 15&ndash;20 minutes, ask your students to go back to the reading that they were most interested in. Give them enough time to read the entire page. You may find that many of the students want to read about the same person, place, thing, or event. Allow students to pair up, or allow groups to form reading&nbsp;circles and take turns reading out loud.</p>

<blockquote>This is a great way to find out what your students are interested in. Look around to see which topics your students liked and find time to do the whole lesson in class. When you go to the lesson page to print the full lesson, see if there are Related Materials to try. For example, our latest Famous People lesson on <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/2406" target="_blank">Jack Ma</a> has links to related lessons on Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Hedy Lamar. After you discover your students&#39; interests, you may be able to recommend some fictional books,&nbsp;too.</blockquote>

<p>Happy reading!<br />
&mdash;Tara</p>

<p>PS. If you want to encourage your students to read fiction, be sure to read the whole <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-choice-student-reading-susan-barber" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Edutopia</a> article for more great tips. Don&#39;t forget to tell your students what <em>you</em> are reading. They may be inspired to pick up a&nbsp;book. I&#39;m currently reading a book by a local author called <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Men-Walking-Water-Emily-Schultz/dp/0345811011" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Men Walking on Water</a>. It takes place on the banks of Detroit during prohibition before the tunnel and bridge were built near my new home. What are you&nbsp;reading?</p>


Get Your ELLs Reading with "Speed Dating"

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Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

<p>Back in January 2012, our team had a big discussion about where to place the main vocabulary task in a lesson. Some of our lesson sections had the reading before the vocabulary task, with the idea that vocabulary could be learned/confirmed after seeing it in context. However, our team and many of our subscribers felt that previewing the vocabulary before seeing it in the reading was easier on students.</p>

<p>We then changed most of our sections that include a reading (e.g., <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Discussion Starters</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons">Famous People</a>, etc.) to include a vocabulary preview task. Most of the textbooks I had used during my teaching years also presented the vocabulary first, so I was fully on board with this&nbsp;approach.</p>

<p>At the recent 2016 TESL Ontario conference in Toronto, head writer Tara Benwell had a discussion with a teacher whose students found it difficult to match up vocabulary words and definitions before they had seen them in the reading. The teacher pointed out that words used in the definitions can sometimes present more challenges than the actual key words.</p>

<p>This led to another team discussion about where and when to present a vocabulary task within a lesson. What is best for our students? Let&rsquo;s take&nbsp;a look at the benefits to different&nbsp;approaches.</p>

<h1>Approach #1</h1>

<h4>Vocabulary Before</h4>

<p>ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s preference is to introduce vocabulary before presenting the reading or listening task. Some benefits to a vocabulary preview task&nbsp;are:</p>

<ul>
	<li>students can focus on vocabulary alone and then focus on&nbsp;reading</li>
	<li>the reading is easier to&nbsp;understand</li>
	<li>there is less of a need to stop and look up words (stopping makes it harder to get the gist of a&nbsp;reading)</li>
	<li>students have a handy list for later&nbsp;review</li>
	<li>there is more exposure to new&nbsp;words</li>
</ul>

<p>Having a vocabulary preview task before the reading means that students will get the maximum exposure to the words. If a lesson has a preview task, the words highlighted in context, and a review task, then students are seeing and digesting new words at least three times. Repetition is key where vocabulary retention is&nbsp;concerned.</p>

<h1>Approach #2</h1>

<h4>Vocabulary During</h4>

<p>Benefits to learning vocabulary during a lesson could&nbsp;include:</p>

<ul>
	<li>students may be able to infer the meaning of new words from&nbsp;context</li>
	<li>students learn a keyword as a specific part of speech in a&nbsp;sentence</li>
	<li>students realize they don&rsquo;t need to know every word to understand the gist of a&nbsp;eading</li>
	<li>they can apply this to reading material outside of the classroom (where there won&rsquo;t be a list of vocabulary&nbsp;words)</li>
</ul>

<p>It&rsquo;s up to the teacher to decide whether students can use their dictionaries or ask the teacher vocabulary questions during the reading, or just try to infer meaning from context. In my experience, students often feel pressured or frustrated when they have to rely on inferring meaning from context alone. Letting them use dictionaries in their own languages also discourages an English‑thinking mentality and may not be the best&nbsp;approach.</p>

<p>I&rsquo;ve had some success with answering vocabulary questions during or just after the reading, but if there are too many, then those students that already know most of the words can feel like their time is being wasted. However, context learning is a valuable skill, and it&rsquo;s good to try this approach at least once in a while. Remind students that in the real world, they won&rsquo;t see a vocabulary list along with what they&rsquo;re reading (nor will they always be able to consult their&nbsp;dictionaries).</p>

<h1>Approach #3</h1>

<h4>Vocabulary After</h4>

<p>Reviewing vocabulary after learning it before or during the reading is very beneficial. But what about saving all vocabulary discussion and tasks until after the reading? Some benefits to having the vocabulary task after the reading might&nbsp;include:</p>

<ul>
	<li>the vocabulary task might make more sense because students have seen it in&nbsp;context</li>
	<li>students can see how well they inferred the meaning of new words from context by completing a task and getting a&nbsp;score</li>
	<li>they will see which words they know well and which need more&nbsp;practice</li>
	<li>they can go back and see the word in context to help them if they still can&rsquo;t work out the&nbsp;meaning</li>
</ul>

<h1>Our Conclusion</h1>

<p>Why not have the best of all three worlds? A vocabulary preview task, highlighted vocabulary in context, and a vocabulary review task allow students to reap the benefits of all three approaches. Most of our lessons follow this&nbsp;format.</p>

<p>At this point, we are sticking with our vocabulary preview matchup task, but we have changed the instructions&nbsp;from:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Match the words on the left to the correct meanings on the&nbsp;right.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>to:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Match up as many words and meanings as you can. Check this exercise again after seeing the words in context on page&nbsp;2.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>We hope that this will give students a chance to learn some new words without feeling the pressure to get a perfect score. Students may find the following reading task easier with some background vocabulary knowledge. Teachers can also use this task to assess how many words students already&nbsp;know.</p>

<p>We always encourage teachers to try different approaches to see what works best for their students. For example, try one lesson as is, but try the next doing the reading first and introducing the vocabulary after (i.e., do the warm‑up, but then do the page&nbsp;2 reading before the page&nbsp;1 vocabulary preview task). Or present the vocabulary preview in a more interactive way&mdash;for example, try cutting up the words and definitions and having groups of students match them up. Find more ideas in this post: <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-ways-to-teach-new-vocabulary">4 Ways to Teach New&nbsp;Vocabulary</a>.</p>

<p>We will also continue to have a vocabulary review task or two after the reading part of our lessons. For other ideas on reviewing vocabulary, see <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/4-activities-for-reviewing-vocabulary">4 Activities for Reviewing&nbsp;Vocabulary</a>.</p>

<p>How and when do you teach vocabulary in class? Do you prefer previewing vocabulary or having students see the words in context for the first time? We&rsquo;d love to hear from you in the comments section&nbsp;below!</p>


When Should You Teach Vocabulary?

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<p>March 1 is <strong>World Compliment Day</strong>! Here&rsquo;s an activity to&nbsp;try!</p>

<h1>Warm-Up</h1>

<ol>
	<li>Introduce your students to the word &ldquo;compliment&rdquo; (<em>a positive remark about someone or something</em>), and explain that it can be used as a noun and a verb. While you are looking at the word itself, explain the difference between <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/compliment-vs-complement" target="_blank">compliment and complement</a>. (I always tell my students that the one that means &ldquo;extra&rdquo; has an extra&nbsp;&ldquo;e&rdquo;.)</li>
	<li>Ask your students to identify different things that they praise people for (clothing, hair, job performance, talent, design, hard work). Can they remember the most recent compliment they&nbsp;received?</li>
	<li>Explain that giving a compliment is a form of small talk. It&rsquo;s a great way to <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/92/lessons/1749" target="_blank">start a conversation</a>. Students can give compliments to people they know or don&rsquo;t know. When we visit a friend or family member, it&rsquo;s nice to give a compliment as part of a greeting. My sister-in-law finds a way to compliment me every time I see her. She&rsquo;s so&nbsp;sweet!</li>
	<li>Explain that we often use the verbs &ldquo;give,&rdquo; &ldquo;accept,&rdquo; and &ldquo;take/can&rsquo;t take&rdquo; with the word&nbsp;<em>compliment</em>.</li>
</ol>

<h1>Teach Useful Expressions for Giving&nbsp;Compliments</h1>

<p>Teach your students some common expressions for giving a&nbsp;compliment.</p>

<h2>Appearance</h2>

<ul>
	<li>You look nice today.</li>
	<li>I love your new hairstyle.</li>
	<li>That color looks good on you. / You look good in&nbsp;blue.</li>
	<li>Your dining room looks&nbsp;beautiful.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Work</h2>

<ul>
	<li>You worked very hard on&nbsp;this.</li>
	<li>Nice work!</li>
	<li>Good job!</li>
	<li>This is excellent.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Talent</h2>

<ul>
	<li>You&#39;re a great artist.</li>
	<li>You&#39;re so good with&nbsp;kids.</li>
	<li>You have a lovely&nbsp;voice.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Food</h2>

<ul>
	<li>You make great cookies!</li>
	<li>You&#39;re such a good&nbsp;chef.</li>
	<li>This pasta is delicious.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Indirect</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Your son is a great actor.</li>
	<li>Your mom has the nicest&nbsp;garden.</li>
	<li>I loved your sister&#39;s book.</li>
</ul>

<h1><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2615-giving-receiving-compliments"><img alt="Giving and receiving compliments ESL lesson from Ellii" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3071/content_Screen_Shot_2023-02-27_at_9.03.46_AM.png" /></a></h1>

<p class="caption">Are you an Ellli member? Try this ready-made lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2615-giving-receiving-compliments" target="_blank">Giving &amp; Receiving Compliments</a> from our Functional English section.</p>

<h1>Teach How to Accept a&nbsp;Compliment</h1>

<p>Your students will also need to practice accepting a compliment. The best way to respond is with a simple thank you and a big&nbsp;smile!</p>

<ul>
	<li>Thank you.</li>
	<li><a href="http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1798/what-is-the-purpose-of-using-the-word-why-in-why-thank-you" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Why, thank you!</a> <em>(with slight&nbsp;surprise)</em></li>
	<li>Thank you for saying&nbsp;that.</li>
	<li>I appreciate that.</li>
	<li>I needed to hear that. <em>(after having a bad day or feeling&nbsp;inadequate)</em></li>
	<li>You&rsquo;re so sweet.</li>
	<li>I&rsquo;ll tell her you said that. / She&rsquo;ll be happy to hear that. <em>(accepting&nbsp;indirectly)</em></li>
</ul>

<p>Explain that many people have difficulty accepting a compliment. They may respond in a <strong>humble</strong> way. They may also <strong>fish for</strong> more&nbsp;compliments.</p>

<ul>
	<li>Do you really think&nbsp;so?</li>
	<li>I don&rsquo;t think so, but thanks for saying&nbsp;so.</li>
</ul>

<p>Some people really can&rsquo;t take a compliment. They almost always respond to a compliment in a <strong>self-deprecating</strong>&nbsp;way.</p>

<h2>Examples</h2>

<h3>Example #1</h3>

<table class="dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Your cookies are delicious.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>They could use a little more&nbsp;sugar.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h3>Example #2</h3>

<table class="dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>Your presentation was great.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>Are you kidding? I was so&nbsp;nervous.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h3>Example #3</h3>

<table class="dialogue">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>A:</th>
			<td>I like your glasses.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>B:</th>
			<td>These old things? I&rsquo;ve had them&nbsp;forever.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<h1>Practice Giving Compliments</h1>

<p>Now have your students practice. Write a setting on the board (e.g., birthday party, school reunion, wedding, funeral, hockey game, staff meeting). Tell your students to imagine themselves <strong>mingling</strong> with friends, colleagues, relatives, and strangers at this event. They should walk around and give each other compliments about appearance, job performance, talent, clothing, food, etc. They should also practice accepting&nbsp;compliments.</p>

<h1>For Fun!</h1>

<p>After practicing giving and accepting compliments, visit the <a href="http://www.worldcomplimentday.info/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Compliment Day website</a>, and have your students fill out a World Compliment Day award for a classmate or&nbsp;friend.</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres/14/flashcard_categories/16" target="_blank"><img alt="A certificate with a compliment written on it" height="auto" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/250/content_Tara_Giving-and-Accepting-Compliments-in-English_Certificate1.png" width="320" /></a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.worldcomplimentday.info/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img alt="A certificate with a compliment written on it" height="auto" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/251/content_Tara_Giving-and-Accepting-Compliments-in-English_Certificate2.png" width="320" /></a></p>


Giving & Accepting Compliments in English

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<blockquote><p>&quot;Good quotes are timeless. It&rsquo;s as if someone just ahead of you on the path of life is turning back to give you a helping hand&hellip;&quot;</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Rolf Gates</p></blockquote>

<p>We&#39;ve been doing a lot of spring cleaning at ESL Library. This includes redesigning, updating, and editing many of our older lessons plans. In the warm-up section of most of our newly designed topic-based lessons, you will find a quote. Quotes contain memorable bites of English that your students can explore in detail. Here are five ways to use quotes while teaching English.</p>

<h3>1. Practice pronunciation</h3>

<p>Choose a student to read the quote out loud to the class. Correct any <strong>pronunciation</strong> or <strong>intonation</strong> errors. Explore&nbsp;<strong>word stress</strong> and <strong>sentence stress</strong>. Have your students practice saying the quote with emphasis. You could also practice saying the quote in a variety of ways. Try speaking quickly, slowly, or in unison. Our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/1469" target="_blank">Maple Syrup</a> lesson includes the following quote from Buddy the Elf. In the Christmas movie, <em>Elf,</em>&nbsp;Will Farrell speaks very quickly when he says the following:</p>

<blockquote><p>&quot;We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.&quot;</p><p class="attribution">&mdash;Buddy the Elf</p></blockquote>

<p>If you come across a quote from a speech, movie, or TED Talk, why not try to find an audio clip? Here is a great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS8MegEiKLk" target="_blank">clip</a> of this famous Will Farrell scene. In addition to helping with pronunciation, a&nbsp;quote may inspire your students to watch a full movie or listen to a full speech or song.</p>

<h3>2. Deconstruct sentences</h3>

<p>Deconstructing sentences can be a dull task when you use <em>See-Spot-run</em> sentences. Why not use interesting quotes to practice sentence dissection? Challenge your students to deconstruct the quotes that you come across in your ESL Library lessons. Here&#39;s a quote from our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/80/lessons/1401" target="_blank">Robin Williams</a> lesson:</p>

<blockquote><p>&quot;You&#39;re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn&#39;t lose it.&quot;</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Robin Williams</p></blockquote>

<p>Can your students identify each part of speech? What else can your students find in this sentence (e.g., a contraction, a modal in the negative form, the passive voice)? Can they rewrite this sentence in the active voice? First they&#39;ll have to discover who or what <em>gives</em> a person this &#39;madness.&#39; That should spark some discussion, too.</p>

<h3>3. Review grammar and usage</h3>

<p>Before you begin an ESL Library&nbsp;lesson, look at the quote to see if there is a mini lesson that you can teach inside it. &nbsp;Can you spot any common errors? When my students use &#39;one of the&#39; in a sentence, they often incorrectly follow it with a singular noun. In our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/81/lessons/1430" target="_blank">Niagara Falls</a> lesson, you will find this quote by Nik Wallenda:</p>

<blockquote><p>&quot;It is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world. Who wouldn&#39;t want to walk across it?&quot;</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Nik Wallenda</p></blockquote>

<p>Check for tips on&nbsp;common errors in the Teachers&#39; Notes at the end of our lessons. For example, in our revised <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/97/lessons/1477" target="_blank">Hockey</a> lesson, we included Mario Lemieux&#39;s famous quote:</p>

<blockquote><p>&quot;Every day is a great day for hockey.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Mario Lemieux</p></blockquote>

<p>This quote gives you the opportunity to review the common error <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/everyday-vs-every-day" target="_blank">every day vs. everyday</a>.</p>

<h3>4. Explore informal language (idioms, phrasal verbs, slang)</h3>

<p>Explore the literal and idiomatic meaning of words and expressions that you find in quotes. For example, in our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1944" target="_blank">Gender Inequality</a> lesson you will find the following quote by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg:</p>

<blockquote><p>&quot;We must raise both the floor and the ceiling.&quot;</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Sheryl Sandberg</p></blockquote>

<p>Use this opportunity to teach the expression &#39;glass ceiling&#39; (<em>an invisible barrier</em>). What did Sheryl Sandberg mean by &#39;raising the floor&#39;? Don&#39;t just rely on dictionaries to provide definitions and explanations. Challenge your students to look up words and expressions from quotes in context by searching for the word online. For example, according to this <a href="http://www.eryceyl.com/blog/2013/06/17/dont-just-raise-the-bar-raise-the-floor-too/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">article</a>, raising the floor means &#39;to increase the knowledge, skills, abilities, and capacities of the folks doing the work.&#39;</p>

<h3>5. Assign a follow-up writing task</h3>

<p>If your students write journal entries for homework, invite them to comment on the quote from a lesson you used.&nbsp;You could also challenge your students to find a related quote on the same topic (maybe they can find a better one). They could also research the person who was quoted and find out more about the context. For example, in&nbsp;our <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1253" target="_blank">Bullying</a> lesson we include a quote from Taylor Swift. Challenge your students to&nbsp;find out how Taylor Swift has been bullied by her peers.</p>

<blockquote><p>&quot;If they don&#39;t like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.&quot;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="attribution">&mdash;Taylor Swift</p></blockquote>

<p>Please share your <a href="http://thewritequote.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">favorite quotes</a> in the comments below!</p>


5 Ways to Teach English with Quotes

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Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

<p>Idioms are pervasive in the English language, especially in TV shows and movies. Almost all students love idioms, and they generally enjoy learning these fun, wacky expressions of ours. But English learners know that idioms can be difficult to learn and remember because the words or phrases don&rsquo;t literally match the meanings. Luckily, there are a variety of fun ways to practice idioms. Try some of my favorite methods below, and please share your favorite techniques in our comments&nbsp;section.</p>

<p>With St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day just around the corner (March&nbsp;17), we&rsquo;re featuring our <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2146" target="_blank">Lucky Idioms</a> poster this month. But the ideas below can be used with any list of idioms that you want to practice in&nbsp;class!</p>

<h1>1. Posters</h1>

<p>When you hang our idioms posters (or ones your students have created) around your class, your learners will be exposed to them daily. Being able to visualize the idioms is very helpful for retention! Our premade posters&nbsp;include:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2146" target="_blank">Lucky Idioms</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2147" target="_blank">Spring &amp; Easter Idioms</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2148/" target="_blank">Eye Idioms</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2145" target="_blank">Love Idioms</a></li>
</ul>

<h1>2. Make Your Own&nbsp;Posters</h1>

<p>Have students make their own posters! Choose a list of idioms, such as the &ldquo;green&rdquo; idioms from page&nbsp;7 of <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1867">St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day lesson</a>&nbsp;(Int &ndash; High Int). Get your learners to follow a similar style to our posters (e.g.,&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2146">Lucky Idioms</a>) where they write the idioms and draw an image that represents the idiomatic meaning (have them try to include the literal meaning as well, if they can). This creative exercise will help students visualize and retain the meanings, and you can decorate your classroom with all the&nbsp;posters.</p>

<h1>3. Skits</h1>

<p>Writing dialogues and presenting skits is a fun, entertaining way to practice idioms, and students will get a lot of exposure both by writing their own dialogues and watching their classmates&rsquo; skits. Break your class into pairs or groups and assign about five idioms that they must include in their dialogues. Try to have more than one pair/group use the same idioms&mdash;this will ensure students are exposed to the idioms a few times in different&nbsp;contexts.</p>

<h1>4. Matchup</h1>

<p>Write out a list of idioms and definitions that you&rsquo;ve been studying in class. Or, better yet, have pairs or small groups of students write out the definitions in their own words. Cut up the word lists, hand them to another pair or group, and get students to match up the idioms and meanings. You could make this a weekly task where students have to bring in five idioms on a certain topic (they can find idioms and the meanings on the Internet, but encourage them to write the definitions in their own words to demonstrate their&nbsp;understanding).</p>

<h1>5. Speaking</h1>

<p>Sharing a personal experience really helps to plant an idiom firmly in your students&#39; minds. Put students into small groups, give them a list of idioms, and have each student choose one idiom. They will then talk about (or make up) an experience where that idiom applied to&nbsp;them.</p>

<h1>6. Writing</h1>

<p>Use one or more of the idioms as a prompt for a story that students can write in class or for homework. Try having students share and discuss their stories in small groups the next day&mdash;it&rsquo;s a good way to include pronunciation and speaking practice into this writing assignment. When you check their work, seeing the idiom(s) explained in context will let you know if the student has truly understood the&nbsp;meaning(s).</p>

<h1>7. Quizzes</h1>

<p>Put students into pairs or small groups, and have them create a quiz for another pair/group. They should write at least five sentences that demonstrate an idiom in context, along with a blank where the idiom would be written in. Exchange papers with another pair/group, or make copies and have all the pairs/groups do one another&rsquo;s quizzes. Alternatively, to save paper, the pairs/groups could take turns writing their quizzes on the&nbsp;board.</p>

<h2>Example</h2>

<p>She _______ that she wasn&rsquo;t seriously injured in the car accident&nbsp;yesterday.</p>

<p><strong>Answer:</strong> <em>thanked her lucky&nbsp;stars</em></p>

<h1>8. TV Shows</h1>

<p>Thirty‑minute sitcoms are generally full of idioms! More advanced learners will enjoy watching a show together in class and making note of all the idioms they hear (make sure you make notes as well because they often miss a bunch). Go over the meanings after the show. See if your students can guess the meaning of the idiom based on the context of the scene&mdash;they are often surprised that they can, which gives them a lot of&nbsp;confidence.</p>

<h1>Related</h1>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1868" target="_blank">St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day (Beg)&nbsp;Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1867" target="_blank">St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day&nbsp;(Int &ndash; Hight Int) Lesson</a></li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/1226" target="_blank">Discussion Starters lesson plan on <em>Luck</em></a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/saint-patricks-or-st-patricks-paddy-or-patty/" target="_blank">Saint Patrick&rsquo;s or St. Patrick&rsquo;s? Paddy or Patty?</a></li>
	<li class="blog-post"><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/exam-tips-english-learners/" target="_blank">Break a Leg &ndash;&nbsp;7 Exam Tips for English Learners</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2146" target="_blank">Lucky Idioms</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2147" target="_blank">Spring &amp; Easter Idioms</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2148/" target="_blank">Eye Idioms</a></li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2145" target="_blank">Love Idioms</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Be sure to try our lesson series that focus on English idioms: <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/77/lessons" target="_blank">Everyday Idioms&nbsp;1</a> (A Love Story), <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/78/lessons" target="_blank">Everyday Idioms&nbsp;2</a> (First Year of University), <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/102/lessons" target="_blank">Everyday Idioms 3</a> (Moving to New York), <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/79/lessons" target="_blank">Detective Series&nbsp;1</a> (The Case of the Missing Ring), and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/101/lessons" target="_blank">Detective Series&nbsp;2</a> (False Alarm).</p>


8 Ways to Practice Idioms in Class

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<p>Your students may hate taking exams, but I bet they <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/7-reasons-why-english-learners-love-idioms/" target="_blank">love learning idioms</a>! Here is a list of 7 exam tips full of idioms and everyday expressions to <strong><em>lighten things up</em></strong> before exam&nbsp;time.</p>

<h1>Tip #1</h1>

<h4>Know the test format inside and&nbsp;out</h4>

<p>When you <strong><em>know something inside and out</em></strong>, you understand it completely. That stressful feeling inside usually results from the fear of the unknown. If you know exactly which types of questions to expect, you will feel more relaxed on test day. This will help you perform better on the&nbsp;test.</p>

<p>Visit official websites for TOEIC, TOEFL, or whichever test you are taking, and learn the exact format for each section and&nbsp;question.</p>

<h1>Tip #2</h1>

<h4>Be prepared for Murphy&rsquo;s&nbsp;law</h4>

<p><strong><em>Murphy&rsquo;s law</em></strong> suggests that <em>anything that can go wrong, will go wrong</em>. Here are some things that can go wrong on test&nbsp;day:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Your pen will run out or your pencil will break (bring&nbsp;extras)</li>
	<li>Your eraser will break or run out (bring an extra&nbsp;one)</li>
	<li>You&rsquo;ll need to use the washroom (don&rsquo;t drink too much&nbsp;water)</li>
	<li>You&rsquo;ll get thirsty (bring&nbsp;water)</li>
	<li>Your phone will ring (turn off your&nbsp;devices)</li>
	<li>Your nose will run (bring&nbsp;tissues)</li>
	<li>Your stomach will growl (eat a high-protein&nbsp;breakfast)</li>
	<li>Your mouse batteries will die (bring&nbsp;batteries)</li>
	<li>Your pants will feel too tight (dress&nbsp;comfortably)</li>
</ul>

<p>All of the above will cause you to lose concentration. For the best results, prepare for the<strong><em> worst‑case&nbsp;scenario</em></strong>.</p>

<h1>Tip #3</h1>

<h4>Don&rsquo;t let examiners pull a fast one on&nbsp;you</h4>

<p>When someone <strong><em>pulls a fast one</em></strong> on you, they try to trick you. The writers who develop tests know <strong><em>every trick in the book</em></strong>. (<strong><em>Take my word for it.</em></strong> I used to be&nbsp;one.)</p>

<p>When you are using practice materials, don&rsquo;t just study the correct answers. <em><strong>Take note</strong></em> of all of the common <em>distractors</em> that exam writers&nbsp;use.</p>

<p>Here are some common distractors (incorrect answer choices, aka&nbsp;tricks):</p>

<ul>
	<li>opposite of the correct&nbsp;answer</li>
	<li>close to correct, but not&nbsp;correct</li>
	<li>contains a key word from the text or&nbsp;listening</li>
	<li>common misconceptions</li>
	<li>common usage errors</li>
	<li>true facts that do not answer the&nbsp;question</li>
	<li>draws on personal experience rather than information&nbsp;provided</li>
</ul>

<h1>Tip #4</h1>

<h4>Read each question with a fine-tooth&nbsp;comb</h4>

<p>When you read something<strong><em> with a fine-tooth comb</em></strong>, you read for detail. Though some parts of an exam require you to skim and scan, it is important to read <strong><em>every single word</em></strong> of the instructions or questions. Don&rsquo;t make assumptions. Make sure you know exactly what the question or section is asking you to&nbsp;do.</p>

<h1>Tip #5</h1>

<h4>Find the meat and&nbsp;potatoes</h4>

<p>Another expression for the main idea is <strong><em>the meat and potatoes</em></strong>. Whether you&rsquo;re taking the IELTS, the TOEIC, or the TOEFL, you will have to read and listen to many paragraphs. Paragraphs always contain a single main idea. Before test time, become an expert at finding the main idea in everything you read and&nbsp;see.</p>

<h1>Tip #6</h1>

<h4>Go with your gut</h4>

<p>When you <strong><em>go with your gut</em></strong> you use your human instinct. Your first instincts are often correct. When it comes to multiple-choice questions, eliminate the answers you know are wrong. The process of elimination allows you to choose the best remaining answer based on your <strong><em>gut&nbsp;feeling</em></strong>.</p>

<h1>Tip #7</h1>

<h4>Dot the i&rsquo;s and cross the t&rsquo;s</h4>

<p>When you <strong><em>dot the i&rsquo;s and cross the t&rsquo;s</em></strong>, you check for errors. When possible, <strong><em>double-check</em></strong> your answers and proofread your writing. This doesn&rsquo;t mean you should <strong><em>second-guess</em></strong> yourself. If you answered C for many answers in a row, don&rsquo;t be tempted to change your&nbsp;responses.</p>

<p><strong>Break a leg!</strong><br />
Tara</p>

<h1>Glossary</h1>

<h4>Idioms and Everyday&nbsp;English</h4>

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th>break a leg</th>
			<td>good luck</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>lighten things up</th>
			<td>to make a stressful situation feel less&nbsp;stressful</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>know something inside and&nbsp;out</th>
			<td>to understand something&nbsp;completely</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>Murphy&rsquo;s law</th>
			<td>the idea that anything that can go wrong will go&nbsp;wrong</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>worst-case scenario</th>
			<td>the worst possible situation or&nbsp;outcome</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>pull a fast one</th>
			<td>to trick someone</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>every trick in the&nbsp;book</th>
			<td>every joke or way that exists to fool&nbsp;someone</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>take my word for&nbsp;it</th>
			<td>you should believe me (I&rsquo;m a credible&nbsp;source)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>take note</th>
			<td>to notice</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>with a fine-tooth&nbsp;comb</th>
			<td>in detail</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>every single one</th>
			<td>each one (do not leave anything or anyone&nbsp;out)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>the meat and&nbsp;potatoes</th>
			<td>the most important part(s), the&nbsp;basics</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>go with your&nbsp;gut</th>
			<td>to follow your instincts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>gut feeling</th>
			<td>a strong feeling about something or&nbsp;someone</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>dot the i&rsquo;s and cross the&nbsp;t&rsquo;s</th>
			<td>to check one&rsquo;s&nbsp;work</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>double-check</th>
			<td>to check one&rsquo;s work&nbsp;again</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<th>second-guess</th>
			<td>to doubt oneself</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
