Teaching ESL to Adults Blog

This ESL Blog for Teaching ESL to Adults lists all the updates to this site. I'll let you know as soon as I add new worksheets, cloze exercises, and grammar tips, etc. I'll also let you know when I find other great resources for teaching ESL and EFL.

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Jul 4, 2008, Tennis Player Makes ESL Error

I really love tennis. It's the one sport I never tire of watching. Wimbledon has some extra excitement this year as the Williams sisters will be competing against each other in the finals.

So how is this related to ESL or English? Check out this part of an AP article.

"After Dementieva ended her loss to Venus with five consecutive groundstroke errors, she was asked about the final and said she couldn't imagine facing a sibling, adding, 'For sure it's going to be a family decision.'

That was interpreted by some as a comment similar to what Dementieva said in 2001 following a loss to Venus in the quarterfinals of a tournament at Indian Wells, Calif., setting up a Williams-Williams semifinal. Asked to predict the outcome, Dementieva said then: 'I don't know what Richard thinks about it. I think he will decide who's going to win.'

Dementieva's comment Thursday was relayed by a reporter to Venus, who said: 'Any mention of that is extremely disrespectful for who I am, what I stand for, and my family.'

Later, Dementieva issued a statement through the WTA saying English is not her first language and clarifying her comments: 'What I meant was it is a unique situation for a family to be in, to be playing for a Grand Slam title.'"

I can totally understand how Dementieva could make this mistake. I can only imagine some of the pressure players feel when they have to address the press in their non-native languages.

Jul 2, 2008, Differences Between EFL and ESL

Differences between EFL and ESL primarily relate to where English is being taught. TEFL is taught in a non-English speaking country. TESL is taught in an English-speaking country.

Jun 28, 2008, Shamelessly Posting Some Praise

Linda from Spain writes:

"I just wanted to let you know how absolutely great I think your site is!

I have, actually, been teaching ESL for around two years. As an Englishwoman with a decent education, but not the qualification, I was asked to teach a group of people who could not afford classes. As you say, it has been the most amazing and rewarding experience.

During these two years I have relied a lot on the internet to research topics and to refresh my memories (my education was a long time ago!), but your site, which I only discovered this weekend, is far and away the best, the most practical and original. (I was so tired of exercises which presumed that the student, learning the present tense of a verb, had previously swallowed whole an English dictionary, for example! or supposed that they had a knowledge of "Western" cultures.)

I am about to embark on an online course, get a qualification and, hopefully, do this for a living, inshallah! I have no doubt that I will be returning to your site for tips and advice very soon!"

Thank you, Linda, for your kind words. It's emails like this that make it all worthwhile.

--Debra

Jun 13, 2008, CELTA Course Locations Around the World

Complete list of Cambridge CELTA Course Locations with contact information. Over 250 locations throughout over 50 countries.

Jun 2, 2008, Book on Starting an ESL Tutoring Business

I've decided to write an e-book about how to start and run an ESL tutoring business. I'll be referring to all the prior questions I've received, but I'd like this book to be very thorough, so I need your help.

Almost on a daily basis, I receive emails from folks asking questions about teaching ESL. Some of the questions are about teaching methods or grammar--most of those questions I answer with links to certain pages on my website or my stand-alone blog at www.esl-tutor.com.

I also receive many questions about the business part of running an ESL tutoring business. And lots of questions about how to get started.

Please use link below ("permalink") to send me questions you might have about starting and running an ESL tutoring business.

If you send me an original question, you'll get a free copy!

Thank you,
Debra

Jun 1, 2008, Duties of an ESL Teacher

Description of the duties of an ESL teacher in universities, community colleges, non-profit organizations, K-12, adult schools and private tutoring.

May 26, 2008, About Teaching ESL to Adults

Here's information about Teaching ESL to Adults and the ESL tutor behind the site.

May 24, 2008, Free ESL Worksheets for Beginners and Beyond

Free ESL Worksheets for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced English students. No membership required to download ESL cloze exercises.

May 22, 2008, Submit Your Site to Teaching ESL to Adults

Submit your site for inclusion in my list of quality resources for teaching English to adults.

May 20, 2008, One Reason Americans Wait to Open Gifts

Leeann in the U.S. writes:

"I think that we ask 'Should I open this now?' to when receiving a gift to save the giver the immediate awkwardness of expecting a positive reaction.

It's like asking someone to read a poem or story and then standing over them,waiting for their reaction. It may be unfavorable.

By asking, 'Should I open this now?' it gives both people an 'out' to let thereceiver open the gift in private and if the immediate reaction isn'tfavorable, then they can at least soften the blow.

That's what I think anyway. :)

Leeann"

Thanks for the response, Leeann! It makes a lot of sense!

May 19, 2008, "Should I Open It Now?"

I consider it a part of my responsibility as an ESL tutor to address cultural issues and especially cultural differences that enable my ESL students to understand "American culture" a little better. As most of my ESL students are very advanced, I don't often make culture the main topic of any lesson. Of course, it invariably comes up. There isn't really any way to avoid it! The student usually brings the topic to class.

The depth of our discussion about culture depends on the topic and the interest of the English language learner. I'm often able to explain the origin of many aspects of "American culture," the "why" of what we do, and a bit of history about the custom. To further our conversation practice, I also elicit information about the customs in the student's home culture.

Last week, a student stumped me by asking me the "why" of something we Americans do. She wanted to know why we often ask when receiving a present, "Should I open it now?" First, I was able to confirm that, yes, we usually do ask this question. However, the "why" of it was something I couldn't definitively answer. I speculated that it has something to do with economics and embarrassment. That the receiver of a gift doesn't want the giver to feel embarrassed about the cost of the gift, whether it is a costly or an inexpensive gift.

I'd love to hear some suggestions from other people familiar with American culture as to why we ask, "Should I open it now or later?" And I also welcome non-Americans to share their customs around receiving gifts in their home countries.

You can use the "contact" link on the navigation bar to the left to write to me.

May 3, 2008, ESL Search Engine

Use our ESL Search Engine for an ESL word search on the Teaching ESL to Adults website. Or search Google for more ESL, EFL, TESOL information.

Apr 30, 2008, Teaching Reading to ESL Students

Here's a list of steps for teaching reading to ESL students. How to prepare ESL reading activities. Teaching ESL reading comprehension and ESL beginning reading.

Apr 18, 2008, Using Tongue Twisters for Pronunciation Lessons

How to use popular tongue twisters for pronunciation practice and to teach English language learners minimal pairs and vowels sounds.

Jan 29, 2008, New ESL Teacher Starting Private Tutoring

Andrea from the U.S. writes:

Hello! I am a college student majoring in TESOL. I'd like to do private tutoring out of my home after I graduate in December. Do you have any good advice for someone who is interested in doing this? I've been doing an internship in a high school and will be going overseas for student teaching in the summer. I've found I am better at one-on-one instruction. Anyway, I'll be visiting this site more often, as it seems very helpful!

Hi Andrea,

I'm not sure if you were looking at ESL Tutor or Teaching ESL to Adults . On the ESL Tutor site, you can look at the list or Article Topics for things like "self-employment" or "meeting locations," etc. Incidentally, I don't recommend teaching out of your home; too many horror stories. Check out the Article Topics list and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to write again.

Good luck,Debra

Jan 28, 2008, Teaching "N," "L" and "R" to ESL Students

Penny from the U.S. writes:

Please help! I am a former French teacher volunteering to teach English to foreign adults. My Chinese lady cannot pronounce the nasal "N" as in nose. She says "L" instead. Is there some way to help her hear and say the sound?

Hi Penny,

Thank you for your email. L, N (and ng) and R are really difficult for Asian language speakers. I've even read that they (some Asian language speakers, Japanese, I think) cannot actually hear the difference. In my experience, I don't spend time training them to hear it, but rather, to say it.

What I do is use pronunciation books that have pictures of what their tongues, breathing, lips, etc. need to do to make each sound. I highly recommend the pronunciation book I refer to on this page ESL Textbook Evaluation. It has great drawings (I can't even figure out what some other books are trying to show), and explanations. It also shows you which sounds to teach first (e.g., N, then L, then R).

Good luck,

Debra

Jan 28, 2008, How to Correct Consistent ESL Errors

Ben from Canada writes:

Hi, I have been teaching one-on-one English classes to adults for a while. My classes are usually conversation based with some focus on form. One of my current students is a native French speaker and he has recurring problems with using have/has, do/does, and plural 's'. I correct errors and give him a lot of feedback; however these problems have become somewhat fossilized. I was wondering if you had any advice about how to stop students from making these same errors over and over again. I thought of getting him to write down the error when I correct him, but I am unsure whether this will disrupt the flow of the class too much. Thank you for your time.

Hi Ben,

I have the same problems with many (if not all) of my students. The "s" (either added or dropped) is particularly troublesome. I haven't found any magic key for these three recurring errors. I understand what you mean about not wanting to disrupt the flow. Depending on the purpose of the class, I often don't correct errors each time they're made, but take notes and then review errors every ten minutes or so.

I find that some students are more willing to work on specific problems (and actually make changes) if we discuss they "why" of it, or the importance of getting the "s" right or the "do/does" right. I often use humor to stress the importance. Also, if we decide that we are going to specifically work on a particular problem, I get the students' permission/buy in up front and let them know I am going to correct them each time they make the specific error we're working on. I think that by interrupting the speaker each time an error is made, then we can break that neural connection in the brain and start trying to build a strong and correct connection.

If you learn of any other suggestions, please let me know!

Debra

Nov 2, 2007, Best ESL Dictionary

The Best ESL Dictionary is not specifically for ESL. The best is Longman Advanced American Dictionary. I recommend it to all my students.

Sep 29, 2007, Voiced and Unvoiced Sounds in ESL

One of the first steps in teaching pronunciation to ESL students is teaching the concept of voiced and unvoiced sounds. This will help with past tense pronunciation and other pronunciation challenges.

Sep 27, 2007, Useful ESL Acronyms and Abbreviations

Most ESL teachers know what CELTA stands for (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), but do you know what DELTA stands for?

Check out this list of helpful ESL acronyms, abbreviations and terms for the answer.

Sep 19, 2007, How Much Do ESL Teachers Make?

This ESL joke gives you a general idea.

Q: What's the difference between a large pizza and an ESL teacher?

A: A large pizza can feed a family of four.

Aug 30, 2007, Practical English Usage

I am continually amazed by this incredible grammar book. Just about anytime an ESL student asks me "why," I can find an answer in this book.

Aug 28, 2007, "Will" and "Be Going To"

Both of these are used to talk about the future. Teaching ESL students the general rules about which one to use when will certainly help. But unfortunately, this is one of those areas of English that overlaps, so either might be appropriate at times.

Aug 23, 2007, ESL Students Using Contractions

Another of the "easiest" ways for non-native English speakers to sound more like native English speakers is to remember to use contractions. Saying "I'll" instead of "I will" or "I won't" instead of "I will not," will help ESL students to improve their speaking skills.

The trick for ESL students is to remember to use contractions. ESL and EFL teachers and tutors can help with this by reminding English language learners about using contractions.

Aug 22, 2007, Using Reductions to Sound More "Native"

Many of my advanced level ESL students tell me that they want to sound more like native English speakers. One of the quickest things non-native speakers can do to sound like natives is to use "reductions."

Reductions are things like "gonna," "wanna," and "coulda."

The problem, I find, is that it takes a while for ESL speakers to train themselves to use reductions, but the first hurdle they have to overcome is the discomfort, or awkwardness, when using them. I have to reassure them that, "yes," we all use them!

Aug 21, 2007, How Much to Charge Private ESL Students

I recently received an email from a reader taking on a new adult ESL student. She wondered how much she should charge her new student.

In the U.S., the best way to find out the going rate in your area for private ESL lessons is to check the "Lessons" section, under "Services," on www.craigslist.org.

You can limit your search to "English" or "ESL" by using their search feature. You'll find that the rates are pretty consistent, so it's a great guideline to use.

Jul 28, 2007, Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect is another fairly difficult tense for ESL and EFL learners.

The main point about the Past Perfect is that it is used to talk about an activity that was completed before another activity or time in the past. There will always be two past events or activities, or an event/activity and a particular time in the past.

Jul 26, 2007, Present Perfect Continuous Tense

After teaching the Present Perfect, the next tense to teach is the Present Perect Continuous (aka Present Perfect Progressive).

The main thing about this tense is that it is used when the speaker/writer wants to emphasize the duration of an activity in the past.

Jul 24, 2007, Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect tense is where it starts to get interesting. Students generally need more time to learn the functions of this verb tense.

Teaching the Present Perfect involves not only teaching how to conjugate this tense, but also the three functions of the Present Perfect.

Jul 15, 2007, Teaching the Past Continuous

After the Simple Past tense, the Past Continuous (or Past Progressive) is the next of the past tenses to teach ESL or EFL learners.

Before teaching English language learners the Past Continuous, teachers need to teach the past tense of the verb "to be." The past tense of "be" plus the "-ing" form of the verb will form the verb tense. But what are the functions of the Past Continuous?

Jul 14, 2007, Form and Function of Past Tense Verbs

Teaching the Simple Past tense to ESL or EFL learners involves not only how to conjugate verbs, but also the forms and functions of the tense.

The function of the Simple Past is fairly easy for English language learners to understand. Some of the confusion will come in when you teach the Present Perfect, as one of the functions of the Present Perfect is almost identical to the function of the Simple Past.

Jul 11, 2007, Present Progressive Verb Tense

ESL and EFL learners generally learn the Present Progressive (also called the Present Continuous) tense shortly after learning the Simple Present.

Of course, English language learners first need to learn how to conjugate the verb "to be."

Jul 10, 2007, Teaching the Simple Present Tense

The first verb tense that ESL and EFL learners are taught is the Simple Present (or Present Simple) tense. Probably the biggest challenge for English language learners is remembering how to conjugate the third person.

For more info on conjugation, form and functions of the Simple Present tense, click on the permalink.

Jul 8, 2007, Teaching ESL Verb Tenses

Teaching ESL and EFL students how to conjugate a verb is only the beginning of teaching a verb tense. English teachers also have to teach five forms of each verb (affirmative, negative, yes/no questions, short answers and wh- questions) and the function or functions of the particular verb tense. Click on the permalink for more information.

Jul 6, 2007, English Past Tense Endings

There are three English past tense endings that need to be taught to EFL and ESL learners. Most English language learners will know that regular past tense verbs are formed by adding an "-ed" to the end of the word. But when it comes to the pronunciation of the "-ed" ending, that's when most students have some trouble.