Happy English!
One-Point English Grammar Lesson: Because vs. Because of
Apr 21st
A few days ago a reader wrote to me asking for help with because and because of. Today’s one-point English grammar lesson shows the basic difference between because and because of. I hope you find this helpful!
If you know anyone who has trouble with this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
English Grammar Lesson: Using Always to Complain
Apr 18th
He’s always bothering Jack
For today’s English lesson, I am going to show you how to use always for complaining. I’m sure you already know that we use always plus the simple present to talk about habits:
- I always drink coffee in the morning.
- Jack is always on time for work.
Well, we use always with the present progressive to express a person’s habitual actions that bother us. In other words, you can use this grammar to complain or show your annoyance about someone’s behavior. The nuance is someone is always doing something, and that bothers me:
- Mark is always leaving the lights on when he leaves the office.
- The boss is always micromanaging us. I wish he would just let us work.
It is also possible to use always with the present progressive to express a person’s habitual actions that do not annoy or bother us. You will need to think of the context of the sentence to know if the speaker is complaining or not:
- The CEO is always looking for new markets to expand our business. ☺
- The CEO is always looking for mistakes in our work. ☹
Now it’s your turn. How about trying to write an original sentence using some of the above patterns. Use the comment box below!
If you know anyone who has trouble with this English language point, why not help them out! Just share this lesson with them.
Thanks for studying today!
A Ticket to Write! ESL Students Learn English from The Beatles.
Apr 17th
I read the news today, oh boy! New research by Kaplan International Colleges has found that ESL teachers use The Beatles to help students learn English. In fact, 86% of ESL teachers play music during class to enhance lessons and help students improve their understanding of the English language. Among the ESL teachers surveyed, 40% of them play hits by The Fab Four such as Hey Jude, Love Me Do and A Hard Day’s Night during lessons to help their students learn English. It’s true here at Happy English too. For many years now, I have helped students learn conditional sentences by singing “What would you think if I sang out of tune,” the lyrics from A Little Help From My Friends.
The survey revealed that The Beatles were the most popular band used by ESL teachers with 40% stating that they used the songs hits by The Fab Four such as Hey Jude, Love Me Do and A Hard Day’s Night during lessons.
Paul McCartney’s son James thinks it’s great. “What a great way to learn any language–by learning through music,” he said. “Music is a universal language that can bridge the traditional language barrier, and the music of The Beatles has always been a bridge of love and communication.”
The Beatles’ influence on music and culture is still felt across the world today. The boys from Liverpool were the most played band in English lessons, ahead of other pop stars such as Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and Elvis Presley. Kaplan conducted the survey of more than 500 ESL teachers from 40 countries to learn what tools they use to enhance their lessons. The results of Kaplan’s “How to Teach English” survey have been published as Kaplan’s How to Teach English Infographic. The page has quotes covering all aspects of the research. Why not check it out now?
ESL teachers can find a wealth of teachable material in the Beatles’ music. If you have an example from your class, why not leave a comment here and share it!
