ESL with Neil

used to

Neil Keefe — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:35:53 +0000

“Used To” has two meanings:

Something that happened many times in the past, that doesn’t happen any more:

I used to drive to Boston every day. (But I don’t any more.)
I used to visit my uncle in Peabody on Sundays. (But I don’t any more.)

Something that you are accustomed to:

Isn’t the weather in Boston cold? Yes, but I’m used to it.
I get up at 4 AM every morning. At first it was tough, but now I’m used to it.
I have to get up at 4 AM every morning. No matter how long I do it, I’ll never get used to it.
Are your eyeglasses uncomfortable? Not at all, I’m used to wearing them.

Notice the difference between:

I used to wear glasses.
I’m used to wearing glasses.

The sound is very similar, but the meaning is quite different!

Should and But

Neil Keefe — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:28:45 +0000

Handout for March 23, 2009, “Should and But“.

You can say many useful things with “should” and “but”. Some rules:

If “should” is on one side of the sentence, then it isn’t on the other side.
If a negative (“not”) is on one side, then it isn’t on the other side.
If “should” is on one side, then the negative is on the other side.
If “shouldn’t” is on one side, then neither “should” nor the negative are on the other side
It isn’t necessary to repeat the verb in the second half of the sentence.

Even though the rules are there, don’t worry about them! Just practice the examples, until the structure comes naturally.

First rule: If “should” is on one side of the sentence, then it isn’t on the other side.

Should on one side:

should	but
I should study	but	I don’t.
He should be wearing boots	but	he isn’t.
They should visit their cousins.	but	they don’t.

Should on the other side:

	but	should
I don’t study	but	I should.
He doesn’t wear boots	but	he should.
They don’t visit their cousins	but	they should.

Second rule: If a negative (“not”) is on one side, then it isn’t on the other side.

Negative on one side:

	but	negative
I should study	but	I don’t.
He should be wearing boots	but	he isn’t.
They should visit their cousins.	but	they don’t.

Negative on the other side:

negative	but
I don’t study	but	I should.
He doesn’t wear boots	but	he should.
They don’t visit their cousins	but	they should.

Practice:

	but
They should _____________the violin every day		they ________________.
We don’t _______________ in the morning		we _________________.
He doesn’t ________________ his dog every day		he _________________.

Third rule: If “should” is on one side, then the negative is on the other side.
Should on the left, negative on the right:

should	but	negative
I should study	but	I don’t.
He should be wearing boots	but	he isn’t.
They should visit their cousins	but	they don’t.

Should on the right, negative on the left:

negative	but	should
I don’t study	but	I should.
He doesn’t wear boots	but	he should.
They don’t visit their cousins	but	they should.

Fourth rule: If “shouldn’t” is on one side, then neither “should” nor the negative are on the other side.

Shouldn’t on the left:

shouldn’t	but
I shouldn’t sleep in class	but	I do.
He shouldn’t be wearing sandals	but	he is.
They shouldn’t drink too much whisky	but	they do.

Shouldn’t on the right:

	but	shouldn’t
I sleep in class	but	I shouldn’t.
He is wearing sandals	but	he shouldn’t be.
They drink too much whisky	but	they shouldn’t.

Fifth rule: It isn’t necessary to repeat the verb in the second half of the sentence.

	but		unnecessary
I sleep in class	but	I shouldn’t.	sleep in class.
I shouldn’t sleep in class	but	I do.	sleep in class.
I don’t study English at home	but	I should.	study English at home.
I should study English at home	but	I don’t.	study English at home.

Many Uses of “got”

Neil Keefe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:56:11 +0000

Handout 2 for November 2, 2009.

“Got”, from the verb “to get”, is very common and has many meanings:

Something happened to you
Many kinds of movement
You received something
You arrived somewhere
You must do something

Here are some examples:

Something bad happened:	Afterwards something good happened:
He got shot.	He got treated at the hospital. (somewhere)
I got fired from my old job.	I got hired at my new job. (opposite)
She got stuck in traffic.	She still got to work on time. (arrived)
The coyote got caught.	He got away again. (escaped)
The house got hit by a car.	The house got fixed up, again. (by a carpenter)
They got in an accident.	But they got away without injury.
They got hurt.	They got treated at the hospital. (same as shot guy)
We got sick.	We got better. (opposite)

Many kinds of movement
Combined with different prepositions:

Received Something

Got up.

Got out of bed.

Got to the bus stop, but missed the bus.

Got on the bus, but couldn’t find a seat.

Got to work, but was late.

Got in the car, but couldn’t find my keys!

Got home, but couldn’t open the door.

Got into bed, but had to get up again.

I got a new stereo.

They got another car.

She got an extra bagel.

We got a gift card for $50.

He got a new bike for Christmas.

In Fast Speech, to mean “must” Native English speakers use “got to” very quickly, usually to mean “must”. Compare to the standard form:
Fast Speech	Standard English
Gutta go!	I have got to go. (I must go.)
Ya gutta move yer car!	You have got to move your car. (You must..)
I gutta getta new job!	I have got to get a new job. (I must…)
We gutta getoutta here!	We have got to get out of here. (We must…)
They gutta get goin!	They have got to get going. (They must…)

Present Continuous and Past Continuous, More Examples

Neil Keefe — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:11:45 +0000

Handout for November 2, 2009, “Present Continuous and More“.
_

Below are more examples of the present continuous (I am going), and a few examples of the past continuous (I was going).

The past continuous is used to describe something that was happening in the past, when something else happened to interrupt. The interrupting action is in the simple past.

Example: I was watching TV when he called.

1.	What is she ordering from the waitress right now?	A muffin and coffee
2.	What are you doing right now?	I’m thinking about dinner!
3.	When is the teacher leaving?	At 8 o’clock.
4.	Where is the teacher going?	To the next room.
5.	Who is the teacher talking to?	To Fernando.
6.	Why is the teacher crying?	Because he banged his leg on the desk!!
7.	Why is the student laughing?	Because she thinks the joke is funny.
8.	Why did the student laugh?	Because she thought the joke was funny.
9.	Where is Ruth meeting Harry?	At the mall. (present continuous)
10.	Where was Ruth going when she met Harry?	To the mall. (past continuous!)
11.	Where did Ruth meet Harry?	At the mall. (past tense)
12.	Where is Ruth going to meet Harry?	At the mall. (future!)
13.	Where are you going?	To class.
14.	Where did you go yesterday?	To the store. (past)
15.	Where were you going when I saw you yesterday?	To the library. (past continuous)
16.	Where are you going to go tomorrow?	To work.
17.	What is your boss telling you?	To work harder. (present continuous)
18.	What did your boss tell you?	To work harder. (past)
19.	What was your boss telling you, when the fire alarm went off?	To work harder. (past continuous)
20.	What is your boss going to tell you tomorrow?	To work harder. (future)
21.	What were you doing when you heard the news?	I was playing basketball in the park. (past continuous)
22.	Who were you talking to when I saw you at the restaurant?	To my friend. (past continuous)
23.	What were you talking about?	We were talking about the Patriots game. (past continuous)

Pronunciation of Similar Past Tenses

Neil Keefe — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:48:49 +0000

A few common verbs that look different in the present tense, look similar in the past tense:

think	I think about my future.	thought	I thought about my past.
teach	I teach a class.	taught	I taught a class.
fight	I fight the enemy.	fought	I fought the enemy.
bring	I bring the coffee.	brought	I brought the coffee.
buy	I buy the newspaper.	bought	I bought the newspaper.

In American English, the pronunciation of these past tenses is open and long. Something like this:

thawwwt
tawwwt
fawwwt
brawwwt
bawwwt

Also, notice the spelling difference between “taught”, and the other verbs. The sound is the same, even though the spelling is different (“au”, and “ou”).

Try to open your mouth and make a long “awwww” sound when you pronounce these words.

Short Sentence Practice

Neil Keefe — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:09:31 +0000

Handout for October 26, 2009.

Below are more examples of the difference between “say” and “tell”. as well as other common verb forms. Verbs include, tell, say, bring, believe, think, talk, leave.

I told him to bring the book, but he didn’t!

Did he bring the book? No, he didn’t!

I said to him, “bring the book”! But he didn’t.

He said he lost it.

He told me he lost it.

He said, I brought it here yesterday, but you weren’t here.

He told me he brought it yesterday, but I wasn’t here.

I don’t think he really did. I don’t believe him!

I talked to him about it.

He told me he forgot about the book.

He left it on the table.

He promised to bring it next week.

More short sentences, including some common uses of the future.

She told me they’ re building a new CVS in Peabody.

It’s going to be the biggest one in the area! (future)

I can’t believe they’re building it.

They shouldn’t build another one. There are already enough!

There are too many Dunkin Donuts too. It seems like there’s one on every corner.

Who buys all those donuts? Who buys all that coffee? (or eats, drinks)

He said once he ate twenty donuts. (or “He told me…..”)

I don’t believe it! (negative)

It’s going to be very crowded in Salem next week. (future)

I won’t be able to find a parking space! (future)

I would have gone to class last week, but I was too tired. (many answers)

You shouldn’t have eaten before class, but you did.

I asked the teacher for more time!

The teacher said “Sorry, you already had plenty of time!”

I had to leave early. I had an appointment with the doctor.

At the doctor’s I always have to wait.

He’s always late. It drives me crazy!

He told me it’s because he’s busy, but I don’t believe him!

Opposite Actions with “back”

Neil Keefe — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:36:59 +0000

Handout for Monday, Oct. 19, 2009

We practiced these in class again. Any questions, please ask!

Many action phrases have an opposite action phrase, that uses “back”.

Take them.	When you’re done, put *them back*.
She went out of the room.	Later, she *came back* in.
He left the room.	Later, he *came back* in.
He got up early but felt sick.	So, he *went back* to bed.
She took the book from the shelf.	When she was *done* with it, she *put it back*.
We went to Boston.	We *came back* at 8:30. (Or: We got back at 8:30.)
Last week I lent Pete $20.	Yesterday he finally paid me back.
The boy took the ball.	He didn’t put it back.
The boy took the ball from me.	He didn’t *give it back*.
My nephew went to Gloucestor.	Now it’s late, and he still isn’t back! (Or: …hasn’t come back.)
Sandra dropped out of school.	She **isn’t going back** in the fall.
Mary is home for the summer.	Next month, she’s going back to school.
Teacher, Frannie took my pencil!	Make him *give it back* to me!
I left my cell phone at the store.	So, I *went back* to look for it.
I’m leaving soon. Bye!	I’ll *be back* later!
They left Germany in 1939.	They stayed in Canada. They never *went back* to Germany.
Yes, you can borrow the book.	Next week, don’t forget to *bring it back*!
We left Spain ten years ago.	Have you *been back* since then?
They went hiking in the mountains.	It was too far, so they *turned back*.
I visited Haiti last year.	It was awful. I’m never *going back*.

…

It’s All about the Benjamins

Neil Keefe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:32:38 +0000

Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill, so “the Benjamins” has become slang for money. Rapper Puff Daddy released “It’s All about the Benjamins” in 1998. The song is about the importance of money.

Fun with Words and Sounds

Neil Keefe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:18:11 +0000

Handout for Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2009.

We practiced these in class. Any questions, please ask!

Some words that have the same letter combinations, sound different:
.

	But!	And!
now, how, cow	low, row, tow, know, snow
pull, bull, full	dull, sea gull
soon, tool, cool	wool, foot, cook, hook
mind, behind, blind	wind
tower, flower, power	lower, lawn mower, rower
count, mountain	country
monk, monkey	honk (a verb), donkey
our, hour, sour, flour	pour, four	tour
eye	they	key
does	goes	shoes
one, done	gone	bone

Adding one letter can change a word’s sound:

The same sound can be spelled in different ways:

how	show
now	know
own	down
to	toe
ear	wear, tear (the verb)
ear	tear (the noun)
ear	earn
here	where

to, too, two, glue, new

snow, owe, oh, dough

pull, wool

where, wear, hair, share, they’re, their

drunk, monk, hunt, front

oar, more, pour

beer, near, here

nurse, worse, first

eye, die, high, cry

money, funny, done, fun

Sayings

Neil Keefe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:15:21 +0000

Handout for Wednesday Oct. 14, 2009.

We discussed the meaning of these sayings in class. Any questions please ask!

	Meaning
When the cat’s away, the mice will play.	When the boss is gone, the workers will fool around.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. (Benjamin Franklin)	Getting up early makes you productive.
If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.	Try to make the best of a bad situation.
Haste makes waste. (Franklin)	If you do things too quickly, you will make mistakes.
He who hesitates is lost.	Take an opportunity when you see it. (See next saying.)
The early bird catches the worm,…but the second mouse gets the cheese!	Be quick to take an opportunity–but be careful too! (The first mouse died in the mousetrap.)
You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. (Lenin)	Suffering for some is a price to pay for a great cause.
In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes. (Franklin)	No escape from taxes!
Guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days. (Franklin)	Don’t overstay your welcome.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.	Don’t risk everything on one idea.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.	What you have now is worth more than what you might have.
Don’t cry over spilt milk.	Don’t think too much about past mistakes.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.	Accept a gift without criticism.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.	Be careful when you want to improve something that is already working.
A leopard cannot change its spots.	People (or animals) cannot change their nature.
Money is the root of all evil.	Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.
No news is good news.	Usually, news is bad!
No pain, no gain.	You must suffer to improve.

Yogi Berra

Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.

You can observe a lot by just watching.

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.