Lesson Links by Irv Leskowitz - July 2005
Burning calories with idiomatic expressions | Using BE to express past time
Spelling of words ending in -ING


COMPOUND WORDS

Add a word from List B to one in List A to make a familiar compound word. Write the newly-formed words on the lines below.  Each word (in both lists) may be used only once.

(From Tutor Handbook Supplement)

Exercise I:  Joining small words to form compound words. 

A B Compound Words
news  foot newspaper_________
any fish __________________
hub ladder __________________
paper place __________________
yard paper __________________
gold thing __________________
bed berry __________________
step back __________________
straw stick __________________
bare room __________________
fire cap __________________

Etc.

Exercise II: Splitting compound words into their components.

___in___+____to___ =  into

________+ ________ =  understand
________+ ________ =  downtown
________+ ________ =  broadway
________+ ________ =  newspaper

Etc.

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BURNING CALORIES WITH IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

The number in parentheses following each of the expressions below indicates the number of imaginary calories burned by engaging in the “excercises” listed. Does your student understand the meaning of each colloquial expression? (Source unknown.)

1…beating around the bush (75)

7…jumping to conclusions (100)
2…climbing the walls (150) 8…swallowing your pride (50)
3…passing the buck (25) 9…flying off the handle (225)
4…turning the other cheek (75) 10…jumping on the bandwagon (200)
5. ..sticking your neck out (175) 11…fishing for compliments (50)
6…grasping at straws (50) 12…tooting your own horn (5)           

Etc. You and your student could have some fun identifying other “exercises” and the number of calories burned by each.

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Using BE TO EXPRESS PAST TIME

Simple past tense of BE

Singular

Plural
I was   
we were
you were (one person)
you were (more than one person)
she was 
they were
he was
it was    

Exercise 1: Change the sentences to the past.

  1. Jesse is at work today. —>  He was at work yesterday too.
  2. Ahmed’s parents are at home today. —> They were away from home yesterday.
  3. We are busy today.
  4. Mahmud and Joe are at the gym today.
  5. It’s raining today.
  6. I’m doing my exercises today.   ___________                 

Etc .

Exercise 2: Using past time expressions.

  1. Louise is at school today, but she wasn’t there yesterday.
  2. Larry and Tira are happy today, but they weren’t happy yesterday.
  3. It’s warm this week, but __________________.
  4. Mozuki and Saari are at home today, but ________________.
  5. Libby is at her office this morning, but ________________.
  6. Ali is busy this afternoon, but _______________.

Etc.

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SPELLING OF WORDS ENDING IN –ING

Rule 1: A consonant +-e

—>
Drop the –e and add –ing.
smile 
—>
smiling
Rule 2: One vowel + one consonant
—>
Double the consonant and add ing*
bat
—>
batting
Rule 3: Two vowels + one consonant
—>
Add –ing; do not double the consonant
speak
—>
speaking 
Rule 4: Two consonants 
—>
Add –ing; do not double the consonant
end
—>
ending

*Exception to Rule2: Do not double w,  x, and y

            snow —> snowing        fix —> fixing                 play —> playing

Exercise 1: Prepare a list of words to which–ing is to be added.

Exercise 2: Ask your student to find –ing words in some printed material and identify the stem word.

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