Lesson Links by Irv Leskowitz - October 2004
What kind of question is that? | Expressing present time | A capital exercise | Adverbs of time


PLURAL FORMS

Adding an –s to a word, in most cases, changes the singular form to the plural. 

Words ending in f or fe are exceptions to that rule. 

Exercise: Ask your student to examine the two examples below and to say what the rule is.  Then ask him/her to fill in the blanks. 

thief     thieves

 wife   wives leaf   ______ elf   _____
calf   _____  loaf   ____ knife   _____ half   _____
shelf   _____  self   _____  wolf   _____  

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WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT? 

Information question:  Where is your school located?    It’s in Greenwich.  

Yes/No question:         Is your school in Greenwich?   No, it’s not.

Exercise: On line B., write a question based on the information in line A.  

1.A. Tom eats lunch at the cafeteria every day.

  
1.B. Does Tom each lunch at the cafeteria every day?  Answer: Yes, he does.

2.A. Tom eats lunch at the cafeteria every day.  
2.B. Where does Tom eat lunch every day?  Answer:  At the cafeteria.

3.A. Jenny goes to school at SCSU.  
3.B. ______________________________  Answer:  Yes, she does. 

4.A. Jenny goes to school at SCSU  
4.B. ______________________________  Answer:  At SCSU.

Prepare additional items in pairs and ask your student to write both types of questions – Yes/No and information-demanding.

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EXPRESSING PRESENT TIME 

am, is, are = helping verbs; sitting = main verb

            am + -ing   (a)  I am reading a book  right now.

            is + -ing     (b) Joel is reading a book right now

            are + -ing  (c) You are reading a book right now.

Exercise: Ask your student(s) questions that require using the present progressive.

Examples:  What are you wearing today?   What is Fred doing now?  

Etc.

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A CAPITAL EXERCISE

Knowledge of five simple rules will help your student master capitalization in writing.

Rule 1a: Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence.   

Rule 1b:  If a sentence starts with a number, the number should be spelled out.

Example: “Four years ago…”  instead of “4 years ago…”

Rule 2: Capitalize the first letter of people’s names.

Rule 3: Capitalize the word I.

Rule 4: Capitalize calendar items: days of the week; months of the year; holidays and holy days.
(Monday; June; Columbus Day; Christmas)

Rule 5: Capitalize place names: parts of the world; countries and sections of countries; states; cities; streets; islands; mountains; lakes, oceans, rivers; public places and structures.
(Do not capitalize the when it appears before a name.)

(Asia; Canada; New England; Utah; New Haven; Main Street; Long Island; Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rainier; Lake Erie; Atlantic Ocean; Hudson River; West Rock Park, the Triboro Bridge, the Statue of Liberty)                                                               

Exercise:

P                                                          F            J
  1. people who turned out to see the fourth of july fireworks were disappointed when it rained.
  2. when fred and ruth arrived at central park, the halloween celebration had ended.
  3. the bridge across the hudson river was beautifully lit up at night.
  4. one of the most popular parks in the united states is yellowstone park in wyoming.

Etc.  Write a series of sentences – (your own creation or taken from some printed material – and offer them to your student for correction.

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ADVERBS OF TIME

always
usually
often
sometimes
seldom
rarely
never
100%
99-90%
90-75%
75-25% 
25-10%
1%
0%

Add the frequency adverbs to the sentences below.

I _____ eat breakfast.

 I _____ drink two cups of coffee in the morning.
I _____ get up at 7:00 a.m. I _____ speak English in the classroom.
I _____ eat carrots for breakfast.   I _____ watch TV in the afternoon.
I _____ have tea with dinner.           I _____ eat lunch at the school cafeteria.

Etc.

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