Some new idioms

Here are some new additions to the Idioms page: P, Q, and R. The letter Q is a little light on content, but that's because there just aren't as many words that begin with Q. Click here to go to the Idioms page.

Thanks to all my friends who write to me when they detect that I've made an error on my website. It really helps me make the website better. The fact is, I type about as quickly as I talk, so I don't always catch the mistakes that are made.�

Computer Problems

My computer needs some professional help, so I won't be able to do too much with the website, answer email, or post here. Sorry! In the meantime, keep going back to the website. 99% of it works properly, although there are a few pages here and there that aren't working. I promise big changes during the month of August, so be sure to keep checking back to see how things have changed.

Paul

Past Tense Regular Verbs

The past tense in English causes some problems for beginning and intermediate level students, so it's necessary to review regularly. There are two main categories of verbs: regular and irregular. The regular verbs add "ed" to the end of the verb in the past tense, while irregular verbs may change their form completely or not at all. Let's concentrate on regular verbs here.

Martha moved to Chicago last month. (statement)

Martha didn't move to Los Angeles because she thought it was too expensive. (negative)

Did she move to Chicago to get a job? (question)

To make the past tense negative, add "did + not" to the simple form of the verb. You can also use the contraction: didn't. To make a question, put "did" before the subject and then use the simple form of the verb. So, that's not too hard. But the pronunciation of past tense verbs is a little tricky. Here's a YouTube video that can help you out with that. Click on the first one you see.

The U.S. election in November

As we get closer to the general election in the U.S. this November, I'll post information about what's happening and I'll try to answer questions about why things happen. Many of my students are confused by the process of electing a President. Right now, all the talk is about who each candidate will choose for vice-president. This is important because it's the first big decision that a future President makes. It's also important because the person chosen becomes politically influential very quickly and may one day be a President himself or herself.�

Yet more new stuff!

I've added new material to both the Purple and Violet levels and to the idioms section. Be sure to check those areas of the website regularly, and if you have ideas regarding how I can make these sections better, or if you have questions about meanings, or if you don't understand something, just email me and I'll try to respond within a day or so. �

A new idioms page for the website

The idioms section of my website is growing quickly. Here's a link to idioms that begin with the letter "g."

The verb "get" is especially important to learn when studying idioms. If you look in a dictionary, you'll see close to a hundred different uses for this word. Americans like using "get" because it's simple and direct.

Modal Verbs in the Passive Voice

I took a few days off from working on the blog because of the holiday weekend, but now it's back to work. Here's a video that I made for the passive voice using modal verbs. Click here.

(be) supposed to

Click here to see a new video for "(be) supposed to." This is passive and it's a little idiomatic. It expresses obligation and responsibility. What are you supposed to do today? What were you supposed to do yesterday? Pay attention to how the verb "be" changes. You can use this in the present tense and the past tense, but that's about it. �

You can practice using it with a quiz. Click here.