Often in English we need to join two verbs together in the same sentence. When we do this, we can use different verb patterns depending on which verb comes first and here you'll find some of the more common verb patterns. In a TEFL class you probably wouldn't...
Pronouns in English Grammar
Pronouns are a closed group of words which can be used in place of nouns in a sentence. We replace nouns that are repeated with pronouns so instead of saying: William took the ball and then William kicked the ball. We say: William took the ball and then he kicked...
Verb Forms in English Grammar
This article introduces at the 3 main verb forms a verb can take: the infinitive, the present participle and the past form. The Infinitive The Infinitive is the base form of a verb. These are infinitives: love, eat, walk, be In English, the infinitive is nearly always...
Needs Analysis for TEFL Teachers
The Needs Analysis is a simple concept and an extremely important one at the same time. It is the cornerstone of teaching English and its importance cannot be underestimated. Essentially it is the process of assessing the needs of your students (or student if you are...
Body Language & Insulting your Students
As a teacher, possibly in a foreign country, you should be aware of the Body Language and Gestures of your host country so that you don't inadvertently insult your students. To take an example, in America and the UK giving a thumbs up sign means approval or "well...
Indefinite Adjectives in English Grammar
As the word suggests (indefinite = unspecified, unknown, indeterminate, undefined) Indefinite Adjectives give general information about the noun they refer to. Some common indefinite adjectives are: All Any Each Every Few Many Some Though indefinite pronouns and...
Gerunds in English Grammar
A Gerund is a special form of a verb. It's also known as a Verbal Noun and more informally, the -ing form. We use it when we want to use an action verb as the subject or object of a sentence. So essentially, it's a verb which acts like a noun (hence the name verbal...
Adverbs of Degree in English Grammar
Adverbs of degree (sometimes also referred to as adverbs of quantity) describe to what degree, level or extent something is done. In other words, how much. almost nearly quite just too enough hardly scarcely completely very extremely Like all adverbs, we can use...
Regular Adverbs in English Grammar
An adverb modifies a word, phrase, or sentence. It tells us more about them and changes the meaning slightly. Often we say it tells us how something happens: They are waiting for the metro. They are waiting patiently for the metro. In this example above, the adverb...
Beware of TEFL Scams
As in all industries there are, unfortunately, TEFL scams, too which prey on English teachers wanting to go abroad and teach. Whilst there are marvelously run English language schools, scrupulous recruitment agents and genuine TEFL course providers, there are also,...