Tenses=Headache? (part 1)

-
It is very common to find confused students when it comes to tenses. I mean...when I mention about tenses, it seems like all types of tenses come rushing into these students' minds at the same time. They usually know about the addition of 'ed' at the end of verbs in the simple past tense case, but often than not they are confused about the addition of 's' in the simple present tense (singular...plural...noun...verb...arghh!).

Apart from that, they are also not very sure about when or where to use which tense while speaking or writing. Struggling, they will usually mix all the tenses, making their speech or writing full with grammatical errors.

PRESENT TENSE

Noun

singular noun(-s)
eg: boy

plural noun(+s)
eg: boys

Verb

singular verb(+s)
eg: plays

plural verb(-s)
eg: play

The Sentence

singular noun + singular verb
The [boy] [plays] football.

plural noun + plural verb
The [boys] [play] football.

Popular posts from this blog

Tips to Write a Factual Essay for Continuous Writing, SPM (2)

-
Sample Essay What can we do to save the environment? (Continuous Writing, SPM 2010) Pollution has harmful effects on the environment. Since we are the inhabitants of the earth, each of us has to contribute to the prevention of pollution [general discussion] . We should accept personal responsibility and participate actively in making the environment, pollution free [thesis statement] .  First of all, we can participate in saving the environment by adopting the 3Rs of solid waste management: reduce, reuse and recycle [stating first point] . Reuse things that are still good to use and recycle things that you can recycle. Spend extra five minutes sorting out what is rubbish and what is recyclable [elaborating first point] . We can recycle almost everything these days such as plastics, glass, clothes, metals, newspapers and so on. Reduce the use of plastic bags by recycling them or not using them at all. We can use a basket, a rucksack or other bags for our shopping [providin
read more...

Friendship

-
Image
I had a best friend. Her name was Asma. We had been friends since we were in primary school. Our friendship lasted for a long time because we understood and trusted each other. We were more like sisters than friends. Asma was a beautiful girl. She had a lot of admirers at school. Even though she was beautiful, she had never boasted about her beauty. Her flawless face was heart shaped. She had an attractive pair of big hazel eyes with heavy lashes. When she smiled her eyes smiled too. Asma was tall and slim, just like a model. She always looked nice in whatever clothes that she wore. Her favorite outfit was T-shirt and jeans because she felt comfortable wearing them. Asma's skin was fair. When she stood under the sun, her skin would turn reddish.
read more...

Traditional Approach VS Effective Approach in Teaching Writing to ESL Students

-
Image
Traditionally, the teaching of writing can easily be reduced to teaching by correction – teaching after the event. Very often, the teaching sequence will be as follows: Discussion about the topic for the writing (providing ideas). Independent writing, with the teacher supporting as the students work. Work handed in and marked by the teacher, who identifies some spelling errors and makes helpful and encouraging comments on work. Work returned to the students. Often, when examining a student’s work over a period of time, several things become clear: there is a high proportion of brief, unfinished or poorly finished work the teacher’s comments and corrections seem to have had very little effect the writing does not seem to have improved much. Effective teaching emphasizes on teaching at the point of writing which focuses on demonstrating and exploring the decisions writers make as the writing happens . It is necessary for teachers to guide the students through the
read more...