Teacher Discussion Forums

The other day I was doing some gerund/infinitive work with some First Certificate students, and one said to the other, explaining the uses of "like" "hate" "love" "can't stand" the following:

"If it comes from your heart, use the gerund."

Now, this isn't 100% viable as an explanation ("want" comes from the heart and takes to + inf).

But, it got me thinking: I could really use a new arsenal of one-line explanations to get things through to the kiddies.

You know, of the style "I before E except after C"

Anyone care to suggest more? Could be a useful exercise

I'll start with a typical one, just so you get what i mean:


"You
tell someone, you saysomething" (except for stories, jokes, etc.)


Any takers?

I always say that tell is like look and say is like see, one is focused the other general.

I guess you could make it rhyme

Tell like look and say is like see the second's for all but the first is for me.

I'm sure you guys will think of hundreds of exceptions though.


I wrote this one for the problems people have with "Can I lend pencil?" Etc.

A poor man borrows a rich man lends the first receives the second sends.

I am new to this as well. This looks like the making of a great book to me.

One I have used involves questions on : MEAT and MEET, I like to say:

"One you EAT, the other you GREET"

For remember the difference between left and right ...

You write with your right, and what's left if your left.

(of course this doesn't work for 'lefties' like me!)

From headway pre-intermediate ... a short poem for irregular comparatives and superlatives:

good better best
never never rest
til your good is better
and your better best

Get the students to learn it by heart, then challenge them to make their own poem for bad worse worst

Finally - my beginner students were getting confused with using come and go. They'd say things like 'I go here by taxi', 'I will come home when the class ends', 'I will come to China for a holiday'

I get them to think about where they are when they speak and then remember 'come here' and 'go away'

Brian

Comics for your students: www.grammarmancomic.com

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