Present Progressive

Today, I am telling my students that they are creating their own stories. They are choosing their topics and writing stories about them. I know my student Dara will ask if we are going to be coloring. I will respond by saying, "Yes. We are illustrating our stories in addition to writing them." My other student, Daniel, is always very curious. I know that he will ask, "What are you thinking about for your story, Ms. Goldberg?" I have definitely thought about what I am going to write about. Currently, I am pondering my favorite type of animal. I think I'll write about puppies to give students an example of what the book should look like. "Boys and girls," I will say, "you are using my book as an example." Later on, I will go around to each table to see what work they have accomplished. 

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I spoke briefly about an activity that I did with my class. Throughout the paragraph, I used verbs to express the actions that were taking place, such as telling, creating, choosing, etc. These verbs were used in the present progressive tense. The present progressive tense is used to express something that is currently happening. Verbs in this tense typically end in -ing. They also begin with a form of "to be," such as am, is, or are. 

Example: I am throwing the ball. 'Am' is a form of 'to be,' which is followed by the present progressive verb, 'throwing.'

Activity Time!

Activity 1
Fill in the blanks by changing the given words into the present progressive form.

1. Sasha is ________ (practice) piano.
2. Jeremy is _______ (bake) a cake.
3. Dina is ________ (kick) the soccer ball.
4. Ally likes _______ (make) necklaces.
5. Derek and Cara are _______ (cook) dinner.
6. I am _______ (brainstorm) ideas for my paper with Nina.
7. We are _________ (listen) to music. 
8. They are ______ (act) very silly.

Once you are finished, take three of the given words and create sentences of your own using the present progressive tense.

1. _____________________________________________.
2. _____________________________________________.
3. _____________________________________________.

Words to Know...

1. Create - To make something.
2. Brainstorm - A group discussion to come up with ideas.
3. Ponder - To think about something before making a decision.
4. Briefly - To speak about something quickly, or using few words.
5. Accomplished - The past tense of accomplish, which means to complete something.
6. Definitely - To be sure of something.

Activity 2
Questions 1-3
Use the words from the "Words to Know..." section to fill in the blanks below. Change all of the words from the present simple to the present progressive tense. 
Ex: Think -> I am thinking about it.

1. I am _________ (ponder) what dress I should wear later.
2. Jean and Clark are _________ (brainstorm) ideas for the school play.
3. She is _______ (create) a masterpiece for the art show.

Questions 4-6
Use the words from the "Words to Know..." section to fill in the blanks below.

4. I spoke ______ with Diane about lunch plans tomorrow.
5. Michelle said she likes chocolate more than strawberry. We are _______ getting her a chocolate cake for her birthday.
6. She has been listening to music all day; I don't think she's _________ much work today.

For more information on how to use the present progressive tense...

Answer Key

Activity 1
1. practicing
2. baking
3. kicking
4. making
5. cooking
6. brainstorming
7. listening
8. acting

Activity 2
1. pondering
2. thinking
3. creating
4. briefly
5. definitely
6. accomplished

Adverbs

I always go to dinner with my friends on Thursdays. We make sure to carefully choose a restaurant so that we are all happy. Once we get there, we make sure to order our food quickly. My friends and I are always starving as soon as we get out of work! I am currently running late, so I'll have to tell my friends that I'll be there soon. I know that my friends will be waiting for me to order; they will be very hungry. We'll have to order a lot of food to make up for my lateness!

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I explained that I go to dinner with my friends on Thursdays. Certain words within the paragraph were bolded. These words are known as adverbs. The commonly known definition of an adverb is, a word that is used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. However, the definition of an adverb is more complex than that. Therefore, instead of defining an adverb, it is more appropriate to explain the different categories that adverbs can fall into. These categories are:

Manner

These types of adverbs show how an action is carried out.
Ex: We ate quickly. 
Tip: These adverbs can be identified by asking the question, "how..."
Ex: "How did we eat?" Quickly

Frequency

These types of adverbs show how much we do things or how much things occur.
Ex: We always go to dinner on Thursdays.

Time and Place

These types of adverbs show time and place.
Ex: I need to go to the bathroom now. (Time)
Ex: Lexi went outside. (Place)

Relative Time

These types of adverbs give information about when an action or occurrence took place in relation to another point in time.
Ex: Zoe is currently staying in the city.

Degree

These types of adverbs are known as intensifiers or mitigators/downtoners.
Intensifiers make adjectives and other adverbs stronger, whereas mitigators/downtoners make them weaker.
Ex: The boys are very tired. (Intensifier)
We ate rather quickly. (Mitigator/downtoner)

Quantity

These adverbs are used to show quantity (how much or how little of something).
Ex: Layla ate a lot. 

Focusing

These types of adverbs are used to refer to something in particular, to express restriction, or to give certain information.
Ex: Everyone got an A, even Chloe. (Information)
Jared was just asking Shari to borrow a pencil. (Restriction)
I need the answers to the English homework and also the math homework. (Referring to info in particular)

Attitude Markers

These types of adverbs are used to express how we feel about events we describe.
Ex: Clearly, we want to invite you to the party tomorrow night.

* It is important to note that the meanings behind adjectives and adverbs are very close, but do not get confused.
Ex:  She's a beautiful writer. (Adjective)
She writes beautifully. (Adverb)
In the first sentence, "beautiful" is an adjective because it is describing the noun, "writer."
In the second sentence, "beautifully" is an adverb because it is describing the verb, "writes."

Activity Time!

Activity 1
Using the word box, fill in the blanks with the correct adverbs.

Word Box
obviously, even, a lot, very, currently,
now, outside, quite, usually, slowly

1. Kendal worked ______ yesterday. (Quantity)
2. Josh is ______ working in the city. (Relative Time)
3. Everyone got a ticket, ______ Mark. (Focusing)
4. Keira felt _____ sore after her workout. (Degree)
5. Lonnie is ______ tall. (Degree)
6. _________ we want you to come to dinner. (Attitude Marker)
7. Tara played tennis _______. (Place)
8. I'm starving; we need to eat _____. (Time)
9. He jogged ______. (Manner)
10. We _______ eat together on Fridays. (Frequency)

Now choose three adverbs and create sentences of your own!
1. ________________________________________________.
2. ________________________________________________.
3. ________________________________________________.

Words to Know...

1. Starving - Very hungry.
2. Jogged - The past tense of jog, which means to run slowly.
3. Referring - To mention something.
4. In particular - A term used to show that a statement applies to one person or thing more than another.
5. Modify - To change.
6. Currently - At the present time.

Unscramble the words to fill in the blanks.
Hint: The words that you are unscrambling are taken from the "words to know" section above.

1. Karen couldn't wait to eat dinner. She was ________ (ingstavr).
2. Intensifiers are used to ______ (yifmod) verbs.
3. I am ________ (crruenlty) working on our history homework.
4. Aaron didn't want to run, so he ________ (ggojed).
5. Out of all of her friends, Maya is closest with one _______ (ni larticparcu).
6. Laurel was ________ (ingferrer) to her math worksheet when she was explaining the homework.

Answer Key

Activity 1
1. a lot
2. currently
3. even
4. very/quite
5. very/quite
6. obviously
7. outside
8. now
9. slowly
10. usually

Activity 2
1. starving
2. modify
3. currently
4. jogged
5. in particular
6. referring

Verbs

Yesterday, I drove to the grocery store. I discussed what I needed to buy with my mother. She was depending on me to buy exactly what was needed. I knew that we needed apples, bananas, carrots, tomatoes, and milk. I enjoyed the drive to the grocery store because I was able to listen to my favorite music. When I arrived at the dairy isle, I could not find the brand of milk that I was looking for. After I searched for a few minutes, I found the correct brand that I was searching for. 

Grammar Point

The short story above describes my visit to the grocery store. All of the words that are bolded help you (the reader) to see what I did during my visit. These words are commonly known as verbs. There is at least one verb in every sentence. Verbs describe actions, as well as express existence, mental conditions and processes, and relationships.
Examples:
Action verbs: drove, discussed, looking, buy, find, searched
Verbs expressing existence: was
Verbs expressing mental conditions and processes: enjoyed
Verbs expressing relationships: depending

Types of Verbs

Main Verbs

• These verbs do not usually need to be accompanied by other verbs and convey the key meaning in any group of verbs.
• Ex: I drive to the beach.
• I broke the glass.
• However, when they do need to be accompanied by another verb, they are followed by objects or complements.
• Object Ex: Jamie ran a mile.
• "Ran" is the verb, followed by "a mile," which is the object.
• Complement Ex: We are late.
• "Are" is the complement verb, which is used to connect the subject (we) to the complement (late).
• Main verbs can also be used to describe events or states.
• Event verbs are used to refer to events that begin/end at a definite time.
• Ex: I broke the plate.
• State verbs are used to refer to existence, possession, or long-term mental states.
• Ex: The shirt belongs to Jenny. (Possession)
• Ex: I don't know her name. (Mental state)
• Ex: You have a pretty necklace. (Existence)

Auxiliary Verbs

•  Auxiliary verbs are used to create phrases containing two or more words (ex: has been sleeping)
• Common auxiliary verbs: am, is, are, was, were, being, been, have, has, had, do, does, and did.
• Ex: The boys are having dinner.
• Subject: "The boys"
• Auxiliary: "are"
• Main verb: "having"

Try It Yourself!

Activity 1 - Main Verbs

Choose from the verbs below and fill in the blanks. Once you are finished, use the same verbs to create sentences of your own!

Word Box
shot, ate, packed

1. I ______ dinner.

2. I ______ the basketball.

3. He _____ his suitcase.

Activity 2 - Object and Complement Verbs
Choose from the verbs below and fill in the blanks. Once you are finished, use the same verbs to create sentences of your own!

Word Box

scratched, stepped, felt, is, was

1. I _______ sad. (Complement)

2. John _______ his knee. (Object)

3. Sally _______ tired. (Complement)
4. Andrew ______ late. (Complement)
5. Bella _______ on the bug. (Object)

Activity 3 - Event and State Verbs
Choose from the verbs below and fill in the blanks. Once you are finished, use the same verbs to create sentences of your own!

Word Box
described, broke, belong, know, has

1. Sheana ______ a nice bracelet. (State)
2. Kyle doesn't ______ her name. (State)
3. The shoes ______ to Maria. (State)
4. She ______ the glass. (Event)
5. Luke ______ the movie to his mom last night. (Event)

Activity 4 - Auxiliary Verbs
Choose from the verbs below and fill in the blanks. Once you are finished, use the same verbs to create sentences of your own!

Word Box
has, is, are

1. The boys _____ being childish.
2. Ariana _____ been outside all day.
3. Kayla ______ acting silly.

Words to Know...

1. Discussed - the past tense of discuss, which means to talk about something.

2. Depending - the continuous tense of depend, which means to rely on.

3. Arrived - the past tense of arrive, which means to show up at a location.

4. Searching - the continuous tense of search, which means to look for.

5. Accompanied - the past tense of accompany, which means to go somewhere with someone.

6. Convey - to make a thought known or understandable.

Activity 5

Complete the following activity by unscrambling the words.

Hint: the words that are being unscrambled are taken from the "words to know" section above

1. Hilary _______ (ccaompieand) George on the bus to school.

2. The teacher tried to ______ (eyoncv) her thoughts to the class.

3. After an hour of driving, they finally ______ (devarri) at the mall.

4. Theo spent all afternoon _______ (ingchsear) for his math book.

5. Oliver called Nicole yesterday. They ________ (eddissscu) the issue they were having.

6. Ally was ______ (penddeing) on Carl to pick her up.

Answer Keys

Activity 1

1. ate

2. shot

3. packed

Activity 2

1. felt

2. scratched

3. is/was

4. is/was

5. stepped

Activity 3

1. has

2. know

3. belong

4. broke

5. described

Activity 4

1. are

2. has

3. is

Activity 5

1. accompanied

2. convey

3. arrived

4. searching

5. discussed

6. depending

References

Parrott, M. (2010). Grammar for English language teachers (2 nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

"Quotation Marks?"

Yesterday, I spoke to one of my students about using quotation marks. "Why do we need to use quotation marks?" questioned Jonathan, looking utterly confused. "Well," I began, "we need quotation marks for many reasons." I explained to Jonathan that we use quotation marks to signify dialogue in our writing, to represent direct quotes, or to use around titles of poems, songs, essays, and much more. "So, if I were to write down the title of my essay, 'My Great Adventure,' I would put quotation marks around it?" the student asked, this time more confidently. "Yes!" I exclaimed, feeling prideful in both myself and Jonathan. With that, I knew Jonathan would be able to correctly use quotation marks from then on.

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I talked about my interaction with one of my students. This student was curious about the use of quotation marks and wanted to know how to use them. Quotation marks are used for many reasons.
* They are used around words that are said aloud, in a dialogue.
For example: Jonathan asked, "Why do we need to use quotation marks?" Quotation marks were used here to represent something that was said aloud by Jonathan.
* They are used around words that are taken as direct quotes from a text.
For example: We would use quotes in this case to quote a line from a poem. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/And sorry I could not travel both" (Robert Frost, 1-2).
* We use quotation marks around the titles of short works, such as poems, essays, short stories, songs, article titles, chapter titles, TV episodes, and radio episodes.
For example: If I were to reference the title of a short story I wrote, I would write it as, "The Confident Student."
*** Single quotation marks are used when we are using a quote within a quote.
For example: The sentence where Jonathan said, "So, if I were to write down the title of my essay, 'My Great Adventure,' I would put quotation marks around it?" In this case, we put quotation marks around Jonathan's speech to signify dialogue. However, we also put single quotes around Jonathan's Essay.

Tip: When a quote ends at the same time as the sentence, the punctuation mark always remains inside the quotation mark.
For example: I love the poem, "The Train." The period stays within the quotation mark at the end of the sentence.

Activity Time!

Activity 1

Fix the following sentences by filling in quotation marks appropriately.

Example: Wow! What a great boat, said Oliver.

Answer: "Wow! What a great boat," said Oliver.

1. I love your cat. She's so fluffy! exclaimed Jenna.

2. Why are you so upset? questioned Ted's mother, noticing the tears in his eyes.

3. So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay (Robert Frost, 6-8).

4. The short story, The Cupcake, was very entertaining.

5. Connor really enjoyed Shari's essay, The U.S. Government. He thought it was really interesting.

6. Anna! Have you read the poem, The Canoe? It's great! said Mark excitedly.

Words to Know

1. Exclaimed - The past tense of exclaim, which means to yell out loud.

2. Questioned - The past tense of question, which means to ask about something.

3. Enjoyed - The past tense of enjoy, which means to take pleasure in something.

4. Noticed - To become aware of something.

5. Sank - The past tense of sink. To sink means to go below the surface of something, or to drop down. In this case, we are not referring to the object (the kitchen sink).

6. Grief - Deep sadness.

Activity 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words. Use words from the "Words to Know" list above.

1. Kyle felt much _____ after his dog passed away.

2. "Wow! This is amazing!" ________ Patrick after opening his birthday present.

3. Brianna really ______ going to the football game with her dad last weekend. She had so much fun!

4. After Kristina's baseball fell into the pool, it _____ to the bottom.

5. Gina _____ that Isabella got a haircut because her hair was much shorter.

6. "What's in the box?" ______ Lily after shaking it.

Answer Key

Activity 1

1. "I love your cat. She's so fluffy!" exclaimed Jenna.

2. "Why are you so upset?" questioned Ted's mother, noticing the tears in his eyes.

3. "So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay" (Robert Frost, 6-8).

4. The short story, "The Cupcake," was very entertaining.

5. Connor really enjoyed Shari's essay, "The U.S. Government." He thought it was really interesting.

6. "Anna! Have you read the poem, 'The Canoe?' It's great!" said Mark excitedly.

Activity 2

1. Kyle felt much grief after his dog passed away.

2. "Wow! This is amazing!" exclaimed Patrick after opening his birthday present.

3. Brianna really enjoyed going to the football game with her dad last weekend. She had so much fun!

4. After Kristina's baseball fell into the pool, it sank to the bottom.

5. Gina noticed that Isabella got a haircut because her hair was much shorter.

6. "What's in the box?" questioned Lily after shaking it.

Comparatives & Superlatives

Many people spend their days working different types of jobs. Some may even say that their jobs are enjoyable, but I think mine is the most enjoyable. I spend my work days teaching a class of first grade students. One of the other teachers says that her students are nice, but I believe that mine are nicer. Yesterday, we had to complete a project, where all students had to get into height order. One of my students, named Jamie, asked me where she should reside. I told her that she needed to stand in front of Callie. Jamie is tall, but Callie is taller. When Callie asked where she should stand, I told her to stand in front of Harper. Callie may be taller than Jamie, but Harper is the tallest. When we had to figure out who should stand at the front of the line, we all agreed that it would be Daniel, Ethan, and then Ashley. While Ashley is short, Ethan is shorter. However, Daniel is shortest, which is why he belongs at the front of the line.

** Real student names were not used in the paragraph above.

Grammar Point

In the paragraph above, I used comparative and superlative adjectives to describe my students. We all remember what adjectives are, right? Incase anyone forgot, adjectives are words that are used to describe nouns.

Comparatives are used to compare one noun to another. For example, if we were comparing Bill to Roger, we could say that Bill is a friendly boy, but Roger is friendlier. We could also say that the sun was bright yesterday, but today it is brighter.

* Sometimes, different endings are used to make an adjective a comparative adjective. View the following chart:

When we use superlatives, we are comparing three or more nouns. For example, if we wanted to compare different flavors of ice cream, we could say that vanilla is sweet, chocolate is sweeter, and strawberry is sweetest. In doing so, we are using a superlative adjective to say that strawberry ice cream is the sweetest out of the three choices.

* Sometimes, different endings are used to make an adjective into a superlative adjective. View the following chart:

Activity Time!

Part 1

Read the following sentences and circle the correct form of the comparative or superlative adjective.

1. Isabella has a (biggest/big/bigger) bike than Gianna.

2. The pot with boiling water in it feels (hot/hotter/hottest) than the pot with cool water.

3. The sidewalk on Bryan's street is (wide/wider/widest) than the sidewalk on Jennifer's street.

4. Jake is (funny/funnier/funniest) than Sophia.

5. Lidia is (beautiful/more beautiful/the most beautiful) than Celina.

6. Jason is the (old/older/oldest) sibling in his family, whereas Stacy is the (young/younger/youngest).
7. Alison is the (happy/happier/happiest) girl in the entire school.
8. Between Nora, Cindy, and Linda, Nora lives (far/farther/the farthest) from the school.

Part 2

Answer the following questions by referring to the sentences in part 1. Circle whether the answers you chose were comparative or superlative adjectives.

Example: 1. Comparative/Superlative (bigger)
2. Comparative/Superlative
3. Comparative/Superlative
4. Comparative/Superlative
5. Comparative/Superlative
6. Comparative/Superlative
7. Comparative/Superlative
8. Comparative/Superlative

Part 3

Words to Know...

Complete - to finish

Boiling - very hot

Enjoyable - to take pleasure in

Reside - to stand, to be located, or to live in one place/area

Referring (refer) - to mention or speak about something

Comparing (compare) - to point out the similarities/dissimilarities between two things

Substitute the words in parenthesis in the following sentences for the correct word in the Word Bank.

1. My mom said that I can watch TV once my homework is ______ (finished).

2. The sun was so strong today that I felt like my skin was ______ (very hot).

3. I attended a concert last night and had a very _______ (pleasurable) time.

4. When my students had to arrange themselves in height order, Jamie was unsure of where she should _____ (stand) in the line.

5. After Kylie bought new sneakers, she started ____ (pointing out similarities/dissimilarities) them to Sara's new sneakers.

6. After Peter described the kind of watch that he wanted, his mother asked if he was ______ (to mention/speak about) to the same watch that Dylan had.

Word Bank

Complete

Comparing

Reside

Referring

Boiling

Enjoyable

Answer Keys

Part 1
1. Bigger 
2. Hotter 
3. Wider
4. Funnier
5. More beautiful
6. Oldest
7. Happiest
8. The farthest

Part 2
1. Comparative
2. Comparative
3. Comparative
4. Comparative
5. Comparative
6. Superlative
7. Superlative
8. Superlative

Part 3
1. Complete
2. Boiling
3. Enjoyable
4. Reside
5. Comparing
6. Referring

My Amazing, Loving, Fun Family

My Amazing, Loving, Fun Family

Everyone has people in their lives that they cannot live without. Whether it is their intelligent best friend, their loving boyfriend, or their fashionable sister, these people are what make life more enjoyable. To me, family is everything. They are what make my days better and easier. My tall, athletic, funny, and silly brother is someone that I can easily call my best friend. We have grown up together, laughed together, and cried together, and that is something that not everyone has, especially those who are only children. My beautiful, caring mother is someone that I have always gone to whenever I had a problem. Lastly, my dad is the man that holds our family together. He is kind, generous, and strong. Aside from my immediate family, my two beautiful cousins are the closest things that I have as sisters. I talk to them almost every day and we always have long, funny conversations. The family members that I have in my life are fantastic people!

Grammar Point

In the section above, I discussed my family and told you exactly why I could not live without them. The words that are bolded are words that I used to describe each member of my family. These words are commonly known as adjectives. An adjective is another word that is used to make a noun more specific. For example: The short boy. The tall woman. The pretty girl. The handsome man. All of the bolded words are used to describe the nouns that they are attached to.

Activity Time!

Activity 1.

Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with adjectives from the word bank.

1. The _______ boy had trouble reaching the top shelf.

2. Last night, John took Ally to a _______ movie. They couldn't stop laughing!

3. The ______ girl looked down at her short sister.

4. Bella was afraid that the ______ dog would bite her.

5. Jenna enjoyed her cup of _____ ices.

6. Anthony had to clean his _____ boots after walking through the mud.

Word Bank

Funny

Scary

Frozen

Tall

Short

Dirty

Activity 2.

Look at the following pictures and circle the adjective that describes it best.

a. Small

b. Spotted

c. Blue

a. Pretty
b. Tall
c. Yellow

a. Black
b. Boring
c. Cute

a. Delicious
b. Scary
c. Funny

Words to Know...

Delicious - Very tasty.

Generous - Kind/not selfish.

Immediate Family - Members of one's family, such as parents, grandparents, children, and siblings.

Intelligent - Very smart.

Discuss - To talk about.

Afraid - Scared.

Activity 3.

Fill in the following blanks with one of the words above from the "words to know" section.

1. My sister is a part of my ______.

2. There is no need to be ______ of the dark!

3. Jimmy always gets A's on his tests. He is a very ______ boy.

4. Anna always gives snacks to classmates that forget to bring lunch. She is a ______ person.

5. My mom makes ______ spaghetti and meatballs for dinner on Sundays. 

6. Katie didn't do such a great job on her test. Her parents would like to ______ her grades with her when she gets home from school.

Answer Keys

Activity 1.

1. Short

2. Funny

3. Tall

4. Scary

5. Frozen

6. Dirty

Activity 2.

1. b

2. c

3. c

4. a

Activity 3.

1. Immediate family

2. Afraid

3. Intelligent

4. Generous

5. Delicious

6. Discuss