The Man Wearing Glasses: Relative Clauses Explained

To talk about people, places, and things we often use words called adjectives (smart, tall, nice, etc).
 Today, we're going to look at another way of describing people, places, and things: relative clauses . Look at the photo and passage below.

Miki: Wow! Great photo. Who are these people, Ami?

Ami: My classmates from English school, and my new boyfriend, Francois.

Miki: Really? Is Francois the man with the big, funny hat?

Ami: Ha! Ha! No, he's the one wearing glasses and a red t-shirt. Fiona introduced  us last month. The guy wearing a sombero is Gilberto.

Miki: I think I remember her: Fiona is the girl in front of Francois holding  a yellow smartphone.

Ami: Yes, that's right.

Miki: It  looks like you were all at a house party.

Ami: Yeah. We wanted to go to a place that wasn't smoky, where we could relax.

Learning English In Japan: Thoughts & Advice

99.9999% of my teaching experience was in Japan. So, I thought it was time to write a post on learning (and teaching) English in Japan.

We'll look at the options available and the good/bad points of each of them.

"have gone" vs "have been": What's The Difference?

A short, simple graphic explaining the difference between "have gone" and "have been" by FingerTips English. 

 

Please continue for a grammar review and a short exercise.

What Could It Be? The Language of Speculation

Look at the photo above. What is it?

It could be a DVD player.

It might be back of a new sports car.

It can't be a DVD player. 

It may be a radio.

It must be a smartphone. 

Please continue for the answer.

The Sound of English

 Ever have to be part of a conversation in your second language?

The video below is more for new ESL instructors and native-English speakers. The next time you're trying to communicate with a non-native speaker of English, remember what you learn from the video below.

Business English: Talking About Work Experience

 In today's post, we'll be looking at the language and grammar tools needed to talk about your work experiences (past and present). We'll discuss what to do, and not do, at job interviews.

Read the short passage  below:

James' Work Experience

I've had many jobs in my working life. In high school, I worked as a kitchen assistant in an Italian restaurant.  I was a customer service representative at medium-sized retail finance company for three years. Now, I teach English. I've been teaching English since April 2000. 

Question: When did James start teaching English?

Tenses: Time Lines & Examples

A graphic on past, present, and future tenses. Pictures can make language and grammar very clear, especially when we're talking about time. 

Please study the timelines and examples below.