English And Grammar Courses

  Being able to use the correct tense when communicating with others is essential. We often use more than one tense when talking to others so it is important that our students have the confidence to be able to know which tense to use in any given situation. For the teaching idea in this video a card game is used to give students the opportunity to ask questions and give answers using more than one tense, in particular reinforcing the Present Perfect Continuous tense. The activity requires the students to work in pairs, taking it in turns to ask a question and give a correct answer. Each card will have a result and a reason, and one student will be required to form the correct question and the other student the correct answer. ITTT offers a variety of TEFL courses. For example, for...  [Read more]

  This video looks at how two present tenses can be used to talk about the future. The two tenses are the present simple and present continuous. The present simple is used to talk about time tables and scheduled events. The bus leaves at 12. The concert starts at 8. The present continuous is used to talk about future arrangements. I am playing football at the weekend. ITTT's online TESOL courses feature other videos explaining the future tense as well as other important grammar points needed by all potential English teachers. To find a TESOL course that is best suited to your needs visit us by following the link above. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down...  [Read more]

  This video reviews the four future tenses; the future simple, future continuous, future perfect and future perfect continuous. The future simple: Subject + will + base verb Used for predictions without evidence/threats/promises/spontaneous decisions. I'll have an orange juice. The future continuous: Subject + will + be + present participle Used for actions in progress at a particular time in the future. This time next year, I'll be teaching English in Thailand. The future perfect: Subject + will + have + past participle Used for actions completed before a certain time in the future. I'll have finished my TESOL course by the end of the month. The future perfect continuous: Subject + will + have + been + present participle Used for talking about the duration of an action...  [Read more]

  This video explores the usages of the Present Perfect Continuous -- the tense that relates past activities to the present. It implies that the activity is likely to continue in the future or that the activity was in progress for some length of time, or both. The first usage is to talk about an incomplete and ongoing activity, when we want to say how long it has continued. For example, "I have been teaching for ten years." It talks about an action that started in the past and is continuing now. The second usage is to describe recently finished activities that have present results. For example, "He is tired because he has been chopping trees." It is talking about an action that was continuing until very recently. The Present Perfect Continuous emphasizes the action or the...  [Read more]

  This ITTT video outlines the structure of the Present Perfect Continuous tense, the tense that is used for events which started in the past and are still continuing, or which have stopped, but whose effects are still ongoing. This one of two videos -- this one focuses on the structure of the positive and negative forms. Positive form: subject + auxiliary verb 'have'/'has' + been + present participle I have been working for ten years. Negative form: subject + auxiliary verb 'have'/'has' + not +been + present participle She has not been working here for some time. It is essential for any TESOL course to provide teachers with a sound knowledge of the English language tense system and to give teachers the confidence to present productive, meaningful and correct information to...  [Read more]

  The teaching idea covered here is one that would be appropriate for adult English language learners. It involves students writing a CV including personal data such as where they were born, their education history and their work experience. This activity could be a precursor to a job interview activity where students interview each other for different jobs using information from their CVs. By taking one of ITTT's TESOL courses you will learn useful teaching ideas such as the one covered in this video. There are number of options available to study from short 60-hour introductory courses to longer 120-hour TESOL courses. It is also possible to take ITTT's TESOL courses in-class at any one of our training centres around the world. Please visit the link above for more information...  [Read more]

  This video covers the structure of the future perfect continuous. Other videos look at the usage and possible teaching ideas. The structure is as follows: Positive -- Subject + will + have + been + present participle By the end of this week, I will have been teaching English for three years. Negative -- Subject + will + not + have + been + present participle I won't have been waiting long by the time you get here. Question -- Will + subject + have + been + present participle? How long will you have been teaching English in Korea by the time you leave? One thing that worries many people thinking about teaching English as a foreign language is the grammar side of things. Most simply won't have been taught the ins and outs of English Grammar while they were at school. ITTT's...  [Read more]

  In this video we look at the last of three teaching ideas for the past simple. This is a two part exercise that involves students initially guessing the answer to a given question before taking a poll on what the real answers is. This is idea is one of many that can be learned on one of ITTT's online TEFL courses. There are number of options available to study from short 60-hour introductory courses to longer 120-hour TEFL courses. It is also possible to take ITTT's TEFL courses in-class at one of many locations around the world. Please visit the link above for more information about the courses ITTT provides to help you become an English teacher. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our...  [Read more]

  The teaching idea in this video is for the past continuous involves students miming an action; however, unlike the mime activity for the present continuous students will not be doing the mimes for others to see. Instead they will stop the mime before the other students open their eyes. The students will then have to say what their classmates were doing before they stopped. For example: You were driving a car. You were eating a sandwich. Being able to come up with interesting teaching ideas for what students often see as boring grammar points is an important skill for any English teacher. Taking an online TEFL course with ITTT will give you an understanding of the grammar points that you need to teach when starting out as a new teacher of English and will also give you some great...  [Read more]

  In this online TESOL course video we will look at a useful teaching idea for the past perfect tense. Students are given statements written in the past simple and will have to complete the statement with sentences in the past perfect. Each statement would have been cut out before the class and distributed to pairs or small groups. The student will turn over their card, read out the statement then complete it with their own past perfect sentence. For example: I didn't do my homework ... because I hadn't brought my book home. Teaching ideas such as this become an important part of an English teacher's resources, enabling them to create interesting plans when required. To learn more about this tense and others consider taking one of ITTT's online TESOL courses. Follow the link above...  [Read more]

  This video explores the structure and usage of the past simple tense. The different structures of this tense are: Positive: Add --ed or --d to the base form of the verb She worked last night. Negative: Add did not or didn't before the base form of the verb He didn't teach yesterday. Question: Add did plus the subject before the base form of the verb Did she drive yesterday? The past simple tense is used to talk about completed actions in the past. For example: I watched television last night. In order to be a confident and successful English language teacher in the classroom, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the various English language tenses such as the one shown above. The best way to achieve this understanding is to complete a high-quality TEFL course as...  [Read more]

  The past perfect is used as the past in the past to talk about events that happened in the past before another past event. For example: The concert had started before I arrived. The past perfect is covered in more detail in ITTT's 120-hour Online Teaching course. There are other courses available from 60-hour courses covering teaching skills to a 250-hour Diploma in TESOL. You can also take a specialisation teaching young learners or in teaching business English. Whatever your requirements are, if you are looking to become qualified to teach English from your own home, ITTT will have the right Online Teaching course for you. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken...  [Read more]

  The 'going to' future tense is used to make predictions based on evidence and to talk about plans and intentions. This online TEFL course video discusses two teaching ideas that can be used with the 'going to' future tense. The first idea encourages students to make predictions based on evidence with a weather forecasting activity. The students are given information about the weather in a particular country and give weather forecasts for the following week or month: On Monday it's going to rain in the morning but then it's going to be sunny for the rest of the day. In the second teaching idea students discuss plans for an upcoming birthday party/holiday: We're going to eat at a fancy restaurant. I'm going to have a massive birthday cake. I'm going to sunbathe the whole time....  [Read more]

  This video outlines two usages of the Present Simple tense. There are several usages but the video focuses on the two main ones. The first usage is to talk about habits and routines. For example, I teach every Monday. She walks to school every day. It rains almost every day in the wet season. His mother does yoga twice a week. The second main usage of the Present Simple is to talk about general facts and truths. For example, The sun rises in the east. The earth is round. She works at the local mall. Coming to terms with the tense system can often cause both students and teachers the greatest amount of difficulty, not to mention other grammar points such as conditionals, modals, active and passive voice. ITTT's online teaching courses assume no previous knowledge of English...  [Read more]

  The Present Simple tense teaching idea in this video is called "20 Questions." The teacher frames this game in the context of, What's my job? Who am I? What am I? (for objects) A student comes to the front of the room and selects a card. The class then asks appropriate questions such as; Do you work in an office? Do you wear a uniform? And try to guess the job, person or object. The student with the card answers using the Present Simple. Each student has a turn and there is a two minute time limit for each person. When teaching the Present Simple tense or any other grammar point, a good English language teacher will always model the language correctly. Students need to be exposed to new language, they need to understand its meaning, they need to understand how it is constructed...  [Read more]

Teaching English grammar is a crucial aspect of language instruction, as it provides the foundation for effective communication. There are several effective strategies that can be employed to teach grammar in a way that engages students and helps them retain the information. One of the most effective ways to teach English grammar is through contextualized examples. By providing students with real-life examples of how grammar is used in everyday communication, they are better able to understand the relevance and application of the rules. This can be done through reading passages, dialogues, or multimedia resources that demonstrate grammar in context. Another effective strategy is to incorporate interactive activities into the grammar lessons. This can include games, group work, role-plays,...  [Read more]

  "In this video, our OTP trainee Richard introduces the topic ""can"" and ""could"". Both words are some of the most commonly used modal verbs in English. They can be used to express ability or opportunity, to request or offer permission, and to show possibility or impossibility. ITTT's Observed Teaching Practice courses (OTP) are ideal for teachers wanting to improve their teaching skills remotely from anywhere in the world." Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word gibe. This word can be used as a noun and as a verb. Used as a noun, it describes a taunting remark and when used as a verb it refers to the action of making a taunting or insulting remark. Synonyms for gibe are taunt, sneer and insult. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit was much more difficult than the rest for me. Because of the layout of the unit, it was very easy for...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word sprightly. This word is used to describe a person, usually a little bit older, who is full of energy. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. In this unit, I learnt about the different past tenses - past simple, past perfect, past continuous and past perfect continuous. I learnt the different forms, usages, typical errors and some Activate teaching ideas to help teach the different verb tenses...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word whodunit. This word describes a mystery or detective story that can either be a movie, a book, a play or anything to that extend. It is basically a short form of the words Who has done it?, meaning who is the criminal / murder in the story. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit was a good review of the the past tense. I especially liked the formatting of the unit as it provided the...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word captious. This word describes a person who likes to point out flaws and errors and enjoys raising objections to other people's statements or opinions. Common synonyms for captious can be critical, faultfinding, and judgmental. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. The first unit can be divided into two parts. The first part explains what a good teacher should be like and what roles he or she...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "ulterior". This word is an adjective and used to refer to something that is rather distant or situated far away. It can also indicate something that goes beyond something that is discussed or openly said. The word derives from Latin ulter and was first used in the English language in the 1600s. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This lesson briefly covered teaching English to specialized...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word acumen. This word refers to a person's ability to make good decisions in a particular field. Suitable synonyms for acumen are shrewdness, sharpness, or cleverness. The word is of Latin origin from acuere (to sharpen). Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. There are many teaching aids, which can help to make a lesson more interesting and effective and not just depending on textbook. There is...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "purport". This word is a noun and is a synonym for the words implied or conveyed. The word comes from Middle English and Anglo-French and was first used in the English language in the 15th century. An example sentence with the word purport includes: Everyone was informed of the purport of the letter. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. If you are able to master conditionals, you will have...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word firebrand. This word has two different meanings. The first meaning is quite literal and describes burning wood. The second meaning is rather figurative as it refers to a person who is usually inflicting change as a result of being passionate about a certain topic or cause. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. I learnt about the three topics involved in teaching a new language (vocabulary,...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word quiescent. This word refers to a state of inactivity. Synonyms for quiescent include inactive, idle, at rest, and quiet. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This really took me back to being in high school choir for many years, as well as taking professional vocal lessons. That's where I learned about word stress, the IPA, and how shifting vowels can change meaning and sound. It was a great...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word "huckster". This word has to meanings an can either refer to someone who sells or advertises something in an aggressive and dishonest manner or to a person who creates promotions for commercial clients, such as for the radio or TV. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This section was very similar to the present tense section. For this reason, this chapter was a much easier read to go...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word nepotism. This word refers to people in power favoring and giving powerful positions to friends or family. Some synonyms of the word include favoritism, bias, partiality, or partisanship. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit covered teaching the language itself. The unit clarified what the students need to know about learning vocabulary, grammatical/ language structures and language...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word ilk. This word describes a person or a thing that is similar to a person or a thing previously referred to. Suitable synonyms for ilk are type, category, sort, and class. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit is receptive skills which are reading and listening. The unit does deep down to cover the important points about the skill together with how to teach the skill to tthe students...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word amphibology. This word refers to the ambiguous meaning of sentence due due to confusing grammar patterns. A good example for this would be He sees more of his children than his wife. This sentence is an amphibology as it has two meanings. It could either mean that the husband sees his children more often than his wife sees their children, or it could mean that the husband sees his children more often than he sees his wife. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get...  [Read more]