Welcome SSP 104 and HW

Welcome to all my SSP 104 students!
First:

HW: Read page 7 and answer questions on page 8, Exercise 5.

Second:
As you know, this is an INTENSIVE English language course, so to succeed you must always:


- be on time, be an early bird
- have pencil YES!
- have a notebook YES INDEED!
- stay positive, smiling is awesome!

SUPER IMPORTANT:

DO your HW every day
STUDY every day

♥ pages 108-109 - new love page ♥  168 IRREGULAR VERBS ♥


Grammar points this session - SSP 104

Unit 1

✔Past continuous and simple past

✔Question words: who, what, where

was going to


Unit 2

MODAL VERBS - (MODALS)

must, might & can't

must vs. should

common phrasal verbs
(started - ask 'someone' out, get rid of, run away)

Unit 3

comparisons with as

used to and would


Unit 4

noun clauses


Unit 5

PAST MODALS

must have, may have, might have


Unit 6

causal verbs
make, have, let, help, get

passive causative


Unit 7

real conditional

Final exam

Dearest students,

First of all - thank you for a great session.  It has been my pleasure to work with you for the last few weeks.

For tomorrow, please review whatever you feel you need to be more sure of.

Rest well tonight and come to class at 8:30 if you want to ask me any questions and to warm up for the exam.

Remember: ANSWER THE QUESTIONS YOU KNOW RIGHT AWAY.  THEN GO BACK TO ANSWER THE ONES YOU ARE NOT SO SURE OF.  What matters is how many you get right.
Some questions are easier than others.

See you in the morning, do NOT be late - I cannot stop the test.

Also if you're considering buying the bamboo fork, knife, spoon, chopsticks I have created a new link on the blog for Whole Foods Market.

Notes of today - important vocabulary for you to KNOW

-What’s on your mind? What are you thinking?

-By the way So…..

-Can’t stand something. I hate something

-Level with someone - to talk clearly and honestly -serious talk

-right away immediately, now

-down in the dumps (for people only)


to be down in the dumps - something is wrong

to seem like you’re down in the dumps

to look like you’re down in the dumps


-To pay your dues  - to have worked hard for something, now you deserve a reward

to get better -

- from a sickness  .  I had a cold, but I got better!  =)

- at a talent             I have been teaching language for many years, I think I got better at teaching!

MODAL verbs

have, had better  - necessity
We’d better go we must go

We’d better get back to class, our teacher will mark us late if we don’t go right away.

-To balance the checkbook - make sure the numbers are correct!

-I haven’t seen you FOR days (for a few days), weeks (for a few weeks)
It means, I haven't seen you in some time.

-To feel sick as a dog - to feel terrible
-To work as hard as a dog - to work hard

-That’s too bad -  that’s not good

Do you mind doing something? Is it OK if ….
Do you mind being quiet? Please be quiet
Do you mind if I open the window Is it OK if I open the window

-Remedy medicine, therapy

-I’m coming down with something - I’m getting sick

-Something costs an arm and a leg - It is very expensive

To end up ---- somewhere
doing something

To end up ---- somewhere to go somewhere you weren’t expecting

To end up doing something - to do something you weren’t expecting

HW for April 23 - Final exam this Thursday

HW for April 23

1- Review the entire book (all the pages!).  Come to class with a least one question.

2- Write a paragraph using

Simple present
Present continuous
Simple past
Present perfect
Present perfect continuous

Describe your life
Ex:
I am from France.  (Present). I'm studying .....

I lived in .....

I have studied ....

I have been X-ing for / since

----

Review the whole book - come to school with questions.

HW for Monday, April 22nd and REVIEW EVERYTHING

Write 10 sentences for Monday.
1 - What do you like to do?  I like +gerund
2- Use the present perfect in a sentence
3-10 - use SOME of the new vocabulary of today - the gas station, the restaurant, the movie and theater

In addition:
REVIEW ALL GRAMMATICAL CONCEPTS WE HAVE LEARNED THIS SESSION.  Come to class with questions if you have any.  I will review anything that is not clear for you.

Grammatical concepts, session 4/2-4/26-2013

Unit 1 Modal verbs ✔should should not / shouldn't

                              ✔can cannot /can't

                              ✔could could not / couldn't

Unit 2 Modal verbs ✔had better had better not

✔Count and non-count nouns
✔Quantifiers, some, a few, several, many, much, any

Unit 3 ✔Verb + gerund ( most common verbs + gerund)
          ✔So, neither

Unit 4 Modal verbs ✔have to/has to
                              ✔be able to


Unit 5 Grammatical tenses: ✔present perfect

                                        ✔ simple past

                                       ✔ present perfect continuous


Unit 6  ✔Tag questions

            ✔Modal verbs may might will

Unit 7 ✔Passive voice - past, present, future / questions and answers

HW for Friday, April 18th and some ADVICE

MAYBE or MAY/MIGHT

Please complete
Ex. 6, page. 81

ADVICE:

1- Do not worry so much about quiz #2 - if your grade was not awesome, it's ok.  Remember, I am going to look at ALL of your grades, if you did the homework, if you are in class, if you are on time, if you are participating in the class. So please NO more absences and please be on time.  See you ALL tomorrow.  =)

2- Please review the irregular verb list on page 101 - you should do this EVERY DAY, the irregular verb list for level 104 is much longer!  You should know ALL of these verbs by heart by now.  Thank you to Khalil for finding a very good youtube that will help you with this.  I made a link on the blog, please use this.  Good job Khalil!

HW for Thursday, April 18th

During the review session at 4:00 p.m. I assigned some homework. 

Please do ex. 2 on  p. 30 and 31.  Review of VERB + GERUNDS 

Christina, Sultan, Andy, Taka and James -I need your help - I forgot what the other homework assignment was!!!  Please write in the comments below what the second assignment was so the others will know too.

Thank you for the hot chocolate and the chocolate!  =)

April 18th - class at 8:30 for quiz retake

Hello my dear students,

Please come to class at 8:30 tomorrow, Thursday, April 18th,  IF you want to retake the quiz for a better score. 

Quiz Wednesday, April 17th - 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday April 17th - QUIZ - 9:00 a.m.

• active and passive voice
• Verbs + Gerund      learn the rest of the verbs -
       p. 29: enjoy, mind, postpone, put off, keep, keep on, discuss
• so - neither  p. 36
• modals:                have to/has to               had better            be able to / can

All students, but especially those who missed class ... review 

page 36 - so and neither.  

Briefly:

SO   - Use this in a reply to show that you or someone else does or feels the same thing.

VERB - TO BE                            TO BE

I am a student.                             So am I.

I am reading.                                So am I.

VERB - TO HAVE                        TO HAVE
(USED AS AN AUXILIARY V)

I have been there.                        So have I.

I have been going there.               So have I.

MODAL VERBS                           MODAL VERBS

I can speak French.                     So can I.

I will be studying later.                 So will I.

ANY OTHER VERB                     DO/DOES    DID

I like San Francisco.                   So do I.

I go to the library every day.        So do I.

NEITHER   Use this in a reply to show that you or someone else does or feels the same thing with a negative statement.

VERB  - TO BE                         TO BE

I'm not a pilot.                            Neither am I.

I'm not in love.                           Neither am I.

I'm not having lunch.                  Neither am I.

TO HAVE                                TO HAVE

(USED AS AN AUXILIARY V)

I haven't decided.                     Neither have I.

I haven't been there.                 Neither have I.

MODALS                                 MODALS

I can't go.                                 Neither can I.

I won't do that.                          Neither will I.

ALL OTHER VERBS                  DO/DOES      DID

I don't have a cat.                      Neither do I.

I don't like eating beef.               Neither do I.

I don't live in Los Angeles.          Neither does she.

I didn't go to the party.               Neither did we.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope this helps.  Please try to come to class every day.  We still have to learn the modals may, might and must and tag questions as well as some important vocabulary before the end of the session.  See you soon.

Schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday this week, April 16 and 17 - QUIZ ON WEDNESDAY!

Hello students - here is our schedule for today.  We have a lot to learn, so BE ON TIME, PLEASE!!!

Tuesday April 16th -

1. Quick review of ACTIVE and PASSIVE voice - Chapter 7     p. 87-93  - 

         Formula  -

         OBJECT becomes new SUBJECT    /     TO BE  +     main verb in the PAST PARTICIPLE

                                                                       (same tense                                   (p. 101)

                                                                        as active verb sentence)

      Example:

      The children ate the cookies.  (ACTIVE)

      The cookies   were     eaten      by the children.  (PASSIVE)
                          TO BE    PP of
                                         main verb

Passive voice focuses on the original OBJECT, and less on the original SUBJECT.

•            Check HW
•            in class do ex. 3 p. 94-95
•            receive PASSIVE handout for practice (already gave to Sultan, Turki, Khalil, Taka,                           Ayman, James)

• 2. Review MODALS
• have to/has to    -     NECESSITY
• had better          -     NECESSITY
• be able to = can -    ABILITY

3. Chapter 3 - Verbs + Gerunds - learn the rest of the verbs -
     p. 29: enjoy, mind, postpone, put off, keep, keep on, discuss

Ex. :  I enjoy walking.
         They postponed traveling.
         He keeps talking loudly!

4.  Introduction:   SO - NEITHER p. 36   VERY IMPORTANT NEW CONCEPT!

Wednesday April 17th - QUIZ

• active and passive voice
• Verbs + Gerund
• so - neither
• modals:                have to/has to               had better            be able to / can

HW for April 16, 2013

ACTIVE and PASSIVE VOICE

We use active sentences much more than passive sentences, but you should know what a passive sentence looks like and how to form one.

Please review pages 89-90.

Complete exercise 1 on page 91,
ex. 2, page 92
and complete the Grammar in Context, pages 92-93.

Also review and memorize as many verbs as you can on page 101.

For ex:  sit       sat         sat
             read    read       read
             catch  caught    caught

etc. etc. etc.  there are MANY VERBS TO KNOW!

Sunday fun in SF

Hi guys,

Just found out about this - not sure if I can go, but if you're in the city (that is how SF is called by all SF Bay residents!) go check it out!  No cars and lots of fun to be had!

http://www.sundaystreetssf.com/sunday-streets-returns-to-the-mission-on-sunday-april-14/

Yay!

HW for Monday April 15, 2013

New modals:   HAVE TO - necessity
                        AM ABLE TO = CAN

Examples:

HAVE TO - NECESSITY

I have to pass level 103 before I can take level 104.

He really has to apologize for being rude.
------------------------------------------------    
AM ABLE TO = CAN - ABILITY

I am able to sing Portuguese songs from Brazil.

He is able to climb Half Dome in Yosemite, he is an experienced mountain climber.

H  O  M  E  W  O  R  K 

• Please complete 

                           Ex. 7 on p. 46
                           Ex. 8 on p. 47
                           Ex. 5 on p. 44

• Review  all irregular verbs on p. 101.  Memorize 10 more!

Have a great weekend.  Everyone passed the midterm exam, I am a happy teacher!

You should remember these verbs too!

base form	past	past participle
be	was, were	been
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
bring	brought	brought
buy	bought	bought
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
cut	cut	cut
do	did	done
drink	drank	drunk
eat	ate	eaten
forget	forgot	forgotten
get	got	gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
have	had	had
hurt	hurt	hurt
know	knew	known
make	made	made
meet	met	met
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
read	read	read
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
think	thought	thought
understand	understood	understood
write	wrote	written

MIDTERM EXAM on Friday, April 12, 2013

Click on the Simple past, present perfect, present perfect continuous sheet above if you were not in class today - ALL OF YOU complete this sheet for practice, this is part of your homework - I forgot to mention it in class.  Study and get a good night's rest - I will give the exam at 9:00 so don't be late.

During the second hour I would like to introduce you to:

-some new modals: 'have to' and 'be able to'
-what the difference is between the active and the passive voice
-new vocabulary

Topics covered on the midterm:

• Modals: should, can, could, had better

• Simple past, present perfect, present perfect continuous  - you will have to choose which is the correct one

• Gerunds that follow verbs quit, consider, finish, stop and talk about, p. 29

            Ex.  I'm considering going to Hawaii.
            I finished working at 6 p.m. today.

• Know the difference between a gerund and a present participle.  They look the same, but they have different functions!

           A gerund is a NOUN.  A present participle is a VERB.
            I like dancing.   NOUN  - GERUND
           I am dancing.    VERB    - PRESENT PARTICIPLE

• COUNT NON COUNT NOUNS
• QUANTIFIERS      (quantity of something)

             COUNT NOUNS: a few, several, some, many
             NON COUNT NOUNS:  a little, some, much, a lot of
             BOTH:  a lot of, some

• USING EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY AS PRONOUNS - pp. 19-20

Ex.  Do you have some apples?  Yes I have SOME.
       Do you have the red apples?  Yes I have THEM.  (specific - 'the')
       Can you give me a red pen?  Yes I can give you ONE.  (not specific - 'a')

• VOCABULARY 
• p. 33  LIKES/DISLIKES
• p. 62 - AILMENTS 

HW for 4/11

Hello my wonderful students!  Thank you for coming to the review session at 4 p.m. today.  I will offer another review tomorrow at 4 p.m. for whoever wants to come, I just want a HOT CHOCOLATE!

HW for tomorrow:

p. 30 finish the exercise 8-14
p. 64 ex. 7
p. 65 ex. 8

Come to class with any questions.  We will review, review, review!

HW for Wednesday, April 10

Complete exercises 1-4 in the NON COUNT - COUNT packet you got today.

Review HAD BETTER on pages 22-23.

Review everything we have studied so far.

New modal verb: HAD BETTER p. 22-23

The modal verb HAD BETTER is used for strong advice.  It is stronger than the modal verb SHOULD.

Ex.:  We have a flat tire, we'd better use the spare one.

Quiz Tuesday April 9, 2013

 What you must know for the quiz tomorrow:

Modal Verbs

should, should not/shouldn't  p. 1-6   ADVICE  - polite

can, can not/cannot/can't      p. 6-9   ABILITY    PRESENT

could, could not/couldn't                                   PAST

could                                   p.11     SUGGEST AN ALTERNATIVE - POSSIBILITY in the FUTURE

Count and non count nouns    p. 15    COUNT and NONCOUNT NOUNS

Quantifiers                            p. 17-18
                                           p. 20 (a) and (b)

Grammatical tense and aspect: PRESENT PERFECT  p. 57-59

When do we use the present perfect?

1.    To talk about the past in a general time, NON-SPECIFIC.
        Ex.:  I have traveled to Mexico many times.

2.    A situation that began in the past and continues to the present, with FOR and SINCE.

        Ex.:  Ali and Yoko have known James for 2 years.  (They still know him.)
                for - an amount of time
                minute/s, hour/s, day/s, week/s, month/s, year/s, a long time, a short time, so long, etc.
                                               

                Ali and Yoko have known James since 2011.  (They still know him.)
                since - a specific time
                 since school began, since I was a baby, since I was 15, since 2006, since January, since November, since Monday, since they were married, since they bought the house, etc.


Verb forms you need to know for tomorrow:

base form	past	past participle
be	was, were	been
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
bring	brought	brought
buy	bought	bought
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
cut	cut	cut
do	did	done
drink	drank	drunk
eat	ate	eaten
forget	forgot	forgotten
get	got	gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
have	had	had
hurt	hurt	hurt
know	knew	known
make	made	made
meet	met	met
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
read	read	read
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
think	thought	thought
understand	understood	understood
write	wrote	written

HW for Monday, April 8th, reminder about quiz and midterm next week

Reminder:
QUIZ on Tuesday, April 9th at 9:00 a.m.  I advise you to be ON TIME.  You should be on time every day!
MIDTERM EXAM on Friday, April 12th, at 9:00 a.m.

HW for Monday, April 8

1. Write 5 sentences using the PRESENT PERFECT.
2. Review quantifiers in your book, pp.  17-21.
3. Review count and non count nouns, p. 15
4. Memorize 10 more past participles, p. 101
5. Make a comment on the blog, anywhere!  I want to know you have been here!
6. Come to school ON TIME on Monday and every day!

 What you must know for the quiz on Tuesday:

Modal Verbs

should, should not/shouldn't

can, can not/cannot/can't

could, could not/couldn't

had better (we are learning this on Monday)

 Count and non count nouns

Quantifiers (We are reviewing these on Monday)

Grammatical tense and aspect: PRESENT PERFECT 

We are going to review everything on Monday, especially the
 quantifiers 
and the present perfect.  

We are also learning had better, a modal we use for STRONG ADVICE, stronger than should. 

Have a great weekend and please study, preferably with someone in the class, see you soon.

 

HW for April 5, 2013 SSP 103

1.   Go to page 101 of your book and choose 10 verbs to memorize, memorize the three basic forms of English verbs, the infinitive, the past and the past participle.

Remember that you MUST memorize irregular verbs.

 the infinitive     the past                the past participle
    eat                    ate                           eaten


2.  Using quantifiers - Exercise 4 1-7, p. 19

HW SSP 103, for April 4, 2013 / Modal verbs - can, could / Count-Noncount nouns

For April 4, 2013

Modal verbs - can, could
Complete
Exercise 8, p. 9
Exercise 10, p.10

Count-Noncount nouns
Ex. 1, p. 15

SSP 103 - grammatical concepts for this session

For my SSP103 class

Welcome to my class.  This is an intensive English language course, therefore, we have a lot to learn in a very short time.  Below are the main grammatical concepts we will cover.  We will also study vocabulary, some pronunciation and speaking and listening.

Please try to study on your own, or with a study group, every day, to reinforce the material we cover in class.   The final exam is scheduled for 4/  /2013.

Schedule

Grammatical concepts, session 4/2-4/26-2013

Unit 1  Modal verbs      ✔should       should not / shouldn't
                                      ✔can            cannot /can't
                                      ✔could         could not / couldn't


Unit 2   Modal verbs     ✔had better     had better not
         
             ✔Count and non-count nouns
           
             ✔Quantifiers

Unit 3    ✔Verb + gerund  ( most common verbs + gerund)
           
              ✔So, neither

Unit 4    Modal verbs      ✔have to/has to
                                        ✔be able to


Unit 5    Grammatical tenses:         ✔present perfect
                                                      ✔ simple past
                                                      ✔ present perfect continuous

Unit 6    Tag questions
             
              Modal verbs    may     might    will


Unit 7   ✔Passive voice - past, present, future / questions and answers

                                         

Welcome to all new students

Dear students, welcome to the blog. There are many valuable resources here for you as English learners.  See you in class, Dee