It is necessary to give the right lessons at the right time to the right students. Like all other aspects of life, teaching is feeling your students and knowing what lessons you will give them. Generally, the school provides a curriculum and special topics, but then the teacher must be wise to know what his students need.

ESL lessons should check the student’s ability to remember basic grammar rules, therefore a review is always necessary. Foreign students often know the basic rules of English grammar. In fact, they score high on objective tests such as the use of parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.). What most students are weak at is using the right words and making a good sentence.

Knowing English words and grammar rules is important, but knowing how to use them in sentences will make them better in conversation. One of the objectives of ESL is to communicate correctly and understand each other, such as giving, receiving and engaging in dialogue. That is freedom of expression.

I tell my students to practice endlessly. And as they learn, they have to use and apply them in everyday conversation. Here they learn to appreciate and use the language.

Look at this:

A. Words and their opposites

clever stupid
nourish starve
start finish
misty-clear
thin thick
enlarge make smaller
misfortune good luck
rough soft
migrate stay at home
pedestrian driver

B. Examples of newspaper headlines

Send food to alleviate famine in Africa
City Council in Unanimous Vote to Lower Taxes
Henry Ford honored as a pioneer in the automotive industry
Millions migrate to the warmth of the Southwest
Producer to revive 1950s musical comedy hit
Beware of get-rich-quick schemes, banker warns
The referees do not control the unruly game
Dieter praised for slim figure
Training film shows how to avoid being a reckless driver

C. More transitions

For the contrast:

Despite
Nevertheless
Nevertheless
On the contrary
No matter
Goal
Although
On the contrary
Even
Yet

To indicate examples or intensification

For example
By the way
Specifically
To illustrate
After all
For example
In fact
Really
of course

To indicate cause and effect.

As a result
Because
After
Respectively
consequence
Therefore
Thus
As

D. On dates

Today is September 3, 2010.

Prayed

September 3, 2010

July 4, 2010

When using figures to write dates

US usage = 9.3.2010

British usage = 3.9.2010

Do not spell dates or other serial numbers. Write them in figures as appropriate.

Exception: When they occur in the dialog, most dates and numbers are written

I got home on the fifth of December.