When NOT to use commas: correcting run-on sentences

Hi there!

A couple of days ago I published an entry about when to use a comma. Today we're going to focus on the opposite: when not to use it! More specifically, we're going to focus on run-on sentences, which appear over and over again in your compositions. (You have some practice at the end of the entry).

Run-on or run-together sentences are two separate sentences punctuated as if they were only one. Normally, run-togethers happen because you have in mind two closely related ideas and write them down quickly, with only a comma in between. For example,

Everyone felt happy, it was the first warm day of the year.

Mike forgot the matches, I forgot the salt.

She likes quiz programs, he likes Westerns.

Since you are concentrating on the meaning, you do not stop to notice that you have written two complete sentences which must be appropriately separated.

WARNING SIGNAL

The second sentence of a run-together often begins with one of the following words:
then, there, now, he, she, it, we, they. When you spot one of these "warning signals" in the middle of a sentence, check it carefully. There is a good chance that it is a run-together!!

First she told us how to get there, then she drew a map.

Jack didn't lie, he just exaggerated.

Don't wear the orange coat, it clashes with your dress.

CORRECTING RUN-TOGETHERS

There is more than one way to correct a run-together. You decide which one to use!

1. Divide the run-together using a full stop:

First she told us how to get there, then she drew a map.

First she told us how to get there. Then, she drew a map.

2. Use a semicolon (;) instead of a comma:

We had to leave Fluffy at home, Grandma doesn't like cats.

We had to leave Fluffy at home; Grandma doesn't like cats.

3. Insert a connector like and, but or because after the comma, depending on how the sentences are related:

The living-room is beige, the bedroom is green.

The living is beige, and the bedroom is green.

Last summer I did nothing, this summer I'm going to camp.

Last summer I did nothing, but this summer I'm going to camp.

Ben wore his sunglasses to school, his regular glasses were broken.

Ben wore his sunglasses to school, because his regular glasses were broken.

PRACTICE

Now it's time for you to practice! Click here to take a quiz!

8 rules for using a comma

We all know that punctuation is not easy, and we very often have trouble when writing our compositions.

Today we're going to focus on the use of a comma (,), and I'm going to provide you with 8 rules that will help you know when to use it.

Read the rules and the examples carefully, and check them again when you write your next composition. If you do this regularly, little by little these rules will become automatic and you won't need to look back at them :)

(Adapted from www.eslbasics.com)

RULE #1:

Use commas to separate words or phrases in a series of three or more.

I need to pick up bananas, tuna, bread, and ice cream from the grocery store today.

RULE #2:

Use a comma to separate independent clauses when they are joined by and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet. You do not need to use a comma if both independent clauses are short.

We agreed to come with Sarah, but we told her that we would need to leave early.

RULE #3:

Use commas when the relative clause is non-defining, that is, when it gives extra, unnecessary information.

Mr. Perryman, who enjoys playing golf, decided to retire in Florida.

The boy who lives next door to us is in the fourth grade.

RULE #4:

Use commas after introductory phrases and clauses that come before the main clause. If the introductory phrase has less than three words, the comma is optional.

When the clock struck midnight, the carriage turned back into a pumpkin.
After you leave school, make sure to pick up the mail.
Next Saturday we will be getting married.

RULE #5:

Use commas before and after "interrupting words" such as however and therefore.

I would, therefore, like to continue this conversation at another time.

RULE #6:

Use a comma after introductory adverbs.

Fortunately, Samir had remembered to back up his files.
Unsurprisingly, Raul passed the class with flying colours.

RULE #7:

Use commas when directly addressing a person (vocative).

Have you, Millie, considered going to college?
What do you think that means, Doctor?

RULE #8:

Use a comma before question tags.

You're a senior in college, aren't you?

New Year's Resolutions: setting real and feasible objectives!

Now that we're starting a new year, and a new term, it's time to think of our New Year's Resolutions!!

One of the best ways -if not the only one- of achieving a long-term goal (getting fit, losing weight, taking up a hobby, learning a new language, etc.) is to divide it into short, real and feasible objectives.  

You can apply this to any area of your life, but here I give you a few examples to learn English. Take the ones that work for you, add new ones, and design a list of the things you intend to do with/in English every week.

• Learn 10 new English words or phrases every day, Mondays to Fridays (repeat on Saturdays, relax on Sundays)
• Unlearn one typical mistake before the next test/composition
• Study 15 minutes every day
• Read the lyrics of an English song every week and try to understand its main content
• Read and try to understand one short English text every week

Stick to your plan, and you'll see incredible results in a few months. And with very little effort. Take my word :)

Ps: Feel free to post your suggestions in the comments below!

Pss: What other New Year's Resolutions do you have??

Some studying tips... FOR THE WHOLE YEAR!

Hi there!

Now that the exams are round the corner, here I leave you with some tips that will help you learn better. Hope you find them useful!

• Don't overdo it: studying 15-30 minutes per day is more effective than studying 2 hours once every week.
• For a whole week, try studying 15-30 minutes each day. Not less. And definitively not more than that (even if you could).
• You will see that the following day, studying is much more fun, simply because you didn't push it to the limit the day before.

The 50 most common spelling mistakes

While the Spanish strive to learn English... Cambridge University reveals the 50 most common spelling mistakes we make. See if you can find them!

ESQUIRE | 06 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2013

wich
confortable
becouse
accomodation
posible
belive
diferent
bycicle
enviroment
beatiful
recomend
begining
reponsability
demostration
recived
oportunity
advertisment
untill
ruber
bussiness
succesful
adress
nowdays
necesary
enought
tipical
hellow
embrrasing
reponsabilities
responsable
recieved
decission
bougth
arround
whith
se
recive
goverment
bussines
polution
dificult
posibility
nervious
imposible
diferents
comunication
coffe
whises
whe
possitive 

Choosing a topic for your oral presentation

This entry corresponds to Advanced Level 1 (B.2.1)

Hi there!

For next Monday (11th November) you have to prepare your first oral presentation. I have given you the choice to talk about any topic you want, but... how do you decide what to talk about?

Normally, students choose the topics based on one of the following criteria:

• They talk about what they think the teacher wants to hear.
• They choose topics that they perceive as easy.
• They choose a topic that inspires or excites them.

In my view, the best results happen when the students choose the third option: they are inspired by the topic.

The truth about your presentation is that if it doesn't excite you, it won't excite your listeners. If you're not fascinated by the content, your insights will be mechanical and unattached. Plus, you'll lose motivation along the way.

So, the next time you ask yourself, "How do I decide what to talk/write about?", start with what inspires you and build from there.

Adapted from www.eslbasics.com

Want to stretch your English writing skills?

If you want to improve your writing skills, try one of these fun writing activities!

1. Write a story that is made up of 26 sentences, where each sentence begins with a different letter of the alphabet. The first sentence will start with “A”, the second sentence will start with “B”, and so on.
2. Practice using the common suffix “-ion” by writing a paragraph that includes at least 15 words that end in “-ion”.
3. Write a sentence that contains no nouns.
4. Write a sentence that contains four nouns, three verbs, two adjectives, and one adverb.
5. Write a sentence in which each word only has one vowel in it.
6. Write a sentence that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once.
7. Write the longest sentence that you can – without using the letter “e”.
8. Write a paragraph about your most valued possession, using as many possessive pronouns as possible (my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, and theirs).
9. Write a dialogue between two people with as many questions as possible.
10. Write down the lyrics of one of your favorite songs. Then use formal English formatting and language to transform those lyrics into a business letter.

Taken from ESL Basics

What to do with new vocabulary

Hi there,

Yesterday in class we talked a little bit about what to do with all the vocabulary that comes up in the reading texts and the extra handouts I give you.

From the Advanced Level onwards we still learn some grammar, but basically we'll revise what you already know and we'll mainly focus on your vocabulary to polish and refine your English. Get used to using a highlighter to mark all the new expressions you come upon. After each unit, revise everything you highlighted and copy it to your notebook. That way you'll revise your vocabulary after every unit and studying won't be so hard at the end of the year.

I know it takes time, but believe me, it's really, really worth it, and you'll be more than happy to have that list for the final exam in June. And for all your subsequent years learning English. Take my word :)

How to use www.soziety.com

Hi there!

In this entry I tell you about the website www.soziety.com, where you can practise your oral skills from home and completely for free!

The website works as follows: you select your mother-tongue, the language you want to practise and your current level; the website will then look for your perfect matches. Normally, you'll talk to English speakers who want to learn Spanish: that way, you do each other a mutual favour. And, by all means, you can practise other languages too!

When registering, you can chose your preferred mode to talk: by phone, skype or google voice.

Go to the website and click on "Apply for an invitation". You will be re-directed to this page where you have to include your details:

Once you fill everything in, you'll be sent an invitation and you'll be able to access the platform.

Happy speaking! :)

Learn a phrasal verb a day!

Good afternoon!

Having trouble with phrasal verbs? Here I leave you with this link to learn a phrasal verb a day!

Thanks Pepe, from Avanzado 1 CAL for the contribution!

Units 4 and 5; Useful links

Hi there!

As they say in English... better late than never! :)

In this entry I leave you with some online activities to revise what we do in class, and also some websites that can especially help you with your listening.

When we came back from Christmas we finished Unit 4, where we talked about films, music and TV. About grammar, we learnt how to use the Present Perfect. Here you have a text about Loch Ness that you have to complete using this this tense. Check it out!

And here you have three tests where you can revise the present perfect:

• Test 1
• Test 2
• Test 3

In Unit 5 we've talked about the future (predictions and plans), and we have learnt how to use will, may, might and be going to. Please, revise all the exercises we have done in class, and also do your workbook. Thank you.

USEFUL LINKS

I wanted to tell you that I have just found a very useful website with videos adapted to our level. Here I leave you the first video of the series. I'm sure you can understand a lot!! And, of course, you can continue with the next videos at home!

If you like learning English with songs, there is a website called www.subingles.com. There you can listen to lots of songs with the lyrics in front of you and, besides, many of them also have online activities! You have different songs classified according to their level of difficulty:

When you click on a song, it starts playing and the website also suggests other subtitled songs by the same artist. You also have the possibility of listening to songs with activities.

And, finally, I leave you with another website called www.esl-lab.com, where you can do lots of different listenings. You can choose the type of activity you want (questions or filling gaps), and you have the transcription as well. Very useful!! :)

I hope you've had a very nice weekend, and I'll see you tomorrow in class!
Ana.

Units 4 and 5; Useful links

Hi there!

As they say in English... better late than never! :)

In this entry I leave you with some online activities to revise what we do in class, and also some websites that can especially help you with your listening.

When we came back from Christmas we finished Unit 4, where we talked about films, music and TV. About grammar, we learnt how to use the Present Perfect. Here you have a text about Loch Ness that you have to complete using this this tense. Check it out!

And here you have three tests where you can revise the present perfect:

• Test 1
• Test 2
• Test 3

In Unit 5 we've talked about the future (predictions and plans), and we have learnt how to use will, may, might and be going to. Please, revise all the exercises we have done in class, and also do your workbook. Thank you.

USEFUL LINKS

I wanted to tell you that I have just found a very useful website with videos adapted to our level. Here I leave you the first video of the series. I'm sure you can understand a lot!! And, of course, you can continue with the next videos at home!

If you like learning English with songs, there is a website called www.subingles.com. There you can listen to lots of songs with the lyrics in front of you and, besides, many of them also have online activities! You have different songs classified according to their level of difficulty:

When you click on a song, it starts playing and the website also suggests other subtitled songs by the same artist. You also have the possibility of listening to songs with activities.

And, finally, I leave you with another website called www.esl-lab.com, where you can do lots of different listenings. You can choose the type of activity you want (questions or filling gaps), and you have the transcription as well. Very useful!! :)

I hope you've had a very nice weekend, and I'll see you tomorrow in class!
Ana.

Learning styles

In our last session we talked a little bit about Multiple Intelligence Theory and different learning styles. If you want to listen to the audio again, click here. Below you have the transcription.







Learning Styles TRANSCRIPT






Maybe you can use some of these strategies in your own learning!

Apart from the quiz we did in class, you can learn a bit more about what type of learner you are by doing the quiz here. And here you have some ideas to help you studying depending on your type of intelligence (NOTE: Tactile refers to bodily-kinaesthetic). You can apply this to you, and also to your students if you are a teacher yourself!

Listening to English at home: SONGS

Hi there!

I take advantage of this post to tell you about a very useful link with songs in English: www.subingles.com. Here you can listen to plenty of songs with the lyrics in front of you!

You have different songs classified according to their level of difficulty (you'll see that the website is extremely updated):

When you click on a song, it starts playing and the website also suggests other subtitled songs by the same band. You also have the possibility of listening to songs with online activities.

So this is yet another possibility to listen to English outside the classroom! :)

Listening to English at home: podcasts

Hello again,

As promised, here I post some information about podcasts.

In case you have never heard of podcasts, it's a digital media which consists of an episodic series of files (audio or video) to which you can subscribe. This means that every time there is a new podcast, they will tell you. Normally they last between 2 and 10 minutes, although there are some which are longer.

The best way to find podcasts is using the programme iTunes. Click here to download it. Once you install it in your computer, open it and on the left side you'll find something similar to this:

Click on iTunes store, and then select the option "podcast". You'll find a screen similar to this:

There you have a very complete list of podcast you can choose from. You can also search according to category, if you want video or audio podcast, you can look for a specific one, etc. When you find a podcast you like, click on it and then on "subscribe/subscribirse". Everytime there is a new one, it will automatically download to your iTunes.

To listen to your podcasts, simply click on Library --> Podcasts (left column):

Some podcasts I recommend to you:

• Ask about Britain
• 6 Minute English
• British Council - Learning English
• English Grammar HELP
• Speaking English podcast
• Any other specialised one you like: Discovery Channel, BBC news, BBC radio, TV documentaries, science reports, history, etc.

I'll try to show this in class on Tuesday. It's not difficult at all, and it's incredibly, incredibly helpful. Besides, you can learn English while listening to something of your interest. You can also copy the podcasts to your iPod, MP3 player, a CD, etc.

Ana.

Listening to English at home: podcasts

Hello again,

As promised, here I post some information about podcasts.

In case you have never heard of podcasts, it's a digital media which consists of an episodic series of files (audio or video) to which you can subscribe. This means that every time there is a new podcast, they will tell you. Normally they last between 2 and 10 minutes, although there are some which are longer.

The best way to find podcasts is using the programme iTunes (You can download it here). Once you install it in your computer, open it and on the left side you'll find something similar to this:

Click on iTunes store, and then select the option "podcast". You'll find a screen similar to this:

There you have a very complete list of podcasts you can choose from. You can also search according to category, if you want video or audio podcast, you can look for a specific one, etc. When you find a podcast you like, click on it and then on "subscribe/subscribirse". Everytime there is a new one, it will automatically download to your iTunes.

To listen to your podcasts, simply click on Library --> Podcasts (left column). You can also copy the podcasts to your iPod, MP3 player, a CD, etc.

Some podcasts I recommend to you:

• Ask about Britain
• 6 Minute English
• British Council - Learning English
• English Grammar HELP
• Speaking English podcast
• Any other specialised one you like: Discovery Channel, BBC news, BBC radio, TV documentaries, science reports, history, etc.

I'll try to show this in class on Tuesday. It's not difficult at all, and it's incredibly, incredibly helpful. Besides, you can learn English while listening to something of your interest. 

Ana.

Listening to English at home: podcasts

Hello again,

As promised, here I post some information about podcasts.

In case you have never heard of podcasts, it's a digital media which consists of an episodic series of files (audio or video) to which you can subscribe. This means that every time there is a new podcast, they will tell you. Normally they last between 2 and 10 minutes, although there are some which are longer.

The best way to find podcasts is using the programme iTunes. Click here to download it. Once you install it in your computer, open it and on the left side you'll find something similar to this:

Click on iTunes store, and then select the option "podcast". You'll find a screen similar to this:

There you have a very complete list of podcast you can choose from. You can also search according to category, if you want video or audio podcast, you can look for a specific one, etc. When you find a podcast you like, click on it and then on "subscribe/subscribirse". Everytime there is a new one, it will automatically download to your iTunes.

To listen to your podcasts, simply click on Library --> Podcasts (left column):

Some podcasts I recommend to you:

• Ask about Britain
• 6 Minute English
• British Council - Learning English
• English Grammar HELP
• Speaking English podcast
• Any other specialised one you like: Discovery Channel, BBC news, BBC radio, TV documentaries, science reports, history, etc.

I'll try to show this in class on Tuesday. It's not difficult at all, and it's incredibly, incredibly helpful. Besides, you can learn English while listening to something of your interest. You can also copy the podcasts to your iPod, MP3 player, a CD, etc.

Ana.

A very interesting website

Hello again!

Here you have a very interesting website I found today. I think it can be very useful for you because you have lots of worksheets in English about different subjects: Maths, Social Science, Language, etc.

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/


I hope you like it!

A very interesting website

Hello again!

Here you have a very interesting website I found today. I think it can be very useful for you because you have lots of worksheets in English about different subjects: Maths, Social Science, Language, etc.

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/


I hope you like it!

Some learning tips...!

STUDY ENGLISH EVERY DAY

How many English words can I learn per day?

10 English words or phrases per day aren’t too many, are they? Just give it a try. You will find that you can learn them in next to no time.

So why not take a little time each day (Monday to Friday) to learn 10 new words?

Use the weekend to revise what you have learned during the past week(s). This way you’ll enrich your English vocabulary by 50 new words per week. (That’s 200 new English words after a month!)

Little strokes fell big oaks

• LEARN ENGLISH THROUGH READING

Read English texts as often as you can.

This could be the news, short stories or novels, texts from your textbook or ego4u. Choose an interesting text that is not too difficult for you (otherwise it wouldn’t be fun).

Don’t look up every word which is new to you – even without a dictionary you will understand a lot. Just concentrate on what you do understand and try to find out the rest by intelligent guessing. That works rather well, especially if you are interested in the topic. If you are a football fanatic for example, you probably won’t have problems understanding an English text about football. On the other hand, someone who is better in English than you but not interested in football will have more problems understanding the same text.

Do also watch the news in your native language and try to find English news to some of the topics. Even if you don't understand every word in the English text, you will get the message as you already know what the text is about.

Read between the lines