What Kind of -Holic Are You?

Read the poster above. Then answer the question in the comments section: 

What kind of -holic are you? Are you a shopaholic, a workaholic, a chocoholic, or something else? Feel free to be creative :)

For Teachers:

You might use this as a writing prompt. You could start class by displaying the image above and discussing it with your class. Next, create a class list of new words with the suffix -holic. Then you can give students 5 minutes to write silently in response to the question.

Modern English - Blended Words

Recently, it has become trendy to make new words by combining old words. Here are a few examples of modern words that are popular in the media now:

Frenemy (friend + enemy) noun = A friend who is also your rival. This person is not 100% your friend. Maybe you don’t trust each other completely, or maybe you have a competitive friendship.

• Jennifer is my frenemy. We hang out together sometimes, but I don't trust her around my boyfriend.

Bromance (brother + romance) noun = A strong friendship between two males. This means that they are very close, like brothers. (It is NOT a romantic relationship.)

• Joe and Mark are in a bromance. They spend more time together than they spend with their girlfriends.

Adorkable (adorable + dork) adjective = Cute and nerdy at the same time. Often describes a person who has bad social skills, but is sweet, and still makes people laugh.

• Emily always gets nervous and says embarrassing things when she meets new people. She's so adorkable that everyone likes her anyway. 

Staycation (stay + vacation) noun = When you spend your vacation in your hometown. You do things that tourists usually do, like go to museums or go sightseeing.

• My husband and I never have the time to explore the city because we're always busy working, so we decided to take a staycation this year. We're going to pretend that we're tourists, but we won't have to spend money on hotels or airfare.

Bridezilla (bride + Godzilla) noun = A future bride who acts like a monster. This usually happens because she is stressed from planning her wedding. When she is planning her wedding, she becomes demanding and often gets angry because she wants her wedding to be perfect.

• I heard that Amy was shouting at the people at the flower shop because the flower bouquets were violet and not lavender. She's really becoming a bridezilla!

Romcom (romantic + comedy) noun =: A movie that is both funny and romantic. Some popular examples include When Harry Met Sally, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Love Actually.

• Jonathan tells his friends that he doesn't like romcoms, but he secretly loves watching them.

Brangelina (Brad Pitt + Anglina Jolie) noun = Recently, it has become popular to combine the names of celebrity couples. This shows that they are in a relationship. For example, Kim Kardashian + Kanye West are Kimye; Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were TomKat.

• Have you heard the news about Brangelina? They're going to adopt another baby!

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Conversation Questions:

1. Have you ever had a frenemy? Tell us about him/her.
2. Do you know anyone who is in a bromance?
3. Can you think of any examples of adorkable celebrities or television show characters?
4. Have you ever taken a staycation in your hometown? Would you like to? Why or why not?
5. Are bridezillas common in your country? Have you ever known a bridezilla?
6. What are your favorite romcoms? What are they about?

Get + Adjective

Get + Adjective = Become

So many students get confused when they hear the word "GET." This word is confusing word because it has many different uses and definitions. Once you understand it, it is a very useful word because you can use it in so many situations!

Today, we will focus on using "get" with adjectives. When you use it together with an adjective, it means " to become," or to begin to be a certain way. It shows that something has changed.

Examples:

• I am hungry now. I get hungry at 12:00 every day. (I start to feel hungry at 12:00)
• I like to read boring books at night. I get tired when I read. (Reading makes me feel tired.)
• It's getting cloudy. I'm happy I brought my umbrella. (Clouds are beginning to appear in the sky. It looks like it might rain.)
• My best friend got married in September. She has been married for three months. (Her wedding was in September. She is married now. Notice that we only use get to talk about the time of the wedding. We use be to talk about marriage in general.)

Examples of Adjectives Often Used With "Get"

• Confused
• Angry
• Hungry
• Angry
• Nervous
• Worried
• Better
• Worse
• Quiet
• Noisy
• Serious
• Drunk
• Rich
• Lost
• Dark
• Sunny
• Cloudy

Discussion Questions:

1- What time do you usually get hungry?
2- What time do you usually get tired?
3- What are some things that cause you to get angry?
4- When was the last time you got bored?
5- Describe the last time you got lost? How did you find your way?
6- How do you feel when the weather gets very hot? How about when it gets very cold?
7- Do you get cold easily? What do you do when you get cold?
8- Do you worry about getting old? Why or why not?
9- Is it easy for you to get comfortable when you stay at a hotel? Why or why not?
10- Do you want to get rich? If so, how do you plan to get rich?
11- Do you think that everyone should get married? Why or why not?
12- Do many people in your country get divorced? Why do you think that is?
13- Do you think your English is getting better? Why do you think so?
14- Can you think of a time when you got jealous of someone?

Join the Conversation:

Can you think of any other adjectives to use with "get"? Please post your ideas in the Comments section below. Also, you may respond to any of the discussion questions in the Comments.

For Teachers:

1- Show students the comic above, and explain that when the word "get" is followed by an adjective, it means "become."

2- In groups, have students brainstorm a list of adjectives that can be used with the word '"get."

3- In groups, have students respond to some or all of the discussion questions. You may ask them to come up with some new ones on their own.

Taking Mistakes

Taking Mistakes 

I always smile when my ESL students say, "I take mistakes." Why? Because there is a mistake in that sentence. You don't take mistakes, you make mistakes!

You're going to make A LOT of mistakes while you are learning English...I'm not going to sugarcoat* the truth, and tell you that learning English will be easy. But don't worry! Mistakes are good. They help you learn. Sometimes you make a really big mistake and you feel embarrassed. Those are the best mistakes because you really learn from them. You never make those mistakes again, And afterwards, you have a funny story to tell.

I decided to name my blog "Taking Mistakes" as a reminder that mistakes can be funny. As a teacher, I really think that learning languages is fun. The most important piece of advice that I give students is this: Don't take yourself so seriously! It's good to be playful, creative and even childlike when you learn. It's okay to laugh at yourself. It's even okay to laugh at your classmates if you do it in a friendly, encouraging way.

My goal for this blog is to give English language learners and teachers a useful and playful place to learn English and find classroom resources. I'm planning to fill it with an assortment of my silly comics, posts on useful and modern language, uplifting and thought-provoking news stories, and relevant discussion questions.

If this sounds interesting to you, please check back soon for more! Also, please feel free to say hello in the comment section below. I would love to hear what you think.

Vocabulary: 

* to sugarcoat something = To make something sound better or easier than it really is. (It's like putting sugar on the outside of a lemon. It looks sweet, but when you taste it, you realize it is sour and hard to eat.)

Discussion Questions: (These can be used in conversation classes.)

1- Why does the teacher ask, "You take mistakes?" What is the student's problem?
2- Do you think this comic is funny? Why or why not?
3- Do you ever feel like this student?
4- What are some specific mistakes that you often make in English?
5- What is the funniest English mistake that you have made?
6- Do you worry about making mistakes when you speak? Do you usually speak slowly and cautiously or do you speak quickly, even when you know that you are making mistakes?