The Story Behind the Story — Narrative in Teaching
1. She ___ (read) when the phone ___ (ring). was reading / rang — past continuous for background, past simple for the interruption
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Four Languages in One Head — Code-Switching
1. Is code-switching a sign of not knowing a language? No — research shows it's a feature of high proficiency in both languages, not low proficiency in either.
Make or Do? The Eternal Grammar Question
2. Can you ___ me a favour? do (do someone a favour — fixed phrase)
The Letter That Got Me Through Immigration — Formal Writing
1. You don't know the name of the person. How do you sign off? Yours faithfully (when you opened with 'Dear Sir/Madam')
Listening to What’s Not Said — Attitude and Tone
1. 'That was... interesting.' (said slowly, flatly) What does the speaker really mean? Probably not positive — 'interesting' used as a polite substitute for 'strange' or 'I didn't like it'.
The Sommelier Test — Vocabulary in Context
1. The news left a ___ taste in my mouth. (bitter/sweet) bitter (unpleasant feeling, like a bitter drink)
When Mistakes Help You Learn — Error Correction
1. Student says 'I goed to the shop' during a speaking task. What do you do? Note it. Feed back after the task — don't interrupt fluency unless it blocks communication.
The Waiter’s Guide to Small Talk
1. What topics should you AVOID in small talk with strangers? Politics, religion, money, personal health problems, relationship issues.
Teach, Teaching, Taught — Word Families
2. Noun: success → Adjective: ___ → Adverb: ___ successful → successfully
Politely Disagreeing Without Losing — Functional Language
1. 'You're wrong' vs 'I see it slightly differently' I see it slightly differently — acknowledges the speaker, opens dialogue
Feelings: The Words Beyond Happy and Sad
2. I was completely ___ (exhaust) after the marathon. exhausted
A Word Is Never Alone — Collocations
1. I ___ a mistake in my report. (make/do) made (make a mistake — fixed collocation)
Three Seconds Before You Tell — Eliciting
1. Why is eliciting better than telling? Students process and produce the language actively — it sticks better. The 'generation effect'.
The Menu as a Text — Skimming and Scanning
1. You need to find the price of a product in a catalogue. Scan — you're looking for a specific piece of information.
Don’t Say ‘Do You Understand?’ — 5 Better Tools
1. What is an ICQ? Instruction Checking Question — checks students understood the task instructions (not the language).
The Question That Changed My Teaching — CCQs
Target: 'You must wear a seatbelt.' — Is option A or B better? A: 'Do you understand must?' B: 'Is this a rule or a choice?' B — it checks the concept (obligation vs choice)…
Plans I Made at CDG Airport — Future Forms
1. I've already bought the tickets — we ___ fly to Paris next month. are flying (fixed arrangement)
She Must Have Known — Modals of Deduction
1. The lights are on — he ___ still be home. (certain) must be (present deduction)
Moving Island — Prepositions: In, On, At
1. She works ___ a hospital. at (specific point / institution)
A Sommelier Counts What You Can’t — Countable & Uncountable
1. furniture U — 'some furniture', NOT 'a furniture' or 'furnitures'