Gerund Or Infinitive Rules

  And now we'll have a look at both the infinitive and the gerund. Infinitive is the word "to", followed by the base form of the verb. We"ll typically use it after a verb, specifically verbs like "want" or "hope". We can make statements like "I want to go to the beach." We also have our gerund. Our gerund is a verb followed by "-ing", but specifically used as a noun within the sentence. We have a verb plus a gerund: "I enjoy playing poker." The main verb is "enjoy" and, although "playing" looks as if it's a verb, it's actually used as the noun within the sentence. We also can use it with a preposition followed by a gerund: "How about going to the beach?" We could also put it in the front of a sentence: "Smoking is bad for you." Again, the verb plus "-ing" can act as two things within...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Punctuation in English often differs in many ways from punctuation in other languages. This can be an issue, especially for non-native English learners all across the world. What is punctuation? Check out these useful punctuation rules in English below.   Here is our complete guide on punctuation rules and punctuation marks in the English language. Fnd out how and when to use different punctuation marks with useful examples. This is the most popular punctuation mark because you simply cannot write a single sentence without using it. There are two main uses of a full stop: to indicate the end of a sentence, or to follow an abbreviation. A comma is often used to separate different ideas in a sentence. However, it has many...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Destinations As a TEFL teacher it is important to make sure you have a good understanding of the language point you are teaching. It is equally important to have a good understanding of the country and culture you intend to teach in. While many aspects of behavior and etiquette may seem quite similar, each country has its own particular quirks that should be understood by a TEFL teacher. In this post I look at some important aspects of etiquette in different countries in Europe that any TEFL certification graduate should keep in mind. Manners and behaviour Better late than never? The pitfalls of hand gestures Social situations The common handshake Addressing strangers Do you want to teach English in Europe? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: Each country has...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!   So what exactly are relative pronouns? Let's take a look at relative pronoun definition, useful grammar rules with examples sentences and an ESL printable infographic below.   A relative pronoun is used to join or relate two different clauses together by referring to the noun in the previous clause using the following pronouns: who, whom, whose, which and that.   "Which" and "that" are generally used for objects; while "who" and "whom" are used for people, and "whose" is used to show possession. Let's take a look at some examples: In this example, "which" joins the two related clauses about choosing a color and a color which would look good on everyone.   In this case, "that" joins the two sentences...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Many ESL teachers have never even heard of phonetics or phonology, yet they use these aspects of speech naturally when they speak. Phonetics and phonology are two areas of linguistics that study the sounds of language. Phonetics focuses on individual sounds, while phonology studies the features and combination of sounds (McMahon, 1-3). There are two reasons why ESL teachers need to know phonetics and phonology: first, it helps them to conceptualize English in a way that their students can understand; and second, it helps them to address their students' difficult pronunciation problems. Why Students Suffer from Pronunciation Issues? Lack of Subject Knowledge Sound Awareness Teacher as a Role Model Are you ready to take your TEFL course? Related...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Emphasize the most critical concepts continuously. Reiterate these concepts in lectures and assignments throughout the course. Include questions relating to these critical subjects on every exam, thus rewarding students for learning, retaining, and, hopefully, applying this knowledge in a variety of contexts. 1. Use visual aid 2. Organize in-class activities 3. Show that the content is related 4. Show the importance of the vocabulary 5. Praise 6. Challenge Are you ready to teach English to ESL students? Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Maurine M. S. Provide students with a "visual aid" when possible to explain abstract concepts. A significant proportion of today's students are visual learners. For these...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Grammar is the rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in a natural language. Simply put, grammar is the general rule of a language. Language is logical; grammar tells us in which order we say words. It's about how words become phrases; how words and phrases become sentences and how sentences become language. The Essence of Grammar Different languages have different grammar rules How to teach grammar (EFL: how to teach Chinese students English) Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yang S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Some of these rules are acquired naturally in...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The classroom is the place where the students spend a big part of their life. Building safety and organized classroom environment is a very important task for the teacher. Many researchers explored problems of classroom management to create a safe classroom for the students and to establish rules of conduct. What does classroom management includes Teachers' Responsibilities Common mistakes teachers make Best way to succeed Benefits of classroom management Key elements Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Rozalina K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Classroom management includes all organizational...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When it comes to managing a class, a teacher must be prepared to face many different challenges. This can be especially true for a teacher in classrooms abroad. In addition to teaching a subject, a foreign teacher may also have to worry about the cultural or social norms of a country they may be unaccustomed to, and other problems might arise from language barriers. An EFL teacher can better manage a classroom if they prepare for these in advance, and utilize the appropriate behaviors and routines while running the classroom. The Importance of Planning Classes Setting up Goals Cultural Habits Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate David H. Please note that this...  [Read more]

ITTT's online TEFL courses and combined courses are your best options at this time for getting TEFL or TESOL certified and to prepare you for opportunities to teach English online and overseas in the future. Even though some of our in-class locations are slowly opening up again, many of them remain on hold throughout the rest of 2020. So if you're looking to take an in-class TEFL or TESOL course for teaching English as a foreign language, unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen for all our 30+ locations until 2021. For up-to-date info related to availability and cancellations of in-person TEFL courses around the globe, please check out available course dates on our location pages. Important to know: You can take our online courses and the first section of the combined course safely...  [Read more]

ITTT's online TEFL courses and combined courses are your best options at this time for getting TEFL or TESOL certified and to prepare you for opportunities to teach English online and overseas in the future. Even though some of our in-class locations are slowly opening up again, many of them remain on hold throughout the rest of 2020. So if you're looking to take an in-class TEFL or TESOL course for teaching English as a foreign language, unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen for all our 30+ locations until 2021. For up-to-date info related to availability and cancellations of in-person TEFL courses around the globe, please check out available course dates on our location pages. Important to know: You can take our online courses and the first section of the combined course safely...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!   The majority of singular nouns are made plural simply by adding an S on to the end of the word. However, there are many different rules depending on what letter the word ends in.   A plural noun is a word that is used to indicate that there is more than one person, animal, place, thing, or idea etc. The majority of singular nouns are made plural simply by adding an S on to the end of the word. However, there are many different rules depending on what letter the word ends in. There are also many irregular nouns that don’t follow the rules and these need to be learned and memorized. The rules every EFL teacher needs to know so they can teach their students effectively are: 1 To make regular nouns plural, add ‑s to...  [Read more]

ITTT's online TEFL courses and combined courses are your best options at this time for getting TEFL or TESOL certified and to prepare you for opportunities to teach English online and overseas in the future. Even though some of our in-class locations are slowly opening up again, many of them remain on hold throughout the rest of 2020. So if you're looking to take an in-class TEFL or TESOL course for teaching English as a foreign language, unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen for all our 30+ locations until 2021. For up-to-date info related to availability and cancellations of in-person TEFL courses around the globe, please check out available course dates on our location pages. Important to know: You can take our online courses and the first section of the combined course safely...  [Read more]

ITTT's online TEFL courses and combined courses are your best options at this time for getting TEFL or TESOL certified and to prepare you for opportunities to teach English online and overseas in the future. Even though some of our in-class locations are slowly opening up again, many of them remain on hold throughout the rest of 2020. So if you're looking to take an in-class TEFL or TESOL course for teaching English as a foreign language, unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen for all our 30+ locations until 2021. For up-to-date info related to availability and cancellations of in-person TEFL courses around the globe, please check out available course dates on our location pages. Important to know: You can take our online courses and the first section of the combined course safely...  [Read more]

ITTT's online TEFL courses and combined courses are your best options at this time for getting TEFL or TESOL certified and to prepare you for opportunities to teach English online and overseas in the future. Even though some of our in-class locations are slowly opening up again, many of them remain on hold throughout the rest of 2020. So if you're looking to take an in-class TEFL or TESOL course for teaching English as a foreign language, unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen for all our 30+ locations until 2021. For up-to-date info related to availability and cancellations of in-person TEFL courses around the globe, please check out available course dates on our location pages. Important to know: You can take our online courses and the first section of the combined course safely...  [Read more]

  Here are some tips on completing your parts of speech worksheet. When providing examples for each part of speech, five one-word answers will suffice for almost all of them. However, we'll need to clarify this for the gerunds. This is basically due to the fact that what you've written can either be used as the main verb in a sentence, that would be the present participle, or can be used as the gerund. For example the word "playing" wouldn't be enough, as it can be used both as the verb or the gerund. So, an example sentence such as "I like playing poker." would suffice rather than simply the word "playing". Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This game can be used to practice irregular verbs. The rules are similar to a regular game of Ludo - the only difference is that when the counter lands on a new square, the students must give past forms of a given verb.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Most advertised jobs are totally genuine, but to avoid the small percentage that are not, you should follow a few simple rules: Stay alert and informed. By adhering to these guidelines, you can confidently navigate the ESL job market and avoid potential pitfalls. How can research help me avoid scams when looking for TEFL jobs? Should I ever send upfront payments when applying for TEFL jobs? Should I be wary if an employer doesn't request an interview? Should I ask to speak to a current employee? The single best defense against job scams is to ensure you thoroughly research the teaching market in your chosen destination. If you are fully aware of the typical salary, expected benefits, working hours, and normal visa requirements, you should have little trouble spotting potential...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Knowing when and when not to capitalize is an important part of writing correct English. Most students quickly learn that you always capitalize the first letter of a new sentence, but what are the other rules?   Although mistakes with capitalization do not generally have a big affect on the readability of your written English, it is important to get it right when writing formally for work or study purposes. Fortunately, the most common rules above are quite clear and straightforward to learn. Below are a few more capitalization rules you should be aware of. Capitalize family relationships when used as proper nouns. Capitalize “Uncle Brian,” and “Grandma Betty”. Do not use capitals when referring to a person’s...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I think of myself as having been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to learn other languages at a young age. I was taught French in primary school and at home, I learned or acquired Spanish. At school, I remember my language teacher being very textbook-oriented and she focused and followed the book to the "T". I picked up easily on the grammar because I had already learned Spanish at home and I was also very keen to learn foreign languages, especially French. The grammar didn't seem difficult or boring to me at all because I had already been exposed to the language at a very early age. However, many students didn't feel the same way I did and had difficulty with the subject and therefore, developed a disinterest in learning another language....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Classroom management is a topic that is so broad, so overwhelming that it's hard to know where to begin. A group of people coming together to learn a common subject or topic under the guidance of an instructor is called a class. The people taking the instructions are called learners and the place where the instruction takes place is called the classroom. Ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted learning environment in a classroom so that teaching takes place successfully is called classroom management. Progressively I will be discussing the strategies used to achieve effective classroom management. Key Strategies Positive Relationship Rules Encouragement Do you want to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As a teacher of grade 2 at an international school in Shenzhen, China, my classroom management has many components. Educators require both teaching skills and classroom management skills because strong classroom management creates a safe environment for students to learn with joy. Setting up Rules Classroom Safety Considering Learning Difficulties Reward System Do you want to teach English in China? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate YunXiang C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First, a classroom agreement is a component of my classroom management plan. At the beginning of the semester, students collaborated and agreed...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas A lot of activities can be settled and performed in a classroom to teach a non-native language. From tasks until routine exercises, a wide range of dynamics might be applied for a teacher. But games have different and unique features for a lesson, and its matter and characteristics need to be debated for developing consistent teaching of content. What is a Game? What is the Game for? Game Directions Sense of Competence Communication Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Fábio A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First of all, it must keep in mind the concept of a game, which could be described as...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays, the role of teachers is changing differently from the past. Teachers in these days are required to be kind and patient, be lively and entertaining, have a good rapport with students, and so on, it seems like the teachers are likely to be friends of students. It is good to have these qualities, however, teachers could become easygoing or too forgiving to omit the students' mistakes when they do something wrong. It is worse when teachers becoming targets and even victims of students' aggression. Therefore, it is quite difficult to teach students the boundaries between what they could and could not do. In this writing, there are two questions will be discussed. The first question is why the discipline in the classroom is important, and the second...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Effective teachers not only possess expertise in content knowledge but they are also great classroom managers. If teachers cannot manage their students then they cannot teach their students. Learning will only take place when the classroom is well managed. The first day of school is the most important day for teachers to create 'rules' in the classroom. The Essence of Classroom Management Teacher Responsibilities Relationships Expectations and Directions Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Nikki D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Classroom management must happen on the very first day of school...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are many views about learning English grammar. Many people think that learning English grammar is not important and unnecessary. This idea is not wrong because it depends on the purpose of your English learning. Essential grammar study Challenges Ways to learn English grammar: Must learn with practice Improve your English grammar by reading a lot Practice writing skills every day Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate May T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For middle and high school students, learning English grammar is very important because it accounts for the highest score in the English...  [Read more]

  Kayo lives in Japan and took the 120-hour TEFL course with tutor support and videos from ITTT. In this TEFL review video. Kayo outlines her reasons for taking the course. As a mother she wants to be a great teacher to enable local children to use English as tool for sharing their own culture and to help expand their horizons. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This unit was about teaching...  [Read more]

  Amber took the four-week in-class course in Buenos Aires because she was looking for a new challenge. Teaching English abroad will enable her to travel the world and gain new experiences at the same time. In this TEFL review, she says how much she enjoyed her month-long stay at the center in Buenos Aires and especially enjoyed teaching adults. She is excited to start her first teaching position. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Register now & get...  [Read more]

  Huzeyfe took the 120-hour online TEFL course with tutor support and videos from ITTT. Huzeyfe has been teaching English in Mongolia since 2009 and in this TEFL review he tells us how he took the course with ITTT to improve his current job level. During the course he improved his understanding of grammar and learned new techniques for classroom management. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Most of...  [Read more]

  Ruth lives in Nicaragua and took the 120-hour online TESOL without tutor support from ITTT. In this TESOL review video Ruth discusses what she enjoyed about the course. She found the course units to be simple and easy to follow and particularly liked the teaching ideas that the course provided to help her teach language concepts in more varied and interesting ways. She also benefited from the job help provided at the end of the course. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving...  [Read more]