Teach Past Forms

  We have seen that the key word that helps us to remember the Present Perfect tense is forms of the word 'have' plus the past participle form of the verb. This ITTT video looks at the three main usages of the Present Perfect. First usage: To talk about indefinite past actions. I have been to Italy twice. / I have eaten snake. Second usage: To talk about unfinished past actions I have lived here for three years. / She has been a teacher since 2010. Third usage: To talk about past actions with present results. I have lost my keys. / I have left my computer in the office. When teaching the Present Perfect tense or any other grammar point it is always important to look for patterns and make it as clear as possible for your students. The courses at ITTT assume no prior knowledge of...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a fun past simple Wh questions ESL game to help you teach your students how to make questions in the past simple tense.   To play the game, divide the students into pairs (A and B) and give each student a corresponding part of the worksheet and each pair two dice. Student B begins by rolling the dice and adding up the numbers rolled. Student A then formulates the past simple question that corresponds to the number on their worksheet. For example, if Student B rolls a two, Student A asks question two on their worksheet, i.e. 'What did you wear yesterday?' If Student B answers correctly, Student A crosses off the question. If Student B makes a grammatical mistake or is unable to answer appropriately in the form...  [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]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! The simple past tense is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. It indicates an action which is completed at a definite time in the past.   The simple past tense is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. It indicates an action which is completed at a definite time in the past. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  In a previous grammar video we looked at the future simple, future continuous, future perfect and future perfect continuous. In this video we look at three other forms used for talking about the future. These are the 'going to' future, the present continuous and the present simple. The 'going to' future: Subject + verb to be "am/is/are" + going to + base verb. It is used for intentions/things decided upon before speaking as in: "I'm going to teach English in Korea next year". The 'going to' future is also used when making predictions with evidence. The present continuous: Subject + verb to be "am/is/are" + present participle. This is used to talk about future arrangements that we might have such as: "I'm starting a TEFL course next month", this is saying that the course is paid for...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Past perfect tense indicates the finished or completed actions of the past. For example, I had taken eaten two pieces of cake before my friend finally showed up.   Past perfect tense indicates the finished or completed actions of the past. For example, I had taken eaten two pieces of cake before my friend finally showed up.     Subject + had + Past participle (v3) To make the positive sentences, we use the following structure: Subject + had + Past participle (V3) Examples of positive sentences We add ‘not’ after auxiliary verb to make the sentence negative. Subject + had + not + Past participle (V3) Examples of negative sentences. To make the question, ‘had’ come at the start of the sentence and...  [Read more]

  The past perfect is used as the past in the past to talk about events that happened in the past before another past event. For example: The concert had started before I arrived. The past perfect is covered in more detail in ITTT's 120-hour online teaching course. There are other courses available from 60-hour courses covering teaching skills to a 250-hour Diploma in TESOL. You can also take a specialisation teaching young learners or in teaching business English. Whatever your requirements are, if you are looking to become qualified to teach English from your own home, ITTT will have the right online teaching course for you. 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...  [Read more]

  Besides the actual future tenses, we can also use present tenses to talk about the future. Two of them are the present simple and the present continuous. Find out when to use which tense for future statements in this video. 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! My observation with this Unit is that one has to fully understand the tenses taught in the previous Units, to be able to fully understand the...  [Read more]

  Here the teacher gives a brief overview of the uses of the 'going to' future tense. This tense is formed: Subject + verb to be "am/is/are" + going to + base verb. The two uses for the 'going to' future are: To talk about future plans/ intentions made before speaking. They are going to watch a film. Predictions based on evidence. (Looking at dark clouds overhead) It's going to rain. The future tenses represent just one part of the grammar covered by ITTT's TEFL certification courses. ITTT's courses can be taken fully online, in-class or a combination of the two. Visit us at the link above to find a TEFL course that suits you. 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...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This worksheet is great for practicing the past continuous tense. Students need to use a verb in the simple past and a verb in the past continuous.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a fun English ESL worksheet to practice the past simple tense for ESL students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun worksheet to complete a summer holiday store with past simple tense.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun worksheet to practice conjugating the different forms of the verb "to be".   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  In this video, we provide you with a useful overview of the various past tenses. We focus here especially on the differences between the past perfect and past perfect continuous. 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! After this unit of study, I learned the different ways of evaluating students? levels and progress. As an English teacher who has three years of teaching and tutoring experience, I have to...  [Read more]

  In this video, we provide you with a useful overview of the various past tenses. We focus here especially on the differences between the past simple and past continuous. 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! Great unit for introduction to the intricacies of teaching English as a foreign language. As someone that has no prior experience, I already feel much, much more comfortable being at the front of a...  [Read more]

Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) online has become an increasingly popular option. While many pursue TEFL certification to immerse themselves in overseas adventures, online teaching offers its own set of benefits. For newcomers to the field, it provides a flexible platform to gain experience and earn, potentially funding future travels. Additionally, it serves as an excellent supplementary income source for those juggling other job commitments. So, regardless of your location, be it your home nation or abroad, online TEFL teaching is an option worth exploring. How do I get started as an English language teacher online? What are the employment options for an online English teacher? How much can you earn as an online English teacher? Embarking on an online English teaching...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun board game for teaching or revising the past simple tense. Students advance on the board with dice, when they land on a square they are asked to make a sentence using the picture clue and the verb provided.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here is a collection of dialog cards to practice the correct usage of the past simple tense.   Cut out the dialog cards and hand them out to your students, who form answers using the past simple tense.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here is a fun crossword puzzle for your EFL students to practice the past simple irregular verbs. Have fun!     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here's a useful worksheet with exercises to practice the present, past and future tenses.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This board game is a great speaking practice on some past simple irregular verbs.   Students take turns asking and answering questions about actions which happened in the past. They can practice some prepositions of time as well for more advanced students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  This is a video review form Dima who shares his view of our TEFL/TESOL courses. He is from the Ukraine and is planning to live abroad in China and teach English to young learners. He enjoyed the course and thought it was very well put together. He feels confident to lead his own classroom after taking the course and recommends this course to anyone interested in teaching English as a foreign language. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  The usage of the past simple tense as explained in this video is when you talk about completed actions at a definite time in the past. For example: I completed my TEFL course last year. When did you complete your TEFL course? ITTT's online TEFL courses cover tenses such as the past simple discussed in this video as well as other grammar points such as modal verbs, conditionals, reported speech etc. making sure that you as prepared as you can be before stepping into your first classroom. Once you have completed a TEFL course and are considering your options for teaching jobs it is worth considering becoming an online English teacher. As technology becomes increasingly more available around the world the demand for English lessons given solely over the internet is growing and working...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a great ESL board game to practice using the present perfect and past simple tenses in English.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun activity to practice the simple past. Students look at the images and talk about what Harry did on holiday.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun ESL printable writing activity worksheet for learners of English to practice the past simple tense with both regular and irregular verbs.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Having a variety of interesting and fun activities to draw on is an important part of keepingyour lessons fresh and your students engaged in learning, especially when it comes to teaching grammar points. In this graphic we look at 10 different activities for the past simple. The aim of these activities is to provide high student talking time using the target language. They should also encourage the students to produce the language themselves with varying amounts of creativity. Matching Pairs’ is a great activity for recognising irregular past simple verb forms. The activity helps students remember the different forms and encourages them to produce their own sentences. The ‘Diary’ activity encourages students to use the past simple with...  [Read more]

  We'll begin our examination of all the tenses by first looking at the present tense. There are four present tenses and we'll begin with the present simple tense. It's the most common tense in the English language as it talks about things in general, general facts, routines, habits. Those are usages that we'll look at in a little while but first let's focus on the form of the tense. Here, we've got our subjects 'I', 'you', 'we', 'they' and the base form of the verb followed by the rest of our sentence. Here for the 'he', 'she' and 'it' subjects, we have to conjugate our verb and in this case we've added an '-es' for 'teaches' followed by the rest of our sentence. With subjects 'I', 'you', 'we' and 'they' the pattern stays the same throughout we use the base form of the verb....  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun activity to practice the simple past. Students look at the images and talk about what Daisy did last Saturday. You can also have them figure out where Daisy forgot her umbrella.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

  This teaching idea for the past perfect involves matching pictures of historical events with the appropriate sentence and describing what had just happened in the picture using the past perfect tense. For example: A picture of the Titanic would be matched with the sentence "hit an iceberg" and the student should say "It had just hit an iceberg". As the trainer notes in the video; the scenarios in this activity are western centric. When teaching English overseas it is important to bear in mind how you can adapt your activities to make them more suitable or more interesting to your students. Learning about the local culture and history can make your lessons more relevant to your students and therefore more engaging. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one...  [Read more]