A Song with Reduced Relative Clauses: #7

Posted on December 14, 2014 by mhardy3222

*There are a few ways in which we can reduce Relative Clauses. For now, I’m going to look at the Reduced Relative Clauses (bold print) in the song “Rolling in the Deep”  by Adele (subtitles in English). Can you work out which words have been omitted?

Song: ROLLING IN THE DEEP

There’s a fire starting in my heart/
Reaching a fever pitch;ADELE

It’s bringing me out (of) the dark.
Finally, I can see you crystal clear;  

Go ahead and sell me out and I’ll lay your ship bare.
See how I leave with every piece of you.
Don’t underestimate the things that I will do.

There’s a fire starting in my heart,
Reaching a fever pitch
And it’s bringing me out (of) the dark.

Relative clauses ‘relate’ (refer) to nouns and pronouns. Think of them as long adjectives. In this post, I am looking at Reduced Relative Clauses. For basic information on Relative Clauses and Relative Pronouns, I recommend that you first read my earlier posts.

Have you worked out that the omitted words are which is (or that is):

There’s a fire which is starting in my heart

(There’s a fire) which is reaching a fever pitch

We can delete (or leave out) the Relative Pronoun  with the BE verb  when the main verb in the Relative Clause is Continuous (Progressive): … is starting… / … is reaching… .

It doesn’t matter which tense the continuous verb is. The finite verb in the Independent Clause often indicates the tense. The Independent Clause in this song is: There is a fire. Here are some more examples:

  • The girl is gorgeous as well as talented.
  • The girl who is singing the song is gorgeous as well as talented.
  • > The girl singing the song is gorgeous as well as talented.
  •                          ↑        ↑        ↑
  •              Reduced Relative Clause
  • The people were really enjoying themselves.
  • The people who were singing along with Adele at the concert were really enjoying themselves.
  • > The people singing along with Adele at the concert were really enjoying themselves.                            ↑               ↑               ↑
  •                                             Reduced Relative Clause

Sometimes, it’s the meaning conveyed in the Reduced Relative Clause that indicates the tense. In the following example, ‘since 2008’, indicates that the BE verb in the present perfect tense has been omitted.

  • The singer is only 26 years old.
  • The singer, who has been writing music since 2008, is only 26 years old.
  • > The singer, writing music since 2008, is only 26 years old.
  •                                   ↑              ↑              ↑
  •                              Reduced Relative Clause

* I will be writing more posts on Reduced Relative Clauses. For now, listen to Adele singing ROLLING IN THE DEEP.  There are only two Reduced Relative Clauses, so you should be able to remember them! However, for those of you who want more information and practice exercises now, click here.

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Posted in Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Relative Clauses, Songs, Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

English Dictation

Posted on December 6, 2014 by mhardy3222

Dictation is one way to check and improve your students’ listening level. However, it can be really boring for students.

Why not use a song for dictation? There’s a song I sometimes use for dictation in my English ESL class which is so good that the students enjoy the class even if it’s difficult.

You can show the Youtube video either at the beginning or end of the lesson, or not at all.  (Who knows, maybe the video will no longer be available when you want to show it.)

This version of the song, ‘Unchained Melody’ by Dan England performing on the TV Show Australian Idol  and just 1:45 minutes long, is perfect for a dictation for levels 3-5. For level 3, I pre teach some vocabulary: lonely; Verbs: flow, hunger, touch, Godspeed.

Here are the lyrics:

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea, to the open arms of the sea.

Oh my love, my darling,

I’ve hungered for your touch a long, lonely time.

And time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much.

Are you still mine? ……… I need your love.

I need your love.

Godspeed your love to me.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I recommend songs a lot. It really is one of the easiest ways to learn and remember English. Teachers, try this dictation and let me know how you go.

For English students who are reading this post, here’s my advice: Listen to the song and sing along. If you like the song, listen a few times. When you remember the song, you will   remember the grammar, the vocabulary, and the pronunciation. I’m sure that you will enjoy this modern version of a classic 60’s song.

Posted in Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Songs | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

English Pronunciation: 20 VOWEL-SOUNDS IN 20 Minutes

Posted on October 27, 2014 by mhardy3222

Here for the first time, you can see what it’s like to be a student in my class! Get a coffee, make yourself comfortable, and join the class!

The lesson today is Pronunciation, and in just 20 minutes you will learn the 20 English Vowel Sounds. If you enjoy this video, let me know, and I’ll do some more. 

Are you ready? In just 20 minutes you will learn the 20 English Vowel Sounds. 

For a clear picture of the English File Phonetic Chart, click here and for practice exercises, click here.

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Beginner (Level 1), Elementary (Level 2), Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Pronunciation Videos, Speaking & Pronunciation, Upper Intermediate (Level 5), Videos | Tagged | 1 Comment

Me, Myself, and I

Posted on October 6, 2014 by mhardy3222

Pronouns

Pronouns.jpg

I’ve noticed that it’s not only English students who have problems with pronouns. Native speakers don’t always know when to use Me, Myself, and I. Even people in the media, including radio presenters and politicians, make constant mistakes. So, let’s have a look at pronouns and when to use them.

Well, we need to start with sentences. Every sentence must have a subject and a verb. We can replace the subjects with pronouns, which are called ‘subject pronouns’.

Babies cry. (Subject = Babies)   They cry.
This shark kills. (Subject = This shark)  It kills.
Dogs bite. (Subject = Dogs)  They bite.
John is singing. (Subject = John)  He is singing.

Some sentences have objects. We can replace the objects with pronouns, which are called ‘object pronouns’.

This shark killed a girl yesterday. It killed her yesterday.
John is singing that song too slowly. He is singing it too slowly.
Rena likes cats. She likes them.
That dog bit Pablo. It bit him.


Not all verbs show action but it is useful to think of it in this way: that the subject does the action, and the object receives the action. The dog did the action. Poor Pablo received the action of the dog.

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same. They ‘reflect’ back on the subject. You cannot use reflexive pronouns if you have not used the subject they are referring to.

  • The dog bit himself/ itself. = The dog bit the dog. (‘Himself/itself’ refers back to the dog. They are the same.) 
  • The dog bit him.       =  The dog bit a male person or animal.
  • Taka bought the car for himself. = Taka bought the car for Taka. (‘Himself’ and Taka are the same.)
  • Taka bought the car for him.        = Taka bought the car for a male person.
Subject pronouns:  I                 you               he               she   it  we  they
Object pronouns: me you him   her it us them
Reflexive pronouns: myself yourself yourselves himself herself itself ourselves themselves

Lady Gaga

LADY GAGA thatgrapejuice.net

Look at the following conversation:                                      

DIANA: Are you going to the Lady Gaga concert in Brisbane next month Sally?

SALLY: I‘d like to, but I don’t want to go by myself.

DIANA: That’s why I‘m asking you. Why don’t you go with me?

SALLY: Great idea! Thanks. We could check with Emma too. She loves Lady Gaga and she wouldn’t want to go to the concert by herself.  She could go with us. How are you getting there?

DIANA: We could drive or get a lift with Harry. He drives to Brisbane every weekend.

SALLY: I think that we should drive ourselves and not depend on him.  It will be more convenient.

**********************

Typical mistakes:

* Sally and me are going to the Lady Gaga concert.

Correction: Sally and I are going to the Lady Gaga concert. (Subject = Sally and I)

* Sally bought the ticket for myself.

Correction: Sally bought the ticket for me. (Object = me)

* The football game was very exciting for John and I.

Correction: The football game was very exciting for John and me. (Object = John and me)

 *  The children and myself are going to the next game.

Correction: The children and I are going to the next game. (Subject = The children and I)

* A: Who are these books for?  B: Myself.

Correction: A: Who are these books for?  B: Me. (Object = Me)

For more information on Pronouns, click here. For practice exercises, click here and here.

Posted in Elementary (Level 2), Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3) | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Reported Speech

Posted on October 5, 2014 by mhardy3222

www.eslabout.com Getty Images

http//esl.about.com Getty Images

Last week I taught Reported Speech to my Pre-Intermediate class. (Reported Speech is also called Indirect Speech. However, not all Indirect Speech is Reported Speech.)

For example, if you want to ask about the price of something in a shop, you could say, “Excuse me, could you tell me how much this costs?” This is Indirect Speech, because you are asking, “Could you tell me …?” (Direct Speech is, “How much does this cost?”) You are not reporting what someone said, so it is not Reported Speech.

Some of my students asked me for some practice exercises, so I have had a good look at what’s on the Internet. As usual, esl.about.com has a lot of helpful information as well as exercises:

  • For a quick explanation of Reported Speech, click here.
  • For ways to use Reported Speech, click here.
  • For differences between SAY and TELL, click here.
  • For a quiz/exercise, click here.
  • If you would like to extend your vocabulary and the quality of your spoken and written language, click here for information on Reporting Verbs.

Esl.about.com provides several links to English Grammar explanations and exercises. The above links which I’ve  provided are just to get you started with Reported Speech. Why not explore some links which I have not provided? Go on! You might have some fun with English! If you have any comments or questions, leave a reply below.

Posted in Grammar, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

English Vowel Sounds

Posted on September 28, 2014 by mhardy3222

I have had many requests for more information about, and an explanation of, English pronunciation. Well, I will soon be making a video teaching all the vowel sounds!

In English we have five vowels: A E I O U. However, we have twenty vowel sounds! I will explain how you can make these sounds. There are seven short sounds and thirteen long sounds.

If you would like me to email you when I post this Pronunciation Video, click on the FOLLOW button on the right, or above on the left.

Meanwhile, you can watch two of my pronunciation videos. Click here to watch how to say the difference between Won’t & Want and click here to watch how to pronounce Work & Walk.  

Posted in Advanced (Level 6+), Elementary (Level 2), Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Pronunciation Videos, Speaking & Pronunciation, Videos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Song containing Relative Clauses – by Shakira: #3

Posted on August 22, 2014 by mhardy3222

Shakira-2014

SHAKIRA 2014

Posted in Grammar, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Relative Clauses, Songs, TOEFL, TOEIC, Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Defining Relative Clauses: #6

Posted on August 17, 2014 by mhardy3222

For Grammar Rules about Defining Relative Clauses see my post  September 22, 2013.

Rihanna and Eminem                                                                                                                       
  • RIHANNA  sings a song with Eminem called ‘Monster’. There are  Defining Relative Clauses in the chorus. Have a look:

Chorus

1. I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed.

2. (I) Get along with the voices inside of my head.

3. You’re trying to save me.

4. Stop holding your breath.

5. And you think I’m crazy.

6. Yeah, you think I’m crazy (crazy).

The Relative clauses in Lines 1 & 2 are clearly Defining Relative Clauses because they are obviously necessary in the sentence. You know they are necessary because if you take them out, the sentences have no meaning:

I’m friends with the monster. 

I get along with the voices.    

If a friend said to you, “I’m friends with the monster”, you would ask, “which monster??”    

The Defining Relative Clause tells us which monster.    

If a friend said to you, “I get along with the voices”, you would ask, “which voices??”

The Defining Relative Clause tells us which voices.

Also note that Rihanna sings about “THE monster”, “THE voices”. “THE” is the Definite (defining!) Article. We use THE when it is clear which noun we are talking about, but if we just say, “I’m friends with the monster”, it is NOT clear which monster. If we just say, “I get along with the voices”, it is NOT clear which voices. We need to define which monster and which voices. We need Defining Relative Clauses.

*** Defining Relative Clauses do not use commas because commas (like these brackets) separate the Relative Clause from the Independent Clause and we don’t want to separate the Relative Clause because the information is important for meaning. 

*** Non-Defining Relative Clauses use commas because the Relative Clause provides extra, separate information (like extra information we sometimes put in brackets).

The song ‘Monster’, which I like, is sung by Rihanna and Eminem.

‘which I like’ is a Non-Defining Relative Clause. It doesn’t tell us which song. It’s extra information.

Rihanna and Eminem, who are very successful, sing a song called ‘Monster’.

‘who are very successful’ is a Non-Defining Relative Clause. It doesn’t tell us who Rihanna and Eminem are. It’s extra information about them.

Take out the Non-Defining Relative Clauses and the sentences have meaning:

The song ‘Monster’ is sung by Rihanna and Eminem.

Rihanna and Eminem sing a song called ‘Monster’.

I highly recommend that you sing the chorus of ‘Monster’ (video below) a few times until you know it well. Then, whenever you need an example of a Defining Relative Clause, one will be easy to recall.

***************************************************************

  • Now, let’s look at two more Defining Relative Clauses.
Maroon 5 in Concerthttp://popcrush.com/maroon-5-today-show-toyota-concert-series/         Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

Adam Levine from Maroon 5  in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza

  • MAROON FIVE sing a song called ‘This Love’. The first few lines contain Defining Relative Clauses:

1. I was so high I did not recognize

2. The fire (which/that was) burning in her eyes,

3. The chaos that controlled my mind.

Here you can see that the Relative Clauses are vital for meaning. Take them out and the song has no clear meaning:

I was so high I did not recognize the fire, the chaos .. Which fire?? Which chaos??

*Note again the use of the Definite Article: THE fire, THE chaos.

I highly recommend that you sing the chorus of ‘Monster’ (click here for the video) and the lines from ‘This Love’ (lyrics video) a few times until you know them well. Then, whenever you need an example of a Defining Relative Clause, you will be able to recall one or more easily.

You could also check other examples in songs by clicking here.

If you have any questions or would like more examples, just leave a comment  below.

 

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Posted in Grammar, IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Relative Clauses, Songs, TOEFL, TOEIC | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Learn English with Facebook

Posted on July 13, 2014 by mhardy3222

 On Facebook, you can find  Australia Plus Learn English (part of the Australia Network Website) where you can join their community for conversational English tips.  You can also access several other learning programs on the  Australia Network Website.

There is something for everyone from Beginners to Advanced students.

livingenglish_620

Photo courtesy of: http://legacy.australianetwork.com/livingenglish/

Posted in Beginner (Level 1), Elementary (Level 2), Grammar, Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Pre-Intermediate (Level 3), Speaking & Pronunciation, Videos, Vocabulary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

IELTS Speaking Test

Posted on July 13, 2014 by mhardy3222

For English students wanting to study for the IELTS Speaking Test, there are some wonderful resources online.

I can highly recommend the  Australia Network  Website. In the Passport to English section, you will find videos, transcripts, notes, and commentary to help you. You can watch videos of English students sitting for the IELTS Speaking Test. There is information about what is expected in all parts of the test.

Australia network - IELTS photosPhoto courtesy of http://legacy.australianetwork.com/passport/

Video podcasts of the Learning English programs can be downloaded  onto your computer or portable media player and if you subscribe, you will automatically receive the latest program when it becomes available.

Posted in IELTS, Intermediate (Level 4), Listening, Speaking & Pronunciation, Upper Intermediate (Level 5) | Tagged , , | 1 Comment