Song: Tom's Diner

This song was written and performed by Suzanne Vega. It has many examples of the present progressive! The song is about a few minutes in a woman's life, when she goes to a diner for a cup of coffee. (A diner is a kind of simple restaurant.)

Here are the lyrics:

I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner

I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee

And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue

He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in

"It is always
Nice to see you,"
Says the man
Behind the counter

To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella

And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos and

I'm pretending
Not to see them
And instead
I pour the milk

I open
Up the paper
There's a story
Of an actor

Who had died
While he was drinking
It was no one
I had heard of

And I'm turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies

When I'm feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head

There's a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?

No, she does not
Really see me
'Cause she sees
Her own reflection

And I'm trying
Not to notice
That she's hitching
Up her skirt

And while she's
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Has gotten wet

Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening

To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice...

Using the Simple Present and Present Progressive with the Verb "Think"

JenniferESL's video compares the use of the simple present and the present progressive with the verb think. This video is also advanced.

More Present Progressive (Advanced)

This video by EnglishPage.info reviews the rules we have studied about the present progressive (also called the present continuous) and adds some new rules. For example, it explains that we sometimes use the present progressive to talk about the future:

"She is going to Paris next week."

In addition, we learn that with certain time expressions such as always and repeatedly, we sometimes use the present progressive instead of the habitual present:

"My friend is always interrupting me when I study."

(It is also correct to say, "My friend always interrupts me when I study.")

Cartoon: Present Progressive

In this cartoon, the coyote (a kind of wild dog or small wolf) keeps trying to kill his enemy the roadrunner (a kind of bird). Does he succeed?

The Present Progressive

We use the present progressive to talk about actions in progress or temporary actions.

(The present progressive is also called the present continuous.)

We form the present progressive with BE (am, is, or are) + Verb + ing.
For example:
I am posting videos on the blog.
You are visiting the blog.
We are studying present tenses this month.

This very short video by Bonazar introduces the present progressive:



In this video, Paul reviews the form of the present progressive.



In this Real English video, you can see examples of the present progressive ("What are you wearing?" "I'm wearing....") and practice color and clothing vocabulary.

Song: Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

Frankie Lymon wrote this song in 1956 when he was only 13 years old! In this video, Diana Ross, the lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes, performs the song. How many present tense questions can you hear?

Here are the lyrics:

Why do birds sing so gay,
And lovers await the break of day?
Why do they fall in love?
Why does the rain fall from up above?
Why do fools fall in love?
Why do they fall in love?

Love is a losing game.
Love can be a shame.
I know of a fool, you see,
For that fool is me.
Tell me why, tell me why.

Why do birds sing so gay
And lovers await the break of day?
Why do they fall in love?
Why does the rain fall from up above?
Why do fools fall in love
Why do they fall in love?

Why does my heart skip a crazy beat,
For I know it will reach defeat?
Tell me why, tell me why.
Why do fools fall in love?
Tell me why, tell me why.

Now listen:

Differences Between BE and DO in the Present Tense

In this video, Paul explains some differences between be and do, in affirmative, negative, and interrogative (question) sentences.

Habitual Present Tense Questions

Here is another Real English video from Mike Marzio. Listen to native English speakers in different countries answer questions in the habitual present tense. The interviewers ask questions with "How often...?" and "How long...?" Notice the use of the helping verb do/does.

Snow Day

Today the campus is closed because of snow! At my house, we got up late and had a special breakfast. We watched the news on TV and cleared the snow from the driveway. I like snow days!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing


At 1:00, Mohammed, Willie, Mohammed, and I met at Tapped In for an extra class. Thanks for coming, guys! I enjoyed chatting with you.

This, That, These, Those

We use this and that for singular nouns: this book/that book
We use these and those for plural nouns. these books/those books

We use this and these for things that are near.
We use that and those for things that are far.

Watch this silly video by english4u, a British teacher in Saudi Arabia, to see the difference:



Watch Paul's video to learn how to pronounce the th sounds in this, that, these, and those.



This, that, these, and those are adjectives when they come before a noun:

• I want this book. I don't want that book (or that one).
• These videos are good for reviewing grammar. Those videos have English songs.

This, that, these, and those are pronouns when there is no noun after them.

• What is this?
  
• Please give me some of that.
• These are my friends.
• I want those.
  

"Do" and "Does" as a Helping Verb

Paul explains how we use the verb do/does to make negatives and questions in the simple present tense.

Auxiliary ("Helping") Verbs and Main Verbs

We use auxiliary verbs to form different verb tenses and aspects.

DO and DOES
We use do to form negatives and questions in the simple (habitual) present. (Remember, if the subject is 3rd person singular--he, she, it--use does.) The main verb after do/does is in the root (simple) form.

Examples:
Barack Obama does not live in Chicago now.
(In speech, you can contract does + not => doesn't)

I do not understand Arabic.
(Contraction: do + not => don't)

Where do you live?

Does Mary attend classes at the University of Maryland?

DID
We use the past tense of do--did--to form negatives and questions in the simple past.
We use did for all persons. The main verb after did is in the root (simple) form.
The contraction of did + not => didn't.

Examples:
Jack did not do his homework.
Did the teacher write the homework on the board?

BE
We use be as an auxiliary verb to form the present and past progressive (continuous). Use the present form (am, is, are) for the present progressive. use the past form of be (was, were) for the past progressive. The main verb after any form of be is in the present participle (Ving) form.

Remember! Both do and be can also be main verbs.

Examples:
The students do their homework.
The students are in class every day.

In this video, Paul talks about the auxiliary verbs do and be and main verbs:

Adjectives

Here is another video by dgb111. It is about adjectives (words that describe nouns). You will recognize some of the adjectives from our vocabulary work in the OPD, like hungry and angry, as well as some new ones. Watching the video will help you to remember the words and to pronounce them correctly.

Fruits and Vegetables

This little video by dgb111, an English teacher in Mexico, will make you hungry!



There are a few spelling mistakes: broccoli, tomato, cantaloupe, and zucchini are correct. Also, some speakers pronounce orange as one syllable, as dgb11 does, but other speakers (like me) pronounce it as 2 syllables: o-range.

Song: Hero

Mohammed AA suggests that I post this music video of a love song by Enrique Iglesias. The grammar in this song is advanced, but I think you can get the idea! If you have any questions, ask me.



By the way, "I just wanna to hold you" should be "I just want to hold you."

The Simple (Habitual) Present Tense: Negatives

In this video, Paul explains how to make negative sentences in the simple (habitual) present tense.

Song: Tell Me Why

Mohammed AQ has shared this beautiful music video with us. "Tell Me Why" is not only a beautiful song; its words are simple, and there are many examples of the habitual (simple) present tense! You can enjoy the music and practice grammar at the same time. The artist is the young British singer, Declan Galbraith. Enjoy!


Declan Galbraith - Tell Me Why ( with Lyrics) - More free videos are here

PS "Cos" is an informal spelling of "because". Also, as you know, we normally capitalize the subject pronoun "I".

Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

This Real English video models the American pronunciation of cardinal numbers 1 - 15 and 10 - 100 (counting by by tens). Then you will hear some ordinal numbers from 1st (first) to 31st (thirty-first).

AT, ON, IN: Prepositions of Time

We use at for clock time:

• at 11:00 a.m.
• at 2:30
• at noon (or midnight)
  

We use on for days and dates:

• on Monday
• on Mondays (=every Monday)
• on February 23rd
  

We use in for longer periods of time:

• in March
• in 2004
• in the 21st century

Watch this RebeccaESL video for a review of these prepositions of time:

Daily Routines

Here is a cute video about things we do every day. There are a few mistakes; can you find them?


Video by Kamil Gunay (Turkey)