American Tesol

Simply Present: The Complete Guide to the Present Simple Tense in English

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift: that’s why we call it the present.”

This play on words was written by cartoonist Bil Keane, and it’s meant to make us grateful to be alive.

Whether …

What do dogs, a lake, sunglasses, Mount Kilimanjaro and a banana all have in common?

Not sure?

They’re all examples of nouns.

If you didn’t recognize these words as nouns right away, don’t worry. In this post, we’re going to …

When’s your birthday?

Mine’s in June!

Or is it July? Or maybe January?

Learning the months in English can be tricky (challenging)!

And then there’s the added problem of memorizing each month’s holidays in English.

Maybe you already know words …

Caterpillar, cockroach, cricket, oh my!

Did you know that there are over 900 thousand different kinds of insects, which makes up 80% of the world’s animal species?

Don’t worry, though; you don’t have to learn all 900 thousand to be …

Once upon a time, there was a fair boy at the fair, and he was really fair!

There was also a bat flying around a bat, a friend of mine in a mine and a man with a bow bowing …

English is spoken in more than 70 countries around the world.

You can use English as you road-trip through all 50 states of the United States of America.

You can speak with locals in English as you drive …

Look at these two sentences:

Can you bring some flowers for Mary?

Can you bring some flowers to Mary?

Do these sentences have different meanings?

The answer is yes?these sentences have different meanings. But maybe you can’t see why.

Are …

What’s your favorite time of year?

Do you prefer the sun, sand and hot weather? Or do you like the snow and the cold?

How about something in the middle: warm, but not too hot, maybe a few clouds …

It’s time for a short quiz!

Do you have too many ideas for a project but you struggle to put them together?

Are your essays marked poorly despite all your grammatically-correct sentences?

Have you been told that your paragraphs often …

Do you like being outdoors?

Would you like to fall asleep in the grass, looking up at the stars?

How about a walk in the woods, playing hide-and-seek among the trees, with your friends?

If all of this sounds exciting …

Pop quiz!

Oh no!

Remember, when your teacher would spring (give without notice) a surprise quiz on your class, and you would immediately (right away) go into panic mode?

Well, do not worry, these are not those types of anxiety-causing …

“How are you feeling today?”

“I am good, thanks!”

“No, how are you, really?”

“I am….”

At times, both native English speakers and language learners can find it difficult to answer such a simple question?how are you really …

Reading the correct train times when heading to a job interview.

Double-checking that box of hair dye to make sure it won’t turn your hair green.

Understanding the small differences between words like began and begun. 

These are the …

Questions are a useful part of all languages.

Asking questions helps you figure out where the train station is, what you’re ordering from a restaurant or what time you’re meeting a friend.

In English, one specific type of question …

There’s a common expression in English that says “variety is the spice of life.”

It means in order for things to be interesting, they need to be new, different and constantly changing.

But variety is also the spice of …

“And I will, but you won’t

And I do, but, but you don’t

We won’t budge either way

But we like it, we like it”

These lines from Katy Perry’s song “Agree to Disagree” show that just because you disagree …

“Excuse me, ma’am.” “Nice to meet you, sir.” “Hey, buddy!”

Wait, back up. There are so many ways of addressing people in English. But what’s the right way?

When should you use a formal term and when can you use …

You’ve studied your English verb conjugation.

You’ve got a great grasp of vocabulary and your accent is perfect.

You’re talking to native speakers and understanding every single word.

In short, you’re feeling great.

And then, out of nowhere, two …

Do you like to tell stories?

Do you enjoy gossiping about which celebrities are dating each other?

Do you chat with your friends about your other friends?

Or do you just enjoy reading books and magazines?

If you said …

I vividly remember my first day at school.

I’m sure you do, too!

I remember feeling scared, shy and tongue-tied (unable to speak). I wanted to make new friends and fit in, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

Plus, …