Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First Edition Teaching Notes

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 1 – Verb Tense ReviewOverviewVerbs are important part of English grammar. Students often make errors in differentaspects of verbs. Chapter 1 focuses on the form and function of verb tenses in English.Chapter 2 follows up on this topic but focuses on three specific errors with verbs.One way to start this chapter is by having students list as many verb tenses as they can ona sheet of paper. On the board, draw two columns. Label the left column “verb tense.”Label the right column “example.” Ask students to write verb tenses (as many as theycan think of) and examples of the verb tense. Since the labeling of a verb tense as“present perfect progressive” is NOT our main goal here, tell students to write down theverb forms even if they don’t know the label. For example, it’s ok for a student to write“will have gone” even if he doesn’t know the correct label (“future perfect”).Teaching NotesVerb Tenses in English (1.1)Draw a chart with 3 columns. Label the left column “verb tense,” the middle one“regular verb CLEAN,” and the right one “irregular verb WRITE.” Write the 12 verbtenses down the left column. Have students fill in the verb chart together.Present Tense (1.2)Explain the two forms: base verb or base verb + -s. Explain the four functions of simplepresent tense. In Exercise 1, have students write their own original sentences or collectsentences from the web or from a printed source such as a newspaper or magazine.With this verb tense and all others, you may want to have students write out some of theirsample sentences in large colorful lettering and post these examples around the room.Students will remember what they see for a long time.Present Progressive Tense (1.3)1

Explain the form. This tense always has present of BE plus an –ing form. Explain thefour functions of present progressive tense. In Exercise 2, have students write their ownoriginal sentences or collect sentences from the web or from a printed source such as anewspaper or magazine.Present Perfect Tense (1.4)Explain the form. This tense always has present of HAVE plus a past participle form.(You may have to review past participle forms. See appendix for a list of these forms.)Explain the seven functions of present perfect tense. In Exercise 3, have students writetheir own original sentences or collect sentences from the web or from a printed sourcesuch as a newspaper or magazine.Present Perfect Progressive Tense (1.5)Explain the form. This tense always has present of HAVE plus the past participle formof BE plus an –ing form of the verb. (You may have to review past participle forms. Seeappendix for a list of these forms.) Explain two common functions of present perfecttense. In Exercise 4, have students write their own original sentences or collect sentencesfrom the web or from a printed source such as a newspaper or magazine.Past Tense (1.6)Explain the form. Have students give examples of regular and irregular verbs. Make acontest to see which pair or group can come up with the biggest list of verbs in a set timelimit (say 3 minutes). The two kinds of past tenses illustrated may not seem different toyou as an English speaker, but in some languages, they require different verb forms whenstated in a series or list. In Exercise 5, have students write their own original sentences orcollect sentences from the web or from a printed source such as a newspaper ormagazine.More Expressions for Past Time: used to and would (1.6.1)Used to and would can often be used interchangeably. However, for a past verb that isnot an action, we usually use used to and not would. For example, we can’t say *“When Iwas a kid, I would hate onions.” In Exercise 6, you can have students write their ownoriginal sentences, but these verb forms might be more salient to students if they have tocollect sentences from the web or from a printed source such as a newspaper ormagazine.Past Progressive Tense (1.7)2

Explain the form. This tense always has past of BE plus an –ing form of a verb. Explainthree common functions of past progressive tense. In Exercise 7, have students writetheir own original sentences or collect sentences from the web or from a printed sourcesuch as a newspaper or magazine.Past Perfect Tense (1.8)Explain the form. This tense always has past of HAVE plus a past participle of a verb.Explain two common functions of past perfect tense. In Exercise 8, have students writetheir own original sentences or collect sentences from the web or from a printed sourcesuch as a newspaper or magazine. It is important for students to realize that past perfectitself is not related to actions that are really old (though this is what they often think). Itis for an action that happened before another action or point in time. All perfect tenseverbs are in a perfect tense in order to compare the time of this action with the time ofanother action.Past Perfect Progressive Tense (1.9)Explain the form. This tense always has past of HAVE plus a past participle of BE plusan –ing form of the verb. Explain the function of the past perfect tense. It is similar tothe past perfect tense, but there is more emphasis on the duration of the action. InExercise 9, have students write their own original sentence or collect a sentence from theweb or from a printed source such as a newspaper or magazineFuture Tense (1.10)Ask students how to express future action in English. Be sure to discuss WILL and BEGOING TO. Some students will give you only one of these as an option. Make sure thateveryone is aware of both of these forms. Discuss the differences between the two.Nonnative students will tend to overuse WILL in conversation. In Exercise 10, havestudents write their own original sentences or collect sentences from the web or from aprinted source such as a newspaper or magazine.Future Progressive Tense (1.11)Explain the form. Go over the two uses of this verb tense. This is not a commonly usedverb tense. In Exercise 11, have students write their own original sentences or collectsentences from the web or from a printed source such as a newspaper or magazine.Future Progressive Tense (1.12)3

Explain the form. Go over the two uses of this verb tense. This is not a commonly usedverb tense. Grammar teachers love to teach this verb tense, but in the real world, studentswill not run into it as often as present perfect or simple past tense. In Exercise 12, havestudents write their own original sentences or collect sentences from the web or from aprinted source such as a newspaper or magazine.Future Perfect Progressive Tense (1.13)This form is rarely used. Explain the form. In Exercise 13, have students write their ownoriginal sentences or collect sentences from the web or from a printed source such as anewspaper or magazine. To show students how rare this form is, have them go to ameaty website (e.g., a newspaper or a magazine) to search for “will have” to see (1) howrare the form is and (2) how rarely it actually is a future perfect progressive form.PracticeAfter doing Exercise 14, have students create similar exercises, bring them to class,exchange with a classmate, and then return the completed paper to the creator. Thecreator has to grade the partner’s paper.A strong point of Exercise 15 is that the exact number of errors is given.Exercise 16 is a typical fill-in-the-blank exercise for verb tenses.In Exercise 17, students must identify the verb tense required AND then write in thecorrect verb tense. Students who are “into grammar” may like this activity since itcombines labeling with usage.Exercise 18 is a typical underlining exercise for verb tenses.Exercise 19 is a multiple choice exercise for verb tenses.Students are to get a sample text in English to complete Exercise 20. This is the ultimatetest: students have to take a real newspaper or article, circle the verbs, and identify theverb tenses being used.In the final exercise, Exercise 21, students are asked to write two paragraphs about twopeople, one alive and one deceased. They should use both affirmative and negativeforms. Students are encouraged to write about something that they have known, but thatis not a requirement.4

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 2 – Problems with Verb TensesOverviewVerbs are important part of English grammar. Students often make errors in differentaspects of verbs. While Chapter 1 focuses on the form and function of verb tenses,Chapter 2 focuses on three specific errors with verbs: wrong form of the verb, incorrectshifting of verb tenses in a writing, and wrong choice of verb tense.Teaching NotesProblems with Verb Forms (2.1)This section focuses on these reminders:2.1.1: a progressive verb form always has –ing2.1.2: a passive form always has a form of be and a past participle2.1.3: a perfect form always has a form of have and a past participle2.1.4: a question, negative, or emphatic form with do/does/did uses the base form of theverb without –s, -ed, -ing, or any other ending2.1.5: a verb phrase with a modal also uses the base form of the verb without –s, -ed, -ing, or any other endingExercise 1 is a recognition exercise of these reminders about verb form errors. Exercise 2is a production exercise of the same goals.Maintaining the Same Verb Tense (2.2)Explain what the word SHIFT means here. You might put an example of a student’swriting (paragraph or essay) that has errors in verb tense shifts to have students see thisproblem first-hand.2.2.1 explains this error; 2.2.2 discusses the most common error, which is shiftingbetween present and past tense in writing.In Exercise 3, Exercise 4, and Exercise 5, students have to identify a set number of errorsin shift of verb tense. Have students not only identify the errors but tell how to correctthem.1

Students are asked to work in pairs to complete Exercise 6. Here is a good opportunityfor students to discuss a specific grammar issue in English. Students can find theirarticles in magazines or newspapers and/or use the Internet to find an interesting article.Confusing Verb Tenses (2.3)There are 12 verb tenses in English. Verb tenses do not overlap well from one languageto another. For example, a situation that requires present perfect in English might requireonly simple present in English. Some languages do not have progressive forms at all.Others have similar forms but do not use them in the same way in English.In Exercise 7, students underline the correct verb tense of the three options presented.This is an essay-length exercise with 22 answers.In Exercise 8, students must use verb tense information to answer questions that part of asmall mini-mystery. Students like this exercise! (Question number 6 is a bonus question:This question pushes students to see who has really understood the material.)Exercise 9 is a review multiple-choice exercise about endangered species. Exercise 10 isan opportunity for students to do original writing that demonstrates their control over thethree verb form errors reviewed in this chapter.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 3 – NounsOverviewNouns are probably the most basic part of speech. Nouns can be separated into concreteand abstract nouns. However, for ESL purposes, a more appropriate way of classifyingnouns is as count or noncount. (Noncount nouns are also called mass nouns.)In English, noncount nouns do not have plural form (so they can’t have –s) and are notpreceded by many or a few but rather by much or a little.You may want to combine some material in this chapter with Chapter 7, which deals witharticles a, an, and the.Teaching NotesCount Nouns (3.1)This section focuses on these reminders:3.1.1: a singular count noun needs some determiner (a, an, the, my, your, one, etc.)In Exercise 1, students underline the sixteen count nouns and circle the articles ordeterminers that go with each noun.3.1.2: plural count nouns do not take a, an, or one as a determiner; some nouns have anirregular plural form (mouse, mice)In Exercise 2, students edit for errors.In Exercise 3, students fill in a chart with the correct forms. This format allows studentsto see clearly how this grammatical point functions. This is a good exercise for the visuallearners in your group.Noncount Nouns (3.2)Explain here the difference between count and noncount nouns. Have students generateexamples. Push students further to come up with examples of two nouns that are1

semantically connected where one is count and the other is noncount. Examples are agame – tennis and a fact – information.In Exercise 4, students underline twenty-nine nouns in the paragraph. They must identifythe seventeen count nouns and the twelve noncount nouns.3.2.1 compares count and noncount nouns. The charts that follow may help somelearners solidify their understanding of this grammatical concept.In Exercise 5, students underline the correct count or noncount form of the nouns. Thefirst half is about scientific research; the second half is about South American exports.Exercise 6 continues with the same type of activity.Exercise 7 and Exercise 8 push students by having them check off all possible forms.Again, this kind of activity may be especially beneficial to visual or systematic learners.In Exercise 9, students have to use all of the information in this chapter to edit the twelveerrors.Exercise 10 is a short review multiple-choice exercise. Exercise 11 is an opportunity forstudents to do original writing that demonstrates their mastery of the material in thischapter. Students must write on the assigned topic while using a series of designatedexpressions such as a lot of, many, a few, etc.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 4 – PronounsOverviewThis chapter focuses on different types of pronouns. The chapter is divided into thefollowing sections: common pronouns, pronouns after prepositions, possessive pronounsand possessive adjectives, pronoun/antecedent agreement, reflexive pronouns, reflexivepronouns for emphasis, and indefinite pronouns.Teaching NotesCommon Pronouns (4.1)Introduce the pronouns by asking the students to name them. Write their answers in agrid form on the blackboard. Explain that we use pronouns instead of nouns to avoidunnecessary repetition. You may want to write an example of a sentence with theunnecessary repetition of a noun on the board then ask the students to replace these nounswith pronouns before having them work on Exercise 1.Object Pronouns Used After Prepositions (4.2)Have students brainstorm different prepositions and write them on the blackboard. Thenchoose a few of the prepositions to make sentences. You may want to emphasize that theprepositional phrase may come at the BEGINNING of the sentence, but the pronounshould be the object pronoun. Ex: Because of him, we missed the beginning of themovie. For Exercise 2, students should carefully study the blank spaces and decidewhether a subject or object pronoun is correct.Possessive Pronouns versus Possessive Adjectives (4.3)Explain the usage of possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives. You may want totell the students to remember that possessive pronouns usually end with an –s. A quickoral drill (ten to twenty items) can also help students with possessive pronouns. Forexample, the instructor may say “her car” and the students must respond, “hers.”In Exercise 3, tell the students to study the word following the blank space to help themdecide which possessive to use.Possessive Pronouns and Antecedent Agreement (4.3.1)Students should be aware that this kind of pronoun antecedent error is also common withnative speakers of English. Students should be encouraged to find the pronoun in thesentence then move BACKWARDS to the first noun they find. The noun and pronounshould agree. The blackboard can serve as an excellent visual aid in showing the studentshow to do this. Exercise 4 serves as a review for common pronoun errors.1

Reflexive Pronouns (4.4)It is important to stress the correct spelling of reflexive pronouns as students oftenmisspell some of them. Explain that reflexive pronouns are not as common as other typesof pronouns but need to be used correctly.Exercise 5 serves as a review for the correct form and/or spelling of reflexive pronouns.Using Reflexive Pronouns for Emphasis (4.4.1)Reflexive pronouns, when used for emphasis, always come directly after the pronoun.Stress the difference between reflexive pronouns used along and reflexive pronounspreceded by a preposition. (herself……….. by herself.)Follow with Exercise 6 for practice.You, one, and they Used as Indefinite Pronouns (4.5)Before beginning Exercise 7, explain to the students the common usage of you, one, andthey. Students should know that one is very academic and needs to be used with carewhen writing. Students can work on Exercise 7 in pairs then compare answers with therest of the class when finished.Students can work on Exercise 8 and Exercise 9 alone. For extra practice inunderstanding the grammar rules, the instructor may decide to read the list of answers tothe class. Students grade their own papers. If a student has an incorrect answer, he orshe can be instructed to look through the chapter and find the rule for the correct answer.The student can then write the correction AND the rule on a separate piece of paper.Follow up with Exercise 10, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 5 – Subject-Verb AgreementOverviewThis chapter focuses on subject-verb agreement. As subject-verb agreement is one of themost persistent L2 errors, care has been given to practice the most common types of S-Vagreement rules. The chapter focuses on the basics of subject-verb agreement, includingsubjects separated from verbs, indefinite pronouns as subjects, quantity words, and pluralsubjects that take singular verbs.Teaching NotesBasic Subject-Verb Agreement (5.1)Students can be given a quick review as to which verb tenses require subject-verbagreement. The third person –s ending (present tense,) while very easy to learn on paper,is often forgotten in student writing. Focusing on finding the subject and thecorresponding verb in a sentence is a valuable tool for students to master subject-verbagreement. Exercise 1 offers practice in this skill.Object Pronouns Used After Prepositions (4.2)While much harder to achieve subject-verb agreement in more complicated sentenceswith prepositional phrases, adjective clauses, etc, Exercise 2 offers students theopportunity to do so. It might be helpful to put some of the sample sentences on theblackboard. The instructor can physically erase the extraneous information between thesubjects and verbs (prepositional phrases, adjective clauses, etc) to more clearly show thesubject-verb connection. After a few examples on the blackboard, students will be betterable to complete the exercise.Indefinite Pronouns as Subjects (5.3)The main idea presented in this section is that indefinite pronouns take a SINGULARverb. Some students have difficulty with this (especially with everyone) as in somelanguages, this pronoun takes the third person plural verb. Exercise 3 can be completedalone or in pairs.Expressions of Quantity (5.4)These expressions of quantity can be easily explained. The instructor should focus on thenoun that follows the expression of quantity. If the noun is singular, the verb will besingular. A more difficult item is the use of none. Many ESL textbooks ignore the use ofnone of the… because the rules for this grammatical structure are changing. Somestudents might argue that the verb used in none of the… must depend on the noun that1

follows it (e.g. None of the cars are in the parking lot.) As is stated in the text, in spokenEnglish this form is commonly used. However, other grammar texts argue that becausenone is less than one, it must take the singular form of the verb. Exercise 4 gives studentsthe opportunity to observe the classroom and come up with original sentences. Studentsshould be given the opportunity to share their answers with the class when finished.Follow with Exercise 5.Connecting Words and Phrases and Subject-Verb AgreementIn this section, students should be advised to learn the phrases and their agreement rules.This type of grammar point is often seen in standardized exams such as the TOEFL. Theinstructor might aid student retention by drawing a simple table on the blackboard:verb must agree with last nouneither…. orboth… andverb must agree with first nounalong with …together with …Exercise 6 is a matching exercise where students must concentrate not only on subjectverbagreement but also logical connection between ideas.A number of versus the number of (5.6)Again, students should learn the subject-verb agreement rule for these two phrases. Oneway of practicing might be an oral drill, with the teacher starting off the sentence “Anumber of people…” or “The number of insects in the park…” and calling on a student tofinish the sentence with the correct verb.Some Plural Nouns That Take a Singular Verb (5.7)Students should be made aware of the subject-verb agreement rules for some nouns thatend in –s. Follow with the editing practice of Exercise 7. The multiple choice practice(Exercise 8) should prepare students for the more challenging editing activity. ForExercise 9, students who answer incorrectly may look up the corresponding rule forgrammar item and keep it in a grammar rule notebook.Follow up with Exercise 10, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 6 – PrepositionsOverviewThis chapter focuses on the most commonly used prepositions used to express time, location, anddirection. Draw students’ attention to the chart at the beginning of the chapter, asking them tocircle or check or underline the prepositions that are new to them. Explain those (or have themfind the meaning) and have them try to use them in example sentences.Review the rules, emphasizing that some prepositions are used as adverbs or as particles and canhave either literal or idiomatic. Have them go back over the list to see if they can pick some outor create example sentences using both and have students identify them as literal or idiomatic.Teaching NotesPrepositions of Time (6.2)Draw a chart divided into three columns. Head one column specific time, one general time, andone length of time. Ask students if they can give examples for each column, trying to elicit theprepositions listed in the charts.Review the chart for specific time, asking students to offer their own sentences with theprepositional phrases listed. Then have students do Exercise 1.Do the same for the chart for general time, having students first generate their own examplesand then going over the ones listed in the chart. Follow up with Exercise 2. Do the same for thechart for length of time. Exercise 3 requires students to use all three types of time prepositions.Students can do the exercises individually and then check with a partner, do it as a class together,etc.As an out-of-class assignment, ask students to find samples of writing using time prepositions.Have them underline the prepositions and decide which category each belongs to.Prepositions of Location (6.3)Introduce some of the most commonly used prepositions of location via pictures or objects in theclassroom. Ask for volunteers to go to the board and draw a box. Then have them follow yourdirections as they draw arrows, stars, etc. to demonstrate in, on, behind, next to, outside of, etc.the box.Have students study the prepositions of location connected to the ovals, clarifying any that mightbe new to them. Point out the idiomatic expressions in 6.3.1. Follow up with Exercise 4. As an1

out-of-class activity, students can find a picture and write a short paragraph in short-story formatdescribing it. Students could also use two prepositions—one correct, one incorrect—in theirstory and then give both the picture and the story to a classmate to complete.Prepositions of Direction or Movement (6.4)Introduce these prepositions by asking students to give directions to their homes, workplaces,favorite restaurants, etc. As they do, write down on the board the prepositions they use. Identifythese as prepositions of direction or movement. Have students look at the prepositions in thechart and ask questions about any with which they are unfamiliar. Draw their attention to thespecial expressions listed in 6.4.1. Follow up with Exercise 5. As an out-of-class activity, havestudents draw their own map and write directions for another student to follow.If students have access to computers, have them research a favorite destination before theycomplete Exercise 6, writing a paragraph describing a trip they have taken or would like to take.Prepositions in Combination (6.5)Prepositions with Nouns (6.51)Point out to students that prepositions may come before or after nouns. Ask students to look atthe charts and identify those that are new to them. Follow up with Exercises 7 and 8. For morepractice, write (or have students write) the nouns and prepositions on index cards and use themto play a match game: turn all cards face down; turn up two cards, trying to match a noun withits correct preposition. For added difficulty, once the match is made, require the student to usethe combination in a sentence before putting the cards aside.Prepositions with Verbs (6.5.2)Introduce the combinations by drawing columns on the board, each column headed with apreposition. Give students cards with verbs (a few from each group) written on them and askthem to list the verb in the column they think it belongs. When they are finished, have themcheck their lists against the verbs listed in the columns in the book. Each day, for a few days, asa warm-up activity, students can be quizzed on the combinations. Activities can includematching up the verb and preposition, correcting the wrong preposition in a sentence, filling inthe blank, etc. Follow up with Exercises 9 and 10. Additional activities can include havingstudents write and act out dialogues using the verb and preposition combinations, searching newsarticles for verb and preposition combinations, listening for the combinations in film clips oraudio clips.Prepositions with Adjectives (6.5.3)Introduce the combinations by asking students to look at the chart and list 5 combinations thatare new to or difficult for them. In pairs, have students compare lists and then write a shortdialogue using as many of the combinations as they can. Have students present their dialoguesto the group. As their classmates perform, have students list the preposition and adjectivecombinations they hear. See how many of the combinations in the chart were used.Follow with Exercise 11, noting that these are combinations that many students find difficult.After students complete Exercise 12, have them share their answers with a partner or with the2

class. Have students complete Exercise 13 independently and then correct it a group. Followwith Exercise 14, Original Writing.3

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 7 – Articles: a, an, theOverviewArticles are little words, but they cause huge headaches for language learners (andteachers!). Article usage varies greatly from language to language. Some languages donot have indefinite articles (Japanese, Arabic). Others do not have definite articles(Japanese, Malay). Others have definite articles but the usage is different from that inEnglish (Spanish, French).You may want to combine some material in this chapter with Chapter 3, which deals withcount and noncount nouns.Teaching NotesArticle Basics (7.1)Indefinite Articles (7.2)The Definite Article (7.3)Exercise 1 is a basic production exercise about articles. The information in the paragraphis about a magic trick with numbers; it often generates a great deal of student interest.Exercise 2 is a production exercise of the same goals.In Exercise 3, students have to write original sentences as examples of the six uses of thedefinite article in English. Though some of these uses may seem obvious to a nativespeaker, they are certainly not so for the average nonnative speaker.No Article (7.4)Just as important as when to use which of the articles is when not to use any article.Again, this differs from language to language.In Exercise 4, students have to write original sentences as examples of the ten uses of noarticle in English. This list is not so for simple for the average nonnative speaker.Exercise 5 is a production exercise in which students must fill in the blank with the or 0/[[[[ART: NULL SIGN]]]]. The topic of the writing is equality for the sexes in LatinAmerica.1

Exercise 6 uses something that most ESL students love: proverbs. Five proverbs arepresented with article errors. Students must correct the error and then write their guessesabout the meaning of the proverbs.In Exercise 7, students have a chance to demonstrate their mastery of editing articleerrors and answering geography trivia questions. This activity could be turned into avery popular game.Exercise 8 gives students a chance to produce sentences similar to those in Exercise 7.Exercise 9 is a review multiple-choice exercise.Exercise 10 is a short error identification activity.Exercise 11 is an opportunity for students to do original writing about an event in history.Learners must demonstrate their control over the use of articles in English.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 8 Word FormsOverviewThis chapter deals with different word forms. Students will study lists of endings whichpertain to adjectives, nouns, verbs, and adverbs. This chapter is very list-heavy, sostudents should not be expected to memorize all the endings. A more reasonable goal,therefore, is to have the students be able to identify the endings.Teaching NotesAdjective Endings (8.1)After going through the list, students should be encouraged to come up with alternativevocabulary words which use the same endings. They can then do Exercise 1, which isidentification of adjectives.Noun Endings ((8.2)These common noun endings should also be reviewed, with students coming up withalternative nouns containing the same endings. Exercise 2 gives students the opportunityto write in the noun endings. This activity works well as a pair activity. Have studentscover up the endings with a piece of paper to see if they can correctly insert the correctendings without the aid of the list. After completing the exercise, they may check theiranswers on their own.Verb Endings (8.3)The verb endings listed in this section can be reviewed before going on to Exercise 3.Adverb Endings (8.4)Exercise 4 is an editing activity that comprises adjective, noun, verb, and adverb errors.Students can work alone or in pairs to find and correct the errors.Word Forms Across Parts of SpeechIn this section, students are asked to write original sentences using the differentvocabulary words presented. After working on Exercise 5 individually, students may beasked to re-write their sentences on the blackboard to check their work.Exercise 6 asks students to choose the correct word form to fill in the blanks. There aretwo skills at work here: choosing the correct form of the word and choosing the wordwhich makes the most sense in context. Students might have some difficulty inserting1

the proper word if they misused a word in another blank. Explain to the students thatthere is no need to repeat any of the vocabulary words.Exercise 7 practices the important task of sentence variety. Before beginning thisexercise, it is important to tell the students why this skill is necessary in becoming goodwriters. Sentence variety makes for better writing (and reading), and students shouldbecome adept at relaying information in different ways.Dictionaries are extremely important in building vocabulary skills; Exercise 8 encouragesstudents to use dictionaries to find variations of the words listed. Instructors might giveadditional word lists for students to work on.Exercise 9 is a review of the word forms presented in the chapter.Exercise 10 focuses on error correction in longer sentences. For reinforcement, studentswho make mistakes on these items may be asked to find the corresponding grammar rulefrom the chapter and write it down in a grammar notebook or an error log.Follow up with Exercise 11, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 9 – Modals: Present and FutureOverviewThis chapter focuses on single-word and phrasal modals used in the present and past. Thechapter is organized by modal meaning rather than by individual modal, e.g, all the modals usedto express permission and request (can, may, could, might, will, would) are presented as a group.The chapter is divided into seven groups: permission and requests; possibility and probability;ability; preference and desire; necessity, prohibition, and lack of necessity; advisability andsuggestion; and prediction, intention, and expectation.These seven meaning groups and some examples of modals + verb open the chapter. Studentsare then presented with two lists: single-word modals and phrasal modals and with some basicrules for using modals.To introduce students to this chapter, begin by asking students to share what they know aboutmodal verbs in English. Create a chart on the board with columns headed meaning, modal, andrule. List information from the student in the appropriate column. When students have finishedoffering what they know, draw their attention to the meanings listed in the chapter opener. Fillin the meaning column with whatever information might be missing. Do the same with the tworemaining columns, checking the book to compare what information still needs to be added tothe column on the board. Ask students to form example sentences using some of the modals.Teaching NotesModals for Permission and Request (9.3)Introduce these modals by asking students to imagine they are sitting in an office, ready to fillout an application (for study or work) when their pencil breaks. They need to ask the person atthe desk or the person sitting next to them for a pencil. Elicit ways they might ask for a pencil,pointing out the difference in the way they might ask an office receptionist as opposed to a peer.Go over the examples in the text, emphasizing the formal vs. informal requests, requests vs.permission. Spend some time practicing examples with Would you mind to make sure studentsunderstand the meaning to the responses.Follow with Exercise 1. If students need more practice, assign pairs to write dialogues. Assignscenarios ranging from very formal to very informal (mayor and citizen, supervisor andemployee, two cousins, etc.)1

Modals of Possibility and Probability (9.4)Write situations similar to the following on the board and ask students to assign a percent basedon how certain they are that the situation exists/will exist: It will rain/snow tomorrow, Allstudents will understand this chapter, The President will be re-elected, The answers were writtenby the author, PCs cost less than laptops, etc.Use the different percents to introduce the modals (should, has/to, must, can, may, might could).Review the examples presented in the text with the students. Follow up with Exercise 2. Ifstudents need additional practice, have them find examples of sentences using the modals innews articles, magazines, short stories, etc. and share them with their classmates.Modals of Ability (9.5)Introduce can and be able to by writing phrases on the board or on cards, e.g., ride a bike, fly aplane, speak a third language, etc. Have students ask each other questions and answer using themodals. Follow up with Exercise 3.Modals of Preference and Desire (9.6)Introduce these modals by offering students alternative activities (e.g., read fiction or watch amovie; eat out or cook at home, etc.) and asking them which they would rather do, which theywould prefer to do, etc. Point out the different forms for would rather, would prefer (to), andwould like listed in the text. Draw attention to the special note regarding the use of would inconditionals or sentences with wish.Have the students brainstorm two lists: one of enjoyable activities and one of less enjoyableactivities. In pairs, have students practice asking each other questions about their preferences.Have students do Exercise 4 individually and compare answers with a partner. Go over theexercise with the entire group. Follow up with an out-of-class assignment asking students towrite an advertisement or make a commercial selling a product, using the modals of preferenceand desire in their ads.Modals of Necessity, Prohibition, and Lack of Necessity (9.7)Some students have an especially difficulty time understanding the difference between must notand don’t have to. Introduce these modals, emphasizing the necessity or lack thereof for eachexample. Ask students to contribute examples of their own. Follow with Exercise 5. An out-ofclassactivity for those who need more practice might require students to locate writtenexamples, found perhaps on warning labels, caution signs, etc.Modals of Advisability and Suggestion (9.8)Introduce the concept of giving advice and making suggestions by listing some problems thatyou or your friends or former students have had (e.g., car tires are losing air, a married couplewants to go to two different places on vacation, getting homework done on time). Ask studentsfor possible solutions. On the board, list the different modals to be practiced, one column foradvice and one for suggestions. Have students alternate giving solutions using should and couldto show the difference between advice and suggestions.2

Have students offer examples of problems and invite the others to give advice and solutions.Follow up with Exercise 6. Assign a “Dear Abby” or “Dear Ann Landers” activity forhomework, asking students to write a problem and bring it to class. In class the next day, havestudents exchange problems and write solutions. Have them share the problem/solution with theclass.Modals of Prediction, Intention, and Expectation (9.9)Introduce this group of modals by asking students to predict what the weather will be like, whowill win the next World Cup in soccer, etc. Put their answers on the board under the headingprediction. Ask them what their plans are for the coming weekend, for the next semester, etc.Put those answers in a column titled intention. Finally, ask them how long it typically takes forthem to get to class, what the course objectives for this course are, etc. Put those answers in acolumn called expectation.Next assign the modals to the correct column based on their answers. For example, theprediction column might contain It will rain; Brazil is going to win. The intention column mightcontain answers such as I’m going swimming; I’ll be starting a new job. Answers in the finalexpectation column could include It should take 20 minutes; We’re supposed to improve ourgrammar and writing.Go over the examples in the text and elicit examples from the students for each modal. Followwith Exercise 7. Additional practice might require students to write their own dialogue abouttheir plans or intentions for and expectations about a specific or imagined event.Have students do Exercise 8 alone and then check their answers with a partner. Finally, askstudents to write the dialogue as described in Exercise 9, the Original Writing.3

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 10 – Past ModalsOverviewModals are an important part of English. Before teaching Chapter 10, it is imperativethat students have covered and understood well Chapter 9 on Modals. For example, itwould be unproductive to teach must have gone when the student does not understandmust go yet.Teaching NotesForm of Past Modals (10.1)Chapter 10 begins with an overview of past modal forms. Then each of the past modalforms is examined separately.should have (10.2)In Exercise 1, students indicate their understanding of sentences using should have + pastparticiple. Students must produce affirmative and negative examples of this past modalin Exercise 2.must have (10.3)Exercise 3 practices must have + past participle.could have (10.4)Exercise 4 practices could have + past participle.might have (10.5)Exercise 5 practices might have + past participle.may have (10.6)Exercise 6 practices may have + past participle.would have (10.7)Exercise 7 practices would have + past participle.1

In Exercise 8, students work with all of the forms covered in this unit. Exercise 9 is ashort review multiple-choice exercise. In Exercise 10, students fill in the blanks in aconversation with a correct past modal form of the given verb.Exercise 11 is a short editing exercise.Exercise 12 is an opportunity for students to do original writing that demonstrates theirmastery of the material in this chapter. The theme is an important event in history or inthe writer’s life.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 11Gerunds and InfinitivesOverviewThis chapter deals with the many uses of gerunds and infinitives. It begins with theproper form of gerunds (gerund phrases) and the verbs they follow. Infinitives are thendescribed, along with the verbs they follow. Finally, a list of verbs that take eithergerunds or infinitives is included in the chapter.Teaching NotesForming Gerunds and Gerund Phrases and Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases (11.1)Lower-level students often have problems understanding the concept of a gerund: “but itlooks like a verb! How can it be a noun?” At this point, instructors can spend a fewminutes pointing out the difference between FORM and FUNCTION. Gerunds areFORMED by adding an –ing to the base form of a verb (just like the present participleused in the present progressive verb tense.) However, the FUNCTION of a gerund is notto show action. The function of a gerund is to serve as the subject, object, etc.The same is true of INFINITIVES.On the blackboard, instructors may use sample sentences to show that the function ofgerunds and infinitives can be the same as nouns:Lisa likes pizza.Lisa likes EATING pizzaS V obj S V objExercise 1 is simply a review in identifying gerunds or infinitives.Gerunds and Gerund Phrases (11.2)This section reiterates the function of gerunds. The four main groups, subject, directobject, subject complement, and object of preposition, are highlighted. Students mayneed a brief review of the four functions before completing Exercise 2.Verbs Commonly Followed by Gerunds (11.2.1)The list in this section of Chapter 8 should be reviewed with the students beforecompleting Exercise 3.Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases (11.3)1

This section outlines a number of things, including the points that beginning a sentencewith an infinitive is not usual and that the structure it + BE + ADJECTIVE is usuallyfollowed by an infinitive. In Exercise 4, students use original thoughts to complete thesentences but are asked to find the function of the infinitive. This type of activity can bedone individually, with students sharing their answers orally to their classmates or on theblackboard.Verbs Commonly Followed by Infinitives (11.3.1)Students often ask if there is an easy way to remember to use gerunds or infinitives.Besides the examples mentioned in the text, there is no single rule that places some verbsin the gerund category and others in the infinitive category. As a result, students shouldbe encouraged to study the lists and practice using them orally and in written form.Exercise 5 serves as editing practice to review the rules already mentioned in the text.Verbs That Need Nouns or Pronouns Before the Infinitive (11.3.2)This section lists verbs that need nouns/pronouns to separate the main verb and theinfinitive. Students should work on Exercise 6 to practice these verbs.Verbs Commonly Followed by Either Gerunds or Infinitives (11.4)This list is by far the easiest for students to master as the verbs highlighted can take eitherthe gerund or infinitive form. Exercise 7 allows students to write original sentences usingboth gerunds and infinitives. These student-generated sentences can be useful tools toshare with the rest of the class. Students may read their sentences out loud or share themon the blackboard.Exercise 8 serves are a review of gerunds and infinitives with students choosing thecorrect answer.Follow up with Exercise 9, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 12 – Passive Voice and Participial AdjectivesOverviewPassive voice is problematic for many ESL students because they make errors with theform and/or with usage. In addition, it is important for ESL teachers to remember thatsome L1s do not have passive voice or do not use it to the extent that we do. (Many ofthe common L1s in our ESL classes use reflexive pronouns to express passive voice. Anexample from Spanish is “Se habla espan~ol aqui,” which literally means “[it] speaksitself Spanish here,” but which is translated in formal English as “One speaks Spanishhere” or in more natural sounding English “Spanish is spoken here.”)Before starting this chapter, teachers should go over transitive and intransitive verbs.Only a transitive verb can have an active voice and a passive voice form. Intransitiveverbs do not have voice.Teaching NotesPassive versus Active (12.1)This section helps students see examples of when we might use active voice and when wemight use passive voice in sentences.Form of Passive Voice (12.2)This section provides examples of the verb write with the subject I for ten of the verbtenses. Students have a chance to compare the forms side by side. It is important to havestudents identify the form of be and the past participle that exists in every passive verbphrase.In Exercise 1, students put identify verb phrases as active or passive.Students must find the five passive verb forms in a paragraph simulating a news report inExercise 2.How to Change Active Voice to Passive Voice (12.3)1

Here students are walked through the steps in changing a given sentence from activevoice to passive voice. You should walk your students through these steps carefully tomake sure that everyone understands the transformation.These steps are practiced in Exercise 3. Here students have to underline the completeverb in a sentence, identify it as active or passive, and then rewrite it with the oppositevoice.Three Common Errors with Passive Voice (12.4)In this section, three common ESL errors with passive voice are explained.In Exercise 4, students must identify twenty underlined verb phrases (in the context of aparagraph about good oral presentations) as active, passive, or intransitive.Students must apply this information covered in 12.4 in Exercise 5, where students areasked to analyze the verbs in a paragraph from a college business coursebook. Studentsare to tell if the underlined verb phrases are correct or incorrect. If they are incorrect,students must edit the work. Students do the same type of activity in Exercise 6, whichuses a short essay on education in early colonial America.Exercise 7 gives students a chance to analyze usage or nonusage of passive voice in asource found in a newspaper, magazine, or website. Students are asked to analyze threetypes of articles in their source and make note of the occurrence of active voice, passivevoice, and intransitive verbs.Participial Adjectives (12.5)This section details problems that ESL learners have with present participle adjectives(interesting) and past participle adjectives (interested).Exercise 8 and Exercise 9 require students produce these forms and then identify them asan adjective or part of a passive voice construction.Exercise 10 asks students to scan a magazine, journal, encyclopedia, or the web for threesentences with participial adjectives.Exercise 11 is a review multiple-choice exercise about endangered species. Exercise 12is a short error identification and editing exercise. In Exercise 13, students pretend to benews writers as they do original writing that demonstrates their control over the passivevoice and participial adjectives.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 13Logical ConnectorsOverviewThis chapter concentrates on the use of logical connectors in writing. Students areexposed to coordinating conjunctions, common subordinating conjunctions, transitions,and the punctuation rules that accompany them.Teaching NotesCoordinating Conjunctions and Their Uses (13.1)Coordinating conjunctions an integral part of the writing process. It is imperative thatstudents understand the form, function, meaning, and use of these conjunctions. Exercise1 asks students to identify all the coordinating conjunctions found in the passage (in thissection, all the sentences are compound.)Special Uses of and, but, and or (13.1.1)This section explains that coordinating conjunctions are not exclusively used forcompound sentences. This is a very important point to explain to the students, for itdetermines whether a coordinating conjunction will receive a comma or not. Exercise 2follows. When going over the answers, the instructor can point out that some of thesentences contain commas and others do not. Exercise 3 focuses on the function ofcoordinating conjunctions.Punctuation with Coordinating Conjunctions (13.1.2)Exercise 4 allows students to practice the rules of punctuation with coordinatingconjunctions. As a follow-up activity, Exercise 5 asks students to complete the sentencesfollowing the coordinating conjunctions.Cause and Effect with Subordinating Conjunctions and Transition Words (13.2)This section introduces students to other logical connectors: subordinating conjunctionsand transitions. Exercise 6 deals only with the connectors that show cause and effect.The punctuation rules for these items are important to highlight, especially the changes inpunctuation as the syntax of the sentence changes.Contrast and Concession in Subordinating Conjunctions and Transition Words(13.3)Common connectors such as although, while, and however are highlighted in this section.Again, the importance of punctuation cannot be underestimated here. Instructors maywant to show the many variations of using these subordinators and transitions by puttinga few sample sentences on the blackboard. Exercise 7 focuses on choosing the correct1

connector based on the content of the sentences. Exercise 8 serves as a review in causeeffectand contrast-concession. Students should be encouraged to share their answerswith classmates as there are many possible correct answers.Transition Words That Give Additional Information and Examples (13.4)After introducing the transitions in this unit, instructors may want to write samplesentences on the blackboard WITHOUT punctuation. Students can come up to theblackboard and try to correct the sentences by adding appropriate punctuation. Exercise8 allows students to write original sentences based on the prompts given.Time Relationships in Subordinating Conjunctions and Transition Words (13.5)Instructors can review the connectors presented in this section before going on toExercise 10. Exercise 10 reviews coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions,and other connectors. There is more than one correct answer, so an oral review of studentresponses can help the students review the concepts presented in this chapter.Exercise 11 , as a multiple choice activity, can be done in class or for homework. Foradvanced students, a time limit may be imposed by the instructor.Exercise 12 focuses on error correction in longer sentences. For reinforcement, studentswho make mistakes on these items may be asked to find the corresponding grammar rulefrom the chapter and write it down in a grammar notebook or an error log.Follow up with Exercise 13, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 14 – Sentence Matters: Variety, Common Problems(Run-ons, Comma Splices, Fragments), and PunctuationOverviewThis chapter focuses on sentence-related issues. The chapter begins with a review ofthree sentence types: simple, compound, and complex. Next, it offers students practiceadding variety to their writing by varying sentence structure and length, sentencebeginnings, and subject-verb sequence. The chapter then address common sentence-levelproblems: run-ons, comma splices, and fragments. Finally, students are presented withmajor punctuation marks needed for correct sentence writing: period, comma, semicolon,colon, apostrophe, and quotation marks.Teaching NotesSentence Types (14.1)Introduce the sentence types by putting examples of simple sentences on the board.Include simple sentences with compound subjects or compound verbs. For example,Laura teaches Algebra I; Laura teaches and tutors Geometry; Laura and Nathan teachCalculus. Ask students to study the examples and find similarities and differences amongthe three. Guide them to the realization that although the sentences vary in the number ofsubjects/verbs they have, all three are simple sentences, containing one independentclause.Next, write an additional sentence on the board and ask students to add it to one of thesimple sentences. List some conjunctions on the board for students to use in order to jointhe sentences. For example, write Laura doesn’t teach Algebra II; Laura works morethan 40 hours a week; Laura and Nathan often plan lessons together. (Conjunctions:but, so, and) Again, ask students to compare the sentences, guiding them to theconclusion that compound sentences contain two (or more) independent clauses and arejoined by a coordinating conjunction.Introduce complex sentences in a similar fashion, writing a sentence on the board alongwith some subordinating conjunctions and asking students to form new sentences. Forexample, write Algebra is not her favorite subject; Laura needs to earn some extramoney; There is a high demand for the class. (Conjunctions: although, because)Follow with Exercise 1. Exercise 2 is similar to the first one but is less controlled.Students can choose to use only the phrases listed or may add their own. If studentsneed additional practice, give them index cards and ask them to write one more simple1

sentences on the cards. Ask them to then indicate additional parts of speech to be added(subject, verb, adjective, etc.) and exchange cards with a classmate, who will expand theoriginal sentence. Have students share their sentences with the group. Alternatively,write words on index cards or slips of paper and have students rearrange the cards tomake simple, compound, or complex sentences.Sentence Variety (14.2)Students often use the same sentence structures throughout their writing and need extrapractice varying the structure and length of their sentences. This section gives thempractice varying the types of sentences they use through combining elements, usingmodified appositives, combining or expanding sentences, varying the beginnings ofsentences, and reordering elements of sentences.Vary Sentence Structure and Length (14.2.1)Introduce the section by writing groups of extremely short and/or long sentences on theboard. Ask students to suggest ways to combine and/or shorten the sentences in order toadd variety. Add words or erase them as necessary. Follow with Exercise 3. Havestudents share their answers, emphasizing that there may be more than one way to rewritea sentence.Exercise 4 requires students rewrite sentences and then put them in order to form aparagraph. To highlight how varying the structure and length results in a moreinteresting paragraph, put the original unedited sentences, in paragraph form, side-by-sidewith the paragraph of the edited sentences.Sentence Beginnings (14.2.2)Index cards are useful for introducing the concept of varying sentence beginnings. Writesentences elements on cards, grouping those which must stay together. For example,write following grouped words on cards: (The students) (quickly) (scrambled) (to findtheir seats) (when their professor entered the room). Have students rearrange the cardsto practice varying the beginnings. Have students do the same with the sentences inExercise 5, sharing their answers with a partner or with the class. For a follow-upassignment, ask students to find news articles or books containing sentences whichdemonstrate a variety of sentence beginnings.Vary Subject-Verb Sequence (14.2.3)Introduce this section by reviewing how to shorten or “collapse” compound sentenceswhich have the same subject and or verb: My boss is a new manager from New York, andshe’s trying to implement east coast techniques into our west coast office. My boss, anew manager from New York, is trying to implement east coast techniques into our westcoast office. Have students work in pairs to complete Exercise 6. Have students sharetheir answers to emphasize that there is more than one way to edit to add variety towriting.Common Sentence Problems and Challenges (14.3)2

This section addresses the most common errors students make in their writing: run-onsentences, comma splices, fragments, and punctuation.Run-on (fused) Sentences and Comma Splices (14.3.1)Write two sentences on the board, one a long, but correctly punctuated one and the othera long run-on sentence. Ask students to read both and vote for the sentence which iseasier to read and understand. Explain that the second example is a run-on sentence.Next, ask students to find the logical break in the run-on sentence. Put a comma thereand ask if it is now easier to read and understand. Explain that the comma has turned therun-on into a comma splice. Introduce the ways to correct run-ons and comma splices,following up with Exercise 7 and Exercise 8.Fragments (14.3.2)Introduce this section by writing some sentence fragments on the board: Because it’sconfusing; A happy couple walking their dog in the park; Next Tuesday evening at 8:00;While I’m eating lunch. Ask students to explain what the writer was trying to say in eachsentence, eliciting several possible answers (I dislike grammar – We need to review this—Rewrite this essay, etc.) Point out that fragments are incomplete thoughts and askstudents to change the fragments on the board to make them complete sentences.Follow this with Exercise 9. Students may do the exercise alone or in pairs. Correct theexercise using an overhead transparency, asking students to make the corrections. Pointout that there is more than one way to correct fragments.Sentence Punctuation (14.3.3)As a warm-up activity, create a matching exercise. Ask students to match the correctpunctuation mark with its use. Review the rules in section 14.3.3. Have students workalone or in pairs to complete Exercise 10. Correct the exercise together, pointing out themultiple ways to correct some errors.Follow up with Exercise 11, asking students to identify the type of error (run-on, commasplice, fragment, etc.). Complete the chapter with Exercise 12, Original Writing.Remind students to use a variety of sentences, to vary sentence beginnings, and to usecorrect punctuation.3

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 15 – Parallel StructureOverviewThis chapter focuses on balancing grammatical structures to improve writing through theuse of parallelism. The chapter addresses parallelism between the following elements:words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Connecting those elements with bothcoordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions is addressed in each section of thechapter. In addition, the chapter addresses using parallelism when making comparisonsand using repetition to emphasize parallel structure.Teaching NotesParallel Words (15.1)Introduce students to the idea of parallelism by presenting them with a list of nouns,verbs, adjectives, adverbs, gerunds, etc. and asking them to group similar words (nounswith nouns, verbs with verbs, etc.). Next, list coordinating and correlative conjunctionson the board and have students take turns choosing two words from a group and one ofthe conjunctions to form a sentence containing a parallel element.Review section 15.1 in the text and follow with Exercise 1.Parallel Phrases (15.2)Elicit examples of different types of phrases from students (prepositional, infinitive,gerund). Ask them to join two like phrases with a conjunction. Review the informationin section 15.2 and follow with Exercise 2. As a follow-up activity, ask students tosearch for parallel phrases in news and magazine articles, textbooks, etc. and bring themto class to share.Parallel Clauses (15.3)Review the definition of a clause and elicit or offer examples of the following types:noun, adjective, and adverb. After reviewing section 15.3, ask students to offer examplesof their own. Have students work alone to complete Exercise 3; have them compare theiranswers with a classmate’s or correct the exercise as a group.Parallel Sentences (15.4)Review simple, compound, and complex sentences. Present students with examplesentences and ask them to connect them using coordinating and/or correlativeconjunctions. After reviewing section 15.4, have students complete Exercise 4 on theirown. Ask students to share their answers with the class.

Before beginning Exercise 5, have students list the types of elements used in parallelconstructions (words, phrases, clauses, sentences). While correcting the exercise, havestudents identify the types of elements they made parallel. Follow with Exercise 6.Parallel Comparisons (15.5)List the expressions in section 15.5 on the board and review their use by asking studentsto use the expressions in a sentence. Carefully review the rules in section 15.5, drawingstudents’ attention to the correct and incorrect parallel structures. Ask students tocomplete Exercise 7 on their own and then compare their answers to a classmate’s. As agroup, review the answers; ask students to explain the parallel structure error in eachsentence. Follow up with Exercise 8.Parallel Repetition (15.6)Introduce this section by showing students examples of parallel repetition from publishedmaterials. Explain that repetition is used most often for clarity or emphasis. Carefully goover the examples provided in section 15.6. Ask students to offer examples of their own.Have students, in pairs, complete Exercise 9; go over the exercise together as a group andask students to identify the reason for adding or eliminating repetition.In pairs or threes, have students complete Exercise 10. Correct the exercise as a group; ifpossible, use an overhead transparency of the excerpts and ask students to make thecorrection on the transparency. Discuss the cause of the error.Before students complete Exercise 11, ask them which elements of a sentence can be orneed to be parallel (words, phrases, clauses, sentences, comparisons). Review the use ofcoordinating and correlative conjunctions in parallel constructions as well. Correct theexercise as a group. Follow up with Exercise 12.

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 16Adjective ClausesOverviewAdjective clauses and reduced adjective clauses are covered in Chapter 16. The chapteralso discusses restrictive and non-restrictive clauses and reductions of clauses.Teaching NotesAdjective Clauses and Relative Pronouns (16.1)A review of the relative pronouns used in adjective clauses starts off this chapter.Students should be reminded that the relative pronoun who is preferred when referring topeople and the relative pronoun that is preferred for restrictive clauses with things.Exercise 1 can be used as an introduction to adjective clauses. Exercise 2 offers editingpractice in the correct usage of relative pronouns.Non-restrictive and Restrictive Adjective Clauses (16.2)Very often students want to know if a clause MUST be restrictive or non-restrictive.Usually, both forms are correct in form. The correctness of a restrictive or non-restrictiveclause depends mainly on the meaning that one is trying to convey. In Exercise 3,students can practice combining independent clauses into complex sentences withadjective clauses. Explain to the students that in all of these items, the adjective clause isEXTRA INFORMATION; therefore, the clauses are non-restrictive. Exercise 4 is a bitmore complicated because it asks the students to decide whether a clause is punctuatedcorrectly.Subject and Object Relative Pronouns (16.3)This section offers explanations for the use of subject pronouns (16.3.1) and objectpronouns (16.3.2). This section also explains the usage of whom as a relative pronoun.Students should know that in academic writing, it is always considered better form to usewhom than who. Exercise 5, as a fill in the blank exercise, often contains more than onecorrect answer.Omitting the Object Relative Pronoun (16.3.3)A very important part of adjective clauses—reductions—is included in this section.Exercise 6 asks the students not only to find the relative pronouns, but also to deleterelative pronouns that are not necessary in the sentence. Have the students analyze theinformation that comes directly after the relative pronoun before deciding to keep ordelete the item.Relative Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions in Adjective Clauses (16.4)1

A very common test item on TOEFL, preposition + relative pronoun combinations arefeatured in section 16.4. Instructors can explain that the most formal combination ofthese items is to place the preposition before the adjective clause but that this is notcommon in spoken English. Students can work on Exercise 7 individually, then compareanswers with their classmates as there is often more than one correct answer.Adjective Clauses with the Possessive whose (16.4)A brief explanation of the use of whose is found in this section of the text. Remind thestudents that whose can be used for people AND things. The visual cues in Exercise 8will help students write original sentences using the possessive whose.Adjective Clauses That Describe Place, Time, and Reason (16.6)The relative pronouns where (16.6.1), when (16.6.2), and why (16.6.3) can be used inplace of relative pronouns + prepositions. While these pronouns are not as common asthe others in adjective clauses, students should be aware that they are commonly usedwhen describing places, time, and reasons. The fill in the blank Exercise 9 is a review forstudents to practice all the relative pronouns found in the chapter.Adjective Clause Reductions (16.7)Perhaps one of the most neglected aspects of adjective clauses, reductions are veryimportant for students to master if they want to be effective writers in English. The rulesfor reducing adjective clauses are given, followed by Exercise 10. Instructors may wantto offer additional examples of reducible adjective clauses before students work on thisexercise.For a full review of the chapter, students should work on Exercise 11, multiple choiceactivity.Exercise 12 focuses on error correction in longer sentences. For reinforcement, studentswho make mistakes on these items may be asked to find the corresponding grammar rulefrom the chapter and write it down in a grammar notebook or an error log.Follow up with Exercise 13, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 17 – Noun ClausesOverviewSimple writing is marked by subject-verb-complement sentences. More advancedwriting makes use of clauses, and noun clauses are certainly an important clause type forbetter writing.Teaching NotesAbout Noun Clauses (17.1)This sections covers the basics of noun clauses.Exercise 1 asks students to read a passage on international leadership styles and identifythe seven noun clauses in the passage.Forms of Noun Clauses (17.2)In Exercise 2, students read a joke and identify underlined sentence parts as noun clausesor noun phrases. If the underlined part is a noun clause, students have to tell the functionof that clause within that sentence.Exercise 3 is an editing activity involving a paragraph about the qualities of a good joketeller.Exercise 4 is an editing activity using a joke.Common Problems with Noun Clauses (17.3)This section covers these problems:17.3.1: Wrong Word Order17.3.2: Omitting the Verb17.3.3: Wrong Verb Form After Certain Expressions17.3.4: Wrong Verb Tense with Reported Speech1

Exercise 5 is a simple mechanical transformation exercise. Exercise 6 is a shortproduction activity. Exercise 7 makes use of a multiple-choice format. Exercise 8 is ashort editing activity about the economy.Exercise 9 is an opportunity for students to do original writing that demonstrates theircontrol over the three verb form errors reviewed in this chapter.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, FirstEditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 18Adverb ClausesOverviewThis chapter reviews adverb clauses and the subordinating conjunctions that are commonin these clauses. Information about avoiding verb tense shift is also presented. Adverbclause reductions and dangling modifiers are included in the chapter as well.Teaching NotesAdverb Clauses and Subordinating Conjunctions (18.1)Common subordinating conjunctions are listed in this section. They are separated intofunctional categories. Instructors may choose to do a short oral review of sentences withsubordinating conjunctions, reading complex sentences out loud and asking the studentsto explain what the function of each one is. Then students can practice the same skill inwriting in Exercise 1. The editing practice found in Exercise 2 focuses on placement ofthe adverb clause and punctuation. Students get more writing practice with adverbclauses in Exercise 3. As this is an original writing activity, students should beencouraged to share their answers with a partner or with the whole class.Adverb Clauses and Verb Tense (18.2)Maintaining logical verb tenses in each clause is an important point when writing adverbclauses. This short exercise (Exercise 4) asks students to pay attention to the verb givenand to complete the sentences with the appropriate verb tense. Exercise 5 is acombination activity. Students are asked to complete the adverb clauses and to connectthem with the main sentence. As this is an original writing activity, students should beencouraged to share their answers with a partner or the rest of the class. Exercise 6functions purely as a writing exercise, where students must rewrite six sentences fromExercise 5. Instructors with limited time can choose to forego this exercise.Adverb Clause Reductions—Forming Adverb Phrases (18.3)Reducing adverb clauses to phrases is a very important skill in academic writing. Byusing the blackboard and physically drawing a line through or erasing parts of thesentence which can be eliminated, teachers can give a clear visual representation of thereduction. It is at this point that instructors should explain dangling modifiers (18.3.1).Exercise 7 can be completed with the students working in pairs. In this way, the studentscan negotiate the meaning of the sentences and discuss whether the reduction is in fact adangling modifier or not. Exercise 8 reviews the information presented in the chapter.Students can work on this exercise alone and then check their answers with a classmatebefore checking their answers with the instructor.1

Because versus because of (18.4)Their meanings are the same, but the grammatical differences between because andbecause of should be explained by the instructor. Exercise 9 allows the students tochange the form of the clause or phrase but retain the original meaning of the sentence.Exercise 10 offers multiple choice review of the contents of the chapter.Exercise 11 focuses on error correction. For reinforcement, students who make mistakeson these items may be asked to find the corresponding grammar rule from the chapter andwrite it down in a grammar notebook or an error log.Follow up with Exercise 12, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 19 – Confusing Pairs of Words: Verbs and NounsOverviewThis chapter focuses on pairs of words that students often confuse. The chapter isdivided into the following sections: verb and noun pairs, verb pairs, the verb get, verbsthat use the infinitive without to, and noun pairs.Teaching NotesVerbs and Nouns (19.1)Introduce the pairs of words by having students listen for any differences inpronunciation between the words. Point out the differences in pronunciation (whereapplicable) and meaning. Use the words in sentences and ask students to listen and thendetermine whether the correct word was used ( I need you to advice me vs. I need you toadvise me, for example). Follow with Exercise 1. To correct the exercise, ask students totake turns reading the passage aloud. When they come to an error in the passage, havethem read the word as it is written and then supply the correct word (pronunciation andspelling). Ask students to complete Exercise 2 and share their sentences first with apartner; the partner should check for errors. Finally, ask students to share their sentenceswith the group.Verb Pairs (19.2)Introduce the pairs of words in small groupings, perhaps three or four at a time. For eachgrouping, review the pairs and ask students to provide examples of their own. Whenstudents have covered three or four groupings, have them review the pairs.To review, write each word on an index card and its use on another (come; to movetowards something). Put students in groups of three and give them the stack of reviewcards. Put all cards face down on the table and tell students they have to match the verbcard with its use card. To begin, one student turns one card face up and then turnsanother face up. If they are a match, the student must use the verb in a sentence correctlyin order to keep the matched pair. If the cards are not a match, or if the student offers anincorrect sentence, the cards are placed face down and the next student receives a turn.After students have reviewed all the verb pairs and practiced, ask them to completeExercise 3. Correct the exercise as a group. Follow with Exercise 4, asking students toshare their sentences with their classmates.1

Exercise 5 is difficult because of the many idiomatic uses of make and do. It is best to dothis exercise together as a group, asking students to indicate which ones they know andthen to guess at those they are unfamiliar with. Ask students to use the expressions insentences of their own after they have completed the two columns.Other Confusing Verbs (19.3)Introduce the idiomatic use of the verb to get by writing sentences using the verbstructures in this section (get + place, get + adjective, etc.) on the board. List themeanings on the board in a column (arrive, become, etc.). Ask students to read thesentences and match them with the correct meaning. Then review get in section 19.3 inthe text.Introduce the verbs that use the infinitive without to by drawing two columns on theboard. In one column, list some verbs which use to (want, need, like, listen, etc.); in theother column, list the verbs which do not use to (see, hear, watch, make, have, let). Askstudents to make sentences with the verbs in the first column and write the sentences onthe board. Point out the use of the infinitive in their examples. Next, supply examplesentences with the verbs in the second column, pointing out that the infinitive is notneeded in those sentences. (Point out the difference between uses with have: I had toleave early vs. I had him leave early). Ask students to supply example sentences of theirown for the verbs in the second column. Follow with Exercise 6.Nouns (19.4)Introduce the pairs of words by going over each pair and the example sentences provided.After each pair, ask students to supply examples of their own. For additional practice,have students listen to sentences using the words and determine if they are correct orincorrect (For example, What history did we read in Literature class yesterday? vs. Whotold you the story about Marilyn’s accident? ). Follow with Exercise 7 and Exercise 8.Exercise 9 serves as a review of the chapter. Ask students to complete the exercise alone.After checking the answers as a group, ask students to write sentences using the words inthe exercise they had wrong. Follow up with Exercise 10, Original Writing.2

Top 20, Great Grammar for Great Writing, First EditionTeaching Noteshttp://esl.college.hmco.com/instructorsCopyright Houghton Mifflin CompanyChapter 20 – Confusing Pairs of Words: Pronouns,Adjectives, Adverbs, and PrepositionsOverviewThis chapter focuses on pairs of words that students often confuse. The chapter isdivided into the following sections: pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, prepositions, andother confusing words (no/not, than/then, there is/are, to/in order to/for, too/so,either/neither, so/not).Teaching NotesPronouns (20.1)Introduce the pairs of words by listing them on the board, one pair at a time, and askingstudents to explain the use of each and/or to offer example sentences using the words.Refer to the explanations listed in section 20.1 if necessary. When all pairs have beendiscussed, ask students to complete Exercise 1. Correct the exercise together, askingstudents to spell or otherwise indicate which answer they have circled. Follow up withExercise 2. Ask students to share their sentences, first with a partner and then with theclass. Invite students to write some of their sentences on the board.Adjectives and Adverbs (20.2.1)Introduce the pairs of words by listing them on the board, one pair at a time, and askingstudents to explain the use of each and/or to offer example sentences using the words.Refer to the explanations listed in section 20.2 if necessary. Ask students to completeExercise 3. In order to more easily correct the exercise, transfer it to an overheadtransparency, cut the sentences into strips, and have students put the strips in the correctorder on the overhead. Then ask students to correct the errors.More Pairs and Groups of Adjectives and Adverbs (20.2.2)Introduce the pairs of words in small groupings, perhaps three or four at a time. For eachgrouping, review the pairs and ask students to provide examples of their own. Whenstudents have covered three or four groupings, have them review the pairs. (See ChapterNotes for Chapter 19, Section 19.2, for a suggested review activity.)After students have reviewed all the pairs and practiced, ask them to complete Exercise 4.Correct the exercise as a group. Follow with Exercise 5, asking students to share theirsentences with their classmates.Prepositions (20.3)1

Introduce the pairs of words by going over each pair and the example sentences provided.After each pair, ask students to supply examples of their own. For additional practice,have students listen to sentences using the words and determine if they are correct orincorrect (For example, Between my two sisters and me, we can afford to send Mom andDad to Hawaii. vs. Among the four of us, we should be able to come up with the answer.).Follow with Exercise 6.Other Confusing Words (20.4)As in the previous section, introduce the pairs of words by going over each pair and theexample sentences provided. After each pair or group, ask students to supply examplesentences of their own. For additional practice, have students listen to sentences usingthe words and determine if they are correct or incorrect (For example, I have no enoughmoney to go. vs. There was not one incorrect answer.) Follow with Exercise 7.Exercise 8 serves as a review. Ask students to complete the exercise alone. Afterchecking the answers as a group, ask students to write sentences using the words in theexercise they had wrong. Follow up with Exercise 9, Original Writing.2