ESL Grammar Guides & Teaching Blog
Thirteen long-form grammar guides — one for every topic we drill, each with a rules table, the mistakes learners make most and a free exercise — plus practical ideas for the classroom.
🗓️ Daily practice
Quiz of the Day
Ten mixed questions, a new paper for every date, the same set for everyone. Finish it and copy your Wordle-style score card.
Grammar guides — one per topic
Punctuation Rules: A Practical Teaching Guide
Commas, semicolons, quotation marks and dashes, the three errors learners make most, and three classroom drills.
Phrasal Verbs: A Practical Teaching Guide
Separable, inseparable and intransitive types, literal versus idiomatic meaning, and three drills that fix word order.
Apostrophes and Possessives: Teaching 's, s' and Its
The three possessive rules, the its and it's trap, three classroom drills and the six errors learners make most often.
Irregular Plurals in English: A Practical Guide
Why man becomes men and child becomes children, the -f to -ves exceptions, borrowed Latin and Greek plurals, and twelve sentences to correct.
Noun Clauses: A Practical Teaching Guide
That-clauses, wh-clauses and whether or if, the word-order trap, when that can be dropped, and three classroom drills with the six errors learners make most.
Make and Do: A Practical Collocation Guide
Why logic gets you nowhere with make and do, the collocations that actually decide it, ten sentences to correct and three drills that fix the pairs.
Already, Yet and Just: Present Perfect Time Markers
Where each word sits in the sentence, how British and American usage pulls apart, and ten sentences to correct with full explanations.
Will or Going To? Choosing the Future Form
Decisions, predictions, promises and plans: how will and going to divide the work, the ten minutes of class practice that fixes them, and the four mistakes to watch for.
Since, For and Ago: Time Markers Made Simple
One measure of time, one starting point, one point in the past - and why ago only ever goes with the past simple. Twelve comparisons and six sentences to correct.
Too and Enough: Rules, Word Order and Classroom Drills
Why too is not just very, where enough goes before or after the word, and three drills that make the pattern stick.
This, That, These, Those: Teaching Demonstratives
The near/far and one/many grid, when to use this instead of it, and the four mistakes learners make most.
Past Perfect Continuous: How to Teach It With Clear Rules
How to show duration before a past moment with had been + -ing, when to choose it over the past perfect, and three classroom drills.
Used to / Would: How to Teach Past Habits and States
Past habits and states with used to and would, the three-way confusion with be used to, and three classroom drills.
Prepositions of Place: in, on, at and Beyond
The box, table and dot test for in / on / at, transport and furniture traps, three drills and six common student errors.
Interested or Interesting? Teaching -ed and -ing Adjectives
Why the -ing form describes the thing and the -ed form the person, twelve everyday pairs, the preposition patterns and three drills.
So and Such: A Practical Grammar Guide
The one rule behind both words, the so + many/much exception, so...that and such...that, and ten sentences to correct.
Prepositions of Movement: A Practical Grammar Guide
Into or in, through or across - how to pick the right preposition by the shape of the path, plus twelve sentences to correct.
Linking Verbs: Seem, Look, Taste and More
Why the soup smells good and not well, the be-swap test that settles look and taste, and ten sentences to correct.
Say vs Tell: A Practical Grammar Guide
Why He said he was tired works alone but tell needs a person, the fixed phrases you cannot swap, and twelve sentences to correct.
Both, Either and Neither: A Clear Guide
Two of two, one of two or none of two - the singular verb that trips everyone up, all versus both, and twelve sentences to correct.
Much, Many, A Lot Of: A Practical Grammar Guide
When to choose much or many, why a lot of fits both, the so many / so much exception, and twelve sentences to correct.
Adjective Order: Teaching the Royal Order of Adjectives
The OSASCOMP order, six worked examples, three classroom drills and the six errors learners make most often.
Articles a/an/the: How to Teach Them With Clear Rules
The three core rules, why a/an follows the sound and not the spelling, and the zero-article cases that trip learners up.
Some and Any: How to Teach the Difference
The affirmative-and-negative rule, the polite-question exceptions, and the compounds someone / anyone / nothing.
Adjectives vs Adverbs: How to Teach the Difference
What each one describes, where it sits in the sentence, -ly traps like friendly and hardly, and three drills.
Past Perfect: How to Teach Had + Past Participle
The timeline that makes "the past of the past" click, the trigger words to teach with it, and three classroom drills.
Present Perfect Continuous: How to Teach It
When to use have been + -ing, how it differs from the present perfect simple, and the verbs that refuse to take it.
Spelling Word Study Routine: A Weekly Plan for the Classroom
A Monday-to-Friday word study routine: pretest, daily ten-minute activities, pattern grouping and a Friday check.
Reported Speech: Rules, Backshifting and Classroom Drills
Tense backshift, pronoun and time-word changes, say versus tell, and three classroom drills that make the rules stick.
Classroom Grammar Drills: How to Use Them in ESL Lessons
Where drills fit in a lesson, five-minute warm-ups, timed challenge routines and how to set them for homework.
Adverbs of Manner: How to Teach -ly Words to ESL Students
Teach adverbs of manner with four -ly spelling rules, word order, the irregular list (good, fast, hard) and a six-step classroom sequence.
Quantifiers: Much, Many, A Lot Of
Countable and uncountable nouns, some and any, a few and a little — one decision chart plus three classroom drills.
Conjunctions: How to Teach and, but, or, so to ESL Beginners
Teach and, but, or and so to beginners: what each one signals, where the comma goes, a five-step lesson and sentence-combining drills.
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CEFR B1
Gerunds and Infinitives: How to Teach the Difference
The four slots that decide the form, a three-lesson sequence, four classroom activities and the errors to expect.
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CEFR A2
Future Tenses: A Simple Teaching Guide
Will, going to, the present continuous and the present simple for the future, with a five-stage lesson and an error clinic.
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CEFR A2
Question Tags: How to Teach Short Answers
The matching rule for positive and negative tags, rising and falling intonation, and three quick classroom drills.
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CEFR A2
Used To: Teaching Past Habits and States
Used to, be used to and get used to — how the three forms differ, plus negation and question patterns to drill.
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CEFR A2
Prepositions of Time (At, On, In): How to Teach Them
At, on and in for clock times, days and dates, months and seasons — one decision table and three classroom drills.
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CEFR A2
Relative Clauses: How to Teach Who, Which and That
One rule, a spelling table and the irregular forms — how to teach comparisons in a single lesson.
CEFR A2Comparatives and Superlatives
One rule, a spelling table and the irregular forms — how to teach comparisons in a single lesson.
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CEFR A2
Present Simple
The third person -s, negatives, questions, and the five mistakes learners make most.
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CEFR A2
Present Continuous
am / is / are + -ing, when to use it, and the verbs that never go continuous.
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CEFR A2
Past Simple
-ed spelling, irregular verb families, and why didn't takes the base form.
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CEFR A2
Future Forms
Will, going to, the present continuous and the present simple — which form for which meaning.
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CEFR A2
Comparatives & Superlatives
-er / -est or more / most, than, as…as, and the irregulars.
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CEFR A2
Articles: A, An, The
A, an, the or nothing at all — and why the choice depends on sound.
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CEFR A2
Prepositions of Time & Place
In, on and at for time and place, from the biggest container to the smallest point.
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CEFR A2
Countable & Uncountable Nouns
Much or many, few or little, and the nouns English refuses to count.
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CEFR B1
Subject–Verb Agreement
Find the real subject, and the tricky cases that catch everyone.
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CEFR A2
Question Forms
Auxiliaries, word order, subject questions, question tags and indirect questions.
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CEFR A1
There Is / There Are
There is or there are, negatives, questions, and the same structure in other tenses.
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CEFR B1
Gerunds vs Infinitives
Enjoy swimming or want to swim — the verb patterns, the six verbs that change meaning, and the fixes.
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CEFR A2
Modal Verbs: Can, Could, Should, Must
Ability, permission, advice and obligation — with a simple order for teaching each one.
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CEFR A2
Reflexive Pronouns
Myself to themselves, the verbs that need them, the ones that refuse them, and by myself.
Teaching & learning
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Grammar
Present Simple vs Present Continuous
Habits and facts versus actions happening now — signal words, state verbs and the drill to fix them.
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Grammar
Past Simple vs Present Perfect
Teaching the difference without confusing students: core meaning, time-word maps, lesson steps.
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Classroom
Irregular Verbs Practice Ideas
Nine low-prep activities: pattern groups, verb chains, timed blitzes and printable sheets.
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Worksheets
Present Simple Worksheets
Eight printable activities with levels and steps, ready to photocopy for class.
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Worksheets
Printable ESL Classroom Worksheets
Eight ways to use printed worksheets well — openers, homework, sub packs, stations.
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Classroom
Timed Drills in the Classroom
How to run timed drills that build fluency without anxiety.
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Grammar guide
Adverbs of Frequency
Always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never — where they go and how to teach the scale.
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Grammar guide
Possessive Adjectives
My, your, his, her, its, our, their — one table, a four-step lesson and the usual mix-ups.
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Grammar guide
Adverbs of Degree
Very, quite, absolutely: where the scale changes meaning, and three drills that fix the "very fantastic" mistake.
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Grammar guide
Wish and Hope
Wishes about reality, regrets about the past and polite complaints - one clear split, plus three classroom drills.
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Grammar guide
Modal Verbs of Deduction
Must, might, could and can't: how to guess in English, and why the negative guess is never mustn't.
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Grammar guide
Present Perfect
Have and has plus the past participle, and how to keep it apart from the past simple with for, since, already, yet and just.
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CEFR A2
Comparatives and Superlatives: How to Teach Them
Three spelling rules, the irregular forms students ask about most, the as...as patterns, and three classroom drills.
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CEFR A2
Countable and Uncountable Nouns: How to Teach Them
Three signals for countable versus uncountable, the words that break the rule, quantifiers that fix them, and three classroom drills.
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Grammar guide
Past Continuous
Was and were plus -ing: backgrounds, interruptions, and three classroom drills that make the contrast clear.
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Speaking
ESL Speaking Activities
Ten low-prep speaking activities for mixed-level classes, with grouping and feedback tips.
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Vocabulary
Animals Vocabulary Lesson Plan
A step-by-step beginner lesson: word sets, presentation, games and drills that build recall.
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Planning
Back-to-School Grammar Review
A four-week review plan: tenses, questions, articles, prepositions, then mixed practice.
How to use these guides
Every grammar guide follows the same shape: the rules in one table, the form and spelling you have to get right, the exceptions that matter, the five mistakes learners make most often, and a straight answer to the questions teachers and students ask. Each one links to the matching drill, so you can read the rule and then apply it thirty times in a row.
- Learners: read the guide, then take the topic drill and check for mistakes on the My progress page.
- Teachers: print the same drill as a worksheet with an answer key, or mix topics in the worksheet builder.
- Daily habit: one paper a day from the Quiz of the Day keeps everything you have read in working memory.
New guides are added for every topic we drill, so the blog and the exercise library always match.