Free Grammar Practice Activities

Free Grammar Practice Activities Online quizzes Here are some links to free online grammar practice activities to help you or your students get additional grammar help eliminating grammar errors. Online activities provide instant feedback, which helps learners know what they are doing right and what they need to improve. These activities are best done on a computer rather than on the small touchscreen on a phone or tablet. They are organized under headings. I have more, and I will post more links when I have time. In the meantime, share them far and wide if you find them useful. However, if you want to check your own grammar for common errors, you can learn more about the Virtual Writing Tutor Grammar Checker or go directly to the home page and start checking your writing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word choice errors. If you want an offline activity for the classroom, I have a free error correction card game that you might like. Online quizzes Adjectives These online activities help learners master comparative adjectives. ESL learners often need help with this grammar point. You can link directly to this list of activities by putting #adjectives at the end of the URL of this page. Comparative Adjectives Matching ActivityComparative Adjectives Fill in the Blanks #1Comparative Adjectives Fill in the Blanks #2Comparative Adjectives Fill in the Blanks #3Comparative Adjectives Fill in the Blanks #4 Adverb grammar exercises Adverb word order can be a challenge for some. English puts adverbs of frequency (always, sometimes, never, etc.) before action verbs but after the verb to be. These online adverb practice activities provide opportunities to notice adverbs in context, and then find and correct adverb errors. You can link directly to this list of free activities by putting #adverbs at the end of the URL of this page. English Adverbs Find Adverb Errors Correct Adverb Errors Articles ESL students sometimes find English articles difficult. Some languages dont use articles, so missing articles can be a problem. Other languages like French use the definite article before unrestricted abstract nounssomething you cant do in English. Another common error for many language learners is using a/an with an uncountable noun. The practice activities below can help with these types of error. You can link directly to this list of free online error-find and error-correction activities by putting #articles at the end of the URL of this page. Abstract Noun with Article Errors Error FindAbstract Noun with Article Errors Error CorrectionUncountable Nouns with Indefinite Articles Error FindUncountable Nouns with Indefinite Articles Error Correction Capitalization practice activities With the rise of messaging apps on phones, capitalization can be a mystery for ESL students. You can link directly to this list of free activities by putting #capitalization at the end of the URL of this page. Capitalization Rules Error FindCapitalization Rules Error Correction Cegep program name practice activities These activities will be of special interest to college students doing a field-related English course in Quebec, Canada, who need to know how to refer to their programs in English. College teachers can send the students directly to this list of free grammar practice activities using this link: #program-names. Cegep Program Names Match #1Cegep Program Names Match #2Cegep Program Names Match #3Cegep Program Names Match# 4Cegep Program Names Match #5Cegep Program Names Review Quiz Comma error correction exercises Commas are confusing, and so students make many comma errors. Some languages like French and Bulgarian permit joining two sentences with a comma. In English, joining two sentences with a comma but without a coordinating conjunction is called a comma-splice error. Some students mistakenly believe that since we use a comma in quoted speech, we should use a comma with reported speech, too. Below is a list of free grammar practice activities to help learners develop the revision strategies needed to eliminate common errors related to commas. To link to it directly, use the URL of this page with #comma-errors at the end. Find comma splice errors Correct comma splice errorsMissing comma before introductory phrase error correction exerciseComma error find.Comma error correction practice. Conditional practice activities The simplest definition of conditionals is that conditional sentences are complex sentences with if. Of course, you can make conditional sentences with unless and even use subject-verb inversion instead (If I had known Had I known). Instead of laboring over low-frequency examples of conditional sentences, I figure the best way to get students to learn conditionals is to show them how conditional sentence grammar is used in in the wild, for example in learning English through music videos. Below is a list of conditional practice activities that combine YouTube videos with fill-in-the-blank quizzes. You can link to this list of activities by putting #conditionals at the end of the URL to this page. Share if you care. Beyonce vocabulary matching activitySecond Conditionals: Beyonce If I were a BoyBeyonce Parody: If I were a GirlColdplay: What ifJason Derulo: What ifThe MaineIf I only had a brainConditional grammar quiz Contractions online practice activities English is full of contractions. Although we are often told to avoid them in academic English, conversational English requires them. If you cant contract and understand contractions, youl have difficulty communicating with most people most of the time. Share this list on free online grammar practice activities by appending the hashtag #contractions to the end of the URL of this page. Contractions Match 1Contractions Match 2Contractions Match 3Contractions Match 4Contractions Match 5Contractions Match 6Contractions Match 7Contractions Match 8Contractions Match 9Contractions match 10Contractions QUIZ Family Vocabulary Practice Learning the vocabulary used to discuss family members and relations takes time, so it is helpful to have free online grammar practice activities to help learners master them quickly. You can link to this list using the hashtag #family at the end of the URL of this page. Talking about family part 1Talking about family part 2 Talking about family part 3Talking about family part 4Talking about family part 5Talking about family part 6Talking about family part 7Talking about family part 8Talking about family part 9Talking about family part 10 Intensifiers Intensifiers like really and very can be tricky for some. However, there is a simple rule that can help: use very to intensify adjectives, and use really with adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. You can link to this short list of intensifier practice activities directly by adding #intensifiers to the end of the URL of this page. Intensifiers Error FindIntensifiers: Error Correction Listening online practice activities You can find more music videos for learning English in the conditionals section above. Alternatively, here is a more complete list of online activities for learning English through music videos. Listening Activity: Tracy Chapman Fast CarListening Activity: Tracy Chapman PromiseListening Activity: Enrique Iglesias Little Girl Modal Auxiliaries in Online Quizzes Free grammar practice activities like the ones listed below can help Modal UsesModal for SportsModal for JobsModal Comic #1Modal Comic #2Modal Comic #3Modal Comic #4Modal Comic #5Modal Comic #6Modal Error Correction #1Modal Error Correction #2Modal Error Correction #3Modal Error Correction #4Modal Error Correction #5Modal Error Correction #6Modal Error Correction #7Modal Error Correction #8Modal Error Review QuizModals: 5 Meanings of Can Match #1Modals: 5 Meanings of Can Match #2Modals: Pocoyo ListeningModals: Probability Matching ExerciseModals: French Translation Matching Exercise #1Modals: French Translation Matching Exercise #2Modals: French Translation Matching Exercise #3Modals: French Translation Matching Exercise #3Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #1Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #2Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #3Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #4Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #5Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #6Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #7Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #8Modals: Herman Fill-in-the-blank #9Modals: Probabili ty Matching ExerciseModals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 1Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 2Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 3Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 4Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 5Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 6Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 7Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 8Modals: Polite Requests and Offers Fill the Blanks 9 Negation practice activities The most common error that native speakers and second language learners make with negative verb forms is to use a double negative to intensify the negative polarity. For other types of errors people make with negative forms, see the list of negation error examples here. You can link directly to this list with the hashtag #negation after the URL of this page. Negation: Double Negative Errors Error FindNegation: Double Negative Errors Error CorrectionPast Tense Negative QuizMatch Affirmative to Negative Verb FormsMatch Negative Verb Forms to Affirmative Verb Forms Past Perfect grammar practice The Past Perfect tense is useful for describe the past before the past. Why is is the Past Perfect called perfect? in this case, perfect means finished. So in other words, the Past Perfect describes an event that was finished at a time in the past. Beach Closed at Cap St. Jacques Past Progressive practice activities The Past Progressive is very useful for describing an ongoing event in the past. Past Progressive Beach Vacation QuizPast Progressive Lost Key Quiz Pen Pals The Virtual Writing Tutor grammar checker comes with a teacher-moderated pen-pal exchange system. Below is a list of practice activities that you can use to learn about pen pals, and the vocabulary used to discuss pen pal exchanges. You can link directly to this list using the hashtag #pen-pals appended to the URL of this page. Lifelong pen pals numbers with fill-in-the-blanksLifelong pen pals numbers with dropdownLifelong pen pals French-English vocabulary matchLifelong pen pals introductionLifelong pen pals phone interviewLifelong pen pals early yearsCanadian and Ethiopian pen pals dropdownCanadian and Ethiopian pen pals quiz Plurals Irregular Plurals: Irregular Error FindPlurals: Irregular Error Correction Possessive Pronouns Possessive Pronoun: Its Error FindPossessive Pronoun: Its Error Correction Prepositions Prepositions: For or Since Gap FillPrepositions: In, On, At, To Gap Fill with Dropdown Present Perfect Foror SincewithfamilyFor or sincePresent Perfect versus the Simple Past Present Perfect used when talking about pranks Present Perfect versus Present Perfect Progressive Pronouns Indefinite Pronouns: Anybody, Everybody, NobodyObject Pronouns: Whom Error FindObject Pronouns: Whom Error Correct Punctuation Comma Rules Error FindComma Rules Error Correction Punctuation: Direct Speech Error FindPunctuation: Direct Speech Error Correction Try the drag and drop practice activities below Question Formation Information Question Word Order (drag and drop grammar)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #1)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #2)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #3)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #4)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #5)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #6)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #7)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #8)Information Questions Word Order (drag and drop #9)Question Formation Virtual Medical History Interview Quoted Speech Punctuation Errors Practice Finding Quoted Speech Punctuation Errors.Practice Correcting Quoted Speech Punctuation Errors. Reading Activities The Main Ideas in the Science of Absenteeism (9 activities) Simple Future The Future Error FindThe Future Error Find Simple Past The Divine Beauty ContestBob Marley(You will have to allow the Flash video its safe!) Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #1Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #1Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #2Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #2Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #3Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #3Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #4Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #4Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #5Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #5Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #6Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #6Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Find #6Past Tense Verbs: Irregular Error Correction #7 Simple Present Free Grammar Practice Activities Review the Present Simple Conjugations of Be, Have, and DoStory: Greg at the Supermarket Slang I prefer that students avoid using the F-word. Nevertheless, it is part of the language, and therefore if you want to master English, you should familiarize yourself with the entire languageas much as is practical The F-Word Verb Agreement Errors If you need grammar help because of verb agreement errors in your writing, these online activities and online quizzes should help. This is such a common error that I have created a dozen activities for you to use or share. Jump directly to this list using the hashtag #verb-agreement at the end of the URL of this page. Verb agreement error find #1.Verb agreement error correction practice #1.Verb agreement error find #2.Verb agreement error correction practice #2.Verb agreement error find #3.Verb agreement error correction practice #3.Verb agreement error find #4.Verb agreement error correction practice #4.Choose Auxiliaries for the Present Progressive #1.Choose Auxiliaries for the Present Progressive #2.Choose Auxiliaries for the Present Progressive #3.Choose Auxiliaries for the Past Perfect. Word Choice Online Activities While not exactly a grammar problem, word choice errors can be included among the areas that students need help with. However, when you use many with an uncountable noun or much with a plural, you need grammar help. This list of online quizzes might help you or your students. Use the hashtag #word-choice at the end of the URL of this page to jump directly here. The Difference Between Affect and Effect Error FindThe Difference Between Affect and Effect Error CorrectionWord Choice: Much or Many Error FindWord Choice: Much or Many Error Correction Word Order If you are looking for the order of adjectives, look no further. If you are looking for comparative adjective error correction exercises, they are at the top of the page. Order of Adjectives ExerciseOrder of Adjectives RulesOrder of Adjectives Error Correction Exercise More to come Please follow and like us:

BBC Radio Shropshire Interview Edd Stockwell

BBC Radio Shropshire Interview Edd Stockwell BBC Radio Shropshire interview Edd Stockwell about private tuition, why parents buy tutoring, how Tutorfair gives free tutoring and Tutorfair's tutor training programmes. If you missed it, then we've transcribed it for you, or if you'd prefer to listen, hit play on the recording below! BBC Reporter Do you remember when you’re little and there might be one subject in particular that you struggled with, and that could mean extra tuition, private tuition. So have your children had any and how effective was it? Apparently people in London are twice as likely to pay for private tuition than the rest of us, but even so the numbers are going up. Edd Stockwell is one of the founders of Tutorfair, it’s a website that helps people find tutors in their area. Good morning, Edd! Edd Stockwell Good morning! BBC Reporter Why do you think there’s such an increase in people booking tutors? Edd Stockwell I think tutoring is the single most effective form of education you can get (one on one tutoring) and I think it’s probably the oldest form of education. I think Aristoteles was probably right several thousand years ago! So everyone has always had private tuition, and I think it has also gone up quite a bit recently in the last ten years. Due to competition for top schools and jobs, it keeps continuing to increase! BBC Reporter Is that what you’re putting it down to? Is not the state of our education system then? Edd Stockwell No, I don’t think so at all! I think our education system is fantastic! Yet every child is different, and everyone misses something at school. So, if parents and teachers can find ways to help kids to fill in the gaps if they've missed anything. All good teachers give tutoring, just after class or a little  one on one time with kids to help them out - I think it’s fantastic thing. BBC Reporter Imagine then that the increase in London is down to the increase in competition and places, would you put it down to that? Edd Stockwell Yes I think it's partly that. I think it's becoming more socially acceptable, tutoring does have a bit of stigma to it. It’s the middle  class buying the advantage, which I think is exactly what the middle class are trying to do. On one level, they're right to do it! It’s a really effective way to help the students to succeed. I think the difficulties start when you've got to that stigma and it becomes unfair, and those who can’t afford to pay can’t have access to such an incredibly powerful form of education, and we really need to look quite carefully at what we could do to help bridge that gap and make a difference. BBC Reporter But don’t you offer tuition to children who can't afford it as well? Edd  Stockwell We do, so we’ve got a one for one promise, so  for every student who pays we give tutoring to  someone who can’t afford it.  So we partner with inner-city schools where they have a high proportion of students on free school meals and then class teachers choose  which students could benefit most. Our tutors then go into  those schools to work with those kids. BBC Reporter I was going to say that it’d be hard to choose wouldn't it? Which ones really do need it? Edd Stockwell Yes, really tough! But I think class teachers really do know their class and their kids... BBC Reporter Yes, Definitely. Edd Stockwell ... so they’re the right people to make that decision I think. BBC Reporter How expensive is it then if you want to pay for private tuition? Edd Stockwell Average costs for a private tutor is about £23 an hour outside of London, rising up to £29 per hour inside London, as an average. But a lot of people want a really experienced tutor which are hard to find, they might be about £40, 50, 60, 70, 80 an hour. I think the most expensive tutor we’ve got on Tutorfair is £200.00 an hour, but he’s an extraordinary man but that's also an extraordinary price. BBC Reporter £200.00 an hour?! Teaching what? Edd  Stockwell Maths and science, but when you speak to clients he's worked with, the quotes that I got from one of them was; ‘Mark can organise a child’s mind for success’ and he’s just one of those magical characters that connects with children and inspires them to want to learn and succeed. I mean, I do not recommend hiring him because he’s ridiculously expensive, but he’s the best of the best! BBC Reporter Wow, it sounds like we could do with cloning him then? Edd Stockwell Yes, that’s brilliant! Solve one problem at a time, but then let’s clone Mark! (Laughs) BBC Reporter (Laughs) What you need to do is to pay him £200 an hour to teach 10 teachers how to do it! Edd Stockwell That is exactly what he’s doing this Saturday! We’ve got one hundred tutors in a room and he’s leading our tutor training and teaching them all the tips that he’s accumulated over his 17 years of private tutoring. We do a lot of tutor training, and it’s really amazing! BBC Reporter And I’m guessing you’ve seen a lot of situations where the children have really benefited from this? Edd Stockwell It’s extraordinary the difference you can make just unlocking, or unblocking really the little thing they don't understand. You can so quickly (if you struggle in one subject) think to yourself ‘Oh, I don't understand maths, I’ll never understand maths!’ BBC Reporter Yes! That was me! (Laughs) Edd Stockwell Yes! (Laughs) ‘I’m not going to try maths!’ and it's not true it's just the panic zone of your learning. As soon as someone explains it to you and makes that little bit make sense, inspires you to want to try and to believe that maths is for you, it’s extraordinary! BBC Reporter Edd, it  has  been lovely to talk to you, thank you so much for coming in this morning. Edd Stockwell Thank you so much! BBC Reporter And good luck with Mark and the tutors this weekend! Edd Stockwell Oh thanks very much! BBC Reporter Brilliant thank you! That’s Edd Stockwell who’s one of the founders of Tutorfair, which is a website that helps people, so if you’re looking to find a tutor in your area.