Go + noun

Look at the sentences. For most sentences we use go to (somewhere)...

I will go to the store.
I will go to the bank.
I will go to the park.

BUT… when you talk about home or shopping, don't use to.

I will go home. Do not say- I will go to home.
I will go shopping. Do not say- I will go to shopping.

Now you try…

Use "to" if it is needed or "x" if nothing is needed.

Karen needed to go _____ class. But she decided to go ____ shopping instead. So first she went _____ the bank to get money. Next she went _____ a restaurant. Then she went _____ a huge shopping mall where she bought a new sweater and a hat. After that she decided to go ____ the supermarket go get some groceries. At the end of the day, she was tired, so she went _____ home and fell asleep.

Answers

Karen needed to go to class. But she decided to go (X) shopping instead. So first she went to a restaurant. Then she went to a huge shopping mall where she bought a new sweater and a hat. After that she decided to go to the supermarket to get some groceries. At the end of the day she was tired, so she went (X) home and fell asleep.

Irregular Past Tense Verbs

As you probably know, most past tense verbs in English end with "-ed." But many do not. Many don't follow the rule. They are called Irregular Verbs. How well do you know your past tense verbs? Change the sentences below. Use the past tense form of the verb.
1. Wow, you _____(bring) me some flowers!
2. I'm so sorry, I _____(forget) your birthday.
3. Melanie ____(hide) the present from her sister.
4. The children _____(take) their schoolwork home.
5. John _____(sleep) in class.
6. The mother _____(hit) the child on the leg.
7. Tony _____(read) about South Africa.
8. Alisa was tired so she _____(lie) down.
9. Thomas _____(lay) the book on the coffee table.
10. My parents _____(catch) a cold when they went skiing.

Answers
1. brought
2. forgot
3 hid
4. took
5. brought
6. hit
7. slept
8. lay*
9. laid*
10. caught
* These are difficult words to remember. Many native English speakers get them confused and use them incorrectly. Look at this:
lie, lay, lain (present tense, past tense, present perfect tense) To lie means to put oneself down. Examples- I'm tired. I'm going to lie down. Yesterday I lay down in the forest.
lay, laid, laid (present tense, past tense, present perfect tense) To lay means to put something else down (like put.) Examples- Lay that fork on the table. She laid the blanket on the bed.
If you didn't answer the above questions 100% correctly, I suggest you study irregular past tense verbs a little more.

Confused about confusing language?

How do you know when something is confused or confusing? When the movie wasn't so great, was I bored or boring? Does it make a difference if I tell my friend he's annoyed or annoying?

It does. And there's an easy way to know which one to choose.

Words that end with -ed talk about a person's feelings.

Examples-

1. John was so bored on his date. He really wanted to leave.
2. Karen was annoyed with her employee. This employee was always late.
3. Curt was confused about the new rules. They were very complicated.
4. The children were excited about the school trip.
5. Melanie was surprised to get a gift.
6. The class was interested in the game.

*****

Words that end with -ing, however, talk about the situation or thing that cause a person's feelings.

Examples-

1. The date was really boring. John wanted to leave.
2. The employee was annoying. He was always late.
3. The rules were confusing. They were complicated.
4. The school trip was exciting.
5. The gift was surprising.
6. The game was interesting.

So ...

John was bored/ the date was boring

Karen was annoyed/ the employee was annoying

Curt was confused/ the rules were confusing

The children were excited/ the school trip was exciting

Melanie was surprised/ the gift was surprising.

The class was interested/ the game was interesting

Questions- Choose the correct word

1. I always feel excited/exciting when I take a vacation.

2. The news was very interested/ interesting.

3. Everyone was surprised/ surprising when Tom Cruise came to the party.

4. Teri is always so confused/ confusing when she reads English.

5. That loud TV is so annoyed/ annoying.

6. When I am in the office, I am bored/ boring.

Answers

1. excited (person's feeling)

2. interesting (situation that caused the feeling)

3. surprised (person's feeling)

4. confused (person's feeling)

5. annoying (situation that caused the feeling)

6. This is a trick question-

If you say "I am bored," you don't feel happy or excited.

If you say "I am boring," other people feel bored because of you.

See, Look at, and Watch

Do you know the difference between see, look at, and watch?
See is an inactive word. When your eyes are open, you do it without thinking. Example- I see a car near the store.
Look at is an active word. You must want to do it. But it is for a short time. Example- Look at this dress.
Watch is also an active word. You must want to do it but it is for a longer period of time. Example- Let's watch television.

Check Your Understanding
Choose the correct word (see, look at, or watch.) Click the box to see the correct answer. 1. Do you want to __________ watch a movie with me tonight?
2. Please __________ look at the clock and tell me what time it is.
3. I like to go to the zoo and __________ watch the animals while they are playing.*
4. How many things do you __________ see in this office?
5. I want to __________ look at that sweater again. Maybe I will buy it.
*Remember, this means it is a long time.

Hear and Listen to

Hear- you do this without thinking. It is inactive. Example- When I leave my home every morning, I hear the birds singing in the trees.
Listen to- this is an active word. You must think about what you are doing. Example- I really listen to my husband when he tells me about his day.
Use hear or listen to in the following sentences. Use the arrows the see the correct answers.
  1. Joanna wanted to _________ listen to her favorite radio show.
2. Sorry, I didn't _________ hear you come in. You are so quiet.

3. Can you __________ hear the sound of the ocean?

4. It is hard to _________ listen to the teacher when I feel tired.

5. _________ Listen to this story. It's about a king and a frog.

It's and Its
Lots of people get confused about the spelling of it's and its. It's really quite simple. Remember, the means there is a contraction. Two words have been put together to make one word, and the is placed where one or more letters have been taken out.
For example- she + is = she's. And does + not = doesn't.
So- It's = it + is or sometimes It's = it + has (you will know by the context which one it is.)
Now how about its? This is a possessive. Remember that a possessive is a word that shows who or what owns something.
For example- This is the girl's coat. This is her coat.
Or- Joey and Melissa's friend is here. Their friend is here.
So- The book's pages are green. Its pages are green.

You try. Fill in the blanks using it's or its. Use the arrows to see the correct answers.
1. Look at this table. _____ Its leg is broken.
2. Come on, _____ it's (it is) time to go home now.
3. Nice to see you. _____ It's (It has) been a long time.
4. This is a bee. A beehive is _____ its home.
5. What is that? _____ It's (It is) a kind of game. This is _____ its box.

Tag Questions

A tag question is one where a statement is made, but the speaker wants a response from the listener. Like- Today's lesson is hard, isn't it? or The kids can't sing that song, can they?
First of all, to understand tag questions, you need to know about affirmative and negative sentences.
Do you know what an affirmative sentence is? It is like this: Mary is at home. or The students work hard.
Do you know what a negative sentence is? It is like this: Mary isn't at home. or The students don't work hard.
Then, you need to know that if the sentence is affirmative, the tag will be negative. And if the sentence is negative, the tag will be positive.
And finally, you need to think about the kind of verb used in the sentence. Does it use a modal, like can or will or a form of to be? Your tag question will follow the verb in the sentence. If it is a regular verb, don't forget it uses do, don't, does, doesn't when a question is asked.

Examples Affirmative Sentence/ Negative Tag
Toshi likes fishing, doesn't he?
Susan is sick today, isn't she?
Mike can play the piano, can't he?
You will go there, won't you?
Negative Sentence/ Affirmative Tag
Andrew doesn't study much, does he?
The dogs aren't hungry, are they?
She can't cook, can she?
You won't see her, will you?

You try it
Write the correct answer in the box. Check your answers by clicking on the arrows. 1. It's going to rain, ?
Check Answer isn't it
2. Mike is home, ?
Check Answer isn't he
3. Sally doesn't have a car, ?
Check Answer does she
4. You can sing well, ?
Check Answer can't you
5. Mia can't swim, ?
Check Answer can she
6. She has homework today, ?
Check Answer doesn't she
7. Isaac isn't sick, ?
Check Answer is he
8. You guys aren't going shopping, ?
Check Answer are you
9. Harry will watch TV, ?
Check Answer won't he
10. You won't go, ?
Check Answer will you