Mornings (simple present, habits)

Every weekday morning my alarm clock rings at 7 o'clock and every weekday morning I try to ignore it.

 I do not like mornings!  I hide my head under the covers and I pretend that it isn't really morning.

 I groan.   I complain.  I say nasty things about mornings. 

Some mornings I fall back to sleep for a few minutes! 

After a shot time I realize that I have to get up.  I sigh.  I struggle out of bed and I start my day.

A cake was Made (past tense, passive voice) 過去時制・受動態 ～された

Seven tablespoons of cocoa powder were measured into a small bowl. Half a cup of boiling water was added. The mixture was stirred until it was smooth. It was left to cool down.

A half cup of softened butter was put in a large bowl. Two cups of white sugar were added.

The mixture was stirred until it was smooth. Next, three eggs were added and the mixture was stirred again.

The dry ingredients were added next - two cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. The last additions that were made to the batter was a cup of sour cream and all of the cocoa mixture. The batter was mixed well.

The batter was poured into two cake tins. The cakes were baked in the oven for 45 minutes. After the cakes had cooled, chocolate icing was spread over them and the cakes were decorated. The best part was saved for last.... the cakes were eaten!

Reading ESL

Skating (simple past)

This winter I learned to skate! A friend of mine had an extra pair of skates.  He persuaded me to go skating with him one Saturday afternoon in February.  I borrowed the skates and we went skating!

It was cold outside!  We wore hats, scarves and mitts to keep warm.  He showed me how to put on the skates.  He helped me walk onto the ice.  He showed me how to start moving.  He also showed me how to stop!  I moved very slowly at first and lots of people skated past me.  When I fell nobody laughed at me.  Instead, they helped me get back up.  I kept trying! Soon I felt much better.  I liked skating!




Thanksgiving Dinner (past perfect)

Last Thanksgivng my parents had a large family dinner at their house.  Getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner takes a lot of work.

The day started well and by late afternoon we had completed most of the work.  Everyone had helped to make the meal a success.  We had put the turkey in the oven earlier that day so the house was starting to smell like roast turkey.  The grandchildren had finished setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner.   My aunt had made two pies for dessert, a pumpkin pie and an apple pie.  My brother and I had peeled the carrots and the potatoes.  We had just  turned on the stove to start cooking the vegetables when the power went out!  The oven stopped working! We couldn't cook the vegetables! The turkey wouldn't finish cooking! We waited.  We talked.  We went for a walk.

We had waited two hours by the tie the power ca,e back on.  We had almost given up hope.  Dinner was late that night but it was a Thanksgiving dinner that we won't forget.

Reading ESL

Missed my Train!  (simple past, third conditional)

I only missed the train by a few minutes. I was annoyed. If I had walked a bit faster, I might have made my train.  If I had left a few minutes earlier, I might have been on time.

Because I missed my train, I had to wait for the next one.  I had to wait for an hour and a half.

I bought a cup of coffee and a newspaper.  I found a chair to sit on.  I drank my coffee and read the newspaper while I waited for the next train.

It was very frustrating.


annoyed-いらいらした




An Evening Out  (simple past, past continuous)

Last night I went to Nathan Phillips Square at City Hall in Toronto.   It was a beautiful summer evening, It was warm and sunny.  Lots of people were there because of the Pan Am games celebrations.  I stood and watched the crowd.

Many people were sitting by the water,  Some people were talking with friends or family.  Lots of people were taking pictures.

A band was plying music on the stage.  People were standing by the stage.  They were listening to the music.  Others were watching the performance on large video screens.

Everyone was enjoying the summer evening.




Sick on Saturday  (simple past)

I have just had a terrible weekend! On Saturday I was so tired that I slept all morning.  When I woke up I had a head ache and my throat was sore.  My body ached all over.  My nose ran and I coughed a lot.  My mother took my temperature but I did not have a fever.

My mother made me some soup for lunch and I ate it in bed.  I drank some juice.  I tried to read a book but I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I lay in bed all afternoon.  I drifted in and out of sleep.  I drank more juice.  I felt miserable all afternoon.  I didn't want to do anything.

I got out of bed at dinner time.  My parents ordered pizza for dinner and I was able to eat some of it.  I drank more juice! I felt a bit better after dinner so I stayed up.  I snuggled under a blanket on the couch and watched some TV with my parents. I fell asleep in front of the TV.

The next morning I felt better but now my mother had a cold! She looked miserable.  It was her turn to be sick.

Using the Past Continuous with the Past Tense

When が先に来る場合は「、」（カンマ）が入る。
中央にWhen が来る場合は続けて書く。

* When I was taking a bath, the telephone rang.
= The telephone rang When I was taking a bath.

* While I was taking a bath, the telephone rang.
= The telephone rang while I was taking a bath.

* As I was taking a bath , the telephone rang.
= The telephone rang as I was taking a bath.

上記はすべて同じ意味。

English as an International Language

to spread - to go everywhere
in common - the same
communicate - talk
complicated - difficult
artificial - not real


About one hundred years ago many educated people learned and spoke French when they met people from other countries. Today most people speak English when they meet foreigners. It has become the new international language. There are more people who speak English as a second language than people who speak English as a first language. Why is this?

There are many reasons why English has become so popular. One of them is that English has become the language of business. Another important reason is that popular American culture (like movies, music, and McDonald's) has quickly spread throughout the world. It has brought its language with it.

Is it good that English has spread to all parts of the world so quickly? I don't know. It's important to have a language that the people of the earth have in common. Our world has become very global and we need to communicate with one another. On the other hand, English is a fairly complicated language to learn and it brings its culture with it. Do we really need that?


Scientists have already tried to create an artificial language that isn't too difficult and doesn't include any one group's culture. It is called Esperanto. But it hasn't become popular. But maybe the popularity of English won't last that long either. Who knows? There are more people in the world who speak Chinese than any other language. Maybe someday Chinese will be the new international language.

Conjunctions 接続詞

Coordinating Conjunctions

1. And - means " in addition to "
 * We are going a zoo and an aquarium on the same day.

2. But - connects two different things that are not in agreement.;
 * I am a night owl, but she is an early bird.

3. Or - indicates a choice between two things;
 * Do you want a red one or a blue one?

4. So - illustrates a result of the first thing;
 * This song has been very popular, so I downloaded it;

5. For - means "because";
 * I want to go there again, for it was a wonderful trip.

6. Yet - indicates contrast with something;
 * He performed very well, yet he didn't make the final cut.

Correlative Conjunctions

1. Both/and

 * She won gold medals from both the single and group races.

 * Both TV and television are correct words.

2. Either/or

 * I am fine with either Monday or Wednesday.

 * You can have either apples or pears.

3. Neither/nor

 * He enjoys neither drinking nor gambling.

 * Neither you nor I will get off early today.

4. Not only/but also

 * Not only red but also green looks good on you.

 * She got the perfect score in not only English but also math.

=Both my friend and I are taking the geography class.

=Do you want to go swimming or golfing?

=I studied grammar for a long time, but I still make mistakes.

=Either wood or bricks can be used as homebuilding materials.

=I wasn't feeling well this morning, but (or yet) I had to go to work.