Category Archives: Phrases
Short Lesson 5: Are You Working Hard, or Hardly Working?!
Hey everybody!
In this lesson I’d like to teach you some English language wordplay, and also show you a common mistake English learners make.
Look at this expression:
“Are you working hard, or hardly working?”
Are “Working hard” and “Hardly working” the same thing?
No!
As you know, many adjectives can be changed into adverbs by adding -ly.
Example 1:
adjective: quick
adverb: quickly
Example 2:
adjective: strange
adverb: strangely
But we don’t do this with “hard”. The word “hardly” means “almost not at all”.
Example 1:
“It’s hardly raining.”
This doesn’t mean “It’s raining hard.”
It means “It’s almost not raining at all.”
Example 2:
“It’s hardly necessary.”
This doesn’t mean “It’s really necessary.”
This means “It’s almost not necessary at all.”
So what about “Working hard or hardly working?”
Well, “Working hard” does mean “Working with a lot of effort”.
But “Hardly working” means “Almost not working”.
So if you want to share a joke with someone at work, you can ask them-
“Are you working hard or hardly working?”
Have a great day!
Jon
Short Lesson 3: TGI Friday!
Hey guys!
Today is Friday. TGI Friday!
What does “TGI Friday“ mean?
TGI Friday = Thank God it’s Friday! or Thank Goodness it’s Friday!
This expression is a way of saying you are happy or relieved that it’s the last work day of the week. Of course, this isn’t the case for everyone. Some people work at the weekend!
Speaking of which, have a great weekend!
Jon
Beginner Season 1, Lesson 13: Is Brazil Big or Small?
Is Brazil big or small?
It’s big.
Hey everybody!
Today we will use the verb to be to describe things. We will also learn lots of useful adjectives.
Grammar:
Question: to be verb + noun + adjective 1 + or + adjective 2 ?
Is/Are + Chris/France/curry + tall/interesting/tasty + or + short/boring/disgusting
Answer: pronoun + to be verb + adjective
he/she/it/they + is/are + intelligent/exciting/cold
Examples:
1. Is the Queen young or old?
She’s old.
2. Are tigers beautiful or ugly?
They’re beautiful.
3. Is a sports car fast or slow?
It’s fast.
4. Are sofas comfortable or uncomfortable?
They’re comfortable.
Practice Questions:
1. Are elephants heavy or light?
They’re heavy.
2. Is Tony fat or thin?
___________
3. Is Dubai hot or cold?
___________
4. Are crocodiles green or blue?
___________
5. Are diamonds cheap or expensive?
___________
6. Is Roger tall or short?
___________
7. Is a cave light or dark?
___________
8. Are the shoes clean or dirty?
___________
9. Is Rena happy or sad?
___________
10. Is the car modern or old-fashioned?
___________
11. Is English easy or difficult?
___________
12. Is dancing fun or boring?
___________
13. Is her hair long or short?
___________
14. Is Mark’s skin black or white?
___________
15. Is Annie African or Asian?
___________
Answers:
1. They’re heavy.
2. He’s fat.
3. It’s hot.
4. They’re green.
5. They’re expensive.
6. He’s tall.
7. It’s dark.
8. They’re dirty.
9. She’s happy.
10. It’s old-fashioned.
11. It’s easy! (at JonsEnglishClassroom.com)
12. It’s fun.
13. It’s short.
14. It’s black.
15. She’s Asian.
Have a great day!
Jon
Beginner Season 1, Lesson 10: What’s Your Name?
Hey guys!
Today’s beginner English lesson is called “What’s Your Name?”. In this lesson we will learn how to use possessive adjectives (my/your/his/her) and the verb “to be”.
Grammar:
Question: What’s my/your/his/her name?
Answer: Possessive Adjective My, Your, His, Her + name + Verb To be + Name
Examples:
1. Chris
What’s your name?
My name is Chris.
2. Timmy
What’s his name?
His name is Timmy.
3. Maria
What’s her name?
Her name is Maria.
4. Wilma
What’s my name?
Your name is Wilma.
Practice Questions:
1. Ali
What’s his name?
His name is Ali.
2. Elsie
What’s your name?
_______________
3. Robbie
_______________?
His name is Robbie.
4. Carla
_______________?
My name is Carla.
5. Denise
What’s her name?
_______________
6. Stan
What’s your name?
_______________
7. Pablo
_______________?
His name is Pablo.
8. Anna
What’s my name?
_______________
9. Sheila
_______________?
Her name is Sheila.
10. Ron
What’s your name?
_______________
11. Gina
_______________?
Your name is Gina.
12. Theo
What’s his name?
_______________
13. Jackie
_______________?
My name is Jackie.
14. Regine
What’s her name?
_______________
15. Bill
_______________?
His name is Bill.
Answers:
1. His name is Ali.
2. My name is Elsie.
3. What’s his name?
4. What’s your name?
5. Her name is Denise.
6. My name is Stan.
7. What’s his name?
8. Your name is Anna.
9. What’s her name?
10. My name is Ron.
11. What’s my name?
12. His name is Theo.
13. What’s your name?
14. Her name is Regine.
15. What’s his name?
I hope this lesson was helpful for you. Have a great day!
Jon
Beginner Season 1, Lesson 3: How’s the Weather?
Hey guys!
Today we will learn how to describe the weather using simple expressions. Please watch the video, then see below for the expressions.
Have a great day!
Jon 
Expressions
How’s the weather?
What’s the weather like?
What’s it like outside?
It’s sunny.
It’s a little cloudy.
It’s cloudy.
It’s raining.
It’s snowing.
It’s hailing.
It’s a beautiful day.
It’s hot.
It’s cold.
It’s windy.
It’s stormy.
It’s foggy.
It’s clear.
Please remember to leave a comment! And if you like this lesson, please share on Facebook or Twitter!
Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 2: How Often and How Much Time?
Hey everyone,
In today’s lesson we will learn two useful expressions- “How Often?” and “How Much Time?”.
After watching the lesson, you can see all the expressions and many more below.
Jon
Part 1
How often do you __________?
go to the bank
go to the dentist
brush your teeth
go to hospital
watch the Olympics
play badminton/tennis/basketball/football
play computer games
talk to your friends
email your friends
eat pizza
go shopping
watch a movie
Answers:
All the time
Every year/month/week/day/hour
Once/twice/three times/four times a year/month/week/day/hour
Maybe once/twice/three times/four times a year/month/week/day/hour
About once/twice/three times/four times a year/month/week/day/hour
Regularly
Often
Sometimes
Hardly ever
Never
As often as I can
Whenever I need to
As rarely as I can
watching tv
listening to music?
exercising
studying English
sleeping
playing computer games
eating
at school
with your parents
with your friends
shopping
doing a part-time job
watching movies
Answers:
One hour a day
Two hours a day
One hour a week
Three hours a week
Eight hours a month
Too much!
Lots
Not much
Not enough
Almost none
None
Please remember to leave a comment below, and if you enjoyed this lesson please share it on Twitter or Facebook
And why not try some of our other English learning lessons? We have something for everyone!
Bye for now!
Jon
Intermediate Season 1, Lesson 1: What’s new, pussycat? How to Improve Spoken English
Hey guys,
That’s my cat, isn’t she awesome? In this first lesson of the intermediate series, I will give you some great, natural conversational English expressions which can be used instead of the same old “How are you? I’m fine thank you, and you?” that everyone is taught at school. At this stage of your learning you are probably good with your English grammar and know lots of vocab, but you want to know how to improve spoken English and how to sound more natural. Hopefully these expressions will be a great start for you. Enjoy, and remember to comment and share this lesson on Facebook or Twitter using the links on the right!
Question 1:
How are you?
How’s it going?
How are you feeling?
How’re things?
How’s everything?
Answers:
Happy
I’m good/great!
I’m doing well!
Fantastic!
So-so
I’m alright.
I’m OK.
I’m so-so.
Not (too) bad.
Unhappy
Not so good.
I feel a bit under the weather.
I feel terrible.
I feel lousy.
I’m (really) tired.
I’m exhausted.
I’m (really) stressed.
I’m really worried.
Question 2 (why?):
How come?
What’s going on?
What’s been happening?
What’s up?
What’s new?
Answers:
Happy
I had a great night’s sleep.
It’s nearly the weekend!
It’s a beautiful day.
I’ve had a great day/week.
Unhappy
I had a bad night’s sleep.
I didn’t sleep well.
I feel ill/sick/unwell.
It’s Monday morning!
I had an argument/a fight with my Mum/Dad/friend/boyfriend/girlfriend.
I’m so busy right now.
I have exams.
Please comment in the box below, and if you like this lesson please share on Facebook or Twitter!
Beginner Season 1, Lesson 1: Beginning English Discussion
Hey guys!
Welcome! Please watch the video and then see below for the lesson!
Question 1:
What’s your name?
What are you called?
Answer:
I’m Jon.
My name is Jon.
I’m called Jon.
Question 2:
Where are you from?
Where do you come from?
Answer:
I’m from England/Spain/Korea/London/Madrid/Tokyo.
I come from France/China/Brazil/New York/Beijing/Bangkok.
Question 3:
What do you do? What do you do
What’s your job?
Answer:
I’m a student/teacher/policeman/nurse/secretary.
I work as a doctor/fire fighter/cleaner/taxi driver.
If you like this lesson, please share on Facebook or Twitter!
And please comment below!
Thanks!
