ESL Grammar: Passive Voice

 

Form 

Subject + to be + past participle 

Example: The poster was made by Jim. 

Use of Passive Voice 

1. To report crimes or incidents with unknown predators. My car was stolen yesterday. 

2. To emphasize an action itself and to make the doer of the action less important. The president was sworn in on a cold January morning. 

Passive Voice Exercises 

Instructions: Change the active sentence into a passive sentence 

Example: Active Sentences: Lucas cut my hair. 

                Passive Sentence: My hair was cut by Lucas. 

1. Anna painted the house. 

2. Ali posted the video online. 

3. They will build the house. 

4. We move the furniture. 

5. Alexandra sang a song. 

Instructions: Change the passive sentence into an active sentence 

1. A cake was made by Berenice.

2. The letter was written by Billy.

3. The money was given by them.

4. The table was made by us. 

5. The video was made by Beatriz 

ESL Conversation Questions: Sacrifice

1. What is sacrifice? 

2. What are some common ways people sacrifice? 

3. Is it important for people to sacrifice? Why or Why not? 

4. "If your success doesn't require big sacrifices, your success is of very little value." Do you agree or disagree with this quote? 

5. What can young adults sacrifice in order to get ahead in life? 

6. What's one sacrifice you have made this past year? 

ESL Vocabulary: Business Youth

ESL Vocabulary (Working Culture)

1. Grueling - adjective - extremely tiring and demanding 

2. Toil - verb/noun - work extremely hard or incessantly 

3.  Survive - verb - continue to live or exist; especially in spite of danger or hardship

4. Totem pole - noun - a hierarchy

5. Precarious - adjective - not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse 

6. Epic - adjective - particularly impressive or remarkable 

ESL Expressions: Fire

1. To Go Up in Smoke - something has failed or has come to an end 

2. To Fire On All Cylinders - to work or operate at full strength 

3. To Fight Fire with Fire - use the same methods against your opponent as they are using against you

4. Where There is Smoke, There is Fire - there is at lest some truth in possible the rumors or gossip 

5. To Fire Someone Up - to cause someone to be more excited or more passionate about something 

6. Burn Out - to overwork yourself; to be exhausted 

Idiom of the Day: To Burn Bridges

 

Idiom of the Day: 

To Burn Bridges 

Example: If you insult the boss when you leave, you'll be burning your bridge and you'll never be able to work here again. 

Definition: you destroy all possible ways of going back to that situation 

ESL Grammar: Business Part 2

 

Instructions: Answer the question and ask your teacher a question with the given verb tense that relates to the picture in anyway. 

 

1. Which look is more appropriate for an interview to become a sales manager? 

2. Comparative 

1. Do the two men in this picture look like they are friends with each other? Why or Why not? 

2. Simple Past 

1. What do you like about the office style of the top picture? 

2. Superlative 

ESL Grammar: Morocco

Instructions: Answer the questions and ask your teacher a question with the given verb tense that relates to the picture in anyway. 

1. What do you like about these rug designs? 

2. Would 

1. What's your favorite spice or condiment to put on your food? 

2. How often 

1. Is this region flat or rugged? 

2. Present Progressive 

ESL Vocabulary: Morocco

ESL Vocabulary ( Women in Morocco)

1. From Scratch - phrase - from the very beginning 

2. Intricate - adjective - very complex or detailed 

3. Alternative - adjective - available as another possibility 

4. Throughout - preposition/adverb - in every part of a place or object 

5. Custom -adjective - made or done to order for a particular customer 

6. Delight - verb - to please or make someone happy

ESL Conversation Questions: Morocco

1. What comes to your mind when you think of Morocco? 

2. Morocco is the only Islamic country where women's rights are a part of the constitution. Should this fact be applauded or seen apathetically? 

3. Arranged or semi-arranged marriages are still very common in Morocco. Are there any positives to arranged marriages? 

4. "Pessimism is the luxury of the powerful." - Fatema Mernissi. Do you agree or disagree with this quote? 

5. What is special about these goats? 

6. If you visited Morocco would prefer to stay in the big cities such as Casablanca or go see the traditional lifestyle in the mountainous deserts? 

ESL Vocabulary: Cleaning

 

Instructions: Name each cleaning supply in the exercise 

ESL Conversation Questions: Cleaning 

1. How often should people clean their home? 

2. Do you listen to music while you clean your home? 

3. Why is cleanliness important? 

4. "A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows the corners." What does this quote mean? 

5. Have you ever met someone who was germaphobic? 

6. Is it common for people to have a maid or hire cleaning help in your country?  

ESL Grammar: Business

 

Instructions: Answer the questions and ask your teacher a question with the given verb tense that relates to the picture in anyway. 

1. Describe the facial expression of the three people in this picture 

2. Present Perfect 

1. What does the handshake in this picture represent? 

2. Future Perfect 

1. Are the people in this picture wearing business casual or formal clothes? 

2. Simple Present 

ESL Vocabulary: Appearances

ESL Vocabulary (Looking Young)

1. Covet - verb - yearn to to possess or have something 

2. Anecdote - noun - a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person 

3. Correspond - verb - have a close similarity; match or agree almost exactly 

4. Elicit - verb - to get out a response from someone 

5. Deem - verb - regard or consider in a specified way 

6. Impression - noun - an idea, feeling or opinion about someone or something 

ESL Conversation Questions: Appearances

1. What type of appearance is appropriate in your workplace? 

2. Why are appearances important in the workplace? 

3. Does the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" also apply to the workplace? 

4. Do appearances matter more or less in the virtual work environment? 

5. In most cases looking young is a positive, but in what industries could appearing youthful be a negative? 

6. How can appearances be dangerous? 

ESL Idioms: Fired Up

 

Idiom of the Day 

fired up 

Example: The team was fired up when they learned they had qualified for the championship game. 

Definition: to be enthusiastic, stimulated or energized about something. 

ESL Expressions: Office

1. Cut Corners - to complete a task in the quickest, easiest and cheapest way possible; possibly ignoring rules 

2. Back to the Drawing Board - to start again from the beginning with a completely new idea 

3. Reach Out - to get in contact with someone; possibly someone you may not know very well 

4. Nitty Gritty - the most important aspects or practical details of a subject or situation 

5. Get the Ball Rolling - to get started on something 

6. Down the Line - to do something at a further, later or unspecified point in time 

ESL Vocabulary: Remote Work

ESL Vocabulary (Digital Intensity) 

1. Binge - noun/verb - a period of excessive indulgence in an activity 

2. Crave - verb - feel a powerful desire for something 

3. To Take Something with a Grain of Salt - phrase - to view something with skepticism 

4. Comprehend - verb - grasp mentally ; understand 

5. Mitigate - verb - make less severe, serious, painful

6. Exacerbate - verb - make a problem, situation or feeling worse 

ESL Conversation Questions: Remote Work

1. Are there any dangers to increasing the use of digital screens for work? 

2. What are the benefits of remote working? 

3. How will the casual interactions of day to day work  be replaced in the remote work environment? 

4. What are some "short fixes" to help relieve people from digital intensity? 

5. Are long meetings where one person talks effective in the virtual work atmosphere? 

6. Do you prefer working remotely or working in an in person setting? 

ESL Expressions: Leadership

1. Call the Shots - make the important decisions in an organization 

2. Changing of the guard - a change in leadership at an organization 

3. Movers and Shakers - influential people, especially in a particular field 

4. On Point - good, well done, effective 

5. Put Someone on the Spot - force someone to answer a question or make a decision immediately 

6. Cool as a Cucumber - to be calm even in difficult or frustrating situations 

ESL Grammar: France

 

Instructions: Answer the questions and ask your teacher a questions with the given verb tense that relates to the picture in anyway. 

1. Would you visit the Eiffel Tower in the snow? 

2. Would 

1. Can you see anything impressive about the top picture? 

2. Can 

1. Could you eat frog legs for a week? 

2. Could 

ESL Vocabulary: France

1. Borders - noun - a line separating two political or geographical areas, especially countries 

2. Flat - adjective - smooth and even; without marked lumps or indentations

3. Overseas - adverb/adjective - from, to, or relating to a foreign country, especially one across the sea 

4. Caribbean - noun - the region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts 

5. Outskirts - noun - the outer part of a city or town 

6. Romance Languages - noun - languages that evolved from Latin, these languages include Spanish, French, Italian , Portuguese and others 

ESL Conversation Questions: France

1. What comes to your mind when you think of France? 

2. What is the Napoleon complex? 

3. In Paris there are nearly 11 million inhabitants. What are some of the positives and negatives of living in a city with so many people? 

4. "All battles are first won or lost, in the mind." Joan of Arc. Do you agree or disagree with this quote? 

5. The Eiffel Tower in the center of Paris is often refereed to as "The Iron Lady" and was built in 1889. What does this tower symbolize to you? 

6. Would you take an all inclusive paid for vacation to France with the only requirement being that you had to eat snails and frog legs for lunch each day?