ESL Grammar: Would

Forms of Would 

Affirmative

Subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

Example: I would watch a movie with her. 

Negative 

Subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb 

Example: She would not do her homework. 

Question

Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

Example: Would you leave please? 

Uses of Would

1. Would expresses a type of past tense of will or going to.  I thought she would come, so I bought some extra candy. 

2. Would expresses something that has not happened in the past at the time we are talking about. In Brazil he met the woman he would one day marry. 

3. Would is used in the second and third conditional sentences. If an American man marries his cousin he would go to jail. If I had won the lottery I would have partied every night. 

Note: Would can also express desire, polite requests and questions, opinion or hope, wish and regret 

Would You Rather Exercise 

1. Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or 20 minutes early? 

2. Would you rather be an average person in the present or be a king or queen 2500 years ago? 

3. Would you rather your only form of transportation be a giraffe or a donkey?

4. Would you rather live on the beach or live in a cabin in the forest? 

5. Would you rather give up bathing for a month or give up internet for a month? 

6. Would you rather find your true love or a suitcase with five million dollars inside? 

 

Idiom of the Day: Jump The Gun

Idiom of the Day 

jump the gun  

Example: Victor really jumped the gun  with his project proposal. He should have waited until the other proposal was either accepted or rejected.

Definition - to do something before the right time or prematurely 

ESL Conversation Questions: Food

1. Is there a dish that gives you a sense of nostalgia when you eat it?  

2. Should unhealthy restaurants such as McDonald's be banned? 

3. How do you feel about factory farming? 

4. What are some of the benefits of organic food? 

5. What's your favorite dish to cook ? 

6. Should food be free? 

ESL Conversation Questions: Globalization

1. What is globalization? 

2. What are the benefits of globalization? 

3. What are the negatives of globalization?

 

4.  How do you feel about companies outsourcing jobs?  

5. In what way can globalization affect a country's culture? 

6. If you started a business in another country, which country would you choose? 

ESL Vocabulary: Giamo's Community Thoughts

ESL Vocabulary: Community

1. Community - noun - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common

2. Collaborate - verb - work jointly on an activity, especially to produce or create something

3. Camaraderie - noun - mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together 

4. Volunteer - noun - a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task 

5. Socialize - verb - participate in social activities; mix socially with others

6. Eccentric - adjective - unconventional and slightly strange 

ESL Conversation Questions: Glory

1. What is glory? 

2. What do people glorify in life? 

3. How can receiving glory from other people affect someone?

4. What does the term "glory days" mean? 

5. Is there a profession that you think is over-glorified? 

6.  Why is war glorified in some movies and books? 

ESL Conversation Questions: Motivation

1. What is motivation?

 

2. What are some universal motivating factors everyone shares? 

3. How do people maintain motivation in life? 

4. Are motivational speeches effective? Why or Why not? 

5. How are you best motivated? 

6. How can failure affect someone's motivation? 

Motivational Speaking Exercise 

Instructions: Read the negative experience. After reading, create the same experience but only focus on the positive. 

Example: I cried last night, because I only got a B in my anatomy class. 

Answer: I was fortunate enough to pass my anatomy class. 

1. I lied to my parents and moved to Panama to live with my girlfriend. But after three months I broke up with my girlfriend and moved to Atlanta. 

2. Recently I got into an argument with my sister. I haven't spoken with her in weeks. I have had a lot of time by myself to reflect. 

3. I started working out last week. My body feels really tired and sore. I forgot how hard working out can be. 

4. I posted a new video on Youtube the other day. In the video I made fun of my friend. We don't talk as much anymore ever since she got a new boyfriend.