Modifier Clauses
Complex sentences have a main clause which plays host to one or more additional clauses, called Embedded Clauses. Embedded Clauses fill a specific role within the main clause by acting as a part of speech. These series focuses on the two types that act as modifiers. Relative Clauses (aka Adjectival Clauses) modify nouns (usually), and the so-called Adverbial Clauses can modify both nouns and verbs (although modifying verbs is more common).
Intro to Clauses
Intro to Embedded Clauses
Relative Clauses
Adverbial Clauses
'WH' Linkers
Condition Clauses
Advanced Relative Clauses
RECOMMENDATION: First visit the Relative Clauses page.
Premium Topics
include videos, bonus notes, printouts, slideshows, prerequisites, proficiency levels, practice activities, teaching tips, and relevant projects.
Key Concepts
have many of the same features as Premium Topics, but you might not form a full lesson around these. Instead, they can provide a foundation for other topics.
Discourse Topics
are usually only blocks of text, though some have graphics or tables. These topics read much more like a typical textbook might.
10TK Topics
feature videos of 10 THINGS TO KNOW about that topic. These pages also include bonus notes and a few additional things to know.
Appendices
only with Insider Access
General Notes
Colored Text
Our videos feature selective colored text. Colors stand out and help students know what to pay attention to. We’re rather consistent with our color choices so that students learn to expect certain things from certain colors. We recommend using this same technique yourself. Read our article to learn more.
Focus on Structure & Usage
Most of our methods are all about either sentence structure or usage. We touch on forms of individual words less often, and we hardly ever address infection or pronunciation. All five of these are important, but form and pronunciation tend to be more straightforward, so we let teachers decide for themselves how to present those. We dedicate our resources to the trickier stuff.
Working in Phrases
Most of the time when we say ‘noun’, we actually mean ‘noun phrase’, which typically includes determiners (like articles, possessives, and quantifiers) and sometimes adjectives. We often do the same with verb strings; auxiliary verbs, ‘not’, and sometimes adverbs are included when we say ‘verb’.
Within the framework of a sentence, combining all those individual words into one block is generally helpful, as they act together to serve a single purpose.
American English
We mostly use American English, although most ESOL books primarily use British English. We do this because our founder and lead content creator is American, so it’s what comes natural to him. Just think of this as an excuse to teach your students some of the differences between British English and American English.