I started this blog less than 6 months ago, hoping to make learning more fun for some of the Japanese, Chinese, and Somalian students I was teaching. I was feeling frustrated about teaching with textbooks that made learning English so boring and irrelevant to daily life. I really just wanted to help students look forward to practicing English on a daily basis and understand information faster. Little did I know that a few months later, I would have over 1,000 people supporting my blog from all over the world. Thank you for being interested in my work and for passing my posts to your family and friends. I will continue to work hard and think hard for you!

Clothing is so important to our lives. Whether it's winter, spring, summer, or fall, we have to wear something everyday! Because it's so important, we most probably go shopping for clothing quite frequently, but it's not always easy to remember what everything is called.

These are just a few of the common clothing items. You will soon discover that there are many more items in each category, especially if you're a frequent shopper. These are just some important ones that are useful to remember.

What is your favorite kind of pants to wear on the weekend?

Have you ever seen the movie UP? It is one of my favorite movies of all time! The characters are cute and the movie carries a lot of inspirational themes. One important lesson from the movie is that life is full of adventures, don't wait till it's too late. Sometimes life can bring you unexpected sorrow but it can also bring you unexpected people and opportunities. So be ready for adventure everyday!

There is one particular scene in the beginning where Carl and Russell meet for the first time. This is what they say to each other:

Russell: Good afternoon. My name is Russell and I am a Wilderness Explorer in Tribe 54, Sweatlodge 12. Are you in need of any assistance today, sir?
Carl Fredricksen: No.
Russell: I COULD help you cross the street.
Carl Fredricksen: No.
Russell: I COULD help you cross your yard.
Carl Fredricksen: No.
Russell: I COULD help you cross your porch.
Carl Fredricksen: No!

Do you know why the young boy Russell uses "could" instead of "can?"

CAN
We use "can" to talk about the present tense for ability (being able to do something or knowing how to do something)
"I can read", "She can speak French", "Can you swim?"

COULD
"Could" has several functions:

It can act as the past tense of "can"
"Last year you could get a table with no reservation!

It can also be used to talk about permission in the past or future.
"Could I borrow your car tomorrow?"

Russell in the movie uses "could" to express present possibility or options.
"I could help you cross the street"
"We could go for a walk after dinner"
It is not definite but it is a suggestion. There is the option and possibility  for now or the future.

You could also look at a similar past lesson on modal verbs here

Saying "thank you" never gets old. It shows good manners, expresses our emotions, makes others feel good, and of course being grateful makes us feel happier too.

There is a great quote from the famous Oprah Winfrey that says, "Be
thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough."

So be grateful and learn to say "thank you" more often and actually mean it when you say it, even for the little things!

Yesterday we talked about family relationships. So today you must know and understand who a niece and nephew is! Can you figure out from the picture below which family matches the description? If you don't know the answer, just take a look back at the family chart here.

You'll also notice that the noun "sibling" or "siblings," is used for brothers or sisters. If I am an only child, then I have no siblings. If I have two sisters and two brothers, I have four siblings. In reality, I have one older sister, therefore I have one sibling. Do you have any siblings? How many?