ESL Music Ideas - 2nd Conditional - "If I Were a Boy"

If I were a boy is a new hit from Beyonce. It uses the 2nd Conditional to talk about what she would do if she were a boy. The lyrics use this hypothetical situation to show the differences between men and women.

It is an excellent example of using were for all subjects in conditional sentences.




Here is a cloze listening exercise you can print off and use in your classroom:

Beyonce
If I Were A Boy

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I’d roll out of bed in the _______________
And throw on what I wanted and go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after ________________
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it
Because they’d stick up for me

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy
I would turn off my __________________
Tell everyone its broken
So they think
that I was sleeping alone
I’d put myself first
And make the __________________as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waiting for me to come home (to come home)

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted (wanted)
Cause he’s taken you for granted (granted)
And everything you had got destroyed

It’s a little too late for you to come __________________
Say its just a mistake
Think I forgive you like that
If you thought I would _________________for you
You thought wrong


But you're just a boy
You don’t understand (yea you don’t understand)
How it feels to love a girl
Someday you’ll wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you've taken her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
But you're just a boy…


For grammar lessons and tests on the 2nd conditional, check out these sites:

2nd Conditional Lesson

2nd Conditional Test

ESL Music Ideas - 2nd Conditional - "If I Had a Million Dollars"

If I had a million dollars is a famous song written and performed by the Barenaked Ladies. The song became popular in Canada, and is one of the biggest hits for the band from Toronto, Ontario.

The song is very effective for learning the second conditional. It is about what the singer would do if he had a million dollars. The grammar shows an unreal situation in the present. It uses would and could do talk about these situations.

Notice the use of I'd as a contraction for I would. It is very popular in spoken English to use this contraction.





Barenaked Ladies
"If I Had A Million Dollars"
Lyrics


If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you a house
(I would buy you a house)
If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a K-Car
(A nice Reliant automobile)
If I had a million dollars I'd buy your love

If I had a million dollars
I'd build a tree fort in our yard
If I had million dollars
You could help, it wouldn't be that hard
If I had million dollars
Maybe we could put like a little tiny fridge in there somewhere
You know, we could just go up there and hang out
Like open the fridge and stuff
There would already be laid out foods for us
Like little pre-wrapped sausages and things

They have pre-wrapped sausages but they don't have pre-wrapped bacon
Well, can you blame 'em
Uh, yeah

If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a fur coat
(But not a real fur coat that's cruel)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you an exotic pet
(Yep, like a llama or an emu)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you John Merrick's remains
(Ooh, all them crazy elephant bones)
And If I had a million dollars I'd buy your love

If I had a million dollars
We wouldn't have to walk to the store
If I had a million dollars
Now, we'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more
If I had a million dollars
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner
But we would eat Kraft Dinner
Of course we would, we’d just eat more
And buy really expensive ketchups with it
That’s right, all the fanciest ke... dijon ketchups!
Mmmmmm, Mmmm-Hmmm

If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a green dress
(But not a real green dress, that's cruel)
And if I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you some art
(A Picasso or a Garfunkel)
If I had a million dollars
(If I had a million dollars)
Well, I'd buy you a monkey
(Haven't you always wanted a monkey)

If I had a million dollars
I’d buy your love

If I had a million dollars, If I had a million dollars
If I had a million dollars, If I had a million dollars
If I had a million dollars
I'd be rich




For grammar lessons and tests on the 2nd conditional, check out these sites:

2nd Conditional Lesson

2nd Conditional Test

ESL Music Ideas - Katie Melua - "If You Were a Sailboat"

Katie Melua is a popular singer from Georgia. She had her first big hit with Nine Million Bicycles. This song is a new song that is relaxing and romantic. The English grammar that it uses is the 2nd Conditional. The title of the song is a conditional sentence. If You were a sailboat, I would......The idea of the song shows how the 2nd conditional is about unreal situations. Obviously the man she sings about is not a sailboat.One interesting grammar point is the way the lyrics use If you were but also If I was. If I was is grammatically incorrect. With the 2nd Conditional, all subjects take the verb were. This means:If I were, If you were, If she were, etc.However, it is common in spoken English to make this grammar mistake. A good song that shows the correct use of the grammar is Beyonce's If I Were a Boy. Listen to the video for If You Were a Sailboat and try the listening exercise. Remember that verbs that follow modals are always base verbs.

ESL Conversation Ideas - Promotional Contest

This activity works in a regular ESL class or a business communications course.

The task is for groups to create a promotional contest.

Start by discussing promotional contests such as "buy one get one free", or "free iPod with purchase."

Students then work in groups to create their own promotional contest. Have then choose a company to base their ideas on.

Ask them to present their ideas based on these questions:

Why would your contest be popular?
How would it make people buy more of the product?
What extra costs would the company incur?

Conditionals Conversation Questions

Conditionals in English are one of the most difficult topics to learn. They are also very common in conversation, and therefore important for ESL learners to practice and master. 

Below are some of my favourite conditional conversation questions.

• If you won the lottery what would you do?
• If you could try any extreme sport what would it be?
• If you had 24 hours to live, what would you do?
• If you could be any animal, what would you be?
• If you could be any superhero, which would you be?
• If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
• If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
• If you could meet anybody, who would it be?
• If you could go back in time where would you go?
• If you could only have one book/CD/DVD, what would it be?
• Would you rather be blind or deaf?
• If your house was on fire what two things would you save first?
• If you could have any super power what would it be?
• What food would you never eat?
• Would you rather have no money or no friends?
• Would you rather be able to fly or swim under water?
• If a classmate asked you for an answer to a question on an exam and the teacher could not see, what would you do?
• If you crashed your car into a parked car and no one saw, what would you do?
• What would you do if you found a wallet?
• If you had one wish what would you wish for?
• If someone gave you a lottery ticket as a gift and you won a million dollars, would you share it with them?
• If you didn’t have to sleep like everyone else, what would you do at night?
• Would you rather live in a place with warm weather that is dark all the time, or cold weather and always sunny?
• When would you wake up if you didn't have school?

ESL Teaching Ideas - Love and Dating

Love and Dating is a favourite theme for students. Here are some activities that you can use when using this topic in the ESL classroom.

Place students in two groups of girls vs. boys.

Have them make lists on these topics:

• 5 things to not do on a first date.
• 5 foods to not order on a first date
• 5 things they look for in a guy/girl
• 5 things they don't want in a boyfriend/girlfriend

After they have made the lists, have them read and compare their answers as a class. They will get a laugh out of the differences in the lists.


Another good activity for conversation is speed dating. Explain what speed dating is, and then have your students act it out. Give them 2-4 minutes with each partner and then change. This is especially good for lower students who need to practice basic conversation questions. Students can role-play and ask questions appropriate for a first date.

ESL Logic Problems - Memory Game

One memory game that applies well to an ESL classroom is word memory.

The teacher needs to make a list of four letter words. The list can be around 20-30 words, written in a grid pattern (e.g. 4 x 5)

Show the students the words for 2 minutes. They must remember as many words they can. After time is up, take the words away and have them write down all the words they can remember.

This can be a competition to see who remembers the most words. It is also a good chance to discuss memory strategies, and works well when memory and learning skills are the theme of the day or lesson.

ESL Grammar Ideas - Modal Verbs

Here is a good activity for modal verbs of possibility.

Use magazines, newspapers, or any material that has images. In partners or groups the students use the pictures to make statements of possibility with modal verbs.

Modals for Possibility:

MAY
MIGHT
MUST
COULD BE

Example statements:

This person must be rich.
They might be married.
They could be going to a party.

Encourage students to follow up the statements with questions and conversation.

Ex:

A: He must be a singer.
B: Why do you think that? He could be an actor.
A: No, he is not an actor. He must be a singer, because he is in a concert hall.

This activity is good to practice the modal verbs while speaking. For grammar accuracy, make sure students are following modals with base verbs.


Here is an excellent test for modal verbs of possibility:

Modal Verbs for Possibility Test

Copy and print the test, and then use it with your students. If you would like a lesson for tbhis grammar, try this modal verbs for possibility lesson.

Word Association - ESL Logic Problems

Word problems are a great way for students to improve their English. One of the best types of word problems is the always popular, "Which word doesn't belong?"

The teacher writes 4 words on the board and the students need to decide which word is different. This is a common logical problem, and they are often called word associations. The best part about playing these games with ESL students is that the teacher can choose any topic. Here are some examples:

Word Form
play, talk, happy, run
(verb, verb, adjective, verb)

Verb Tense
broken, written, took, shaken
(participle, participle, simple past, participle)

Irregular Verbs
play, jump, sing, dance
(regular, irregular, irregular, irregular)


Of course, normal logical problems can also be used:

whale, salmon, goldfish, tuna
(The whale is a mammal)

The great part about this game is that often there is more than one right answer. Students are forced to speak and explain their choices. For example, the goldfish may be the odd word because it is the only pet.

I normally write 10-20 groups of words and have the students work in groups to find the answers. I find there is a lot of good conversation as they discuss which word is different from the others.

Third Conditional Songs - "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda"

Brian McKnight's "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda, is an excellent song to teach the third conditional. It is good for showing the reduced version of MODAL + HAVE.

Use the song and the lyrics to show students how in conversation, English speakers reduce "should have" to simply "shoulda."

It can also be used to teach the third conditional as it has examples of regrets in the past.

This song can also be used to show how the "G" is often dropped from ING-words.
EX: knowin, playin, etc.

Here is the video, and the lyrics are below. For an online cloze activity, try this page: Third Conditional Music - Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda



Brian Mc knight - Shoulda woulda coulda by Dante35



baby can you put them bags down
just wait hold on for a minute
gotta say a couple things before you go
even though I know that were finished
I don't want you to leave without knowin
just where I'm comin from babe
I just wanna say
I made a big mistake
and now I gotta face the fact that I

shoulda been a better man
the kinda man that you needed
woulda been better off
if I'd done right by you
I coulda done this
I coulda done that but
I know i cant go back
cause now its just too late
I'm sayin
shoulda, woulda, coulda, yeah

I can tell by the look on your face
you ain't tryin to hear what I'm sayin
maybe you done heard all of this before
girl this ain't no game that I'm playin
this may be the last chance i ever have
to talk to you before you go
so I gotta say
I made a big mistake
girl you know its killing me that I

shoulda been a better man
the kinda man that you needed (all right)
woulda been better off
if i'd done right by you
I coulda done this (and)
I coulda done that but
I know I cant go back (go back)
cause now its just too late (now its just too late)
I'm sayin
shoulda, woulda, coulda, yeah

I should have done my best to love you (baby)
I should have placed no one above you
and now its killing me more than you know
letting you go
thats why I

girl I know that I shoulda

shoulda been a better man
the kinda that you needed
(coulda been a better man man to you baby)
(shoulda been there for ya everytime you needed me everytime you called me)
woulda been better off
if id done right by you
(and you know that I)
I coulda done this
(I coulda done this)
I coulda done that but
(I coulda done that yeah)
I know I cant go back
(I know I cant go back baby)
cause now its just too late
(all I need to know is girl all I need to know is)
I'm sayin
shoulda, woulda, coulda, yeah
(do you still love me like you used to baby)
(all the things I coulda done)
(all the things I shoulda done)
(sayin shoulda, woulda, coulda, yeah)
(yeah)
(coulda been a better man to ya)
(now I understand)

ESL Music Ideas - 3rd Conditional - Beverley Knight

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda is a song by Beverley Knight. It is a great song to practice the third conditional.

The title uses three words, which are slang, and used commonly in the 3rd conditional:

Shoulda = Shoulda have
Woulda = Woulda have
Coulda = Could have

Use the song to teach the third conditional, as well as reductions, slang, and fast speaking. .

This song works well in combination with Brian Mcknight's "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda"

Here is the video with the lyrics.






LYRICS
Song: Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda,
Artist: Beverley Knight
Grammar: Third Conditional



People say that together we were both sides of the same coin
That we would shine like Venus in a clear night sky
We thought our love could overcome the circumstances
But my ambition wouldn't allow for compromise

I could see in the distance all the dreams that were clear to me
Every choice that I had to make left you on your own
Somehow the road we started down had split asunder
Too late to realize how far apart we'd grown.
How I wish I, wish I'd done a little bit more

Now " Shoulda woulda coulda," means I'm out of time
Cause "Shoulda woulda coulda", can't change your mind
And I wonder, wonder, wonder what I'm gonna do
"Shoulda woulda coulda" are the last words of a fool

People ask how it feels to live the kind of life others dream about
I tell them everybody gotta face their highs and their lows
And in my life there's a love I put aside, cause I was busy loving something else
So for every little thing you hold on to, you've got to let something else go

CHORUS

Fool if I would now forsake the opportunities are fate
I know I'm right where I belong
But sometimes when I'm not so strong I..

ESL Music

Music is one of the best resources for an ESL student.  

English songs give students a chance to see real language in action. On top of that, songs are excellent for improving listening comprehension skills.

The songs below are excellent for teaching English. They all have something special. Perhaps it's several examples of grammar, or maybe it's a chance to see common English speaking in action.



Nelly Furtado - I'm Like a Bird

Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

Little Mermaid - Kiss the Girl

Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way?

2nd Conditional

Beyonce - If I Were a Boy

Barenaked Ladies - If I Had a Million Dollars

Katie Melua - If You Were a Sailboat

3rd Conditional

Should've Said No - Taylor Swift

Shoulda Woulda Coulda - Brian McKnight

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda - Beverley Knight

Indirect Speaking Activity

Many students have problems with indirect requests. This includes turning questions into statements.

Example:

• What time is it?
• I don't know what time it is.

The mistake is often: "I don't know what time is it."

Other examples of mistakes include

• Do you know what is this?
• Could you tell me where is the bathroom?

English students are not able to change the order of the words when they speak indirectly. Many students have learned the grammar rules, but they do not apply them when speaking.

To fix this, use speaking exercises that are designed for speed.

Activity 1:

Place students in groups of 3.

Student 1: I don't know where the bus station is. Do you know where the bus station is?

Student 2: No I don't know where the bus station is. Do you know where the bus station is?

Student 3: Yes I do. The bus station is......


Activity 2:

1. Place students in groups of 2-4.
2. In turns, they make statements starting with "Do you know" or "I don't know."
3. Encourage students to speak quickly and go around in a circle as fast as possible.
4. Give them a topic to limit the need for thinking.

Example: A Party

Student 1: Do you know where the party is?
Student 2: Do you know what time the party starts?
Student 3: I don't know if Tom is going to the party.
Student 1: I don't know when the party starts.
Student 2: Do you know if I need to bring anything?
Student 3: I don't know if there is going to be food at the party.

Continue around the circle to build speed. Make sure students are correcting each others mistakes.

Activity 3:

To really build speed, try this activity:

1. Place students in groups of 2-4.
2. Like activity 2, students go around the circle with their indirect questions and statements focusing on "Do you know" and "I don't know."
3. This time, make the questions shorter and faster focusing on "what this is", "what that is", and "who this/that is."