Category: Class

Families Choose Homeschooling to Educate Their Children

B2 – Upper Intermediate

In recent years, more parents have started to choose homeschooling instead of traditional public schools. Even though homeschooling is still not officially allowed by law, many families are quietly teaching their children at home. This is especially true for parents who are unhappy with long school hours, heavy exam pressure, and a school system that treats all students the same. These parents want more flexible schedules, learning that fits their child’s needs, and less academic stress. This trend shows that people are beginning to question how education should change in a fast-changing society.

Watch the video to learn more and be ready to answer the discussion questions.

Vocabulary Questions:

  1. What does “oversight” mean? “Homeschooling is growing in all three of our states and each one has its own rules, but they don’t all have the same oversight.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym or a similar expression. 
  2. What does “wellness check” mean? “Parents must demonstrate that the child is learning and allow the school district to perform a wellness check.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym or a similar expression. 
  3. What does “under the auspices” mean? “A couple was accused of abusing their daughter for years and keeping her in a dog cage under the auspices that she was being homeschooled.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym or a similar expression. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What problems in traditional schools might cause parents to choose homeschooling?
  2. Do you think homeschooling is a good solution for families who are unhappy with the public school system? Should the government allow homeschooling if parents believe it is better for their children? Share your insights.
  3. Share your opinion on this, “When parents choose to educate a child elsewhere than at school, they are responsible for the educational outcomes of the child. The board of education is not required or authorized to monitor the outcomes of the child.”
  4. What are your personal thoughts on homeschooling?
  5. How could the rise of homeschooling affect children’s social skills and future opportunities?

Test 726

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Comparative Clauses

A comparative clause is a type of subordinate clause that is used in order to express the difference, similarity, or a higher/lower degree of one thing over another. It follows a comparative adjective or adverb and introduced by a specific subordinating conjunction. 

Types

1. Equivalence (Equality)

    To express similarity, use the “as…as”. 

    Examples: 

    They are as driven as the other team is.

    You have practice as consistently as you can to improve your speaking skills.

    2. Non-equivalence (Inequality)

    To express difference, use “more…than“, “less…than“, or the suffix “-er”.

    Examples:

    The new policy is more lenient than the previous one was.

    She is less scared than she was the first time.

    The new products are larger than the other ones.

    3. Sufficiency & Excess

    To indicate degree, use “enough…to” or “too…to“.

    Examples:

    The paint should be enough to cover the whole wall.

    The article was too long to read.

    Key Features

    1. Ellipsis (Reduction)

      To avoid being redundant, the part of the clause that repeats the main verb is omitted.

      Full: She is prettier than I am.

      Elliptical (formal): She is prettier than I.

      Elliptical (informal): She is prettier than me.

      2. Substitute Verbs

      To maintain a clause structure, the verb that will be repeated is replaced by “do”.

      Examples: 

      They win more than we do. [Not: They win more than we win.]

      She talks faster than I do. [Not: She talks faster than I talk.]

      3. Ambiguity

      A heavy ellipsis makes a sentence ambiguous.

      Unclear: She likes ice cream more than him.

      Meaning 1 [ellipsis of “does”]: She likes ice cream more than he likes ice cream.

      Meaning 2 [ellipsis of “she likes”]: She likes ice cream more than she likes him.

      Clear statement: She likes ice cream more than he does. (Meaning 1)

      Reduced Adjective Clauses 

      Adjective Clauses 

      An adjective clause or relative clause is used to modify or describe a noun. They are composed of a subject and a verb and are dependent clauses, which means that they do not mean anything without the main clause which is an independent clause. An adjective clause begins with a relative pronoun such as who, whom, whose, that, and which. 

      Reduced Adjective Clauses 

      A sentence is reduced when the same subject in the main clause and the adjective clause are the same. Adjective clauses use relative pronouns like who, which, or that. The reduced adjective clause is the adjective phrase. It does not contain a subject. An adjective phrase neither have a subject nor a verb. What it has is a present participle (base verb + ing) for the active voice or a past participle for the passive voice.

      Rules for Reduction

      An adjective clause can only be reduced if the relative pronoun (who, which, that) is the subject of the clause. 

      1. If the clause has a be-verb (is, am, are, was, were), omit both the relative pronoun and the be-verb. 

      Examples: 

      Full: The child who is crying there is her daughter.

      Reduced: The child crying there is her daughter.

      Full: The building that was constructed last year collapsed because of the earthquake.

      Reduced:  The building constructed last year collapsed because of the earthquake.

      2. For active voice, omit the relative pronoun and change the main verb to the -ing form (present participle). 

      Examples:

      Full: Students who study in good universities have a lot of opportunities.

      Reduced: Students studying in good universities have a lot of opportunities.

      Full: The person who called you yesterday was from the bank.

      Reduced: The person calling you yesterday was from the bank.

      3. For passive voice, delete the relative pronoun and the be-verb and keep the past participle.

      Examples:

      Full: The thief that was caught in the other town committed many crimes.

      Reduced: The thief caught in the other town committed many crimes.

      Full: The dishes that were prepared earlier are ready now.

      Reduced: The dishes prepared earlier are ready now.

      What It Can Turn Into

      1. Simple Adjective 

        The relative pronoun and the be-verb are deleted and the adjective is retained and is placed before the subject.

        Example:

        Full: An employee who is motivated has a lot of enthusiasm.

        Reduced: A motivated employee has a lot of enthusiasm.

        2. Prepositional Phrase

          The relative pronoun and the be-verb are deleted and the prepositional phrase is retained.

          Examples:

          Full: The pizza that is inside the refrigerator is not mine.

          Reduced: The pizza inside the refrigerator is not mine.

          Full: The person who is in her mind all the time is him.

          Reduced: The person in her mind all the time is him.

          3. Appositive Phrase 

          The relative pronoun and the be-verb are deleted and the appositive phrase is retained.

          Examples:

          Full: Madrid, which is the capital of Spain, has a population of over 3.4 million.

          Reduced: Madrid, the capital of Spain, has a population of over 3.4 million.

          Full: Marta, who is the CEO, delivered a speech during the board meeting.

          Reduced: Marta, the CEO, delivered a speech during the board meeting.

          Common Mistakes

          1. Deleting the Relative Pronoun When It is Necessary

          Only remove relative pronouns like “who,” “which,” or “that” if they are followed by a be-verb (which is also deleted) or if the object of the clause is the pronoun.

          Correct (Full): The woman who helped their family is so benevolent.

          Correct (Reduced): The woman helping their family is so benevolent.

          Incorrect: The woman helped their family is so benevolent.

          2. Improper Verb Construction in Participle Forms

          To reduce an active adjective clause, the present participle (the “-ing” form) is used. For a passive adjective clause, the past participle (the “-ed” or third form verb) is used.

          Present participle:

          Correct: Families traveling together create wonderful memories.

          Incorrect: Families travel together create wonderful memories.

          Past participle:

          Correct: The new managers hired last week introduced themselves to their teams today.

          Incorrect: The new managers hire last week introduced themselves to their teams today.

          3. Misplacing the Reduced Clause

          In order to avoid confusion or misrelated clauses, the reduced adjective clause must be immediately followed by the noun it modifies.

          Correct (Full): The window which is in her bedroom needs a curtain.

          Correct (Reduced): The window in her bedroom needs a curtain.

          Incorrect: The window needs a curtain which is in her bedroom. = The curtain is in the bedroom, not the window.

          4. Reducing Clauses with a Subject After the Relative Pronoun

          A clause cannot be reduced if the relative pronoun is followed by another subject.

          Correct: Does he know the old lady whom I was waving at?

          [“Whom” is followed by the subject “I”, hence, it cannot be reduced.]

          Incorrect: Does he know the old lady I was waving at? 

          5. Changing the Meaning with Commas

          The sentence’s meaning can drastically change if commas are misused with reduced clauses.

          The couples getting married should register at the city hall.

          [Only those couples who are getting married]

          The couples, getting married, should register at the city hall.

          [Means all couples got married]

          6. Attempting to Reduce Certain Pronouns or Adverbs

          Clauses cannot be reduced if they start with “whose”, “where”, “why”, or “when”.

          Incorrect: We know a company he can work.

          Correct: We know a company where he can work.

          Test 725

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          To Be

          The verb “to be” is the most important and widely used verb in the English language. It is used to describe a state of being, identity, or existence instead of a physical action. 

          CONJUGATIONS

          When using “to be”, the verb changes form based on the subject and the tense of the sentence.

          Tense / FormSingularPlural
          PresentI am He, She, It isWe, You, They are
          PastI, He, She, It wasWe, You, They were
          Base Formbe (used with modals like will, can, should)
          Participlesbeing (present participle) been (past participle)

          USAGE

          Linking Verb 

          “To be” can be used to describe (adjective) or identify (noun) the Subject.

          IdentityHe is a banker.
          FeelingThey are angry.
          LocationThe train station is on your left.
          AgeI am 23 years old.

          Helping Verb

          “To be” is used to make tenses or voices more complex.

          Continuous TensesWe are playing basketball. (Talks about an ongoing action)
          Passive VoiceThe building was constructed by this company. (Focuses on the object)

          SENTENCE STRUCTURES

          Negative

          Add “not” immediately after the “to be”.

          Examples: 

          I am not sad.

          They are not here.

          Question

          Put “to be” before the subject. 

          Examples:

          You are ready. → Are you ready?

          She is a teacher. → Is she a teacher?

          Contraction

          In informal speech, “to be” is often contracted.

          Examples:

          I am honest. → I’m honest.

          She is American. → She’s American. 

          Typical Errors

          1. Remember to use are with “to be” for the third person plural form.

          The results are not what she expected.

          Not: The results is not what she expected.

          2. We use there is + singular noun and there are + plural noun.

          There are so many nice dresses in this shop.

          Not: There is so many nice dresses in this shop.

          3. We use auxiliary “do”, not auxiliary “to be”, for questions with main verbs in the present simple.

          Do you eat seafood?

          Not: Are you eat seafood?

          Test 362

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          Would Like

          “Would like” is the same as saying “want”, but in a more polite way. It is used to make requests, offers, and express desires.

          Structure

          “Would like” is the same structure for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). It does not take an “s” in the third person. 

          Usage

          1. “Would like” is used to ask for a thing. 

          Examples: 

          I would like a sandwich, please.

          We would like an espresso, please.

          2. “Would like” is used to express an action you want to do.

          Examples: 

          She would like to borrow a book.

          They would like to return to their hometown.

          I would like to visit Paris in the future.

          Common Forms

          Contractions

          In informal speech, “would” is often contracted as ‘d.

          Examples: 

          I’d like a new dress for summer.

          He’d like to go out with her.

          We’d like the same cake for dessert, please.

          Negatives

          Add “not” between “would” and “like.” The contracted form is wouldn’t.

          Examples:

          They would not like to live in this city. Or They wouldn’t like to live in this city.

          The team would not like to play against them. or The team wouldn’t like to play against them.

          Questions

          When forming a question, put the subject between “would” and “like“.

          Examples: 

          Would you like to hear me play the piano?

          Would she like a pair of new shoes?

          “Like” vs “Would Like”

          PhraseMeaningExample
          LikeGeneral preference or enjoymentI like tacos.
          = I always enjoy it.
          Would LikeSpecific desire or polite request.I would like tacos.
          = I want one.

          Advanced Usage

          Would like to have + Past Participle

          Would like to have + past participle is used to express that there was something you wanted to do in the past, but didn’t.

          Examples: 

          I would like to have met your friends, but I arrived very late.

          They would like to have bought more bread, but the bakery run out of them.

          Polite Responses

          “‘d like to” can be used as a short response to an invitation.

          Examples:

          Do you want to come over? — Yes, I’d like to.

          Does she want to ask for more money from her parents? — Yes, she’d like to. 

          Test 361

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          Baby Girls Now More Popular Than Boys

          B2 – Upper Intermediate

          In recent years, conversations about gender preferences have begun to shift, raising the question of whether baby girls are now more popular than boys. Cultural trends, changing family values, and social media influence how people perceive and celebrate gender, potentially reshaping long-standing preferences. This topic invites a closer look at whether these changes reflect real societal shifts or simply evolving attitudes and expressions.

          Watch the video and be able to answer questions below.


          Vocabulary Questions:

          1. What does “to leave it up to (someone/something)” mean?
            “If you leave it up to nature, there are roughly 105 male births for every 100 female ones.            ” Use the phrase in a sentence. Give a synonym or a similar expression.
          2. What does “a torrent of (something)” mean? “Meanwhile, the world has recently been exposed to a torrent of news about poor male behavior.” Use the phrase in a sentence. Give a synonym or a similar expression.
          3. What does “skewed” mean? “In China, which has a skewed sex ratio, there are so many men that they often end up unmarried and childless.” Use the word in a sentence. Give a synonym or a similar expression.

          Discussion Questions:

          1. Do you think society genuinely favors baby girls more than boys today, or is this just a trend driven by media and social networks?
          2. In your opinion, is having a preference for a baby’s gender harmless, or can it lead to long-term social consequences?
          3. What social or cultural factors might influence a growing preference for baby girls in some societies?
          4. Are preferences for a child’s gender changing globally, or do they vary significantly by culture and region?
          5. Share your thoughts on picking your child’s gender being illegal. What do you think about some parents and doctors quietly ignoring this law in some countries?