English course for children

OVERVIEW: Young learners’ attention is very short so lessons need to be fun, exciting and interesting to keep them going throughout. Lessons and activities need to be Tasks based; children need to activities that are short, which will show them *Accomplishments immediately. Since these kids are beginning to ‘Writing, Reading and Speaking (in their learned vocabularies)’ the English language needs to be incorporated through rhymes like songs, poems, short stories with continuous repetitions. The use of authentic materials has greater advantages to the English learners. Hence, making children practice the language using daily situation/s they’re used to.
Name: Milee Tutorial Center/Summer English Course            Level: Beginner                                                                                                JULY CLASS A (Thursday and Friday) Language: English(Conversation and Written English) Target/s: Increasing children’s Vocabulary bank Objective/s:    At the end of every lessons the children should be able to;                     -use Personal Pronouns                                                   -acquire new word/s through songs and repetitions                     -read words correctly                                                     -memorize new expressions                      -identify new vocabularies and use them in short sentences and expressions       -apply learned vocabularies and expressions thoroughly
JULY 3/Wednesday (2:00-3:30 pm)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY	Presentation/Activities Lesson: Self Introduction/Introducing Oneself Target: Use of Personal Pronouns (I,My,He,She)
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	SPEAKING VOCABULARY	Warm Up : “What Can We do Today”	1.)     The teacher will start the lesson by introducing a song which will help children learn what activities and tasks are waiting hand in hand(The children will have to go around while singing the song.) 2.)     The teacher will simultaneously introduce vocabulary such as; -I can walk       -We can walk -I can jump       -We can Jump (the children jump)       *Children need to repeat after -I can Sing songs   -We can Sing songs                   *The teacher will paste picture on the board -I can play        -We can play -I can speak       -We can speak etc.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)	Body: Input Information	Introduction: The teacher will show a paper that’s completely filled in and read as she introduces herself using the written information.	3. Material/s will be distributed to children. They will need to answer the questions. 4. The children will use the following personal pronouns in their ‘Self-Introduction’ and ‘Introducing Oneself’. number person gender personal pronouns subject object Singular 1st male/female I me 2nd male/female you you 3rd male he him female she her neuter it it Plural 1st male/female we us 2nd male/female you you 3rd male/female/neuter they them
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	Assessment: Oral	Children will go in front and introduce himself	5. Children will go in front and read what they’ve written. They will need to listen to others’ introductions and later will have to introduce other person.
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	Accuracy	Assessment/s	6. Children would have to answer another paper this time, filling information/s of other person.
JULY 8/Monday(2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Introduce their family/Learn about Family members Target: Personal Pronouns (My, He, She, They, We) +Nouns
Preparation/s: Children would need to bring picture/s of their family.
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	Speaking Skills Speaking Skills	Warm Up : “What Can We do Today”		1)      The teacher will make a review of the past day’s lessons. Making use of the pronouns, I, You, He, She, and We 2)      The children will start repeating expression/s:         I am ___________.                          You are __________.         She/He is __________.         We are ____________.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)		INTRODUCTION/ Teaching perse
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	Writing Skills	GAME/Activity		3.)     A Game activity will be introduced to the children. *Children will choose among the letters, each letter represents a picture of an improper noun and the children will have to tell what personal pronoun to use.
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	Assessment/s			4.)     The teacher will give an activity for the students to make use of the personal pronouns introduced. 5.)     *There are pictures and children will write which proper pronoun represents the picture.
JULY 10/Wednesday(2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Learn About Body Parts Target: Expressions: “I have ______________.”           “She/He has _________________.”                  “You Have _____________. “        “It has ________________.”                  “They have _____________.”
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	Body parts Vocabularies	Warm up: “What Can We do Today?”		1.       The children will do the routine activity, they will have to sing the same song. After the teacher will introduce the phrase; “We can name our body parts.” 2.       The children will practice naming their body parts. The teacher shows pictures of different body parts beginning from the bottom such as; My toes, knees, shoulders and head. They continue repeating the same phrases.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)	Familiarity	Body: Activity		3.       Next, the teacher will Have to teach the children another song that goes like this with some actions; My toes, My knees, My shoulders, My head. They will repeat the song until they are able to do it themselves.
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	Speaking: Body Parts	Assessment: Oral		4.       The children will have to individually go in front and name the body parts of the model presented. He will practice the phrase like; This is the head. (Pointing to the head)     These are the shoulders. (pointing to the shoulders) *Each correct answer gets a price!
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	Writing: Naming Body Parts	Assessment: Written		5.       Lastly, the children will have to seat back, they are given papers with the same model. They will need to write and spell the names correctly.
JULY 15/Monday (2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Learn about Fruits, Vegetables and Colors       “I usually eat _______.”   “He/She always eat ______.” Target: Eating habits incorporating basic adverbs     “You always eat ______.”  “It always eat _______.”
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	-Whether it’s a fruit or vegetable. -the proper spellings/names for each.	Warm Up: “What can we do Today” “We are going to name fruits and vegetables”		1.       Real objects will be shown to the children. They will have to go in front and tell what kind of fruit or vegetable it is. 2.       They will have to get the names of the fruits/vegetables pasted on the board. They will need to put them in the correct column.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)	Acquire newer vocabularies	Body: Practice Pronunciation		3.       Next, the children will again sing another song; ‘COLOURS’. They will repeat the same songs twice. After the teacher will have to ask questions.
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	Listening  and Memorizing capabilities	Assessment: Listening skills /Memory		4.       The teacher will ask questions and the answers can be found in the song. Listening and memorizing skills of the children will be practiced.
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	Children’s realistic knowledge and observations	Assessment: Proper coloring		5.       The children will be given at least two papers with drawings. They will need to choose to the correct color for each.
JULY 17/Wednesday (2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Learn about Shapes and Sizes -Different Sizes and Shapes(sides) around and basic stuffs Target: Use of Demonstrative pronouns; This/These, That/Those  + ADVERBS of Comparisons        “This is a triangle.”   These are big triangles.”   “That has three sides.”   “Those are longer pencils.”
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	Shapes and Sides	Warm Up: “What Can we Do Today” + Introduction+ short assessment		1.       The children will have to sing the same song, after they will say; “We can learn shapes and Sizes.” 2.       The teacher will show several shapes. They help children name the basic shapes and their sides. She will make sure, the children can name each shapes and their sides by making children pick up one shape and tell to the class what shape it is and how many sides it has.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)	Vocabulary	Learning Input		3.       Next, the teacher will introduce Adverbs of Comparisons; Big, Bigger, Biggest. She will then show some drawings and their differences.
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	ADVERS OF COMPARISON	Assessment: Oral		4.       The children will then be given a chance to go in front. They will draw from the box, they will need to arrange themselves according to what they got. Example; Small, Smaller, Smallest. OR
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	CORRECT SPELLING and Listening skills	Assessment: Written		5.       The teacher will dictate and say the word. The children will be given papers to write down and spell correctly the words teacher will say.
JULY 22/Monday (2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Learn about numbers and basic operations
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	Speaking Skills	Warm Up: “What Can we Do Today”		1.        The teacher sings the same song with the student, after she introduces the expression; “We can Count!”, the children repeat.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)	Basic Math Operations	Introduction		2.       The teacher will show basic Math Operations such as; Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division 3.       The teacher posts on the board the signs used for the Basic Math Operations.
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	Math Operation Signs; +(+, -, x, ÷)	Assessment: Oral and Direct		4.       The children go one by one on the board to choose and paste corresponding answers. 5.       The teacher re-shuffles the answers, numbers and signs on the board. The children should be able to paste them accordingly.
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	Input Knowledge	Assessments: Written		6.       The teacher gives a written assessment, where input knowledge to the children is tested.
JULY 24/Wednesday (2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Learn about Nouns, Adjectives and Descriptions Target expressions: “This is my hair. It is black.”   “These are my shoes. They are small.”                 “That is your bag. It is blue.”   “Those are your pencils. They are long.”
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	Familiarity	Warm Up: “What Can we Do Today”		1.       The teacher sings the song “What Can We do Today” with the children. 2.       The teacher introduces the phrase; “We can Tell it!” The children repeat.
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)				3.       The teacher shows a box full of stuffs. 4.       The children go and draw anything they like. 5.       Each of them tell what they got by saying; “This is a _____________. It is ______________.  *Vocabularies are taken from previous days’ activities and learning.
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)
JULY 29/Monday (2:00-3:30)
Time/ Duration	Target	CATEGORY		Presentation/Activities Lesson: Construct Sentences using learned vocabularies in the past Target: “This is my ______, he is my ________.”       “These are my _______, they are _________.”
2:00-2:20 (20 mins)	Familiarity	Warm Up: “What Can we Do Today”		1.       The students sing the routine song, for familiarity. 2.       The teacher introduces the phrase; “We can Speak!” “We can Make Sentences!”
2:20-2:40 (20 mins)	Use of Demonstrative pronouns	Body: Input Information		3.       The teacher gives examples to children. She starts by holding a ‘Pen’ and saying; “This is a pen. It is short, it is blue.” *The teacher makes sure the children imitate the same phrases.
2:40-3:10 (30 mins)	SPEAKING: Simple sentence Construction	Assessment: Oral		4.       The teacher makes sure the children can make their own examples by handing them a material. 5.       Children are selected randomly; they should be able to say some characteristic of the given item.
3:10-3:30 (20 mins)	Application in Speaking	Assessment: written		6.       The children are given chances to go to board one by one to choose a word and paste them on the designated blanks.

English Conversation Lesson 1

Introductions and Greetings (Formal and Informal)

-How to introduce yourself both in formal and Informal situations.

-How to greet people both in friendly formal and Informal situations for social and business purposes.

Lesson I: 1.1- Introduce Yourself to someone.

Informal:                Hi, I am Allan.                       Hello I’m Allan.                      Hi, my name is Allan.

Formal:                  I don’t think we’ve met. Let me introduce myself. My name is Allan Bedingfields.

Good morning/day/afternoon/evening! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Allan.  *More complete/complex and more detailed. Longer sentences and more advance structures.

1.2 Introduce Someone else

Informal:                This is my friend/brother, Allan.                     This is my friend, Anna.

Formal:                   I would like you to meet my brother Allan Bedingfields.      Allow me to introduce my friend, Anna Bedingfields.

*What to say after introductions

Informal:                Hi Allan. Nice to meet you.                             Nice, to meet you too.

I am happy to meet you.                                Lovely to meet you too.

(You’ve been introduced to someone in a formal situation)

Formal:                   How do you do, Miss Bedinfields.                          How do you do.

It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bedingfileds.     I’m very pleased to meet you too.

*How to greet someone you know

Informal:                i, how are you?/Hi Sue, how are you?                   Fine, thanks and you?

Hello Sue, how are you doing?                               Great, thanks. How about you?

Formal:   Good morning, Miss Bedingfields. How are you today?                I am very well, thank you. And you?

Hello Miss Bedingfields. It’s nice to see you again.               And you.

*How to say goodbye.

Informal:                I must go. Catch you late.                                       O.K. See you later. Bye.

I’ll be off now. Speak to you later.                          Sure. Take care.

Formal:         Goodbye. It has been a pleasure meeting you.   The pleasure is mine. I hope to see you again soon.

I must be on my way. It was nice seeing you again.     Likewise. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Conversation 1 (Informal)

Allan: Hello. My name’s Allan.

Julie: Hi Allan, I’m Julie.

Allan: Nice to meet you, Julie.

Julie: Nice to meet you, too.

Allan: This is my friend, Peter.

Julie: Yes, I know. We’ve already met. How are you Peter?

Peter: Fine. Thanks. And you?

Julie: Great, thanks.

Allan: We must go now. Speak to you later, Julie.

Julie: OK. See you both later.

Conversation2 (Formal)

Allan: Good morning. I don’t think we’ve met. Let me introduce myself. My name is Allan Russel.

Julie: How do you do. My name is Julie Bates.

Allan: How do you do, Miss Bates. Allow me to introduce my colleague, Peter Panes.

Julie: Well, actually, we’ve already met. Hello Mr. Panes. How are you?

Peter: Very well, thank you. It’s very nice to see you again.

Julie: And you.

Allan: Well, we must be on our way. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Russel. I hope to see you again soon.

Julie: Likewise. I look forward to seeing you both again.

Useful Expressions:

A                                                                                              B

How are things with you?

How’s life?                                                               Fine, just fine.

What’s the good word?

What’s new?                                                          Oh, nothing much.

What a pleasant surprise!

What a happy coincidence.                                   I just dropped in to say hello.

Me too.

What brings you here today?                                 Oh, just a social call.

Well, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?     

You bet.

                                                                               It’s good of you to come.

I’m glad to be here.

It’s been a long time.                                              It certainly has.

See you around.

See you tomorrow.                                                 Goodbye. Have a nice day.

Goodnight. Sweet dreams.                                    I hope so. You too.

It’s been nice talking to you.

Be in touch.                                                            I will.

I will thank you. 

SOME EXAMPLES OF TROUBLESOME WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

SOME EXAMPLES OF TROUBLESOME WORDS AND

EXPRESSIONS:

accept, except. Accept is a verb meaning “to approve” or “to receive”; except is usually a preposition meaning “not including.”

For example:

                The gifted child accepted a donation from a generous parent.

                All faculty members were promoted except the new ones.

adapt, adopt. Adapt means “to accommodate” or “to adjust to conditions”; adopt means “to accept” or “to use as one’s own.”

For example:

                The class had a hard time adapting to the substitute teacher.                   The childless couple adopted a beautiful baby girl.

Advice, advise. Advice is a noun meaning “helpful suggestion, recommendation or counsel”; advise is a verb meaning “to give advice.”

For example:

                The girl sought advice from the priest.

                The Dean advised the teacher against taking a leave of absence.

Affect, affect. Affect is a verb meaning to “influence”; effect is usually a noun meaning “a result or consequences.”

For example:

                His family problems have affected his work performance.

                The serious effects of environmental degradation are unimaginable.

All ready, already. All ready means that everyone is ready; already means “previously ” or “by this time.”

For example:

                The children are all ready for the evaluation next week.

                Gordon has already settled his accounts.

All together, altogether. All together means “considered as a group”; altogether means “entirely” or “completely.”

For example:

                They ate all together at the Japanese restaurant.

                The mother felt altogether ecstatic when her son topped the exam.

allusion, illusion. An allusion is an indirect reference to something; an illusion is a false perception or unreal impression of something.

For example:

        In her essay, she made an allusion to the 1987 Constitution.

        It is believed that a magician's trick is just an illusion.

a lot (of), lots (of), alot, allot. A lot or lots are colloquial for many or much. Alot is a misspelling of a lot.

 For example:

                His godfather gave him lots of money last Christmas. (Colloquial)

                His godfather gave him much money last Christmas. (formal)

                Our math teacher has given us a lot of assignments. (Colloquial)

                Our math teacher has given us many assignments. (Formal)

Allot means “to appropriate, assign, or distribute to a plan.”

For example:

        Congress allotted twenty million pesos for infrastructure.

Alright. Nonstandard for all right. Do not use.

Anyone, any one. Anyone is an indefinite pronoun meaning “any person”; any one means “a single person or thing.”

For example:

        Anyone can ask the speaker questions about the lecture.

        You are required to answer any one of the questions.

Awhile, a while. Awhile is an adverb.

For example:

        We stayed awhile in my sister’s house.

Do not use awhile as the object of a preposition (in, or, after); instead, use a while (a noun). For example:

        The exam lasted for awhile. (nonstandard)

        the exam lasted for a while. (formal)

Beside, besides. Beside is  a preposition meaning “by the side of.” Besides is a preposition meaning “except” and an adverb meaning “in addition (to).”

For example:

                I stood beside my dean at the convention. (by the side of)

                She thought of no one besides him. (except)

                Besides, she has what it takes to be a star. (In addition)

Burst, busted, bust. Burst is a verb meaning “to break apart or explode.” Its principal parts are  burst, burst, and burst. The use of busted or bust is nonstandard and should be avoided.

For example:

                We were asked to bust the balloon. (Nonstandard)

                We were asked to burst the balloon. (standard)

Cite, sight, site. Cite means “to name or mention”; sight means “to see”; site means “place” or “location’.

For example:

                Writers of academic papers should cite sources of information.

                The military sighted the fugitive in a remote province.

                The site of the fast food restaurant is beside the university. 

Coarse, course. Coarse means “rough in texture”; course refers to a unit of study or a path. For example:

                The surface of the floor is coarse.

                Two basic courses will be offered next term.

                Environmentalists opposed the construction of the golf course.

Complement, compliment. Complement means “to complete or enhance.” Compliment means “to express praise.” Both words can be used as verbs or nouns.

For example:

                His intelligence will complement her efficiency. (Verb)

                For one to succeed, discipline is a complement for hard work. (noun)

                The students complimented the chair for her organizational skills.

                 (Verb)

                Responses to compliments may vary across cultures.

                Noun)

Continual, continuous. Continual means “repeated frequently.” Continuous means “without interruption.”

For example:

                There was continual laughter from the audience during the show.

                The clock click continuously.

Council, counsel. Council is a noun that refers to an assembly of people. Counsel as a noun means “advice or guidance,” or refers to an attorney. Counsel as a verb means, “to advice” or “to give a helpful recommendation.”

For example:

                The council of deans will meet on Thursday. (Noun)

                The accused sat beside her counsel during the arraignment. (Noun)

                The psychologist counseled the emotionally disturbed person. (verb)

Desert, dessert. Desert as a noun with the accent on the first syllable means “a dry, arid region of land.” Desert  as a noun with the accent on the second syllable means “a deserved reward or punishment.” Desert as a verb (accent on the second syllable) means “to leave without any intention to return.” Dessert is a noun meaning “sweets served as the final course of a meal.”

For example:

        Camels thrive on the desert.

        Faculty members who work hard get their just deserts.

        Soldiers who desert the military are punished accordingly.

        A tray of assorted fresh fruits makes a great dessert.

Device,  devise. Device is a noun meaning “a form of equipment.” Devise is a verb meaning “to invent.” For example:

        She bought the device in the US.

        Jeffrey devised a plan to motivate teachers to do more research.

Different than, different from. Different from is more acceptable. However, use different than when the word than is used to introduce a  dependent clause. For example:

        The teachers’ part in the program was entirely different from the students’.

        The topics they were told to study were different than the things that came out       in the exam. (than introduces dependent clause than the things that came out in the exam)

Disinterested, uninterested. Disinterested means “impartial, not influenced by personal bias.” Uninterested means “not interested.” For example:

                A judge must be a disinterested party in a case.                             The students  were making noise because they were uninterested in the lecture.

Dyeing, dying. Dyeing means “imparting color to a material.” Dying means “to cease to be alive.”

For example:

                He is dyeing his shirt again.                                            Pedro was beside his grandmother when she was dying.

Each other, one another. Each other refers to two people. One another refers to more than two people. For example:

                Husband and wife should bring out the best in each other.                                   The members of the group helped one another to get a high grade.

Emigrate, immigrate. Emigrate means “to have a country or region.” Immigrate means “to enter a country or a region.” 

For example:

        Several families emigrated from the southern region due to the deteriorating      peace and order situation in the area.

        Several families immigrated to the city.

Eminent, imminent. Eminent means “prominent in rank.” Imminent means “likely to occur.” For example:

        UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is an eminent person.                     

        A coup d’ etat is imminent because of the current political crisis.

Farther, further. Farther means “to a more distant place.”; further means “to a greater extent” or “in addition.” For example:

                The bus cannot go any farther than Quezon. 

                He said she cannot help him any further.

Fewer, less. Fewer refers to a number of things; less refers to an amount.

For example:

        There were fewer participants than we  had expected.                       

        There is less water in the glass.

Formally, formerly. Formally means “in a proper form.” Formerly means “at a prior time.” For example:

                She was formally introduced to his family.

                The lady was formerly connected with the Accounting Division.

Hanged, hung. Use hanged as the past tense or past participle of hang only when it means “an execution.” in all other cases, use hung.

For example:

                The criminal was hanged in public.

                The entries in the lantern contest were hung for public viewing.

Hisself, ourself, theirselves, themselves. These are nonstandard forms of reflexive pronouns.  Instead, use himself , ourselves and themselves.

                He has no one to blame but himself.

If, whether. Use whether when there is an alternative or choice.

For example:

                My  chair asked me whether I took a service or availed myself of a sabbatical. 

                The President wanted to know if you finished your Ph. D.                   (Do not use or not after whether).

Imply, infer. Imply means “to suggest.” Infer means “to conclude based on a suggestion.” Therefore, writers and speakers imply (make a suggestion), whereas readers and listeners infer (draw conclusion).

For example:

        The speaker implies that there is corruption in every agency of government.       

        From the given data we can infer that the case will prosper.

Irregardless. Nonstandard usage , instead, use regardless.

For example:

        We should pursue our dreams regardless of the consequences.

Its, it’s. Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it. It’s is a contraction for it is.

For example:

        Its length is 120 centimeters.                                          

        It’s a wonderful day today.

It’s me. Colloquial for it is I. Although the expression has become acceptable in informal conversation, it is better to use the proper form in writing. For example:

               

        It’s me again. (Colloquial)       It is I again. (Formal)

Kind of, sort of. Both expressions are colloquial. Better use somewhat or rather.

For example:

        The poor are kind of disadvantaged. (Colloquial)

        The poor are somewhat disadvantaged. (Formal)

Later, latter. Later, a comparative form of late, means “after the due time” or “tardy.” Latter is used to compare things; it refers to the last one mentioned.

For example:

        She will see you later today.                                          

        Between  love and career she chose the latter.

Lay, lie. Lay always takes an object complement. Lay means “to set or to place.” Lie never takes an object. Lie means “rest.”

For example:

        She will lay her cards on the table during her meeting with the staff.

        He usually lies down on the couch before dinner.

Loose, lose. Loose (rhymes with moose) is the opposite of tight. Lose (rhymes with shoes) means “to remove from one’s possession.”

For example:

        She will always brings loose coins hen she travels.                               

        You will lose your chance of getting a high grade.

Mad, angry. Mad means insane. In writing , do not use when the meaning is angry.

For example:

        His teacher was mad at him. (Colloquial)                                      

        His teacher was angry at him. (Formal)

May  be, maybe. May be is a  verb phrase similar to might be. Maybe is an adverb that means perhaps.

For example:

        You may be reprimanded for the lapse you have committed. (verb)

        Maybe you should see me soon. (Adverb)             

Most, almost. Almost is an adverb meaning nearly. Most is the superlative form of more. Do not use most when you mean almost.

For example:

        Most all of the students have left the school. (Colloquial)    

        Almost all of the students have left the school. (Formal)

Myself, (herself, himself, ourselves, themselves, yourself. Do not use reflexive pronouns where a personal pronoun will fit.

For example:

        The members of the committee are Juan, Pia, and myself. (Nonstandard)    

         The members of the committee are Juan, Pia, and I (Formal)

Passed, past. Passed (past tense of the verb pass) refers to a movement or successful completion. Past refers to a former time. As a preposition, past means “beyond”.

For example:

        The boy passed the entrance exam given by the prestigious school.             

        He passed the ball to his teammate.                                       

        Our differences are all in the past.                                 

        They walked past the monument.

Personal, personnel. Personal is an adjective meaning “private.” Personnel is a noun meaning “workers” or “employees.”

For example:

        A resume usually includes personal data about an applicant.                        The Director issued a memorandum to all personnel.

Principal, principle. Principal can  be a noun (“a leader, a chief part, or a sum of money”) or an adjective (“highest in rank”). Principle is a noun meaning “a fundamental truth or law.”

For example:

        The new high school principal met with the teachers.

        She will pay the principal plus interest.

        I admire people who do not compromise their principles.

Quiet, quite. Quiet (rhymes with diet) means “not noisy.” Quite (rhymes with right) means “very.”

For example:

        She is looking for a quiet place where she can concentrate on her review.   

        The participants did quite well in the competition.

Reason is because, reason why. The reason is because is nonstandard usage. Instead, use the reason is that or just because.

 For example:

        The reason I was absent is because I was hospitalized. (Nonstandard)         The reason I was absent is that I was hospitalized. (Formal)                    

        I was absent  because I was  hospitalized. (Formal)

The reason why is redundant. Instead, use either why or the reason , but not both.

For Example:

        You should know the reason why I was absent. (Colloquial).

        You should know why I was absent. (Formal)                      

        You should know the reason I was absent. (Formal)

Stationary, stationery. Stationary means “fixed, not moving.” Stationery is writing paper.

For example:

        The boats were in a stationary position when the giant waves swept them. 

        She bought two packs of stationery  at the bookstore.

Suppose to, supposed to. Suppose to is nonstandard. Always used supposed to.

 For example:

        We are supposed to abide by the Constitution.

Sure, surely. Sure is an  adjective ; surely is an adverb. Colloquially, sure is sometimes used as an adverb.

For example:

        Her siblings sure want her to graduate this year. (Colloquial)                        Her siblings surely want her to graduate this year. (Formal)

Than, then. Than is a conjunction used to make comparisons. Then is an adverb meaning “at that time”, or it can be an adverbial conjunction similar to therefore.

For example:

        The lady basketball player is taller than you.

        The teacher then moved on to the group activities.                       

        It rained for a whole day; then roads were impassable.

Their, there, they’re. Their is a possessive pronoun meaning “belonging to them”

For example:

        Sheila and Shirley turned in their assignments ahead of time.

       

There is an adverb meaning the opposite of here. Also, there can be used as the introductory word of a sentence.

For example:

        I saw the cat there.                                                 

        There are several causes of air pollution.

They’re is a contraction for they are.

For example:

        They’re in Afghanistan as part of the UN peacekeeping mission.

To, two, too. To is a preposition.

For example:

        He moved to Davao City three years ago.     

       

Two is a number.

For example:

        With her new diet she is losing two pounds a day.

Who’s, whose. Who’s is a contraction for who is or who has. Whose is the possessive form of who (“belonging to whom”). For example:

        Who’s going to see the Dean tomorrow? (Who is)                        

        Who’s got loose coins? (Who has)                                 

        Whose wallet is on the table?

Your, you’re. Your is the possessive form of you. You’re is a contraction for you are.

For example:

               

        Your proposal has been turned down.                                   

        You’re the source of inspiration for so many students.