A Winter Joke

 

Note: 

A MELTDOWN is when someone gets really angry
TO MELT is when ice or snow turns to water

New Quiz for Kids: CAN

I have uploaded one last new quiz for 2026. This is a simple quiz on the structure of CAN - previously there was only a quiz for CAN and COULD together.

It has ten simple questions, pictures and audio, making it very suitable for young learners. It is highly recommended for teachers to use with a smartboard.

The address is http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/?370 

Screenshot:

Microlessons for Kids

I have uploaded a set of "microlessons" for kids on the Junior section of the site, 45 in total.

These lessons are based on simple vocabulary sets with sentence examples and audio examples.

Teacher, feel free to use them in your classes; they would work well with adults too!

Address: http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/microlessons/

Screenshots:

Origin of the Word HOOLIGAN

Here's one for the word nerds. I was wondering where the word HOOLIGAN comes from and whether it's related to the Old English word "hloo", meaning gang.

It turns out that it's is a relatively recent coinage, appearing in the 1890s. It's origin is murky but believed to be derived from the Irish surname Houlihan and used in a comedy sketch to describe a fictional, very rowdy, Irish family. It caught on from there and is still used widely today.

 

Social Media Posts

Are you following Road to Grammar's social media?

I post 1-2 very useful words or phrases every day along with an extended explanation and further sentence examples.

You can follow on these platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roadtogrammar/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roadtogrammar
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/do0089/

Here are some examples of posts from this week: 

New Quiz: Prepositions of Place

One topic that has long been missing from Road to Grammar, and which is a favorite of all ESL textbook publishers, is PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE.

I have now remedied this and the quiz, along with cute accompanying graphics, audio clips and notes, can be found here:

Main site: http://roadtogrammar.com/?374

Kids' site: http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/?369

Screenshot:

New Content for Kids

Site update:

I have added some new content to the junior version of Road to Grammar.

1 For the SIGNS quiz, I have added images to make it more impactful.

URL: http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/?275

2 I have added more content to the Listen and Read activities. There are now 17 listen/read texts in total.

URL: http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/listenandread/

 

The Different Names for @

@ is an interesting little symbol. It started life as a short form for "amphora" - a kind of large jug in the ancient world. The, in our modern world, it has become the international symbol for usernames.

English is unfortunately quite boring, we simply call it 'at' or the 'at symbol'.

However, in other languages, the names for this little symbol are much more creative:

German: "spider monkey"(Klammeraffe)
Dutch: little monkey’s tail(apenstaartje)
Italian: snail(chiocciola)
Danish: trunk-a (like an elephant’s trunk)(snabel-a)
Polish: monkey(małpa)
Hungarian: little worm(kukac)
Russian: little dog(собачка)
Greek: little duck(παπάκι) 
Hebrew: strudel(שטרודל)
Korean: sea-snail(골뱅이) 

Al- Words with an Arabic Origin

Many English words have roots in French, Latin and Greek, but let's not forget about Arabic.

In Arabic, the word for THE is AL-, and this can be seen in many English words, such as:

Algebra

Algorithm

Alchemy

Alcohol

Almanac

Alcove

These words are usually anglicized (made easier for English speakers to pronounce).

For example, the word algebra in the original Arabic is “al-jabr” and it means “the restoration” – referring to restoring (balancing) two sides of an equation.

More Quizzes on AM/IS/ARE for Kids

I have expanded the quizzes on AM/IS/ARE in the kids' section of Road to Grammar. Previously, there was only one quiz, now there are four:

1 AM/IS/ARE with pronouns.
2 AM/IS/ARE with singular and plural nouns, including names.
3 AM/IS/ARE with various tenses, passive voice and uncountable nouns
4 Question form of AM/IS/ARE

You can view the kid-friendly materials here:

http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/

Screenshots:

Verb Tense Occurence

Technically, future forms are not tenses, I know. But for the sake of convenience, I'm including them in this handy chart.

Listen and Read: Simple Activities for Young Learners

On the junior version of the site, I have placed a series of simple listening and reading activities that I have developed while teaching a private student. There are six at the moment, but I will add more as I develop them for my student. 

With each one, there is a short listening activity (around 50 words) where the user has to click on four words that they hear. After finding all of the words, they click on the picture to reveal the text. 

With my own student, I usually listen two or three times before trying the answers. Then I ask him to read out the text for pronunciation practice.

You can find the index page here:

http://junior.roadtogrammar.com/listenandread/

Screenshots:

New Quiz: Negative Inversion

Negative inversion refers to where we invert the normal sentence structure and begin a sentence with an adverb or adverbial phrase instead.

An example is: Never have I seen such a thing! (The normal structure is: I have never seen such a thing!)

As always, the quiz has accompanying notes, PDF and audio:

Quiz page: http://roadtogrammar.com?373

Notes: http://www.roadtogrammar.com/notes/?ref=125b

Screenshot: 

New Vocab Gym Activities

Road to Grammar's "Vocab Gym" is a series of short vocabulary topics for self-study or for teachers to use with their classes.

Each one has five or more vocabulary items presented as a MCQ quiz, with a picture and audio clip.

The two new topics added this month are WAYS TO COOK EGGS and WAYS TO COOK POTATOES.

The links are below. Enjoy!

Ways to cook eggs:

http://www.roadtogrammar.com/vocabgym/?46

Ways to cook potatoes:

http://www.roadtogrammar.com/vocabgym/?47

Custom GPT 11: Use the Verb Tense Correctly

I'm putting together a suite of custom GPTs to support ESL learners.

This is custom GPT number eleven, and the last one for now.

This  simple GPT gives the user a verb at random, plus a verb tense, also at random. The user is then prompted to make a sentence with the verb in the given tense.

Finally, the GPT will give feedback on whether the sentence is correct or not.

It's a great way to practice verb tense skills.

(ChatGPT account required).

URL:

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-674e8f8975748191a78e02cc6eaeb76f-use-the-verb-tense-correctly-by-road-to-grammar

Sample:   

Custom GPT 10: Business English Roleplays

I'm putting together a suite of custom GPTs to support ESL learners.

This is custom GPT number ten.

This GPT allows learners to practice debate topics.

There are 40 scenarios to choose from (or you can choose at random or suggest your own). The GPT will describe the situation and provide some phrases that you can use.

After the conversation ends, the GPT will provide feedback on your language skills (see below).

It's a great way to practice business English, especially if you use the microphone for voice input.

(ChatGPT account required).

URL:

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6758f31a0cf48191b8800ff7b97e8bbd-business-english-role-plays-by-road-to-grammar

Sample:   

Custom GPT 9: Debate Topics

I'm putting together a suite of custom GPTs to support ESL learners.

This is custom GPT number nine.

This GPT allows learners to practice debate topics.

There are 40 topics to choose from (or you can choose at random or suggest your own). You can choose FOR or AGAINST and you can either choose to start or let the GPT go first.

It's a great way to practice both debating skills and language skills.

(ChatGPT account required).

URL:

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-675f8a58faf481919295ba730c665205-debate-practice-by-road-to-grammar

Sample:   

Custom GPT 8: IELTS Speaking Practice

I'm putting together a suite of custom GPTs to support ESL learners.

This is custom GPT number eight.

This GPT allows learners to practice PART 2 of the IELTS speaking test.

You can write out the answer or use the microphone for input on your phone.

Once you give your answer, the GPT will give the following detailed feedback, matching what examiners mark:

1 Fluency and Coherence
2 Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
3 Grammatical Range and Accuracy
4 Pronunciation

Teachers: recommend this to your IELTS students or try it together with them.

(ChatGPT account required).

URL:

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6752670559d88191a3ceb042122e24ce-ielts-speaking-practice-by-road-to-grammar

Sample:  

Custom GPT 7: Business English Conversations

I'm putting together a suite of custom GPTs to support ESL learners.

This is custom GPT number seven.

This GPT is focused on business English and offers a list of 26 topics to discuss.

You can do it as a writing exercise or as a speaking exercise, using the microphone for input on your phone.

Once you give your answer, the GPT will give the following detailed feedback:

1 Grammar
2 General English level
3 Vocabulary
4 Positive feedback
5 One main thing to improve

Teachers: recommend this to your business English students or try it together with them.

(ChatGPT account required).

URL:

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6753a90f1b6c819187f8a64e7492619c-business-english-conversations-by-road-to-grammar

Sample: 

Custom GPT 6: ESL Writing Practice

I'm putting together a suite of custom GPTs to support ESL learners.

This is custom GPT number six.

This GPT provides short writing topics and gives custom feedback.

It starts by asking your level (choose basic, intermediate or advanced). Then, it will give you a writing topic suited to that level. When you submit the writing, you will get feedback on:

1 Vocabulary
2 Grammar
3 Punctuation and spelling
4 Sentence structure
5 Flow and readability

Teachers: recommend this to your students or try it together with them.

(ChatGPT account required).

URL:

https://chatgpt.com/g/g-67550fa1a2008191abbdeba4202fd1cd-esl-writing-practice-by-road-to-grammar

Sample: