English Teachers Chile - SmartCertify

SUBJECT & OBJECT PRONOUNS 🎭👥

Pronouns are shortcuts. Use them right!

SUBJECT PRONOUNS (do the action):
I, you, he, she, it, we, they

OBJECT PRONOUNS (receive the action):
me, you, him, her, it, us, them

EXAMPLES:
✅ I love her (I = subject, her = object)
✅ She told me the truth (She = subject, me = object)
✅ They invited us to the party (They = subject, us = object)

QUICK TIP: If the pronoun does the action = subject. If it receives it = object!

Master this and sound fluent! 🌟

Prepositions of Place 📍

Location matters! Here's your guide:

IN: Inside a space (IN THE HOUSE, IN THE BOX)
ON: On top of something (ON THE TABLE, ON THE WALL)
AT: A specific point (AT THE STATION, AT THE CORNER)
UNDER: Below something (UNDER THE BED)
BESIDE: Next to something (BESIDE THE DOOR)

Nail these and you'll describe locations like a pro! 🎯

COLONS vs SEMICOLONS: KNOW THE DIFFERENCE 🎯

Colons and semicolons look similar but do completely different jobs. Let's break it down.

COLONS (:)
Used to introduce something
"Here's what you need to know: pay attention."

Introduce a list
"You'll need three things: a pen, paper, and focus."

Introduce an explanation or example
"I have one goal: to master English."

Introduce a quote
"She said: 'I love learning.'"

SEMICOLONS (;)
Connect two independent sentences that are closely related
"I love English; it opens doors." (Could be two sentences, but they're related)

Separate items in a complex list
"I visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Berlin, Germany."

The key difference?
Colons point FORWARD (introducing something new)
Semicolons connect EQUALLY (two related ideas)

Common mistake:
❌ "I have three hobbies; reading, writing, and painting."
✅ "I have three hobbies: reading, writing, and painting."

Pro tip: If you can replace it with a period, a semicolon might work. If you're introducing something, use a colon.

Which one confuses you? Let's chat! 💬

MIXED CONDITIONALS 🎲

When past and present mix in conditional sentences!

PAST CONDITION + PRESENT RESULT:
✅ If I had studied harder (past), I would be confident now (present) 📚
✅ If she had learned English (past), she would speak it now (present) 💬

PRESENT CONDITION + PAST RESULT:
✅ If I were smarter (present hypothetical), I would have solved this (past) 🧠
✅ If he cared (present), he wouldn't have left (past) 💔

WHY MIXED CONDITIONALS?
To show how a past action affects the present situation, or vice versa!

STRUCTURE:
Past condition + present result: If + past perfect, would + base verb
Present condition + past result: If + past simple/were, would have + past participle

EXAMPLE:
❌ "If I studied, I would have passed" (WRONG - both past)
✅ "If I had studied, I would pass" (RIGHT - mixed)

Create a mixed conditional! 👇

💫 GRAMMAR GLOW-UP #3: Subject-Verb Agreement 🎪

WRONG: "She go to the store"
RIGHT: "She GOES to the store"

🔑 The verb AGREES with the subject! Singular subject = singular verb. Easy peasy! 🍋

Your grammar is SLAYING right now! 👑

🎯 Grammar Tip #8: Relative Clauses

Add detail and sophistication to your sentences with relative clauses!

WHO = for people: "The teacher WHO helped me was amazing"
WHICH = for things: "The book WHICH I read was interesting"
THAT = for people or things: "The student THAT passed the exam was proud"
WHERE = for places: "The city WHERE I was born is beautiful"

These clauses help you combine ideas and sound more fluent!

Example: Instead of "I have a friend. She speaks five languages."
Say: "I have a friend WHO speaks five languages."

Master relative clauses and elevate your English! 🎯

🚀 PHRASAL VERBS: THE SECRET SAUCE OF FLUENT ENGLISH 🚀

Native speakers LIVE for phrasal verbs! Want to sound like them?

🔥 PUT UP WITH = Tolerate
"I can't put up with this noise anymore!"

⏰ LOOK FORWARD TO = Anticipate with excitement
"I'm looking forward to our vacation!"

👥 GET ALONG WITH = Have a good relationship
"I get along with my coworkers really well"

💡 The secret? Phrasal verbs make your English sound REAL and NATURAL!

Start using them today and watch your fluency soar! ✨

WORD ORDER IN QUESTIONS ❓ Question word + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb Example: What do you like? Where did she go? Use: Ask questions correctly. Ask better questions and get better answers! 🎯 Ready to master question formation?

🔄 PASSIVE VOICE: A GAME-CHANGER 🔄

Transform your sentences and sound more sophisticated! 🎯

ACTIVE: Subject does the action
"The chef cooked the meal"

PASSIVE: The action is done to the subject
"The meal was cooked by the chef"

When to use PASSIVE?
• When you don't know who did it: "My phone was stolen"
• When the action is more important than the doer: "The bridge was built in 1920"
• In formal/professional writing: "The report was submitted yesterday"

Examples:
Active: "She wrote the book"
Passive: "The book was written by her" ✅

This skill makes you sound like a pro! 💼

GRAMMAR LESSON #13: PAST IRREGULAR VERBS 🎬

Irregular verbs = NO -ED ending!

GO → WENT
✅ I went to Chile yesterday.

EAT → ATE
✅ She ate pizza last night.

HAVE → HAD
✅ They had a great time.

MAKE → MADE
✅ He made a delicious cake.

SEE → SAW
✅ We saw an amazing movie.

🎯 Pro tip: Memorize common irregular verbs!

What's the most confusing irregular verb for you? 🤔