Blog for ESL teachers

I’ll be honest: a few years ago I would never have believed that teaching English entirely without textbooks could be highly effective. After earning my international TEFL/TESOL certificate, I was convinced that a good lesson required a plan, a coursebook, handouts, and at least a basic set of audio or video materials. My teaching journey began with mountains of lesson plans and methodology guides—it seemed impossible to do without them. But one day I caught myself thinking: “What if I try to run a class with no familiar materials at all?”

How do you prepare for a lesson with a software developer who needs to say in English, “I initialized a variable, but it still doesn’t work”? 😊 The best way to avoid panic is to master ESP—English for Specific Purposes. One note up front: teachers typically charge double, triple, or even quadruple rates for specialized English. It’s absolutely worth diving into English for IT. You’ll widen your own horizons as an English teacher and help skilled professionals feel confident on the global IT market.

Modal verbs in English often puzzle even seasoned users, because different forms can carry similar meanings but a different degree of force. For example: “I must finish this chapter” signals an inner obligation or decision, while “I have to finish this report by 6” points to an external requirement or rule. Another common contrast appears with advice: “You should see a doctor” is a gentle recommendation, whereas “You ought to see a doctor” sounds more formal and more insistent. In this article, you’ll see how to use quick contrasts and clear “choice rules” to explain these differences so students avoid confusion from the very first lesson devoted to advanced modal verbs in formal and informal English.