Verb is the word song

Songs can be an effective way to introduce or reinforce a grammar topic. Click on the topics below for companion songs and activities.

Adjectives in the Song “True Colors”
Adverb Clauses in the Song “Baby, I’m Yours”
Adverbial Phrase “At All”
Comparisons with Like
Feel Like
Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions
Gerund or Infinitive after begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, can’t stand
Get to Do Something
Gotta: Informal Spoken English for Got To
Infinitives as Adjectives
I’ve Got It and I’ve Got ‘Em
Must Have + Past Participle
Noun Clauses
Participial Phrases
Reflexive Pronouns
Should Have + Past Participle
Third Person Singular: Mistakes in the Song “Memories” by Maroon 5
Used to + a Verb in the Simple Form
Used to vs. Would
Verbs of Perception
Wanna: Informal Spoken English for Want To
Wish + Simple Past: Making a Wish About the Present

Verb Tenses:

Future with Gonna: Questions Beginning with Who’s gonna…
Future with Gonna: Talking About the Weather
Future with Gonna: Talking About Plans
Future with Will: Offering to Help
Future with Will: Making Promises
Future with Will: Contractions I’ll and It’ll
Present Perfect: It’s Been vs. It Was
Present Perfect Progressive
Present Progressive Verbs in the Song “Tom’s Diner”
Simple Past: Changing Verbs in the Simple Present to the Simple Past
Simple Past Verbs in the Song “And We Sang La Da”
Simple Past Verbs in the Song “Because You Loved Me”
Simple Past Verbs in the Song “The Castle on the Hill”
Simple Past Verbs in the Song “Lost Boy”
Simple Past Verbs in the Song “This Town”
Simple Past Verbs in the Song “Underdog”
Verbs in the Simple Form in the Song “I Don’t Care”
Verb Tense Review with the Song “Tucson Train”

• Adjectives in the Song “True Colors”
  Level: Beginning and Up
  Pair with the Song: “True Colors” (Cyndi Lauper, 1986)
  Recommended Videos: the 2019 lyric video; the live performance video; the  audio-only video; Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick’s 2016 lyric video; a brother-sister duet by Joshua and Erin Evans (My students thought the lyrics in the 2016 Timberlake/Kendrick video were easier to understand than the Lauper version.)

The lyrics cloze exercise below targets the 10 adjectives in the song. Lyrics are intended for nonprofit educational purposes only. More teaching ideas are in the Lesson Plan.

true colors, lyrics cloze.docx          true colors, lyrics cloze.pdf

• Adverb Clauses in the Song “Baby, I’m Yours”
  Level: High Intermediate and Advanced
  Pair with the Song: “Baby, I’m Yours” (Arctic Monkeys, 2006)
  Recommended Video: the official audio-only video

The lyrics cloze exercise below targets the many adverb clauses beginning with the word until in the song. If you use the Azar grammar series, you could use this song to accompany Chapter 17 of Understanding and Using English Grammar. Lyrics are intended for nonprofit educational purposes only.

Baby I’m Yours, cloze.docx          Baby I’m Yours, cloze.pdf

• Adverbial Phrase At All
  Level: High Beginning and Up
  Pair with the Song: “Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell, 1967)
  Recommended Videos: audio-only performance from the 2021 movie Coda; Emilia Jones’ live performance at the 2022 British Academy of Film Awards; audio-only 2021 remastered recording of Joni Mitchell

The song “Both Sides Now” repeats the adverbial phrase “at all,” as in “I really don’t know life at all.” The expression “at all” is common in English, but somewhat difficult to define or explain; it is best clarified through examples. It is important to point out that the expression is used in negatives and in questions but not in affirmative statements:
Correct: They don’t speak any French at all.
Correct: Do they speak any French at all?
Incorrect: They speak French at all.
Permission is granted to reproduce the activity below for classroom use. For more activities to go with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

at all, worksheet.pdf

• • • Comparisons with Like
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “When We Were Young” (Adele, 2015)
      Recommended Video: the live performance video
      

In the song “When We Were Young,” Adele uses the word like to make a comparison 14 times. (It was just like a movie, It was just like a song, etc.) The interactive worksheet below offers practice with this construction. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. If you use the Azar grammar series, you could follow up with the exercises on using like and alike in Basic English Grammar, Fourth Edition, pp. 473-474. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

comparisons with like.docx          comparisons with like.pdf

• • • Feel Like
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “In My Blood” (Shawn Mendes, 2018)
      Recommended Video: the official music video

The song repeats the phrase “sometimes I feel like giving up.” In the worksheet below, students practice using the expression “feel like” to mean “want to.” Permission is granted to reproduce the worksheet for classroom use. (One line in the song–“laying on the bathroom floor”–is grammatically incorrect; it should be, of course, be “lying on the bathroom floor.” However, laying is being used instead of lying more and more often in informal conversation.)

feel like.docx          feel like.pdf

This song is autobiographical. Advanced learners can watch an interview in which Shawn Mendes talks about struggling with anxiety for the first time. View until about minute 2.

• • • Future with Gonna: Questions Beginning with Who’s gonna

Level:  Low Intermediate and Up
Pair with the Song: “It Ain’t Me” (Selena Gomez, 2017)
Recommended Videos: audio-only video; video with lyrics

In informal speech, gonna is often used instead of going to in future-tense sentences. (It is important to tell students that gonna is not used in writing; it is the way going to is pronounced. It is also important to stress that gonna is substituted for going to in future-tense sentences only; they can’t say I’m gonna the park now. For these reasons, this apparently simple exercise may not be appropriate for lower levels.) The song “It Ain’t Me” repeats the phrase who’s gonna many times. Below are annotated lyrics for the song and an interactive activity in which students practice using gonna when forming questions beginning with Who’s gonna. Permission is granted to reproduce the worksheet for classroom use. Lyrics are intended for nonprofit educational purposes only. (Please note: This song is about a relationship ruined by alcoholism, so there are references to alcohol consumption; previewing the lyrics is advised.)

it ain’t me.docx          it ain’t me.pdf

future with gonna.docx          future with gonna.pdf

• • • Future with Gonna: Talking About the Weather
      Level:  High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “I Can See Clearly Now” (Johnny Nash, 1972; Jimmy Cliff, 1993)
      Recommended Video: the official video by Jimmy Cliff

In informal speech, gonna is often used instead of going to in future-tense sentences. (It is important to tell students that gonna is not used in writing; it is the way going to is pronounced. It is also important to stress that gonna is substituted for going to in future-tense sentences only; they can’t say I’m gonna the park now. For these reasons, this apparently simple exercise may not be appropriate for lower levels.) The song “I Can See Clearly Now” repeats the refrain It’s gonna be a bright sunshiny day many times. In the activity below, students practice using gonna when talking about the weather forecast. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

gonna activity.docx          gonna activity.pdf

• • • Future with Gonna: Talking About Plans
      Level: Low Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “I’m Gonna Love You” (Meghan Trainor, 2015) or “When I’m Gone” (Anna Kendrick, 2012)
      Recommended Videos: the official video for “I’m Gonna Love You” (It is suitable for most classrooms. It does, however, show romantic kisses, so previewing is advised.); the official video for “When I’m Gone” (This is the famous “cups” video. A reference to whiskey in the lyrics may make this song inappropriate for some classes; otherwise, both the song and video are classroom-friendly.)

In informal speech, gonna is often used instead of going to in future-tense sentences. (It is important to tell students that gonna is not used in writing; it is the way going to is pronounced. It is also important to stress that gonna is substituted for going to in future-tense sentences only; they can’t say I’m gonna the park now. For these reasons, this apparently simple exercise may not be appropriate for lower levels.) The song “I’m Gonna Love You” repeats the phrase I’m gonna 21 times; the song “When I’m Gone” repeats the phrase you’re gonna 20 times. The Moving Line activity below gives students multiple opportunities to practice this construction. First, ask several students, “What are you gonna do after class?” (or this evening, this weekend, tomorrow, etc.) to model the exercise and make sure students understand how gonna is used. Then follow the steps below. This low-prep activity facilitates a lot of interaction in a short amount of time and gets students up and out of their seats. It is highly recommended.

• • • • 1. Divide the class into two groups of equal numbers. (If you have an odd number of students, participate in the activity yourself to make the groups even.) Students form two lines facing one another.

2. Students ask the student facing them, “What are you gonna do after class?” The student answers, “I’m gonna _______. What are you gonna do?” The student answers, “I’m gonna _______.” Then one line shifts position so that each student has a new partner. (The person at the end of the moving line moves to the beginning of the line.)

3. Students exchange the same information with their new partners. (Having students recite the same lines with each partner, like actors in a play, keeps the activity–literally–moving along. The activity doesn’t get boring because students hear new information from each partner.) Then they shift positions again.

4. The students in the moving line continue to interact with new partners and then move on. The activity concludes when the students in the moving line are back in their original positions.

Variation: The Moving Circle. Students form two concentric circles. The inside circle faces out, and the outside circle faces in. After each exchange, the outside circle shifts position; the inside circle remains stationary.

• • • Future with Will: Offering to Help 
      Level: Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “One Call Away” (Charlie Puth, 2016)
      Recommended Video:  the official video
      

The future-tense construction I’ll + a verb in the simple form is used when offering to help (usually spontaneously) and making promises. In the song “One Call Away,” this construction is used in the line I’ll be there to save the day (repeated four times), which is both an offer to help and a promise. The interactive worksheet below focuses on making offers to help. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

will, offering to help.docx          will, offering to help.pdf

• • • Future with Will: Making Promises
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “I Will Remember You” (Sarah McLachlan, 1999); “One Call Away” (Charlie Puth, 2016); “Can’t Buy Me Love” (Beatles, 1965); “I Will Always Love You” (Whitney Houston, 1992)
      Recommended Videos: the official video for “I Will Remember You” (This video ends with a romantic kiss and may not be suitable for your class; previewing is advised.); the official video for “One Call Away”; the live performance video for “Can’t Buy Me Love”; the official video for “I Will Always Love You,” with scenes from the movie The Bodyguard (This video ends with a romantic kiss and may not be suitable for your class; previewing is advised.)

The future-tense construction I’ll + a verb in the simple form is used when making promises. The songs “I Will Remember You” and “I Will Always Love You” repeat the title phrase, which is a promise, many times, and the song “One Call Away” repeats the promise I’ll be there to save the day four times. Part 1 of the interactive worksheet below gives students practice making promises. Part 2 is slightly more challenging; it asks students to evaluate promises (all beginning with I will) that people make when they get married. It prompted a lot of interaction and laughter in my class of adults in their 20s and 30s. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For more activities to pair with “I Will Remember You” and “One Call Away,” please see the Lesson Plans page. For more activities to pair with “I Will Always Love You,” please see True Stories Behind the Songs, Unit 6.

will, making promises.docx          will, making promises.pdf

Another song that  uses will + a verb in the simple form to make promises is The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” (I’ll buy you a diamond ring, I’ll give you all I’ve got to give, etc.). The lyrics cloze exercise below focuses on this construction. Lyrics are intended for nonprofit educational purposes only.

can’t buy me love, cloze.docx          can’t buy me love, cloze.pdf

• • • Future with Will: Contractions I’ll and It’ll
      Level: Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Meant to Be” (Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, 2018)
      Recommended Videos: the official lyric video (previewing advised); the official audio-only video; the official acoustic video (Bebe Rexha sings solo and is accompanied by only a guitar.)

In the song “Meant to Be,” a man asks a woman to ride with him in his car—to relax and put her feet up on the “dash” (the dashboard). She is reluctant because she wants to know where they’re going—that is, where their relationship is going. In the end, they both decide to take the ride, singing “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”

The song repeats the contraction it’ll many times. The worksheet below targets the contractions I’ll and it’ll. Students use the two contractions when writing about their dream vacation. For levels beginning and up. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

dream vacation.docx          dream vacation.pdf

• • • Gerund or Infinitive after begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, can’t stand
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “7 Years” (Lukas Graham, 2015)
      Recommended Video: the official lyric video

In the song “7 Years,” the songwriter sings, “I started writing songs. I started writing stories.” The verb start belongs to a group of verbs that can be followed with either a gerund (I started writing songs) or an infinitive (I started to write songs). The interactive worksheet below gives students practice using this group of verbs. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

infinitive or gerund. docx          infinitive or gerund. pdf

• • • Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “Hello” (Adele, 2015); “Crazy” (Willie Nelson, 1961)
      Recommended Videos: Adele’s official video for “Hello”; Patsy Cline’s audio-only video for “Crazy”; Willie Nelson’s audio-only video for “Crazy”; the informal performance of “Crazy” by Allison Young and Josh Turner

In the song “Hello,” Adele repeats the line I’m sorry for breaking your heart three times–a perfect example of using a gerund (breaking) as the object of a preposition (for). The song “Crazy” has many gerunds following the preposition for.

First, have students watch the Talking Heads video at AzarGrammar.com, which explains how gerunds work. Then have them complete the worksheet below. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

preposition + gerund.docx          preposition + gerund.pdf

For more activities to pair with the song “Hello,” please see the Lesson Plan. The lyrics gap-fill exercise below is for the song “Crazy.”  Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only.

Crazy, gerunds.docx          Crazy, gerunds.pdf

• • • Get to Do Something
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “This Town” (Niall Horan, 2016)
      Recommended Video: the official lyric video

The song repeats the phrase “the words I never got to say” twice—a perfect example of using got to meaning had the opportunity to. The interactive activity below gives students practice using get to + a verb in the simple form in conversations about visiting places that have famous landmarks they hope to get to see. All the tasks in the activity lead up to Task #4, in which students offer information about their home countries and famous landmarks there. On the day I field-tested this activity, all of my students were from Mexico, but from different parts of Mexico, and they were eager to describe famous landmarks in their particular region–a museum, pyramids, etc.–and to use those places and landmarks in the dialog. This activity is highly recommended. Permission is granted to reproduce worksheet for classroom use.

get-to-worksheet.docx          get-to-worksheet.pdf

• • • Gotta: Informal Spoken English for Got To
      Level: Low Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “You Gotta Be” (Des’ree, 1994)
      Recommended Video: the official video for “You Gotta Be”

In informal speech, got to is often pronounced gotta. (It is important to tell students that gotta is not used in writing.) Also, the ‘ve is often dropped in I’ve, you’ve, they’ve, and we’ve, as in the song “You Gotta Be.” The interactive exercise below appears to be simple, but there are layers of understanding behind it: Students need to know that I’ve got to means I have to or I need to, and then understand that gotta is substituted for ‘ve got to only in informal spoken English. For this reason, the activity may not be appropriate for lower levels. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

gotta.docx          gotta.pdf

• • • Infinitives as Adjectives
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “Someone You Loved” (Louis Capaldi, 2019); “Easy On Me” (Adele, 2021)
      Recommended Videos: for “Someone You Loved”: the official video or the audio-only video; for “Easy On Me”: the official video or the audio-only video

The chorus of the song “Easy On Me” includes these lyrics: “the chance to feel the world around me” and  “no time to choose.” The song “Someone You Loved” also has repeated examples of infinitives and infinitive phrases used as adjectives (somebody to know, somebody to heal, no one to save me, etc.). In the annotated lyrics for “Someone You Loved” below, that construction is highlighted. (Previewing the lyrics is recommended; some content may not be appropriate for your class.) The worksheet below gives students practice using the construction and would work with either song. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only. Permission is granted to reproduce the worksheet for classroom use.

someone you loved, lyrics.docx          someone you loved, lyrics.pdf

infinitives as adjectives.docx                 infinitives as adjectives.pdf

• • • I’ve Got It and I’ve Got ‘Em
      Level: Low Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Can’t Stop the Feeling” (Justin Timberlake, 2016); “My Girl” (The Temptations, 1965)
      Recommended Video: the official video for “Can’t Stop the Feeling”; the audio-only video for “My Girl”

The song “My Girl” repeats the phrase I’ve got seven times. The song “Can’t Stop the Feeling”  repeats the phrase I got many times. (In informal spoken English, people sometimes drop the ‘ve in I’ve got–they say I got.) In the interactive worksheets below, students practice saying I’ve got it and I’ve got ’em when going over a list of what they’ll take to a picnic, when traveling to Wisconsin, or when traveling to Hawaii. (These worksheets are 3 versions of the same activity–going over a checklist. I use the worksheet that’s most appropriate for the season and students I’m working with.)  Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. Accompany the worksheet with this activity: Distribute common items (a comb, a pen, a magazine, etc.) to students, one item to each student. Ask students, “Who has the _________?” (For example, Who has the comb?) The student who has the item answers, “I’ve got it” and gives it back. For more activities to pair with “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” please see the Lesson Plan.

picnic.docx          picnic.pdf

packing-list-Wisconsin.docx          packing-list-Wisconsin.pdf

packing-list-Hawaii.docx          packing-list-Hawaii.pdf

• • • Must have + past participle
      Level: High Intermediate and Advanced
      Pair with the Song: “No Excuses” (Meghan Trainor, 2018)
      Recommended Video: informal performance with three singers and guitarist

The singer says this song is about respect: “I don’t disrespect you—don’t you disrespect me,” she sings. The line “You must have confused me with someone else” is repeated many times. The worksheet below targets the construction “must have + past participle” to describe past actions that almost certainly happened. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Before students listen, you might say, “Read the first verse of the song. The grammar is not correct because the singer leaves out a word. What is the missing word?” (It’s “are.”)

What _____ you sippin’ on that got you talking crazy?
Lookin’ at me sideways, always coming at me
Why _____ you, why _____ you acting hard when you _____ just a baby?
Boy, I keep it real with you, but you _____ trying to play me

must have.docx          must have.pdf

• • • Noun Clauses
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “As Long As You Love Me” (Backstreet Boys, 1997) and “Wonderful World” (Sam Cooke, 1960)
      Recommended Videos: live 2016 performance of “As Long As You Love Me”; the official lyric video for “Wonderful World”

The topic of noun clauses is usually not addressed until the intermediate or advanced level. Yet the reality is that lower-level students encounter noun clauses regularly in everyday speech, in sentences such as Do you know what time it is? These grammar-based lesson plans for the songs “As Long As You Love Me” and “Wonderful World” give students practice using noun clauses without making it necessary to go into lengthy explanations or even using the words noun clause. (Click on the links to the lesson plans for reproducible worksheets.)

• • • Participial Phrases
      Level: Low Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey, 1981), “She’s Leaving Home” (Beatles, 1967), or “True Colors” (Cyndi Lauper, 1986)
      Recommended Videos: Journey’s live 2016 performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’ in Manila; the Beatles’ live 2008 performance of “She’s Leaving Home” in Moscow; Lauper’s 2019 lyric video or Timberlake’s 2016 lyric video of “True Colors”

There are worksheets on participial phrases in the Lesson Plan for “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the Lesson Plan for “She’s Leaving Home,” and the Lesson Plan for  “True Colors.”

• • • Present Perfect: It’s Been vs. It Was
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with these Songs: “See You Again” (Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, 2015); “Here Comes the Sun” (George Harrison); “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke, 1963)
      Recommended Videos: the official video for “See You Again”; the audio-only video or the official video for “Here Comes the Sun”; the 2016 official lyric video for “A Change Is Gonna Come”

The song “See You Again” repeats the sentence It’s been a long day without you, my friend, “Here Comes the Sun” repeats the phrase it’s been a long, cold lonely winter, and “A Change Is Gonna Come” repeats the sentence it’s been a long time comin’. Point out the use of the present perfect tense (it’s been) to describe a situation that began in the past and continues into the present, contrasting it with the use of the simple past (it was). Because the worksheet below focuses on just the expressions it’s been vs. it was, it can be used for levels as low as high beginning. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For a broader activity, go to AzarGrammar.com for the Chapter 4 intermediate-level worksheet submitted by the teachers at Edmonds Community College titled “Past vs. Present Perfect.” More activities to go with “See You Again,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and “Here Comes the Sun” are in their Lesson Plans.

it was vs. it’s been.docx          it was vs. it’s been.pdf

• • • Present Perfect Progressive Tense (also called present perfect continuous)
      Level: Advanced
      Pair with the Song: “Counting Stars” (OneRepublic, 2013)
      Recommended Video: the lyric video

In the worksheet below, the speakers use the present perfect progressive tense in an everyday conversation at a bus stop to talk about activities that began in the past and continue into the present and to emphasize their duration (using words like for, since, lately, etc.).

pres perfect prog.docx           pres perfect prog.pdf

• • • Present Progressive Tense (also called present continuous)
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Tom’s Diner” (Suzanne Vega, 1987)
      Recommended Videos: Vega’s 1987 a cappella audio-only video; Vega’s 1990 audio-only video; the 2015 cover featuring Britney Spears (The Spears music video does not have all the the present-progressive verbs of the Vega version, and it has an added verse. It works best as the “grand finale” of the lesson.)

The song “Tom’s Diner” is loaded with verbs in the present progressive tense, and the lyrics are easy to understand. If you’re looking for a song to supplement a lesson on this tense, “Tom’s Diner” is a great choice. The grammar-based Lesson Plan includes a worksheet, a chant, and a suggestion for a writing exercise.

• • • Reflexive Pronouns
      Level: Low Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Love Yourself” (Justin Bieber, 2015)
      Recommended Video: the official video (Previewing is advised.)

The song “Love Yourself” repeats the reflexive pronoun yourself eight times. First, have students watch the “Talking Heads” video at AzarGrammar.com, which explains how reflexive pronouns work. Then have students complete the worksheet below. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

reflexive pronouns.docx          reflexive pronouns.pdf

• • • Should Have + Past Participle
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Always on My Mind” (performer: Willie Nelson)
      Recommended Video: the live performance video

The phrase “should have” + past participle is used to express regret for past mistakes. Perhaps no song expresses that sentiment better than “Always on My Mind,” which repeats the phrase several times. The interactive worksheet below gives students practice using the construction.

should have worksheet.docx          should have worksheet.pdf

• • • Simple Past: Changing Verbs from Simple Present to Simple Past
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “I Will Remember You” (Sarah McLachlan, 1999)
      Recommended Video: the official video (The video ends with a romantic kiss; previewing is advised.)

The song “I Will Remember You” invites lessons on both the the simple future and the simple past tenses. (For an exercise using this song to teach the simple future, please see Future with Will: Making Promises.) The worksheet below, “Remembering You,” focuses on the simple past. First, students describe themselves in present-tense sentences. Then their partners change those sentences into the past tense, forming descriptions descendants might use to describe their great-grandparents. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

remembering you.docx          remembering you.pdf

• • • Simple Past Verbs in the Song “And We Sang La Da”
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “And We Sang La Da” (Cynthia Chitko, 1996)
      Recommended Video: the official audio-only video

This song’s clear, straightforward lyrics and slow tempo make it ideal for language learning. But the big bonus is that the song tells a story using 16 verbs in the simple past tense—6 regular and 10 irregular. (The irregular past-tense verbs are: were, couldn’t, caught, drove, fell, heard, said, saw, sang, and stood.) Below is a chart of the verb forms followed by a lyrics cloze exercise targeting the verbs. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only. You can listen to the song at Reverbnation (click on “all songs”) and purchase it from iTunes.

And We Sang La Da, cloze.docx          And We Sang La Da, cloze.pdf

You could follow up by handing out paper and markers and asking 12 student volunteers to illustrate these lines in the song:

• • 1. I drove up to your house.
    2. I saw the lights were on,
    3. And so I parked my car
    4. And walked up to your door.
    5. As I stood outside,
    6. I heard your voice.
    7. And we sang La Da.
    8. You looked out your window, your face full of surprise.
    9. You opened the door
    10. And pulled me in.
    11. As I caught the look within your eyes, you caught the look in mine,
    12. And we fell into a dance across the floor.

As you play the song, the student artists come forward when they hear the line they illustrated. Holding their drawings in front of them, they line up in the correct order.

If you have the ability to project documents in your classroom, you could play the song again while projecting the students’ drawings on a screen one by one, creating an impromptu musical slide show. This created a lot of interest and chuckling in my class, as the drawings were short on finesse (but big on creativity!).

• • • Simple Past Verbs in the Song “Because You Loved Me”
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Because You Loved Me” (Celine Dion, 1996)
      Recommended Video: the live 2011 live performance video

If you’re looking for a song with lots of verbs in the simple past, it doesn’t get much better than this one. It has 19 past-tense verbs, 5 regular and 14 irregular. (The irregular verbs are: was, were, brought, could, found, gave, had, held, let, lost, made, said, saw, and stood.) Below is a chart of the verb forms and a lyrics cloze exercise targeting the verbs. The verbs are repeated throughout the song, so students will write the past-tense forms a total of 66 times. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only.

because-you-loved-me-cloze.docx          because-you-loved-me-cloze.pdf

• • • Simple Past Verbs in the Song “The Castle on the Hill”
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “The Castle on the Hill” (Ed Sheerhan, 2017)
    • Recommended Video: the official lyric video (There are references to alcohol and smoking in this song; previewing is advised.)

This song has 13 verbs in the simple past tense, 5 regular and 8 irregular (was, broke, found, got, had, left, lost, and made). Below is a chart of the verb forms and a lyrics cloze exercise targeting the verbs. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

castle-cloze-past.docx          castle-cloze-past.pdf

• • • Simple Past Verbs in the Song “Lost Boy”
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Lost Boy” (Ruth B., 2016)
      Recommended Video: the official video

This song has 14 verbs in the simple past tense–7 regular and 7 irregular. (Irregular past-tense verbs are: was, came, had, hit, said, saw, told.) Below is a chart of those verb forms followed by a lyrics cloze exercise targeting the verbs. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only. For more activities to pair with this song, please see the Lesson Plan.

Lost Boy, cloze.docx          Lost Boy, cloze.pdf

• • • Simple Past Verbs in the Song “This Town”
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “This Town” (Niall Horan, 2016)
      Recommended Video: the official lyric video

This song has 6 verbs in the simple past tense–1 regular and 5 irregular. (Irregular past-tense verbs are: were, got, met, saw, and thought.) Below is a chart of the verb forms followed by a lyrics cloze exercise targeting the verbs. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only. This song can also be used as a springboard to practice the construction “to get to do something.” (It repeats the phrase the words I never got to say twice.) An interactive worksheet is on this page under “Get to Do Something.”

this-town-cloze.docx          this-town-cloze.pd   

• • • Simple Past Verbs in the Song “Underdog”
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Underdog” (Alicia Keys, 2020)
      Recommended Video: the official lyric video  (This video is in English, but it is subtitled in many other languages as well. Search “Alicia Keys Underdog lyric video” + the language you’re looking for.)

The gap-fill exercise below targets the past-tense forms in the song. (Most are in the first verse.) Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational use only. You’ll find more ideas for using this song in the Lesson Plan.

Underdog, simple past.docx          Underdog, simple past.pdf

• • • Third Person Singular: Mistakes in the Song “Memories” by Maroon 5
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Memories” (Maroon 5, 2019)
      Recommended Videos: the official audio-only video; the official video

Based on the melody of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, this song was written in memory of the band’s manager and close friend, who died in 2017. The song has a few grammatical mistakes (mainly dropping the final s in third person singular) that can be exploited for a grammar lesson. In the worksheet below, students find the mistakes and correct them. The song also works well as a springboard for a discussion about people that were important parts of our lives. Some ideas for structuring the discussion are in the Lesson Plan for the song.
Note: The lyrics mention “drinks,” but not specifically alcoholic drinks. Teachers who avoid songs that refer to alcoholic beverages may find this reference vague enough to be acceptable, but only individual teachers can make this judgment.

memories, lyrics with mistakes.docx          memories, lyrics with mistakes.pdf

• • • Used to +  a Verb in the Simple Form
      Level: High Beginning and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Somebody That I Used to Know” (Gotye, 2011)
      Recommended Videos: the official audio-only video or the cover by Pentatnix for “Somebody That I Used to Know”; the official lyric video for “Invisible String”

      The song “Somebody That I Used to Know” repeats the title phrase nine times, and Swift’s song repeats the phrase “used to” three times in the first verse. You could follow up with a Draw-Write-Share Activity. (Please see Activity #3: Class Discussion on a Song’s Theme for more on the Draw-Write-Share concept.) Ask students to draw a picture of what they used to do or how they used to be. Under their drawing, they complete the sentence “I used to _____________________, but now I _____________________.” Then they share their drawing and their writing with a partner. Or students could practice “used to” with the worksheet below.

      changes.docx          changes.pdf

• • • Used to vs. Would
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Another Day of Sun” (from the movie La La Land, 2016)
      Recommended Videos: Please see the Lesson Plan for suggested videos; there are many excellent performances from all over the world. To preview the song, you can listen to an an audio-only version on YouTube.

In this song, the singer imagines that she becomes a famous Hollywood actress and that her boyfriend from her hometown will see her face in a movie and “think of how he used to know me.” Earlier in the song, she says that on summer nights, she and her boyfriend would go to a movie theater and “We’d sink into our seats.” Explain that we’d is a contraction for we would. Would is used to describe actions done repeatedly and regularly in the past. What is the difference between used to and would? Used to + the simple form of a verb is used to emphasize that the activity was done in the past but is not done anymore. Would + the simple form of a verb is used to emphasize that the action was done repeatedly and often. Here are three possibilities for practicing the difference between these two constructions:

• • 1. On the website of the British Council, there is an explanation that contrasts used to, would, and the simple past. It is followed by a short (5-item) quiz. (To fill in the quiz, students need to click twice for each answer–first on the answer, and then on the blank space the answer goes in.)
    2. If you use the Azar Grammar series, there is an exercise contrasting would and used to on p. 200 of the Fourth Edition.
    3. The straightforward exercise below gives students practice with used to and would. Permission granted to duplicate for classroom use.

used to vs. would.docx          used to vs. would.pdf

You’ll find annotated lyrics and more activities in the Lesson Plan for this song.

• • • Verbs in the Simple Form in the Song “I Don’t Care”
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “I Don’t Care” (Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, 2019)
      Recommended Videos: the official lyric video; the audio-only video; Sheeran’s audio-only video

You’ll find annotated lyrics and more activities in the Lesson Plan for this song.

I don’t care.docx          I don’t care.pdf

• • • Verb Tense Review with the Song “Tucson Train”
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Song: “Tucson Train” (Bruce Springsteen, 2019)
      Recommended Video: the official video

The gap-fill lyrics worksheet below targets these verb tenses in the song: simple present, present continuous, simple past, present perfect, and future with will.

Tucson Train, verb tenses.docx          Tucson Train, verb tenses.pdf

• • • Wanna: Informal Spoken English for Want To
      Level: Low Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “Something Just Like This” (The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, 2017); “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles, 1963); “Brave” (Sara Bareilles, 2013)
      Recommended Videos: the official lyric video for “Something Like This”; the official video for “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (a TV performance); the Beatles’ audio-only video; Himesh Patel’s performance from the 2019 movie Yesterday; the official video for “Brave”
      

These songs repeat the contraction wanna—a pronunciation of want to that is rarely included in grammar books or practiced in the classroom but is common in informal spoken English. The interactive exercise below gives students practice using the contraction in short dialogs with a friend. Permission is granted to reproduce the activity for classroom use. (This activity, though simple, is not recommended for beginning levels; students should be rock-solid in the use of want to before trying this pronunciation.) You’ll find more lesson plan ideas for the song “Something Like This” in the Lesson Plan.

wanna for want to.docx          wanna for want to.pdf

• • • Wish + Simple Past: Making a Wish About the Present 
      Level: Intermediate and Up
      Pair with the Songs: “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” (Nina Simone); “Stressed Out” (Twenty-One Pilots, 2016)
      Recommended Videos: the official video for “Stressed Out”; the audio-only video for “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free“

The construction wish + simple past is used to make a wish about the present; that is, to express the idea that we want a present situation to be different. (On the VOA website, there is a clear explanation of the uses of the verb wish.) The song “Stressed Out” repeats the construction ten times (I wish I had a better voice, Wish we could turn back time, etc.), and Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” uses it nine times. The worksheet below gives students practice with this construction.

wish worksheet.docx         wish worksheet.pdf

Follow up with the Memory Circle game. First, choose one of the sentences below and have students complete it in writing.

I wish I had _______________________________.
I wish I could _______________________________.
I wish I didn’t have to _______________________________.

Students form a circle and follow the steps below. (A circle should not contain more than 12 students, so they may need to form several circles.)

• • • • • • 1. Student 1 says the sentence he/she wrote. (For example, I wish I had more time to study.)
            2. Student 2 repeats what Student 1 said. (For example, Maria wishes she had more time to study.)
            3. Student 2 then adds his/her own sentence. (For example, I wish I had a new car.)
            4. Student 3 repeats what Students 1 and 2 said. (For example, Maria wishes she had more time to study. Yoshi wishes he had a new car.)
            5. Student 3 adds his/her own sentence.
            6. Students continue going around the circle, repeating what the other students said, in order, and then adding his/her own sentence.
            7. After the last student says all the sentences, ask students to give him/her a round of applause. (It’s not easy to be the last student!)

For more activities to pair with these songs, please see the Lesson Plans page.

Phoebus is present: glad he is to sing a merry song; Now helps the work, now full of hope upon the harp doth play; The Sisters listen to the song that charms their toil away.

Each was expressing itself in its own way,singing its own song, and making its own peculiar gestures,manifesting a richness of variety to be found in no other forest I have yet seen.

The wood—cutter‘s hut was perched upon an eminence a little out of the public path; but he heard the merry songs of his comrades as they proceeded gaily to the place of rendezvous, at the Golden Stag in the village below.

I have written a great many songs, among them «The Blue and the Gray,« «Good old Days of Yore,« and some others that I cannot remember now.

He is half mad with triumphhe chants a crazy sing—song about revenge, revenge, revenge!

« He struck a few chords and was beginning his song when a low groan made him spring to his feet.

sighed Sir Jocelyn, and so fell once more to humming his song beneath his breath.

She listened to the birds with delight, and knew their songs; she loved flowers and liked people to describe them to her; and she was fond of making expeditions to the fields and meadows.

After she finished the song, she closed her eyes in sheer ecstasy and heaved a long, contented sigh.

The table was covered with red and yellow flowers and splendid gold plate, and a very good orchestra of guitars and mandolins played all through dinner, the musicians singing sometimes when they played a popular song.

David, under God‘s inspiration, composed those noble songs of praise, the Psalms, and organised choirs for their rendering.

My tale is finished, here I end my song, And publish forth my name along with it; It is Ben Sahla.

And when the plates were cleared away and only the pipes and wine remained, Peyronie sang us a song in French, and Spiltdorph one in German, and Polson one in Gaelic, and old Christopher Gist, who stuck in his head to see what was toward, was pressed to pay for his entertainment by giving us a Cherokee war—song, which he did with much fire and spirit.

join every living soul, Beneath the spacious temple of the sky, In adoration join; and ardent raise One general song!

Now WILLIAM, he had learnt a song That pleased him very much: He didn’t know that it was wrong To carol any such.

Yes, the bluebird, the Owaissa, Envious, said, «O Chibiabos, Teach me tones as wild and wayward, Teach me songs as full of frenzy!«

I tried to remember her song, and hummed it assiduously till I got some kind of version, which I shouted in my tuneless voice.

Oh, but won’t he bring up some songs some evening, for them to try over?

«Certainly, tell me which song you would like to sing best.

« «Perhaps some things are like« she began, almost dancing along by his side, so relieved that she could have poured out a song for joy.

Echo will not now repeat the songs of the woodmen; she merely murmurs some snatches of the ‘remembered lay‘ of Adonais.

And all night long they sailed away; And when the sun went down, They whistled and warbled a moony song To the echoing sound of a coppery gong, In the shade of the mountains brown.

«But the flowers and the trees are in the song,« she said, «or perhaps, Erick, you have forgotten the song and do not know how it goes?«

In the same category one may find the songs which are peculiar to the women, «couplets with which they accompany themselves in their dances; the songs, the complaints which one hears them repeat during whole hours in a rather slow and monotonous rhythm while they are at their household labors, turning the hand—mill, spinning and weaving cloths, and composed by the women, both words and music.

And he read the song of gratitude which Hannah sang; and which says: «Who is it who maketh poor and maketh rich, and bringeth low and exalteth, how the poor shall be raised up out of the dust, and how, in his own might, no man shall be strong.«

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The verb be is a very special verb in English. It is the most common verb of all verbs. After the word «the», it is the most common word in English. It does not obey most of the rules that apply to all other verbs. It has 8 forms, while all other verbs have only 3, 4 or 5. And (like «have» and «do») it can be both a main verb and an auxiliary verb. Be really is «top dog», as Jonathan Taylor discovers in his Be Verb Rock Star Song below.

Can you count the be verbs in this song?

LYRICS: