Proper Adjectives, Part 2
2022-08-27
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will continue to answer a question from Gustavo in Brazil about describing his teacher using the linking verb "be" and other adjectives.
2Hello, my name is Gustavo, from Brazil.
3I have been learning English with you for many years.
4Thank you for all of the stories!
5I have a question. I want to say, "my Spanish teacher" meaning "my teacher from Spain".
6Then I realized that it could also mean "my teacher that teaches Spanish language classes."
7So, which is it? Does it mean both?
8Thank you very much for reading my message!
9Thanks once again, Gustavo, for the question.
10Last week we looked at two ways to describe your teacher.
11The first way was with proper adjectives.
12We use the proper adjective of a language, like "Spanish," to describe teachers or students of a language.
13The second way we can describe your teacher is to talk about where they are from, using the preposition "from."
14This can be useful if you want to be exact about where they were born or are "from."
15So, if your teacher does not teach Spanish, then using "from" is a better choice. You can say,
16My teacher is from Spain.
17We also have two other ways we can describe your teacher in a bit more detail.
18We can also use the linking verb "be."
19For example,
20My teacher is Spanish.
21Here we use the linking verb "be" and the proper adjective of "Spanish" after the verb.
22This means that the teacher is of Spanish heritage or culture.
23But, be careful. This does not always mean that the teacher is "from" Spain.
24They could have been born somewhere else but have Spanish parents.
25Heritage and culture are not always the same as a person's nationality or where they were born.
26In the US, we commonly use this kind of expression when we talk about where our families or ancestors come from since many Americans consider their heritage to be from other parts of the world.
27For example,
28My friend Pedro is Puerto Rican.
29Lena's family is Polish, but she is American.
30We can use an additional adjective to describe what kind of teacher you have if they do not teach a language.
31We can then combine this with the linking verb "be" and say where they are from.
32For example,
33My economics teacher is from India.
34Their French teacher is from Canada.
35Remember, it is sometimes small details that ensure your meaning is understood and mistakes are avoided.
36Please let us know if these new explanations and examples this week have helped you, Gustavo!
37What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
38And that's Ask a Teacher.
39I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will continue to answer a question from Gustavo in Brazil about describing his teacher using the linking verb "be" and other adjectives. 2Question: 3Hello, my name is Gustavo, from Brazil. 4I have been learning English with you for many years. Thank you for all of the stories! 5I have a question. I want to say, "my Spanish teacher" meaning "my teacher from Spain". Then I realized that it could also mean "my teacher that teaches Spanish language classes." 6So, which is it? Does it mean both? 7Thank you very much for reading my message! 8Gustavo 9Answer: 10Thanks once again, Gustavo, for the question. 11Last week we looked at two ways to describe your teacher. The first way was with proper adjectives. We use the proper adjective of a language, like "Spanish," to describe teachers or students of a language. The second way we can describe your teacher is to talk about where they are from, using the preposition "from." This can be useful if you want to be exact about where they were born or are "from." 12So, if your teacher does not teach Spanish, then using "from" is a better choice. You can say, 13My teacher is from Spain. 14We also have two other ways we can describe your teacher in a bit more detail. 15The linking verb "be" 16We can also use the linking verb "be." For example, 17My teacher is Spanish. 18Here we use the linking verb "be" and the proper adjective of "Spanish" after the verb. This means that the teacher is of Spanish heritage or culture. But, be careful. This does not always mean that the teacher is "from" Spain. They could have been born somewhere else but have Spanish parents. Heritage and culture are not always the same as a person's nationality or where they were born. 19In the US, we commonly use this kind of expression when we talk about where our families or ancestors come from since many Americans consider their heritage to be from other parts of the world. For example, 20My friend Pedro is Puerto Rican. 21Lena's family is Polish, but she is American. 22Using other adjectives 23We can use an additional adjective to describe what kind of teacher you have if they do not teach a language. We can then combine this with the linking verb "be" and say where they are from. For example, 24My economics teacher is from India. 25Their French teacher is from Canada. 26Remember, it is sometimes small details that ensure your meaning is understood and mistakes are avoided. 27Please let us know if these new explanations and examples this week have helped you, Gustavo! 28What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 29And that's Ask a Teacher. 30I'm Faith Pirlo. 31Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 32____________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34realize - v. to understand or become aware of something 35heritage - n. the traditions, beliefs, and important things that were done that are part of the history of a group or nation 36____________________________________________________________________ 37Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 38Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.