A conditional clause in English grammar often uses “if” before the subject.  Many of the verbs following an “if” expression use modal auxiliary verbs like “would” or “could.”

What “if” you won a million dollars?  Student essays can give us some ideas.

An NYEA student writes:

 If I won $1,000,000, I would buy an office in New York. [Editor’s note: Good Luck!]  Then I would like to start a new job by myself.  [Eventually], I would like to buy a house in New York, if I could make enough [additional] money.  Also, I would buy a beautiful house for my parents in Japan.

Next, I would try to get a green card from the USA.  If I could get a green card, I would be happy.

Then, if I had enough money at that time, I would make a donation for orphans in Japan.  …I should make a donation.  It would make me happier!

Another student writes:

If I won a lot of money, I would think I’m the luckiest person in the world.  It would be exciting because I could do many things.

…I would give some [of the money] to my parents.  I would buy a house in Thailand for my family and I would like to buy a house in Manhattan; I wouldn’t have to pay every month to rent an apartment.

…I would give some money to poor people; that would make me happy because I could help them and make their lives better.

In one of our levels, the students were writing essays about what they would do if they won a million dollars.  Here is an example:

First of all, I would buy a house for my mother and I would hire someone to help her with cleaning the house and cooking.

Then I would travel around the world, but I [especially] want to visit Africa because I would become a volunteer and help other people, [in particular] children.  I love kids and I feel sad when I am watching TV and see kids crying and hungry.

So I would open an association for helping these people with [their] primary needs.

After that, I would buy a truck because my husband is a driver; he has never driven a truck, but I know he would love it.

…My main idea is that for the rest of my life, I would feel safe – myself and my family – and I would not have to worry about money.

 New York English Academy

An NYEA student is thinking about starting her own business – or maybe just dreaming about it:

I would like to have my own business in the future.  One day, when I have an investment and experience, I would like to open a coffee and bakery café, because I love the taste and smell of coffee.  I like [it] when they draw the coffee foam.  I will create and make fancy coffee in my café.  I [hope] my customers will like it.  Also my café will have many kinds of cakes, breads and cookies.  I will look for a good location for my café.  I think I will decorate my café in vintage style because I like it and it makes me feel relaxed.  I would like to make my customers happy and comfortable when they come to my café.  I hope they will like my coffee and my bakery also.

Another student has another kind of café in mind as her dream business:

Starting your own business is something that you may not have thought about.  But as for me, I do have my own business dream.  I would like to open my own pet café, a place where you can bring your own pet, such as cats, dogs, birds, rats, pigs – even snakes! – to the café and they can have a meal with you at the table in the café.  That would be a very good chance for the pets’ owners and their pets to get some socialization with other pets. In my café, full services such as grooming, pet-sitting, pet-walking, pet supplies, pet food – also a pet mate program – will be provided.

I think that would be nice for pet lovers because nowadays most pet owners think their pets are more than just animals, but also part of the family.

 New York English Academy

Students at New York English Academy often tell us in classroom discussion how their English skills can help them with their employment.  Writing about her dream job, Gabriela envisions a position in the advertising business:

When I was a girl, I used to watch ads on TV, [as well as] American movies and TV shows in which some of the characters worked creating ads.  I thought I would like that [kind of a] job because it looked like fun.  At that time, I started to dream of working as an account executive in an advertising agency in New York City.

Following my dream, I went to college to study Advertising and Marketing Communications.  Meanwhile, I got an internship is an advertising agency and part of my dream started to become true.  After graduating from college, I continued to work in the agency.  I started as the “low man on the totem pole”, but I worked hard.  Little by little, I got better positions until I got a position as an executive account senior.

At that time, part of my dream had become true.  However, in order to achieve my whole dream, I should get a job in New York, but it would not be easy.  After a few years to think about it, I decided to come to the United States, first to learn English, then to apply for a post-graduate position in Business Administration.  [Later] there will be many other obstacles to overcome, but I will take care of one thing at a time.

I know that to achieve my goals and get my dream job will not be easy.  However, I like to believe that every day it is closer to becoming true.  Right now it does not matter if I get it or not because I will always be proud of myself for doing everything I could to achieve my dream.

New York English Academy

An interesting discussion often arises when students are asked in what city they would want to live if they had to move, for example, to get a good job.  If they could get the proper visas, many choose New York City – no surprise here! – or other places like Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans  – even Portland, Oregon.  Favorite cities in other parts of the world are Paris, Rome, Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Montreal, and a number of others.

An effective job search requires an honest assessment of one’ skills, desired job settings or environment, and the rewards that are offered.

Among skills that are important are working well with people, computer literacy, understanding how people interact.

Work environment can include indoors/outdoors, office positions, city/suburbs/countryside.

Job rewards result from a decent living wage, medical benefits, retirement, getting to know people, seeing people learn.

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Depending on an English learner’s first language, descriptive adjectives are not difficult to form.  There is no singular and plural spelling, and masculine/feminine/neuter gender remain the same:  for example, tasty hot dog – tasty hot dogs, friendly man, friendly woman, friendly child, friendly restaurant.  The same convenience applies to possessive adjectives:  his job/her job/their job/his jobs/her jobs/their jobs.

See, English is not always so difficult!

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On the topic of money and finances, Tuna, an Academy student from Istanbul, has put together some thoughts on spending:

                Managing money can be a difficult task at times.  It is always good to make a plan.

I have $2500 to spend on my new apartment.  There are certain things that I need.  The three most expensive that I will purchase will be a CD player, a video game player, and a large floor rug.  The least expensive will be a bookcase and a used couch.

I’ll enjoy designing my apartment.

 NEW YORK ENGLISH ACADEMY

Do you like living in a city, suburb, countryside? Why or why not?  Federica, who comes from Messina, Sicily, shares her thoughts on this topic.  (Her ESL teacher has checked her spelling, grammar, and punctuation and has offered corrections with light editing):

I like in a small town in the South of Italy.  Sometimes I think that is perfect for me.  I know all of my neighbors; the stores are [very] close to my house; there isn’t [much] traffic; and there is a great sense of community.  But often I have thought that it is so boring because nothing happens.  Maybe this is the reason [for me] to move myself [interesting expression!] from a small town to a metropolis like New York.  I like meeting different people from many countries and [hearing] different languages.

I love the architecture of [New York City].  It isn’t clean [the author’s opinion], I know, and it is noisy, but it is called “the city that never [sleeps]” for this reason!  I love walking in the street and raising my eyes to the sky to see the tall buildings.  It offers something new to do at all hours.  It’s so big, but there is a lot of public transportation to move [around] every part of the city.  It is [sometimes] not safe, especially in [certain] areas.  All big cities have [positive and negative aspects]; you have to take the best things!  At this time, I prefer to live in a big city.  Maybe, when I am old and tired, I will move to an isolated and quiet place like the countryside!

Your instructors at New York English Academy will help you improve your English skills in every area: speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, and – perhaps the most challenging of all – writing!

 New York English Academy

Many students come to PC TECH/New York English Academy to improve their careers with an enhanced knowledge of English.

Ona is originally from Lithuania but has become a citizen of the United States.  She writes about her career in medicine:

I have twenty years of experience working as a histology laboratory technician.  But I love working more as a private nurse because of the wide variety of patients whom I get to care for.

I have the opportunity to care for all types of patients, from newborns to the elderly.  I get the opportunity work with a lot of different cases, with a variety of illnesses and diseases.  I feel like I can make a difference in people’s lives when they might feel helpless.

            I love what I do!  Helping others is a very self-fulfilling and satisfying feeling.

Carolina from Colombia tells us about her career:

I am a corporate lawyer in an international investment banking company with a branch in New York City.  The branch in Colombia arranged a transfer of my position to this city.

I study English in the morning and I work in the afternoon.  My desk is at Lexington Avenue and 53^rd Street, on the 57^th floor.  The view of New York is wonderful!

My current job is very good because my company does business in different places of the world: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and seven other cities in Brazil; Medellin and Bogotá in Colombia; Hong Kong; London; Lima; Santiago de Chile; Switzerland; and the state of Delaware in the United States.

            The employers can make transfers between different cities and countries of the world.  Their employees can learn business culture worldwide: asset and wealth management, private equity, investment banking, merchant banking, fixed income, currencies, commodities, etc.

I’m so happy in my job!

PC TECH English teachers are happy to help you improve your formal and informal writing and conversation skills.  In each level you will be given a weekly writing assignment so that your instructor can evaluate your progress.

PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Luana comes to PC TECH from Brazil.  She would like to share with you her thoughts about English for career advancement:

             It is no secret that today English is a very important – perhaps the most important – of all the languages.  We cannot deny that people who speak English fluently are seen by the community as a determining factor in their careers.

There are many advantages to having English as a second or third language.  Many studies conducted in countries where English is not the official language show that people who can speak English get better jobs.  The English language is now considered the most widely used language for trade agreements, travel, internet, books, magazines, and myriads of other things.

For those who wish to attain a PhD in some science, knowing English is essential.  After all, it is the language in which most science books and articles are published.

For people who like to travel, English provides the ability to communicate with anyone in any situation.

If we also compare the information on the internet, we see that there is more information in English than in any other language, regardless of your interests.

There is also the fact that speaking English at times when a county plans to organize and host large international events, and aspires to prominent positions with the world – like Brazil now – is the best guarantee of professional, academic, and personal opportunities, and enhanced possibilities for connecting and networking.

I believe that English is already a fundamentally [important] language and that in the future, its importance will only increase.  For those who speak English, there will be many opportunities.  Learning English is a matter of choice, but we cannot deny its advantages.

PC TECH English teachers are happy to help you improve your formal and informal writing and conversation skills.  In each level you will be given a weekly writing assignment so that your instructor can evaluate your progress.

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

PC TECH English teachers are happy to help you improve your formal and informal writing and conversation skills.  In each level you will be given a weekly writing assignment so that your instructor can evaluate your progress:

Rie from Japan has written about the vacation of her dreams.  Her teacher has helped check her spelling, grammar, and syntax:

             I am planning to take a trip to Italy during next summer’s vacation.  In fact, this is a dream that I have had for a long time.

I had already bought a “Vintage Vespa”  before I graduated from high school, and I have been interested in Italy ever since.  The food, wine, leather goods, atmosphere of the cities, passionate people…everything fascinating for me!

When I arrive there, I will want to do many things.

First, I’ll go to Venice to do some sightseeing by gondola; then to Rome, to one of the most famous tourist spots [in the world]:  St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  I would like to see the many art objects…and take a lot of photos.

            Next, there is a bargains sale called the “Saldi” twice a year, in summer and in winter.  I’ll be sure to go there; I know I could get many cute items.  At night, I’ll have a good dinner with dry white Italian wine while listening to live music.  I get really excited even just imagining that!

I hope I can [start] a romantic relationship there.  (Ha, ha! Just joking.)

Finally, I expect it would be a great vacation (which) will be good [travel] experience.

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Madchat the cat is a product of the imagination of Ernest, one of our French students.  Here are his further adventures, continued from a previous blog post:

             My name is Madchat and I live in Brooklyn.  [Here is my story.]

I was a nice sunny afternoon in September.  Oligane, E-male, Snowcat and I were sitting in the shadow of a tree in Green-Wood Cemetery.  We were waiting for [our friend] Suchi, and we were talking about everything and nothing.  Oligane was speaking to us about Catmelodie, his neighbor.  Oligane’s story made us dream and imagine a nice meeting.  Catmelodie is a thin, young, beautiful, and elegant cat.  She has big blue-green eyes, and when she slowly turned her face and threw us a glance,…then anything could happen!

But there was a problem with her:  Catmelodie has a furious temper.

            Suddenly we saw Suchi coming to us limping.  As he was [coming through] the cemetery, we saw that he had a bandage around his head.  When he came near us, we saw that one of his eyes was covered with it.

Suchi was very angry.  He was speaking [to himself] and he did a lot of gesticulating.  We looked at him.  We were between laughter and questioning.  Then E-male said to him, “Gee boy, what happened?  You look like you came out of a Vitamix Blender because you look like a smoothie!”

In fact, Suchi had gone to the dentist.  In the dentist’s waiting room, he met Catmelodie.  He tried to propose a date.  “She threw me like a wild animal! I thought she wanted to kill me!  When she had finished with me, she returned to her chair; she made as if nothing had happened.  She was like a mad dog!”  exclaimed Suchi.

Then I, Madchat, thought that relations between male and female will always be complicated!

PC TECH English teachers are happy to help you improve your formal and informal writing and conversation skills.

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City

Rie is an ESL student from Japan.  She has scripted a dialogue in which two engaged people are planning a dream vacation.  The students in her class then had a lot of fun taking turns performing this role-play.

PC TECH English teachers are happy to help you improve your formal and informal writing and conversation skills:

             Alexa:  Hi, Honey.  How are you doing?

Michel:  I’m pretty good.  What’s up?

A:  I’ve been thinking about our anniversary for a few days.  What are we going to do?

M:  Oh yeah, what do you want to do?

A:  Well, I’d like to go to Disneyland when the weather is fine.  I think we should book a   flight.  What do you think about it?

M:  Umm…I prefer to go somewhere else by car because driving is fun and cheaper than flying.

A:  But you know if we take the airplane, we won’t waste time.  We could be relaxed and rested.

M:  Let’s see…I’m going to check my schedule.  Oh I’m sorry, I can’t make it that day.  I’m supposed to meet my client and take him to golf.

A:  You kidding me?!  I remember that you said that you have the day off.  Don’t make excuses.  Why did you lie to me?  Is there anything you are hiding from me?

M:  Nothing!  I just don’t want to spend money on [an expensive trip].

A:  I can’t believe what you said…(sobbing)

M:  Oh, don’t cry.  I made you feel so bad….I really hate to tell you this, but I’ll tell you my secret.  Actually, I have severe claustrophobia.  You might not know people who have the same problem as I do, afraid to fly.  Even though I should have said something earlier, I couldn’t say it for shame.

A:  Are you serious?  I’m sorry to hear that.  Don’t worry, I won’t judge you.  Thank you for telling me honestly; otherwise, I would hate you in the future.

M:  Thanks.  We can still do something special?

A:  Of course!  Let’s do it.

 PC TECH: English Language School in New York City