(This posting includes a handout which you are welcome to use with your students.)*
A tutor recently told me about her student who was confused by “where” and “which.” She was wondering how I would approach this student’s question. He had two sentences:
Shanghai is a city which has a population of eight million people.
Shanghai is a city where eight million people live.
Having a purpose.
(This posting includes a handout which you are welcome to use with your students.)*
One reason that ESL students often take so much time reading a passage is because they think that they need to understand all the information. As a result, many of them tend to cover a text in translation of every word that they are not familiar with. We have often heard of international students staying up until 2 a.m. trying to complete reading assignments in their academic courses.
This can change if they know in advance the purpose of the reading assignment.
