All I want to do is BANG BANG BANG
And CLICK KA-CHING
And take your money

Grammar: Zero Conditional

I fly like paper. Get high like planes.
If you catch me at the border, I got visas in my name.
If you come around here, I make them all day.
I get one done in a second if you wait.

The song’s first verse has several examples of some grammar called the zero conditional. A conditional sentence usually contains the words if/when and then, and we use it to discuss the results of a situation, fact or idea. Use the zero conditional to discuss a result that is always true, such as simple, scientific facts. The result of the condition is 100% true, and the result never changes.

In order to make the zero conditional, use the simple present verb tense.

If + subject + simple present verb, subject + simple present  verb.

• If you catch me at the border, I have visas in my  name.
• If you come around here,  I make them all day.
• If you wait, I get one done in a second.

In the above examples, the IF CONDITION is first, and the result is second. In this case, use COMMAS to separate the clauses. It is also possible to write/say the result first, but you do not need a comma. 

• I get one done in a second if you wait.
• I have visas in my name if you catch me at the border.
• I make them all day if you come around here.

Vocabulary

• paper planes (noun) – a slang expression for visas, which are legal documents for entering, residing and working in foreign countries. Paper planes might also be slang for joints/spliffs, which are cigarettes rolled with marijuana.
• bona fide (adjective) – A Latin phrase that means authentic or genuine. It is always used immediately before a noun.
• hustler (noun) – a person who earns money illegally.
• bong (noun) – a water pipe that is commonly used for smoking marijuana.
• swagger (noun) – If somebody has swagger, they are very sophisticated in fashion and behavior.
• burner (noun) – an inexpensive, pre-paid mobile phone. Criminals often use these phones and then throw them away to evade the police.

Biography from the Hip Hop Smithsonian 

ESLhiphop is proud to be partners with the Hip Hop Smithsonian, which is an online, virtual museum that catalogs and preserves the birth and evolution of hip-hop. Learn more about the life and music of Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, a.k.a. M.I.A., in this exceptionally comprehensive biography. Click the picture below!

The post Zero Conditional and Vocabulary with M.I.A. appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

In “You Don’t Know Me”, T.I. explains that he is successful because of hard work and talent, and he is upset when people claim responsibility for his success.

You might have seen me in the streets, but you don’t know me.
When you holler when you speak, remember, you don’t know me.
Save all the hating and the popping. You don’t know me.
Quit telling people you my partner. You don’t know me.
Don’t be a group. Keep it moving. You don’t know me.

Grammar: Perfect Modal Verbs

You might have seen me in the streets, but you don’t know me.

English has several modal verbs, including: can, could, will, would, may, might, must, and should. We normally use modal verbs to describe the present and future, but we can also use it for past actions and situations. To use modal verbs in the past:

Subject + modal + have + past participle.

Subject + modal + have + not + past participle.

Modal + subject + have + past participle?

Meaning of Perfect Modals

The meaning of Perfect Modals is sometimes different than present or future modal verbs.

•  I could have gone with my friends to Europe if I had saved more money. We would have had a great time!
  • Use could have / would have for unrealistic past possibilities.
  • This grammar is called the third conditional.
• My friend has been in school for a very long time. I don’t know if she will graduate in the summer, but she will have certainly graduated by December.
  • Use will have to discuss an expected completed action in the future.
  • This grammar is also called the future perfect.
• You might have seen me in the streets, but you don’t know me. You may have met my friends, but you still don’t know me!
  • Use may have / might have for realistic past possibilities. 
• I feel so sick right now! I shouldn’t have eaten that smelly sushi! We should have gone to the pizza restuarant.
  • Use should have to express regrets.
• The diamond ring is beautiful! It must have cost you a fortune!
  • Use must have to make logical deductions.
  • Unlike might have / might have, use must have if you are 100% certain about a situation based on facts, evidence or logic.
• I can have gone with my friends to Europe.
  • The verb can is not possible. Use could have instead.

Pronunciation and Writing

In spoken and written English, people often contract the modal and the verb have. Here are some common contractions

• could have = could’ve = /kʊdəv/
  
• would have = would’ve = /wʊdəv/
• should have = should’ve = /ʃʊdəv/
• must have = must’ve = /məstəv/
• might have = /maɪtəv/
  • Most people don’t write might’ve
  • In the song, T.I. pronounces it like /maɪtə/
• may have = /meɪəv/
  • Most people don’t write may’ve
• will have = will’ve  = /wɪləv/
  • will’ve is not possible

Discussion Questions

What is success? In your opinion, who is a successful person? Do successful people have a lot of money and a big house? Why are people attracted to success? Do you think people become jealous and insecure over the success of another person? Please write your comments below!

The post Learn English Grammar: Perfect Modals with T.I. appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

poetic justice (noun) – a situation in which something bad happens to somebody, and you think that this is what they deserve.

You live life on an everyday basis
With poetic justice, poetic justice
If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?
I mean, I write poems in these songs dedicated to you.
When you’re in the mood for empathy, there’s blood in my pen.

Grammar: Second Conditional

If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?

Use the second conditional for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future.

If + subject + simple past verb, subject + would + base verb

If + subject + simple past verb, would + subject + base verb?

• If I had $10,000,000, I would quit my job. I don’t have ten million dollars, and I probably won’t have that money soon. This situation is unreal.
• If I lived in Colombia, I would learn  Spanish very quickly. I live in California with my wife. She loves California, and she will be upset if we leave. 
• If I were President of the United States, I would listen to international students. I am not the President, and I will probably never be one!
  • Normally, I was / You were / She was / We were / They were
  • In the second conditional, always use were, even if the subject is first or third person.

Vocabulary

• high maintenance (adjective) – needing a lot of attention or effort. My last girlfriend was very high maintenance. She constantly texted me, and she always demanded expensive gifts.
  
• poetic justice (noun) – a situation in which something bad happens to somebody, and you think that this is what they deserve. He left his wife and children to join a band, and he died during his first performance. It’s poetic justice!
• game (noun) – one’s ability to attract a man or a woman. He has so many girlfriends because his game is tight! 
• test someone’s patience (idiom) – to make somebody feel impatient. I was sitting next to a man, and his nagging questions during the flight were really testing my patience.
• one-off (adjective) – made or happening only once and not regularly. Her boyfriend is not very honest. He always has these one off romances with other women!
  
• taboo (noun) – a cultural or religious custom that prohibits certain behavior or beliefs. Working on a Sunday is a taboo in California. 
• fatal attraction (noun) – being attracted to the wrong person for you; the consequences of an attraction will probably cause problems.

Discussion Questions

Do you know somebody who has experienced poetic justice? If something bad happened to your friends or family, what would you do? Have you ever had a high maintenance relationship? Did this relationship test your patience? Please write your comments below!

The post Learn English Grammar: Second Conditional with Kendrick Lamar appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

 If heaven had a height, you would be that tall.

This grammar is called the second conditional. Use the second conditional for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future.

If + subject + simple past verb, subject + would + base verb

• If I had $10,000,000, I would quit my job. I don’t have ten million dollars, and I probably won’t have that money soon. This situation is unreal.
• If I lived in Colombia, I would learn  Spanish very quickly. I live in California with my wife. She loves California, and she will be upset if we leave. 
• If I were President of the United States, I would listen to international students. I am not the President, and I will probably never be one!
  • Normally, I was / You were / She was / We were / They were
  • In the second conditional, always use were, even if the subject is first or third person.

Are you in a relationship? Are you happy with your partner? If you had more free time, would you write love song? Please write your comments below!

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