There’s no way I can pay you back,
but the plan is to show you that I understand.
You are appreciated.

Vocabulary

• beef (slang) – If you are upset with somebody for a long time and hold a grudge, then you have beef. My coworkers are always fighting. They must have some beef between each other.
  
• kick out (sep. phrasal verb) – to make somebody leave and go away. If you don’t do well in school, you might get kicked out. You need to study harder and improve your grades.
• pay back (sep. phrasal verb) – repay; to return money that you borrowed from somebody. Can I borrow $20? I promise I’ll pay you back next week. 
• pass away (idiom) – to die. She’s been feeling very depressed since her father passed away last year.
• feel for (in. phrasal verb) – to have sympathy for somebody. I’m really sorry to hear that you lost your job. I feel for you!
• hang around with (in. phrasal verb) – to spend a lot of time with somebody. Every since he’s gotten a girlfriend, he has stopped hanging around with  us. 
• sling (idiom) – to sell drugs. I think those guys on the street corner are slinging. Should we call the cops?
  • commonly pronounced like slang
• on your own (idiom) – alone; without any help. I like the independence of being single, but living on my own is lonely sometimes.
• stay real (idiom) – to be honest and natural. Stay real with me. I hate liars!
  • also keep it real
• roll on (in. phrasal verb) – to continue, especially if you are tired or unhappy. I can’t believe it’s only Tuesday! I don’t know if I can roll on until the weekend.
  
• hold on (in. phrasal verb) – used to tell somebody to wait or stop. Can you hold on for a minute? I’m on the phone, but I’ll help you soon.

Discussion Questions

Can you explain why your mother is a special woman? How has she made your life better and easier? How many sacrifices has your mother made? How do you honor and pay respect to your mother? Please write your ideas in the comments below!

The post 2Pac Fridays: Vocabulary in “Dear Mama” appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

In this edition of 2Pac Friday, you will learn how to use the verb get in the passive voice.

To Live and Die in L.A., it’s the place to be.
You’ve got to be there to know it. Everybody want to see.

Grammar: ‘Be’ in the Passive Voice

To make the passive voice, we usually use a form of the verb be and the past participle.

Subject + be + past participle

Subject + be + not + past participle

Be + subject + past participle? 

• I am paid on the first day of every month. I am not paid on the 15th. Are you paid on the 1st?
• I was paid last week. I wasn’t paid yesterday. Were you paid last week?
  
• I will be paid next month. I won’t be paid tomorrow. Will you be paid tomorrow?
  
• I am going to be paid next month. I am not going to be paid in four days. Are you going to be paid in four days?
• I am being paid in cash right now. I am not being paid by direct deposit. Are you being paid in cash now?
• I have been paid. I haven’t been paid yet. Have you been paid yet?
• I had been paid. I had not been paid. Had you been paid at that point?

Grammar: ‘Get’ in the Passive Voice

Nigga got smoked by a fiend trying to floss on him.
Big Rock got knocked, but this one’s for you.

You may substitute the be verb with the verb get in the passive voice.

Subject + get/got/gotten + past participle.

Subject + negative auxiliary + past participle. 

Question auxiliary + subject + past participle. 

• I get paid on the first day of every month. I don’t get paid on the 15th. Do you get paid on the 1st?
• I got paid last week. I didn’t get paid yesterday. Did you get paid last week?
  
• I will get paid next month. I won’t get paid tomorrow. Will you geet paid tomorrow?
  
• I am going to get paid next month. I am not going to get paid in four days. Are you going to get paid in four days?
• I am getting paid in cash right now. I am not getting paid by direct deposit. Are you getting paid in cash now
• I have gotten paid. I haven’t gotten paid yet. Have you gotten paid yet?
• I had gotten paid. I had not gotten paid. Had you gotten paid at that point?

These forms with get are not possible with be.

• I will be getting paid tomorrow at noon. I will not be getting paid at noon. When will you be getting paid?
• I had been getting paid by him. I had not been getting paid by her. Had you been getting paid by him, too?
• I have been getting paid for several months. I have not been getting paid for years. How long have you been getting paid?

Discussion Questions

Where are you from? Are you proud of your country and hometown? What is it famous and known for? If I visit your country, what should I do and see? Countries and cities can be known for many positives things, but it can also be known for negative things. Does your country or city have positive and negative qualities? Please write your comments below!

The post 2Pac Fridays: To Live and Die in L.A. appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

In this song, 2Pac and Dr. Dre celebrate the unique and vibrant culture of California. They acknowledge and give props to several California cities that have influenced West Coast hip-hop, including Los Angeles, Compton and the San Francisco Bay Area.

California knows how to party.
In the city of L.A.
In the city of good, old Watts.
In the city, the city of Compton.
We keep it rocking.

Grammar: The Verb ‘Let’

Use the verb let for suggestions, orders or for permission. 

For permission, use: Subject + let + object + base verb.

• I sometimes let my friends borrow my car. In other words, I allow them to borrow my car. 
• My wife doesn’t let me eat junk food. She wants me to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.
• Our teacher lets us work together in class. I like this more because our other teachers want us to be quiet all the time.

For group suggestions or orders: Let’s + base verb. Let’s not + base verb. 

Let’s (informal) = Let us (formal)

• Let’s go to the restaurant. I’m starving!
  
• Let’s buy our tickets as soon as possible. I really want to go to the concert.
• Let’s not go to that neighborhood after dark. I hear it’s dangerous at night.

For instructions to yourself: Let me + base verb. Think and see are common.

Let me = Lemme (informal pronunciation)

• Do you know where my coat is? ~Let me see… I think it’s in the other room.
  
• What is the best dish in this restaurant? ~Let me think… The lobster ravioli is very good!
• Excuse me for one minute. Lemme answer this phone call from my mother.

For instructions to another person: Let + him / her/ it / them + base verb

• Let him eat all of the candy. He will be sorry when he gets a stomachache!
  
• Let her borrow my CD. She should definitely listen to it!

Examples from Song

Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild West.

Worldwide, let them recognize from Long Beach to Rosecrans.

Let me serenade the streets of L.A.

Let’s show these fools how we do it over on this West Side.

Discussion Questions

2Pac and Dr. Dre are proud to be from California. Where are you from? Are you proud to be from your country, province and city? Why are you proud to be from there? Please write your comments below!

The post Let: LET me welcome you to the Wild West! appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

And since we all came from a woman,
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman,
I wonder why we take from our women,
Why we rape our women. Do we hate our women?
I think it’s time to kill for our women,
Time to heal our women, be real to our women.
And if we don’t, we’ll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies that make the babies.
And since a man can’t make one,
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one.
So will the real men get up
I know you‘re fed up ladies, but keep your head up.

 Vocabulary

• give a holla (expression) – to greet or acknowledge somebody; a public expression of thanks; a shout out. 2Pac gives a holla to the women on welfare. They have very difficult living situations, and 2Pac has empathy for them.
• put down (phrasal verb) – to say something that makes a person look and feel stupid. Unfortunately, many men put down women and insult them. This has negative consequences on women’s confidence. 
  • also a noun. an insult.
• let up (phrasal verb) – to become weaker; to make less effort. 2Pac understands that many women have difficult lives, but he does not want them to let up.
• Keep your head up! (expression) – Stay strong! Don’t give in!
• to be real (expression) – to be honest and trustworthy. It’s time to heal our women and to be real to our women. 
• fed up (adjective) – bored or unhappy, especially with a situation that has continued for too long. Women are getting fed up with inequality and sexism. It’s time for things to change!
• pay the price (expression) – to suffer because of bad luck or making mistakes. If we don’t respect women today, the next generation will pay the price. 
• pipe dream (noun) – a hope or plan that is impossible or impractical to achieve. If women do not have the same opportunities as men, world peace will only be a pipe dream.
• blowing in the wind (expression) – If you are unsure about a person, you can say they are blowing in the wind. 2Pac cannot find his friends because they are probably blowing in the wind. Maybe some of them have died or have gone to prison.
• When it rains, it pours. (expression) – when one bad thing happens to you, many bad things happen soon after. My wife divorced me last week. My dog died last night. And I lost my job this morning. When it rains, it pours, right?
• make it (expression) – to become successful. You need to work hard in order to make it in this world. 
• to deal with (phrasal verb) – to solve a problem or perform a task; to tolerate something. I have a very bad cold, but I have to deal with it and go to work.
  • also, to put up with
• take it (expression) – to endure; to stay strong during difficult problems; to tolerate. There is too much inequality in the world, and I can’t take it anymore!

Discussion Questions

Do you think men treat women well? Does society treat women and men equally? How can brothers, sons, fathers, husbands and boyfriends praise and value their sisters, mothers, daughters and wives? What can we do to prevent violence against women? Please write your comments below!

The post 2Pac Fridays: Keep Ya Head Up appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

I see no changes. All I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under. I wonder what it takes to make this
One better place. Let’s erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people. They‘ll be acting right
Cause both black and white are smoking crack tonight

Grammar: Future Progressive

The future progressive (also called the future continuous) has several meanings:

• a future action that is in progress
• a future action that is interrupted
• 2 or more future actions that are happening at the same time

Using Will

Subject + will be + ~ing verb

Subject + will not be + ~ing verb

Subject + won’t be + ~ing verb

Will + subject + be + ~ing verb?

Using Be Going To

Subject + am/is/are + going to be + ~ing verb.

Subject + am/is/are + not going to be + ~ing verb

Am/Is/Are + subject + going to be + ~ing verb?

Example Sentences

• I will be driving to the concert tomorrow afternoon. I will start in the morning and continue driving until the evening. 
  
• She will be studying all day tomorrow, so we should visit her after she takes her test.
• He is going to be waiting for her at the airport. Her flight arrives at 7pm, but he will start waiting at 6:30 pm.
• I will meet you at the restaurant. Where will you be sitting? 
  
• She is very sick, so she won’t be traveling with us to the conference. 
  
• Wish me luck tomorrow. I am going to be giving presentations all day.

Idiom from the Hook: ‘The Way It Is’

The track’s hook samples “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.

That’s just the way it is
Things’ll never be the same
That’s just the way it is
Aww yeah

• That’s just the way it is. (idiom) – That’s the normal way of things. That is fate.
  • That’s just the way it goes. 
  • That’s just how it goes. 

Run-D.M.C. is another classic hip-hop group. They also use this idiom in their song “It’s Like That”

It’s like that, and that’s the way it is.

Discussion Questions

What will you be doing tomorrow at 9pm? Will you be working or studying? Will you be relaxing or watching TV? Please write your comments below!

The post Future Progressive with 2Pac appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

How many brothers fell victim to the streets?
Rest in peace young nigga. There’s a Heaven for a ‘G’
Be a lie if I told you that I never thought of death
My niggas, we the last ones left
But life goes on!

-2Pac

 Irregular Verbs in the Hook

Use the simple past for actions that started and finished in the past.

Regular verbs in English simply add ed, d or ied to the endings.

• play – played
• like – liked
• study – studied

Irregular verbs do not have a consistent ending. You must memorize the new forms because the past forms are irregular. In the hook, there are 3 irregular verbs in the simple past tense.

• fall – fell
• tell – told
• think – thought

There are other irregular verbs in the verses, too. Listen to “Life Goes On” and pay attention to these verbs:

• get – got
• blow – blew
• give – gave
• choose – chose

Making Questions in the Simple Past

Did + subject + base verb (no ed/d/ied ending)

• Did 2Pac live in California? Yes, he did.
• Did 2Pac like Biggie Smalls? No, he didn’t.
• Did 2Pac sing “All Eyez on Me”? Yes, he did.

How many/Who/What/When/Where/Why/How + Did + subject + base verb

• Where did 2Pac live? He lived in California.
• Where did 2Pac pass away? He died in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If the question word (who/what) is the subject of the answer, then do not use did.

Who/what/How many ____ + past verb

• How many brothers fell victim to the street? Many brothers fell victim to the street.
• Who killed Tupac? A gang killed Tupac.

How do you deal with difficult situations? If you have problems or anxiety, what do you do? Has a close friend ever died? How do you have a normal life after friends and family pass away? What helps you? Please write your comments below.

The post Level 1 Lesson 11: Simple Past appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.