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Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.: So do I and Neither do I for agreeing

A2 learners agree with So do I and Neither do I in this ESL lesson plan about American mall walkers.

Grammar
So + verb + I to agree with a positive sentence and Neither + verb + I with a negative one (So am I. Neither can I.), plus Oh, I don't. to disagree.
Topic
Mall walking, exercise inside a mall before the stores open, on a snowy morning in Minnesota, with words such as stroll, window-shop, food court and early bird.
Activities
A notice for mall walkers, a morning dialogue and a viewer's voice message, self-checking drills, a walkers' group chat and open boxes for agreeing and disagreeing.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Early birds at the mall!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: walking in the mallVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: a notice for walkers

    • Look at the photo: a mall at seven in the morningPictureUnlock
    • Read the notice for mall walkersReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: So do I!

    • Listen to Maya and KyleListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: So do I! Neither do I!

    • Study the scheme: So do I! Neither do I!Grammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the missing verbFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Drag the replies into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
    • Fill in the table: So and Neither for every personFill in the tableUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: agree or not?

    • Choose the right replies: the walkers' group chatChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: agree or not?Open the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the words from the lessonFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the right replyChoose the optionUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: a sentence and its replyMemory gameUnlock
    • Fill in the table: agree or don't agreeFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: two walkers' profilesChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: the show's postDrag and dropUnlock

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Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • walkway
  • food court
  • escalator
  • stroller
  • early bird
  • lap
  • community

Grammar: agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

Short replies such as So do I and Neither do I let English agree without repeating a whole sentence. In a mall where walkers meet before the stores open, learners pick So or Neither and the right verb, change the verb for a new person and disagree with Oh, I don't.

So do I! Neither do I!

Agree with a short reply: So + verb + I after a positive sentence, Neither + verb + I after a negative sentence. The verb matches the sentence.

So after a yes, Neither after a no

After a positive sentence, agree with So, the verb and I; after a negative one, use Neither: I'm tired. – So am I. I can't skate. – Neither can I. A present verb takes do, a past verb did: I love malls. – So do I.

Agree: match the verb

The verb+ sentence → So + verb + I– sentence → Neither + verb + I
am / is / areI'm tired. → So am I.I'm not cold. → Neither am I.
canI can swim. → So can I.I can't skate. → Neither can I.
a present verb: love, walk…I love malls. → So do I.I don't like snow. → Neither do I.
a past verb: walked, went…I walked a lot. → So did I.I didn't sleep. → Neither did I.

At the mall at 7 a.m.

  • Kyle: I love strolling here. – Maya: So do I!
  • Kyle: I don't like cold weather. – Maya: Neither do I.
  • Maya: I'm not an early bird. – Kyle: Ha! Neither is my cat.
  • Maya: I can't walk very fast. – Kyle: Neither can I.
  • Nora: I window-shopped for an hour. – Maya: So did I!
  • Kyle: I get up at five. – Maya: Oh, I don't!

The verb is for the new person

The reply's verb fits its own subject, not the first speaker's: Kyle loves malls. – So do I. So does Maya. With be, it's So am I, So is he, So are we, while can and did stay the same for everyone.

Whodo / doesam / is / arecan / did: no change
ISo do I. Neither do I.So am I. Neither am I.So can I. So did I.
youSo do you. Neither do you.So are you. Neither are you.So can you. So did you.
heSo does he. Neither does he.So is he. Neither is he.So can he. So did he.
sheSo does she. Neither does she.So is she. Neither is she.So can she. So did she.
itSo does it. Neither does it.So is it. Neither is it.So can it. So did it.
weSo do we. Neither do we.So are we. Neither are we.So can we. So did we.
theySo do they. Neither do they.So are they. Neither are they.So can they. So did they.

Disagreeing: Oh, I don't. Oh, I do!

To disagree, turn the verb the other way: I love walking. – Oh, I don't. I don't like snow. – Oh, I do! The same works with be, can and the past: I'm tired. – Oh, I'm not. I can't swim. – Oh, I can!

They say…You don't agree
I love walking.Oh, I don't.
I don't like snow.Oh, I do!
I'm tired.Oh, I'm not.
I'm not hungry.Oh, I am!
I can skate.Oh, I can't.
I can't swim.Oh, I can!
I walked a lot.Oh, I didn't.
I didn't sleep.Oh, I did!

Word order, no not, and Me too

The verb comes before I: So do I, not So I do. Neither already means no, so it takes no not: Neither do I, not Neither don't I. In everyday speech, Me too and Me neither do the same job.

Watch out

The verb comes before I: So do I, Neither do I (not: So I do, Neither I do). Neither already means no, so no not after it: Neither do I (not: Neither don't I). The verb is for the new person: Kyle loves malls. – So do I. / So does Maya. You can also say Me too (= So do I, So am I…) and Me neither (= Neither do I…).

Common mistakes

  • So I do.

    So do I.

    the verb comes before I

  • Neither don't I.

    Neither do I.

    neither already means no

  • I'm tired. – So do I.

    I'm tired. – So am I.

    I'm → am

  • I love it. – So did I.

    I love it. – So do I.

    present → do, past → did

Try the so and neither exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • agree with a positive sentence: I love walking. – So do I! I'm tired. – So am I.
  • agree with a negative sentence: I don't like cold weather. – Neither do I. I can't walk very fast. – Neither can I.
  • match the verb to the sentence and to the new person: I walked a lot. – So did I. Kyle loves malls. – So does Maya.
  • disagree politely: I love snow! – Oh, I don't. I don't like snow. – Oh, I do!

Healthy and happy habits, unit 4 of English A2.2 · Curious Minds, ends with this lesson on short replies for agreeing. The lesson builds on A1.2 lesson 6, where short answers took do or does for each person (Yes, it does.), and on A2.1 lesson 6, which added did for the past (Yes, she did.): So does he and So did I reuse those helping verbs. A walking group that talks as it walks gives the short replies a natural home.

After a wheel of questions about malls and early mornings, students meet ten words with pictures and audio, from stroll and window-shop to escalator and community. They read a notice for a club of mall walkers, with its hours and a little mall history, then listen to Maya and Kyle (an AI-voiced dialogue) at seven in the morning and to a viewer's voice message from South Carolina. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four self-checking drills, from choosing the reply to dragging So and Neither replies into gaps and a table for every person. In the speaking chapter, students agree and disagree in the walkers' group chat, then open boxes that start the same kind of exchange with a partner.

The homework, nine tasks in all, checks every answer: matching, anagrams and a word gap-fill, choosing the right reply, a memory game of sentences and replies, a table of agreeing and disagreeing, a quiz, two walkers' profiles and the show's post with gaps.

Grammar:
So do I / Neither do I · So am I / So can I / So did I · Neither am I / Neither can I / Neither did I · I do / I don't for disagreeing
Topic:
mall walking · shopping malls · Southdale Center · food courts · Minnesota · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Run a quick stand-up survey: say I love pizza or I can't swim, and students who agree stand up and answer So do I! or Neither can I! The others answer Oh, I don't. or Oh, I can!
  • Ask where people walk in winter before the notice. Students then read to find why a mall suits walkers: flat, wide floors, restrooms and benches.
  • Play the morning dialogue twice: first for when the group walks and where it goes afterward, then for every So and Neither reply, which students echo.
  • Make the open boxes a find-someone game: partners compare what they love, what they can do and what they did last weekend, then tell the class two things they both love, as one box asks.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16 · you're hereWalking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31From turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

What does "So do I" mean?
So do I means me too after a positive sentence with a present verb: I love walking. – So do I! I get up early. – So do I. It takes do because love and get are present verbs, and for a reply about someone else, it's So does she. The A2 lesson Walking in the mall at 7 a.m. on edio.ai practices it with a mall walking group.
When do you say "So am I"?
Say So am I to agree after a sentence with am, is or are: I'm tired. – So am I. I'm an early bird. – So am I! The reply copies be, so So do I is wrong here. For other people, the form changes: So is he, So are we. After a negative, it's Neither am I: I'm not cold. – Neither am I.
What does "Neither do I" mean?
Neither do I means me neither: you agree with a negative sentence. I don't like cold weather. – Neither do I. I can't walk very fast. – Neither can I. Because neither already means no, the verb after it is positive: Neither do I, never Neither don't I. Both replies come up in the dialogue of Walking in the mall at 7 a.m., an A2 lesson on edio.ai.
How do you choose the verb in So do I and Neither do I?
Take the verb from the sentence you answer: am, is or are stay (I'm hungry. – So am I.), can stays (I can swim. – So can I.), a present verb becomes do or does (I love malls. – So do I.) and a past verb becomes did (I walked a lot. – So did I.).
How do you agree and disagree in English?
The quickest way to agree or disagree is a short reply with so, neither or the opposite verb. Agree: I love snowy mornings. – So do I! I'm not a fast walker. – Neither am I. Disagree: I love getting up at five! – Oh, I don't. I don't listen to music on my walks. – Oh, I do! Me too and Me neither also agree.
What's the difference between "Me too" and "Me neither"?
Me too answers a yes, Me neither a no: the first agrees with a positive sentence, the second with a negative one. I love window-shopping. – Me too! I didn't have breakfast. – Me neither. Both are a little more casual than So do I or Neither did I, and their form never changes. After a negative, Me too is a common slip.
Is it "So do I" or "So I do"?
It's So do I, with do before I. Every form keeps that order: So am I, So can I, So did I, Neither do I. As replies that agree, So I do and Neither I do are mistakes, and so is Neither don't I. The chat in Walking in the mall at 7 a.m. on edio.ai offers So I do! as a wrong reply.
What words do you need to talk about a mall?
Talking about a mall takes a handful of place words and walking verbs: the mall itself (a big building full of stores), the food court (small restaurants and tables), the escalator (moving stairs) and a walkway, a path for people on foot. Walkers stroll, do a lap (one trip around), window-shop without buying, and may push a stroller.
How do I teach So do I and Neither do I to A2 students?
Teach one verb at a time: start with be (I'm tired. – So am I.), then can, then present verbs with do, and past verbs with did last. Use true sentences about the class, so every reply means something, and add disagreeing (Oh, I don't.) once agreeing is easy. Walking in the mall at 7 a.m., an A2 lesson on edio.ai, sets all four verbs side by side in one scheme table.
What's a good game for practicing So do I and Neither do I?
A memory game of sentences and replies works well: players turn over cards to match I can't swim with Neither can I, or I walked two laps with So did I. In class, open-the-box prompts keep it spoken, such as Say three things you love doing, which a partner answers with So do I! or Oh, I don't. This lesson has both.
What's good homework for practicing So do I and Neither do I?
Good homework makes students pick the reply, not just the word: choosing So am I or So do I after I'm tired, filling a table with agreeing and disagreeing replies, and answering a walker's profile line by line (You're an early bird. – So am I!). In Walking in the mall at 7 a.m. on edio.ai, each of the nine homework tasks checks itself.
Are there interactive exercises for So do I and Neither do I?
Yes: drag-and-drop drills and chats that check each reply help students pick the right verb fast. Without an account, this page plays four parts of Walking in the mall at 7 a.m., an A2 lesson on edio.ai: the notice for mall walkers, Maya and Kyle's dialogue at seven in the morning, a drag-and-drop of So and Neither replies, and the walkers' group chat. Everything else is locked.
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