Verb"be"

1. Forms: affirmative, negative, interrogative. (Part 1)

The verb ‘be’ is one of the most commonly used verbs in English. So, it is important to understand it in its
different forms. The verb ‘be’ will enable you to create simple sentences to communicate.

We use verb ‘be’ to talk about permanent or temporary qualities or states, nationalities; a job or profession,

age, relationships, place and time. Look at these examples:

Sarah is 34 years old.

My classroom is not enormous.

We are happy.

It is cold today.

Stephen is not married.

Are you an engineer?

They are not Russian.

Look at the table to see the present simple form of the verb ‘be’.

I am Susan --- I’m Susan

I am a young mother --- I'm a young mother

YOU

You are Ann --- You’re Ann

You are a teacher --- You’re a teacher

HE

He is Patrick --- He’s Patrick

He is a student --- He's a studen

SHE

She is Mary Ann --- She’s Mary Ann

She is a model --- She’s a model

IT

It is a lap top --- It’s a laptop

It is a dog --- It’s a dog

WE

We are friends --- We’re friends.

We are twins --- We’re twins

YOU

You are soccer players --- You’re soccer players

You are students --- You’re students

THEY

They are friends --- They’re friends

They are teachers --- They’re teachers

Affirmative, negative and interrogative forms. Full and short forms.

The verb ‘be’ can be used in an affirmative, negative and interrogative form. When writing the short form of

the verb ‘be’ (contraction) an apostrophe is used to form it: I am = I’m, She is = She’s, etc.

Check the use of contractions and the interrogative form on this table.
Practice 1

Now you will practice using the verb ‘be’ in conversations. You can use the checklist we studied previously.

You will find examples that will help you answer this exercise. Complete the sentences about people

greeting and introducing themselves, using verb ‘be’. Use the cursor to drag and drop the answers.

Professions
To improve your vocabulary, use the following set of buttons. The name of a job or profession appears on

top of each button. Click on each button to see its description.

Reading
Activity 1
Hi! I am, he is, you are, they are

As mentioned earlier, the verb 'be' lets us talk about personal information and professions. In the following

activity, you will read about the occupations and ages of four people.

Click on each tab to carefully read each paragraph.

Hi, My name is Sam; I am a Spanish boy. At this moment, I am in a kitchen because I am a chef. The

restaurant is elegant and famous. My father is a carpenter. He is forty-five years old. Every day he works in

a carpentry shop with his two brothers.

Hello! I am Lorenzo. I am from Ecuador. I am twenty years old. I study at the university in the mornings. At

this moment, I am in an office because I work as an office boy in the afternoons.

Hi! My name is Rosy. I’m from Mexico. I am twenty-nine years old. I’m an architect. At this moment, I am on

the third floor of a building under construction. I like my job very much. It is fascinating.
Hello! My name is John. I am from Canada, and I live in the USA. At this moment, I am in the street because

I am a policeman. I work many hours. My job is exciting and sometimes dangerous.

Writing
Activity 4
E-m@il and famous actor

Remember we use the verb 'be' for greetings, introductions and talk about occupations and farewells. In the

following activity, you will practice this in writing.

 Speaking
Activity 5
Yes… I am…

Now it’s your turn to practice greetings, introducing yourself and saying goodbye using the verb 'be'. First,

complete the following questions.

1. Good_____
2. My name is_______
3. Nice______
4. I’m ______ years old
5. I’m ______ (occupation, profession)
6. I work as / study in ________ (place, school)
7. My father’s / mother’s / sister’s / brother’s / friend’s name is ______
 8. He / She is____ years old.
9. He / She is a / an _______ (occupation / profession)

Good night. My name is Alexis. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I’m 25 years old and I’m an engineer. I work at Carso.

I studied at ESIME. I live with my parents. My mother’s name is Ofelia, she is 55 years old, and my father’s name is
Eleuterio.

2. PERSONAL PRONOUNS

What is a personal pronoun?

Personal pronouns are words we use in the place of specific people or things. We use them depending on:

 Person: Who is speaking?

 Number: Plural or singular?
 Gender: Feminine, masculine, or neuter?

Example:
I’m Patrick and I’m a teacher
Now, let’s explore personal pronouns in English. Click on each card to identify the pronouns.
 Writing
Activity 3
Nice to meet you

When we talk to people, based on the context, we use formal or informal language. The vocabulary you use

with your family and friends is different from the vocabulary you use at work or school.

Complete the following sentences with the correct answer.

Remember to use upper and lowercase letters. Click on Activity 3 to start. Once you have finished, click

on Check to see your results. You can only do the activity once.
 Speaking
Activity 4
Speaking time

Now that you know the importance of selecting the appropriate greetings, introductions and goodbyes when

talking to a boss, a teacher, a colleague, a friend, a brother or a classmate. Now, it is your turn to introduce

yourself.

In this activity you will record your voice with the following characteristics:

Introduce yourself

Choose a context: formal or informal

The audio should last around 30 – 50 seconds

Good morning. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Alexis. I’m 25 years old and I´m an engineer. She is my frind
Diana, I've known her for 13 years, and now we are best friends.
 3. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

Possessive adjectives are used to show possession or ownership of things, animals or people according to the subject.

There are several ways of expressing possession; one of the most common is using the possessive adjectives.

A possessive adjective is an adjective that is used to show ownership. It comes before a noun in the
sentence and lets us know that one person or thing belongs to another, or is associated with another.
These adjectives do not have singular or plural, nor male and female versions– you use the same one.

Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns can be confusing. Remember that a possessive adjective is

located before the word that it describes. Whereas, a possessive pronoun is used in place of a noun.

In this unit you will learn how to use possessive adjectives correctly.
Definition

Possessive adjectives are words used to show possession - always followed by a singular or plural noun.

They show property, a sense of belonging or ownership to a specific person, animal or thing. They do not

have male and female versions– gender.

Here is the list of the possessive adjectives used in the English language: my, your, our, its, her, his, and

their. Each one corresponds to a subject pronoun.

 Reading
Activity 1

Far Away from the family

Think about the answers to these questions:

 How are birthday parties celebrated?

 Do you like to go to birthday parties?
 Is it common to celebrate birthday parties in your family?
 Are there sad birthday parties?

In this activity, you will read a text about a girl who studies in another country. It is her birthday, and

she misses her family, suddenly something beautiful happens.

 Writing
Activity 3

My best friends

Write about your four best friends. Use possessive adjectives to describe where they live or study. Write

about 40 words for each person.

Look at the example:

Person Description

Some girls say he is handsome because his

My cousin hair is short and black. His hands are big, and
Luis his eyes are blue. His house is enormous and
has a pool. His hobby is swimming.

My brother Erick has 2 cars, his car are a bit old but he likes them. His pet is a dog, its name is Duke. My
brother has 2 children.
My pet is Dante. I have a laptop.

This is my best friend, and her name is Diana. She has a company. Her company is familiar. Her eyes are
brown, and her pet is a dog.
 4. Question words (who, what,where,how, when)

In our daily life, we face new situations such as visiting new places, meeting people, where we

have to give or ask for information. For example, Do you remember your first day at university or

work? Who was the first person you talked to? How did you find your classroom, the restrooms or

the cafeteria?

When we want information, we ask questions using words such as; who, what, where, how and

when.

Question words

We have words that help us ask for information. These words are called Question Words or Wh-words.

These words are helpful to ask information about people, places, activities or dates.

In the mind map below, we are going to study Question Words. Click on each circle to find more

information and examples about each Question Word.

WHERE
Asks for a place
Where
Use where if you want information about a place or location.

Examples:
Where do you live?
I live in Iztacalco.

Where do you study?

I study at UNAM.

Where were you born?

I was born in Mexico City.

WHEN
Use when if you want information about the time or date.
When
We want to know information about a day, time or date.

Examples:
When is your birthday?
It’s in October.
When do you have your exam?

Next Saturday!

HOW
Asks for more details
How
Use how if you want information about the way or technique to do something.

Examples:
How do you cook "pozole"?
First you need corn, pork meat and condiments. Then, you cook the corn and meat
together, after that….

How old are you?

I am 20 years old.

How is your brother?

He is fine, but busy trying to find a job.

WHO
Asks about a person
Who
Use who if you want information about a person.

Examples:
Who is your favorite singer?
My favorite singer is Michael Jackson.

Who is your teacher?

My teacher is Mr. Estrada.

WHAT
Asks for an activity or object
What
Use what if you want information about an object or thing.

Examples:
What do you do in your spare time?
I usually surf the internet.

What does she do for a living?

She teaches English.

What do you want to do this weekend?

I want to go to the cinema.

Notice that to ask or to give information; you need not only words but also the
necessary vocabulary to be fluent and intelligible. For example, we can combine
cardinal numbers (1,2,3,4...) and question words to ask someone his or her
telephone number or age.

Notice the importance of numbers in the dialogue. Hence, it is essential that you learn
them. You will also need to learn cardinal numbers to express dates. In the dialogue, you
will listen and pay attention to their pronunciation.
Question words and vocabulary

We can ask or give specific dates such as birthdays or holidays using ordinal
numbers, months and years.
Take a look at the following dialogue:
We have explored ordinal numbers, now let’s take a look at the months.
Remember that they will be instrumental in asking and giving dates.

When we ask questions about countries and nationalities, we use the name of the
country, city or nationality. To ask for someone’s nationality or country, we can
use Where or What. Look at the following examples:
How to ask?

Sometimes people will not only ask your name, age, and where you are from; they
will also ask for your contact information. For example, your e-mail. To ask and
give our email we use specific symbols.
We use the alphabet to spell words and avoid confusion. You must learn to recognise and
pronounce each letter. For example when we give or ask our name:
 Reading

Activity 1

A school bulletin board

Do you know what a bulletin board is? Do you have a place in your school to announce
events?

Read the following advertisements on the bulletin board carefully. When you finish, answer
the questions below. You need to find the answers to the specific question words.
 Writing

Activity 3

Jeopardy reversi
Understanding Question Words is essential for reading and writing in English. In this
activity, you will practice with sentences that appear on the screen. If you see a question,
based on the question word write the answer. If you know an answer, write the question
using the correct Question Word (When/Where/Who/What/How ) for that answer.

Example:

My mother’s birthday is on May 23rd.

Question:

When’s your mother’s birthday?

 5. TEMA 5 The imperative: affirmative and negative forms

In English, we use the imperative to give orders, commands, and directions.

For example, in a classroom the teacher usually uses the following expressions:
 Now let's see how to use imperatives.

We use imperatives to give orders, directions and to make requests. To sound

more polite, you can add the word please at the end or at the beginning of the
sentence.
Order

Stop talking!
Direction

Go to page 65.
Request

Open the window, please.

Please show me your homework.
Now that you have studied when and how to use the imperative, it is time to practice it. Do
the reading, writing, listening and speaking activities that follow.

Reading
Activity 1
Language lab rules

In the previous section, you studied the imperative form to give instructions, orders,
commands and directions. This activity focuses on rules.

In this activity, you will read ten essential rules of a language laboratory that students have
to follow.

Read the five rules on the top and drag the different images from the bottom to
the appropriate space. You have unlimited attempts to answer the exercise. You
can know your score at the end of the activity.
 Listening
Activity 2

In a classroom
In the content section, you studied the imperative form to give instructions, orders,
commands and directions. This activity focuses on giving instructions.

In this activity, you will listen to ten everyday situations in a language classroom.
First, read the ten instructions the teacher gives. Then listen to the ten audios
and identify and match the instruction to each situation. Drag the icon to the
correct instruction. You will know your score at the end.
 Writing
Activity 3
Classroom instructions

In the content section, you studied the imperative form to give instructions, orders,
commands and directions. The following activity focuses on giving instructions.

Write ten imperative sentences to give simple instructions in an English class. Try to include
affirmative and negative imperatives. First, look at the images. Then, read the verbs in the
box. Next, write the sentences. You can use the images and the verbs or add other ideas.
ANSWER my question.

DON´T CLOSE the door.

EAT OR DRINK all your food outside.

OPEN the window please.

DON’T RUN inside the house.

SIT DOWN and be quiet.

DON´T TURN ON your cell phone.

USE this knife.

WORK in that company.

WRITE a letter.
Speaking
Activity 4
An unruly classroom

In the content section, you studied the imperative form to give instructions, orders,
commands and directions. This activity focuses on giving instructions.

Imagine you have this class of eight unruly teenagers and you are the teacher. Give each
student a name and an order to have control of the class again. Then, give the whole class
two orders or instructions. You should create 10 sentences in total. Use affirmative or
negative imperatives.
 For example:

Carlos, don't eat in the classroom.

Remember you can sound more polite if you add please at the beginning or the end of the
sentence:

Carlos, don't eat in the classroom, please.

Ana, please turn off your cell phone.

Susy don’t eat inside the classroom.

Carlos don’t sleep in my class.

Paco don’t speak with your classmate.

Juan take off your headphones.

Luis don’t write on the table.

Pepe and Lucy don’t be late.

6. TEMA 6
7. Tema7
8. TEMA 8
9. TEMA 9
10. TEMA 10
11.