Verb to be (the Present Simple Tense)
Positive and Negative Forms
I | am | from Russia | I m l am |
He/She/It | is | He s /She s /It s = He/ She/It is | |
We You They | are | We re We are You re You are They re They are |
Exercise 1. Put in am/am not/is/isnt/are/arent.
- I ____ from Russia.
- Debbie and Mark ____British. They ____ German.
- My friend ____ interested in computers.
- His parents ____ around 40.
- How old ____ you? I____18.
- London____ situated on the river Evans. It ____situated on the river Thames.
- I ____ keen on sports. But I ____rather good at basketball.
- Her name____ Jane. It ____ Helen.
General Questions
Am | I | a student? | Yes, I am./No, I am not. |
Is | he / she / it | a student? | Yes, he/she/it is./No, he/she/ it isnt. |
Are | we you they | students? | Yes, we are. / No, we arent. Yes, you are. / No, you arent. Yes, they are. / No, they arent. |
Exercise 5. Make general questions with these words. Give short answers.
1. your mother/at work?
2. her children/at home?
3. he/from Italy? ______ ____
4. I/good at English?
5. you/interested in books?
6. I/right?
7. this subject/difficult?
Alternative questions
Am | I | your friend | or | not? | Yes, you are / No, you arent. |
Is | he/ she | Spanish | or | Italian? | He/She is Italian. |
it | difficult | or | easy? | Its difficult. | |
Are | we | in the city centre | or | on the out - skirts? | You are on the outskirts. |
you | a student | or | a schoolboy? | Im a student. | |
they | at home | or | at work? | They are at work. |
Exercise 7. Ask alternative questions with the following words. Give answers.
Example: You/ a student/ a schoolboy? Are you a student or a schoolboy? Im a student.
1. He/ in Moscow /in Kiev?
2. Alan and Henry/ students /teachers?
3. Your new friends/ sociable /not?
4. His daughter/17/ 18?
5. Your parents/old/ young?
6. Russia/ a big /a small country?
7. They/ designers/ artists?
Special questions
What Where Who How How old What What kind of(books) Why Whose friend What colour | is are is are is is is are is is | he? you from? John? you? he? your father like? he fond of? you late? Mary? our flag? | - Shes a shop assistant. - from Germany. - Hes their son. - Not bad, thanks. - Eighteen - Hes sociable and very clever - Historical books. - My watch is wrong. - Shes my friend. - Its white, blue and red. |
Exercise 10.Ask the questions.
Example: What is your name? My names Mark.
| Her names Pam. No my mother isnt very young. Yes, it is Frank Ellis. Jane. My shoes are black. Olga is very kind. |
Tag questions
I | am | a genius | arent | I? | - Yes, I am./No, I am not. |
He | a teenager | he? | - Yes, he is./No, he isnt | ||
She | is | a Londoner | isnt | she? | - Yes, she is./No, she isnt |
It | far from here | it? | Yes, it is./No, it isnt. | ||
We | we? | -Yes, we are./ No, we arent. | |||
You | are | in the city centre | arent | you? | - Yes, you are./No, you arent. |
They | they? | - Yes, they are./ No, they arent. | |||
I | am not | a schoolboy | am | I? | - No, Im not./ Yes, I am. |
He | isnt | married | is | he? | - No, he isnt./ Yes, he is. |
She | isnt | at home | is | she? | - No, she isnt./Yes, she is. |
Exercise 11. Give the correct tag to these sentences.
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1. Your mother is thirty-seven years old, ___?
2. It's her birthday today, ___?
3. I'm not in class now, ___?
4. You aren't married, ___?
5. They are Russian, ___?
6. I'm fond of hard rock, ___?
7. Alice isn't very friendly, ___?
Exercise 12. Ask questions about the information in italics. Example: My mother is 50. How old is your mother?
1. I'm from a small town in the South of Russia.
2. Yes, Linda is a first-year student.
3. Tom and Sue are sociable and very intelligent.
4. My sister is fond of classical music.
5. I am a bank clerk.
6. Today Tony is at home because it's Sunday.
7. His home telephone number is 678-8996.
8. It's 4 o'clock and you are at work.
E. Bazanova, Moscow, Drofa.
Revision test
- Put in am, is or are.
- The weather _is_ very nice today.
- I ___ not tired.
- This case ___ very heavy.
- These cases ___ very heavy.
- The dog ___ asleep.
- Look! There ___ Carol.
- I ___ hot. Can you open the window, please?
- This castle ___ one thousand years old.
- My brother and I ___ good tennis players.
- Ann ___ at home but her children ___ at school.
- I ___ a student. My sister ___ an architect.
2. Write positive or negative sentences. Use am/am not/is/isn't/are/aren't.
1. (Paris/the capital of France) Paris is the capital of France.
2. (I/interested in football) _ Im interested in football.
3. (I /hungry) I ______
4. (it/warm today) It ____________ today.
5. (Rome/in Spain) Rome ______
6. (I/afraid of dogs) I ______
7. (my hands/cold) My ______
8. (Canada/a very big country) ______
9. (the Amazon/in Africa) ______
10. (diamonds/cheap) ______
3. Write questions with What/Who/How/Where/Why...? Use am/is/are.
- (what colour your car?) What colour is your car?
- (where my key?) Where ______?
- (where my socks?) __________?
- (how old your father?) How __________?
- (what colour his eyes?) __________?
- (why John angry with me?) __________?
- (how much these shoes?) __________?
- (who your favourite actor?) __________?
- (why you always late?) __________?
Raymond Murphy. Essential Grammar in Use.
The Present Simple Tense
Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1. I ________ to bed at 11.00 p.m. (go)
2. Jack ________ fluent French. (speak)
3. Her children _________ game shows and cartoons. (enjoy)
4. She _______ always funny jokes. (tell)
5. My sister and I often _____ __ to read newspapers in English. (try)
6. People_______ personal computers at home. (use)
7. It _ _____ _ him about half an hour to get home from college. (take)
Exercise 2. Write positive sentences with the verb in the correct form.
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Example: Idon't go to school. I go to school.
- My mother doesn't come from Russia.
- My friends don't live in Moscow.
- Paul Simon doesn't study at Trinity College.
- My father doesn't work as an engineer.
- My friends and I don't go to the cinema at weekends.
- My friend doesn't wear jeans and a T-shirt to the institute.
Exercise 3. Write negative sentences with the verb in the correct form.
Example: I ____ to the radio in the morning. (listen) I don't listen to the radio in the morning.
- I ___ the dog for a walk every day. (take)
- She ___ all the food in the nearest supermarket. (buy)
- We ___ to football matches every Sunday. (go)
- This car ___ much money it's rather old. (cost)
- My friends ___ in a bank. (work)
- Pete ___ early at weekends. (get up)
Exercise 4. Write true sentences with the given words.
Example: A child/need love, food, care and toys. A child needs love, food, care and toys.
A child/need a driver's license. A child doesn't need a drivers license.
- A restaurant / sell shoes.
- A restaurant / serve food.
- An architect / design buildings.
- Doctors / take care of sick people.
- The river Amazon / flow into the Pacific Ocean.
- Glass / break easily.
- Scientists / have all the answers to the mysteries of the universe.
Exercise 5. Write positive or negative sentences with the verb in brackets in the correct form.
Example: Children ___ lot of questions. (ask) Children ask a lot of questions.
I ___ Turkish. (not/speak) I don't speak Turkish.
1.I ___ hard rock. (love)
2.He ___ to work when the weather is good. (not / drive)
3.You usually ___ my birthday. (forget)
4.The village shop ___ at 10 o'clock in the morning. (not / open)
5.We seldom ____ letters to our old school friends. (write)
6.The planets ___ around the Sun. (go)
7.My father and I ___ television most evenings. (not / watch)
General questions
Exercise 6. Add do or does to make general questions and do, don't, does or doesn't to give short answers.
Example: --------- she live with her parents? Yes, she-----.
Does she live with her parents? Yes, she does.
------- you like your job? No, I ------. ___
Do you like your job? No, I don't.
1. ___I speak good Italian? Yes, you ___.
2. ___You drive to work? No, I ___.
3. ___they work hard at university? Yes, they ___.
4. ___Alan smoke? No, he ___.
5. ___Patrick like computer games and cartoons? Yes, he ___.
6. ___children usually eat much ice-cream? Yes, they ___.
7. ___ you take exams every month? - No, we ___.
Exercise 7. Make these sentences into general questions.
- The shop closes at 5 o'clock.
- They have parties every weekend.
- She speaks good English.
- You drink a lot of tea.
- They go shopping on Saturdays.
Alternative questions I
Exercise 9. Ask alternative questions with the following words. Give answers.
Example: She (get up) early/late? Does she get up late or early? She gets up early.
- He (go) to work by bus /by train?
- Classes (start) in the morning /in the afternoon?
- His mother (work) as a bank manager/ as an economist?
- Jacky (like) classical music/ jazz?
- The shop (close) at 5 /at 6 p.m.?
- His friends (watch) television/ go out in the evenings?
7. You (play) the guitar/ the piano?
Tag questions
Exercise 10. Give the correct tag to these sentences.
- She doesn't live in London, ___?
- I don't write to my penfriend very often, ___?
- Emma works in a sports shop, ___?
- Her elder brother doesn't play the violin, ___?
- They go dancing on Saturdays, ___?
- It snows a lot in this part of the country, ___?
- They don't stay at home most evenings, ___?
Special questions
What | do | you | do? | I am a student. | |
Where | do | you | live? | (I live) in Moscow. | |
When | does | he | get up | in the morning? | At about 7 o'clock. |
How long | does | it | take | you to get here? | Half an hour. |
How often | do | you | go | shopping? | Every other day. |
How well | does | she | know | English? | Rather well. |
Why | do | you | study | Physics? | I like it. |
Which (drink) | does | she | prefer? | Juice. | |
What kind of (books) | do | they | read? | Different books. | |
How much | does | it | cost? | 20$. | |
Who | does | she | teach? | Foreign students. | |
Who | lives | In Moscow? | Mary and Kate do. |
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Exercise 11. Complete the sentences.
Example: Whendo yougetup every morning? I normally get up at 7 o'clock.
- ___ to the radio? I listen to it in the morning.
- ___ live? They live in Newcastle.
- ____ swimming? I go swimming once a week.
- _____ like? My sister likes rock-and-roll.
5. ___ work so much? I have a lot to do.
6. ___ most evenings? They go to the theatre.
- ___ play chess? I play it very well.
- ___ take you to get to the city centre? About an hour by bus.
- ___ in that flat? My parents do.
- ___cost? These shoes cost about 50$.
Exercise 12. Ask questions about the information in italics.
Example: I always sleep eight hours every night How many hours do you sleep every night?
- It snows quite often in Britain during the winter.
- She comes from Germany.
- Children always ask a lot of questions.
- It takes me an hour and a half to get ready for my English class.
- No, my grandparents dont live in the country.
- Our new car costs a lot of money.
- I don't like Tom because he always makes fun of me.
- Her husband often reads newspapers when he comes home from work.
E. Bazanova, Moscow, Drofa
Revision test
1. Complete the sentences. Use the correct form of these verbs:
boil close cost cost go have
like meet open smoke speak teach wash
- She's very clever. She _speaks _ four languages.
- Steve _____ ten cigarettes a day.,
- We usually _____ dinner at 7 o'clock.
- I _____ films. I often _____ to the cinema.
- Water _____ at 100 degrees Celsius.
- In Britain the banks _____ at 9.30 in the morning.
- The City Museum _____ at 5 o'clock every evening.
- Food is expensive. It _____ a lot of money.
- Shoes are expensive. They _____ a lot of money.
- Tina is a teacher. She _____ mathematics to young children.
- Your job is very interesting. You _____ a lot of people.
- Peter _____ his hair twice a week.
2.You are asking somebody questions. Write questions with Do/Does...?
- I work hard. And you? _ Do you work hard_?
- I play tennis. And you? _ you_?
- I play tennis. And Ann? _ Ann_?
- I know the answer. And you? _____ the answer?
- I like hot weather. And you? _____?
- I smoke. And your father? _____?
- I do exercises every morning. And you? _____?
- I beak English. And your friends? _____?
- I want to be famous. And you? _____?
3. These questions begin with Where/What/How...?
- I wash my hair twice a week. (how often/you?) _ How often do you wash your hair_?
- I live in London. (where/you?) Where _____?
- I watch TV every day. (how often/you?) How _____?
- I have lunch at home. (where/you?) _____?
- I get up at 7.30. (what time/you?) _____?
- I go to the cinema a lot. (how often/you?) _____?
- I go to work by bus. (how/you?) _____?