Macou, J. (2016) Handshake, hi, friendship, hands, children. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2r1yRhV Consulted on 23 April, 2017
Answer these questions:
- What’s your name?
- What is your mother’s name?
-
What is your father’s occupation?
-
What’s your nationality?
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.
In this unit you will be able to develop the four communicative skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. You will also find some trial and error practice activities that you can practice as many times you consider necessary.
You will be evaluated through learning activities that confirm you have achieved the objective of the unit.
We hope you enjoy and make the most of this course! Good luck!
By the end of this section, you will be able to: Use the verb ‘be’ in its affirmative, negative and interrogative forms in greetings, presentations and farewells (in formal and informal contexts). For exchanging personal information in and outside the classroom.
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
PublicDomainPictures. (2013) Bebé, niño, caucásica, familia, la felicidad, feliz. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2rpbBfr Consulted on 31 May, 2017
You are Ann --- You’re Ann
You are a teacher --- You’re a teacher
PublicDomainPictures (2009) Brown, brunette, female, finger gesture, girl. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2rfWEO9 Consulted on 31 May, 2017
He is Patrick --- He’s Patrick
He is a student --- He's a student
Meathead Movers (2006) Student, college student, studying, gente, ropa deporte. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2rJrnVw Consulted on 31 May, 2017
She is Mary Ann --- She’s Mary Ann
She is a model --- She’s a model
Unsplash (2017) Woman, fashion, outdoors, young, female, model adult. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2qFWnWn Consulted on 31 May, 2017
It is a lap top --- It’s a laptop
It is a dog --- It’s a dog
PublicDomainPictures (2009) Female, adult, background, business, computer, cute. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/28VfVOz Consulted on 31 May, 2017
We are friends --- We’re friends.
We are twins --- We’re twins
Altmann, G. (2016) Banner, header, woman, girl, twin, double, person, face. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2qKo6A4 Consulted on 31 May, 2017
You are soccer players --- You’re soccer players
You are students --- You’re students
Kennedy, S. (2017) Graduation, graduation cap, education, school, degree. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2qKGdGh Consulted on 31 May, 2017
They are friends --- They’re friends
They are teachers --- They’re teachers
Serôa, M. (2012) Friends, partners, sol, beach, friendship, silhouette. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2ruIEAQ Consulted on 31 May, 2017
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.
Affirmative |
Negative |
Interrogative |
||||
FULL |
SHORT |
FULL |
SHORT |
|
||
I am |
I’m |
I am not |
I’m not |
Am I? |
||
You are |
You’re |
You are not |
You’re not |
Are you? |
||
He is |
He’s |
He is not |
He‘s not |
Is he? |
||
She is |
She´s |
She is not |
She‘s not |
Is she? |
||
It is |
It’s |
It is not |
It’s not |
Is it? |
||
We are |
We’re |
We are not |
We‘re not |
Are we? |
||
You are |
You’re |
You are not |
You’re not |
Are you? |
||
They are |
They’re |
They are not |
They’re not |
Are they? |
||
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.
A person that keeps track of financial information.
A person that acts in a play or a movie.
A person who designs buildings and advises in their construction.
A person who studies the stars and the universe.
A person that writes books or novels.
A person who makes bread and cakes, especially commercially.
A person whose job is to build walls, houses, and other structures with bricks.
A person whose job is to drive a bus.
A person whose trade is cutting up and selling meat in a shop.
A person who makes and repairs wooden objects and structures.
A person that prepares food for others, in a restaurant or café.
A person whose job is to clean the rooms in a building.
A person qualified to treat the diseases and conditions that affect teeth.
A person who plans the form, or look of something before it is made or built.
A qualified practitioner of medicine; a physician.
A person who collects trash/rubbish from bins in the street.
A person who installs and maintains electrical equipment.
A person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or public works.
A person who works in a factory.
A person who owns or manages a farm.
A person that puts out fires.
A person that catches fish.
A person who sells and arranges plants and cuts flowers.
A person who tends and cultivates a garden as a pastime or for a living.
A person who cuts and styles hair as an occupation.
A person who writes for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or prepares news to be broadcast.
A public official appointed to decide cases in a court of law.
A person who practices or studies law; an attorney or a counselor.
A person who gives lectures, especially as a profession.
A person, typically with a degree in library science, who administers or assists in a library.
An expert swimmer employed (as at a beach or a pool) to safeguard other swimmers.
A person whose occupation is repairing and maintaining automobiles.
A person that works in fashion, modeling clothes and accessories.
A person who reads the news on the radio or on television.
A person trained to care for the sick.
A person qualified to make and supply eyeglasses and contact lenses for correction of vision.
A person who paints buildings, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, especially as a job.
A person who is professionally qualified to prepare and dispense medicinal drugs.
A person who takes photographs, especially as a job.
A person who operates the flying controls of an aircraft.
A person who installs, repairs, and maintains water piping.
A person experienced in the art or science of government.
A member of a police force.
A person that delivers the mail.
A person who sells and rents out buildings and land for clients.
A person employed in an office or establishment to answer the telephone, deal with clients, and greet visitors.
A person who is studying or has expert knowledge of one or more of the natural or physical sciences.
A person employed in an office to assist with correspondence, keep records, make appointments, and carry out similar tasks.
A person who works in a shop selling things to customers.
A person who serves in an army.
A person that makes or alters garments (such as suits, jackets, and dresses) to fit a person.
A person who drives a taxi.
A person who teaches.
A person that translates from one language to another.
A person whose job is to make sure that cars are not parked illegally.
A person engaged in selling and arranging transportation, accommodations, tours, or trips for travelers.
A person qualified to treat diseased or injured animals.
A person whose job is to serve customers at their tables in a restaurant.
A person employed to clean windows; a window washer.
Practice 2
Now, let's practice the verb be through easy exercises. Match the words on the left with the photos on the right. Use the cursor to drag the photo to the correct word.
Practice 3
And finally, the last exercise. Put the words in the correct order to make sentences or questions. Use the cursor to drag the words.
Altmann, G (2017) Signo de interrogación, nota, duplicado, solicitud. [Photo] Taken from http://bit.ly/2rjYX2Y Consulted on 23 May, 2017
Activity 1
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.
Alexandra (2015) Butler Bandeja Bebidas Vino Champaña. [Photo] Taken from https://goo.gl/SEU1WG Consulted on May 21, 2017
Click on Activity to answer the questions. When you have finished, click on Check to see your results. You can only do the activity once.
As seen in the previous section, the verb 'be' helps to talk about personal information such as your name, age or profession. Now, you will listen to two conversations with this kind of information.
Activity 2
Greekfood-Tamystika (2014) Retrato De La Mujer de Negocios [Photo] Taken from https://goo.gl/sgKUTp Consulted on 23 April, 2017
Listen to the conversation.
Click on Activity to answer the questions. When you have finished, click on Check to see your results. You can only do the activity once.
Activity 3
Listen carefully to the conversation between the teacher and a student in the classroom.
Click on Activity to answer the True and False questions. When you have finished, click on Check to see your results. You can only do the activity once.
Activity 4
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.
Read the information in each box. Then, click on Activity to answer the gap-fill activity. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer using upper and lowercase letters. When you finish, click on Check to see your results. You can only do the activity once.
Hanna’s m@il
Full name: Hanna Schneider
Age: 22 years old
Address: NY 10016, 4 E. 28th Street, New York City
Mobile: 0779-1274478
Place of birth: Munich, Germany
E-mail: Schneider@frozenorange.com
Occupation: accountant
Famous actors
Famous actor
Full name: Richard Gere
Age: 67 years old
Born: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Occupation: actor
Son: Homer James Jigme (17 years old) singer and musician
Activity 5
Now it’s your turn to practice greetings, introducing yourself and saying goodbye using the verb 'be'. First, complete the following questions.
Then, write your sentences in a word document. Next, record them using vocaroo.com a free application.
Example
Finally, evaluate your performance. Use the checklist to assess your grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency.
You can become an expert in using the verb 'be'. Here is the last activity.
Match the questions to the answers on the bottom. Finally, check your score. You can do this activity as many times as you need.
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/alle_grammar.htm
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es
http://www.engames.eu/
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-simple-present-be.php
http://www.grammar.cl/Present/To_Be.htm
http://www.inglestotal.com/question-words-with-the-verb-to-be-preguntas-con-el-verbo-to-be-lesson-3/