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Present simple of the verb Have:

affirmative, negative and interrogative forms

Presentation


We use the verb have/has to talk about:

possessions
I have a new house.

• family (and other) relationships
Paul has three brothers.
Betty has a nice boyfriend.


sicknesses
I have a cold.

We also use the verb have/has to describe:

• someone's eyes
You have beautiful eyes.
My mom has green eyes.

• someone's hair
My girlfriend has very long hair.

In this section, you will study the second use.

Woman with green eyes

Elder, D. (2011). Green eyes [photo]. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/HFW7ys


My mom has green eyes.

Woman with long hair

Voicu, A. (2016). Long hair [photo]. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/MLqIkl


My girlfriend has very long hair.

Objective

By the end of this section you will:
Use the present simple of the verb have/has in its affirmative, negative and interrogative forms to exchange information about yourself and family members when describing physical appearance and personality.

Vocabulary: appearance and personality


It is vital to learn words to talk about appearance and personality. Click on each image to listen and repeat each word to practice its pronunciation.


Appearance: Describing hair





Use the verb have/has to describe parts of the face.

When we describe someone's hair, eyes, or parts of the face, we can use the verb have/has:

• I have short, wavy, brown hair.
• He has big blue eyes
• She has long eyelashes.
• My father has a beard and a moustache.
• My mother has a small nose.
• They have full lips (large and round lips).

Order to describe the physical appearance of a person

When we describe physical appearance, we usually mention hair and then eyes. When we describe hair, the adjectives typically follow this order: length, style, colour.
• I have long, straight, brown hair and green eyes.

Adjectives to describe personality

With these adjectives, we use the verb be to describe people.
• I'm very tall and thin.
• He's bald.
• She's short and a little fat.
• They're young and pretty.

Personality
Here are some adjectives to describe personality. If you don't know the meaning of a word, you can use the Cambridge Dictionary Online

Adjective Opposite
friendly unfriendly
talkative quiet
generous cheap
kind unkind
hard-working lazy
funny serious
smart/intelligent stupid
extroverted shy


When we describe someone's personality, we use the verb be.
• I really like Ella. She's very friendly.
• Carl is a very quiet, shy boy.
• Marian is an intelligent girl, but she's very lazy.
• My sister's really generous. She always buys things for her friends.

Simple present: have/has


Affirmative

I have
you have
we have
they have
• I have long black hair.
• You have beautiful eyes!
• My brother and Ihave a beard and a moustache.
• My parents have gray hair.
he has
she has
it has

• Pablo has a big nose.
• Your mom has big green eyes.
• The dog has black and brown hair.


Negative

We can make negatives with don't and doesn't.

I don't have
you don't have
we don't have
they don't have
• I don't have blue eyes.
• You don't have red hair.
• We don't have thick eyebrows.
• My grandparents don't have white hair.
he doesn't have
she doesn't have
it doesn't have
• Pablo doesn't have a beard.
• Your friend doesn't have curly hair.
• The dog doesn't have a long tail.


Interrogative

We can make questions with do and does.

Do I have...?
Do you have...?
Do we have...?
Do they have...?
Do you have blond hair?
Do they have small eyes?
Do your brother and sister have long ears?
Does he have...?
Does she have...?
Does it have...?
Does the baby have wavy hair?
Does your boyfriend have a moustache?
Does the dog have a big mouth?

Reading




Activity 1

The Obama Family

The Obama Family

IIP Photo Archive. (2015). The Obama Family [photo]. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/BNL2M3

In this activity you will read a description of the Obama family.

Read the text and identify the words that describe the appearance and personality of each person.



Writing

Activity 2

A famous family


In this activity, you will write a short text about a famous family. Make sure you do the Reading activity before this activity.

First, read the description of the Obama family.

Second, think of a famous family. You can use the Internet to find some information.

Third, write a short text describing three or four members of the family. Write about their physical appearance and personality. You can use the descriptions in the Reading activity as models. Write three or four paragraphs (one for each person). Use between 75 and 100 words to write your text.

Before you send your description, make sure it has the characteristics contained in the rubrics.

Listening

Activity 3

Describing a family


In this activity you will listen to two friends, Fred and Alison, talking about family members. Listen carefully to the conversation and identify the words they use to describe the appearance of their family members.




Speaking

Activity 4

Describing two family members

In this activity, you will talk about two relatives. Remember to do the listening activity first.

First, listen again to the conversation between Fred and Alison to have a model of the description you are going to do.

To hear the audio click here:


Conversation

Second, think about two people in your family, a man and a woman. Prepare some notes to describe them. The information you should include names, age, occupation, physical appearance (tall/ short, thin/fat, hair, eyes, etc.) and personality. You can practice the description as many times as you want before you record it.

When you are ready, record the two descriptions. Remember, don't read the descriptions while recording them, so they sound natural and spontaneous. A tutor will evaluate your oral production.

Make sure it has all the characteristics contained in the rubrics.


Self-assessment

Quiz


This quiz checks the use of the verb have/has in its affirmative, negative and interrogative forms, as well as the verb, be to describe physical appearance and personality.



References



Basic

Brothers and Sisters (Hermanos y Hermanas) | Diálogo en Inglés. Inglesmundial.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from https://www.inglesmundial.com/Basico/Leccion3/Dialogo.html
Cambridge Free English Dictionary and Thesaurus. (2017). Dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 18 May 2017, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/
• Latham-Koenig, C., Oxenden, C., & Seligson, P. (2013). American English File 1 Second Edition (2nd ed., p. 152). Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Latham-Koening, C., Oxenden, C., & Seligson, P. (2013). American English File 2 Second Edition (2nd ed., p. 150). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE. Ldoceonline.com. Retrieved 18 May 2017, from https://www.ldoceonline.com/
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE. Ldoceonline.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from https://www.ldoceonline.com/
• Ramírez Toledo, E., Astivia Montero, M., Wright, P., & Solís Hinojosa, J. (1996). What's Up? Level One (1st ed., p. 28). México D.F.: Ediciones Pedagógicas.
• Saslow, J., & Ascher, A. (2006). Top Notch Fundamentals (1st ed., pp. 32, , 100). New York: Pearson Education.
• Swan, M., & Walter, C. (2011). Oxford English Grammar Course Basic (1st ed., p. 8). Oxford: OXford University Press.
What are some of Barack Obama's character traits?. (2016). Quora. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-Barack-Obamas-character-traits
White House Pets (1953 to Present) - Presidential Pet Musuem. Presidential Pet Museum. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/whitehousepets-1/<
Who is Malia Obama? Everything You Need to Know. Thefamouspeople.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/malia-obama-31554.php
Who is Michelle Obama? Everything You Need to Know. Thefamouspeople.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/michelle-obama-6078.php
Who is Sasha Obama? Everything You Need to Know. Thefamouspeople.com. Retrieved 19 May 2017, from https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/sasha-obama-31924.php

Complementary

• Barrow, R. English-room.com. Retrieved 20 May 2017, from http://www.english-room.com/test_004.htm
• Barrow, R. English-room.com. Retrieved 20 May 2017, from http://www.english-room.com/3a_have_has.htm
English Grammar: Have / Has. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 20 May 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuBE2I6Dn-Y
Opuestos en Inglés | Cursos de Inglés Gratis. Inglesmundial.com. Retrieved 20 May 2017, from https://www.inglesmundial.com/Basico/Leccion3/Vocabulario.html
• Swan, M., & Walter, C. (2011). Oxford English Grammar Course Basic (1st ed., p. 8). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
To Have. Adelescorner.org. Retrieved 20 May 2017, from http://www.adelescorner.org/grammar/present_simple/to_have.html