Simple Present Tense ( the Verb “Be”)
We use the simple present tense of the verb “be” to talk about:
(1) things that are true now, e.g. My name is Susie. I am twelve years old.
(2) how often we do things, e.g. Susie and Betty are home every evening. He is often absent from classes.
(3) Things that are always true, e.g. The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth.
We form positive and negative statements in the simple present tense with the verb ‘to be’ (is/am/are) like this.
| Subject | verb ‘to be’ | |
| Positive (+) | Negative (-) | |
| I | am (‘m) | am not (‘m not) |
| e.g. I am twelve years old. | e.g. I am not twelve years old. | |
| We You (singular) You(plural) They | are (‘re) | are not (aren’t) |
| e.g. We are very good students. You are a handsome boy. You are my friends. | e.g We are not very good students. You are not a handsome boy. You are not my friends. | |
| He She It | is (‘s) | is not (isn’t) |
| e.g. He is the class monitor. She is my sister. It is a lovely dog. | e.g. He is not the class monitor She is not my sister. It is not a lovely dog. |
Questions
| Am | I | right? |
| Is | he | here? |
| Is | she | a nurse? |
| Is | it | second-hand? |
| Are | we | wrong? |
| Are | you | Alan Parker? |
| Are | they | American? |
Exercise 1. Fill in these sentences using the correct form of the verb ‘to be’ and the words in the brackets.
| 1. I_____________ happy.(not) 3. You _____________ Japanese.(not) 5. They ____________ busy.(not) 7. Cheung Chau __________ in Kowloon.(not) 9. We _______ good friends. 11. You ______ the monitor. 13. He ______ 2 years old.(not) | 2. He _________ sad. 4. We __________ Chinese. 6. Tigers _________big cats. 8. His name ______ Billy.. 10. She ______ my mother. 12. I ______ thirteen years old. 14. They ______ good football players.(not) |
Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks using “AM, IS, ARE, AM NOT, ISN’T, AREN’T”:
| 1. It ……………. an onion. (+) | 11. Cardiff ………….. a city. (+) |
| 2. Jasmine ……….. a student. (-) | 12. He ……… a postman. (+) |
| 3. We ……….friends. (+) | 13. It ………. nine o’clock. (+) |
| 4. I ………. hungry. (-) | 14. Manhattan …………. an island. (-) |
| 5. Mark ............. 20 years old. (+) | 15. Mr. Richards …… a lawyer. (+) |
| 6. A bee ……….. a big insect. (-) | 16. I ………..ill. I …………. happy. (+ / -) |
| 7. Newsweek ………… a magazine. (+) | 17. London ……….. a big city. (+) |
| 8. I …………. a professional football player. (-) | 18. Dave and Adrian ………… sisters. They …….. brothers. (- / +) |
| 9. I know you. You ……. in my class. (+) | 19. New York ………. near to New Jersey. (+) |
| 10.Cows ……… insects. They ……. mammals. (- / +) | 20. Susan and I ……….. teachers. We ……….. students. (- / +) |
Exercise 3. Fill in the blanks using “AM, IS, ARE, AM NOT, ISN’T, AREN’T”:
1. Germany, England, and Spain ………… cities.
2. A lemon ……….. sweet. It …….. sour.
3. Copper ……….. cheap. Diamonds ………… expensive.
4. Airplanes …….. slow. They ………. fast.
5. Ice cream and candy …….. sweet.
6. Today ……… cloudy. It …….. bright.
7. My brother ……… married. He …… single.
8. I ……… from Russia. I …….. from Canada.
9. Maths ……… hard. It ……….. easy.
10. Mariah … a beautiful girl. She ……… ugly.
Exercise 4. Rewrite the sentences by using “ IS, ISN’T, AM, AM NOT”:
1. London aren’t a country. …….London isn’t a country……………..
2. The United States aren’t a city. …………………………………………….
3. An elephant am not a small animal. …………………………………………….
4. English and Turkish isn’t sister languages. …………………………………………….
5. Mercedes aren’t a bike. …………………………………………….
6. Is I a student ? …………………………………………….
7. Mrs. Stuart aren’t a poor woman. …………………………………………….
8. Cigarettes isn’t good for people. …………………………………………..
9. The North Pole am not hot. …………………………………………..
10. Simon are from United Kingdom. …………………………………………..
Exercise 5. Complete this postcard by using “AM, IS, ARE, AM NOT , ISN’T,AREN’T”:
| Hello! My name ….is…..Jack, and this ….is… Sue. She ……. my sister. Sue …….. twelve years old and I …… sixteen. We ……. adults. We …….. students. We ……… Canadians. We …………. Americans. We ……….. from Chicago. Chicago ……….. in the United States. Best regards, Jack. |
Exercise 6. Write short sentences:
Example:
(Chris, 9, student, short, not Chinese)
…..Chris is nine years old. He is a student. He is short. He isn’t Chinese…….. .
1. (Leonard and Mike, 25, firemen, tall, American)
………………………………….………………………………………………………..
2. (Patty and Brian, 12, not electrician, short, not Turkish children)
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. (Natalie and I, nurse, not tall, French)
…………………………………………………………………………………………....
4. (Mark, 19, accountant, short, British)
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. (Cengiz, 23, lieutenant, not blonde, Turkish)
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Exercise 7. Choose the best answer:
1. Maggie and Carol …………… good friends.
a) am b) are c) is d) isn’t
2. Sue ………. a science teacher.
a) are not b) is c) are d) am
3. Mark Steven ………….. a student at Kennedy High School. It …….. an old school.
a) am / is b) are / is c) is / am d) is / is
4. Margarita ……….. from Spain. I ………….. from Turkey.
a) is / am b) are / is c) am / is d) is / are
5. You and I ……………… at the same age.
a) am isn’t c) are d) is
Exercise 8. Change the sentences into questions:
Example: I am an engineer. ……Am I an engineer?……….
1. You are ill. …………………………………………………..
2. Linda is a pretty girl. …………………………………………………..
3. Belinda is a singer. …………………………………………………..
4. Nick is an actor. …………………………………………………..
5. We are good friends. …………………………………………………..
6. He is an officer. …………………………………………………
7. It is an eraser. …………………………………………………
8. You and Eddie are partners. …………………………………………………
9. Rosie is angry. …………………………………………………
10. Jack and I aren’t good swimmers. …………………………………………………
Exercise 9. Give long answers:
Example: Are you a scientist? ………Yes, I am a scientist.………………
1. Are you a student? Yes, …………………………………………….
2. Is Tom in the park? No, ……………………………………………..
3. Is it a poetry book? Yes, …………………………………………….
4. Are Mary and John friends? Yes, …………………………………………….
5. Am I an executive ? No, ……………………………………………..
6. Is Thomas fifteen years old? Yes, …………………………………………….
7. Are your earrings expensive? No, ……………………………………………..
8. Is ice cream hot ? No, ……………………………………………..
9. Are lemons yellow and sour? Yes,……………………………………………..
10. Are Andy and Jack girls? No, ……………………………………………..
Exercise 10. Answer these questions:
1. Are trees green or gray? ………...……………………………………
2. Are clouds brown or white? ………………………...……………………
3. Is it an English or French dictionary? (French) ……………………………………………
4. Is it a sports car or a classic car? (classic) ……………………………………….……..
5. Is Egypt in Europe or in Africa? ……………………………………….……..
6. Is it a butterfly or a bee? (butterfly) ……………………………………….……..
7. Are they skirts or pullovers? (pullovers) ……………………………………….……..
8. Is he an outlaw or a guardian? (outlaw) ……………………………………….……..
9. Is your father young or old? (old) ……………………………………………...
10. Are we army officers or police officers? (army) …………………………………………..
Exercise 11. Read the passage and answer the questions:
Sophia: I am Sophia Berger. Are you Jordan Turner?
Jordan: Yes, I am. Are you English?
Sophia: Hector is. I am French. Are you from the United States?
Jordan: Yes, I am. Hector, are you from London?
Hector: Yes, I am. Are you from California?
Jordan: No, I am from New York City. Is London a big city?
Hector: Yes, it is a big city. Sophia, are you from Lyon?
Sophia: Yes, I am from Lyon.
Hector: Is Lyon near Florence?
Sophia: No, it isn’t. Florence is in Italy.
Hector: Oh, isn’t it in France? I am a real fool.
Jordan: No, Hector. Of course you are not a fool! Are you and Sophia students?
Hector: I am a student. She is an actress in France. We are tourists in the United States.
Sophia: Are you a student, Jordan?
Jordan: No, I am not a student. I’m a lawyer. I am on a holiday.
Exercise 12.Give long answers. If the answer is negative, then give the right answer:
Example: Is Sophia from Paris? …No, she isn’t…… She is from Lyon…………….
1. Is Jordan from California?……………………………………………………………..
2. Is Florence in Italy? ……………………………………………………………..
3. Are Sophia and Hector students?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Is Hector from Manchester?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
5. Is Sophia a dancer?…….. …………………………………………………………….
Exercise 13. Write True or False:
1. …..T… Hector is English. 6. …F Sophia is from the United States.
2. ……… Hector isn’t from Manchester. 7. … … Jordan is from New York City.
3. ……… London is not a big city. 8. …….. Florence is in Italy.
4. ……… Hector is a student. 9. …….. Jordan is a teacher.
5. ……… Sophia is an actress in London. 10. ……. Sophia and Hector are tourists.