English Grammar – Present Simple – Verb To Be

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In this post and video are showing verb to be and English Grammar subject information and we cover the subjects:

  • Affirmative form
  • Verb to Be – Negative
  • Verb to Be – Question
  • With more than 80 Examples in the video and there are more here.

Present simple – Verb to Be Affirmative Form

I
You
We
They

He
She
It

am
are
are
are

is
is
is

Happy
Happy
Happy
Happy

Happy
Happy
Happy

Verb to Be – short form

  • I am = I’m
  • You are = you’re
  • We are = we’re
  • They are = they’re
  • He is = he’s
  • She is = she’s
  • It is = it’s

We can also use short forms with names, For example:

  • Harry is thin. = Harry’s thin.
  • London is a very big city. = London’s a very big city.

When do we use Verb to be?

We use the verb to be to talk about:

  • Ages (I am 35 years old)
  • Adjective (I am happy)
  • Occupations (He is a teacher)
  • Location (I am at university)
  • Prices (How much is this?)
  • The time (It is nine o’clock)
  • Feeling and states (Is she hungry?)
  • Nationality (We are Indian.)
  • Colors (her hair is black.)

Verb to be Affirmative Examples:

  1. I’m 36 years old. My sister is 27.
  2. Thomas is ill. He’s in bed. (Thomas = He)
  3. My sister is scared of dogs. (My sister = She)
  4. It’s ten o’clock. You’re late again.
  5. David and I are good friends. (David and I - We)
  6. Your wallet is on the table. (Your wallet = It)

Verb to Be Negative

Subject + Verb to be + not + complement
We add (not) after verb to be (am, are, is).

Negative form:

  • I am not = I’m not
  • You are not = you’re not. Or. You aren’t
  • We are not = we’re not. Or. We aren’t
  • They are not = they’re not. Or. They aren’t.
  • He is not = he’s not. Or. He isn’t.
  • She is not = she’s not. Or. She isn’t.
  • It is not. = It’s not. Or. It isn’t

Negative Examples:

  1. I’m tired, but I’m not hungry.
  2. James isn’t (is not) interested in politics. He’s interested in art.
  3. Daniel isn’t a teacher. He’s a student.
  4. Those people aren’t English. They’re Australian.
  5. It’s sunny today, but it isn’t warm.
  6. I am not busy. (I’m not busy)
  7. We are not hungry. We’re not hungry. Or we aren’t not hungry.
  8. You are not tired. You’re not tired. You aren’t tired.
  9. My mother is not lazy.  My mother’s not lazy. Or my mother isn’t lazy.
  10. The children are not tired. The children aren’t tired.

Verb to Be Question

Verb to be + subject + complement +?

Short answers:

  • Am I late? Yes, I am. No, I’m not   
  • Are you late? Yes, you are. No, you’re not “or” No you aren’t.
  • Are we late? Yes, we are. No, we’re not “or” No, we aren’t
  • Are they late? Yes, they are. No, they’re not “or” No, they aren’t
  • Is he late? Yes, he is. No, he’s not “or” No, he isn’t.
  • Is she late? Yes, she is. No, she is not “or” No, she isn’t.
  • Is it late? Yes, it is. No, it’s not “or” No, it isn’t.

When do we use Verb to be Question?

We use the verb to be to ask about:

  • Ages (How old are you? I’m 37 years old)
  • Adjective. (Is he happy? Yes, he is.)
  • Occupations (Are you a doctor? No, I’m not)
  • Location (Are they at home? No, they aren’t)
  • Prices (How much is this? Is it expensive?)
  • The time (what time is it? Is it nine o’clock? No, it isn’t. It’s eleven O’clock)
  • Feeling and states (Are you tired? No I’m not .)
  • Nationality (Is she Indian? No, she isn’t. she is Turkish. )
  • Colors (Are her eyes blue, No they aren’t, they’re green.

Questions Examples:

  • I’m cold. Can you close the window, please?
  • Am I late?’ ‘No, you’re on time.
  • Is your father at home? No, he’s out.
  • Are your parents at home? No, they’re out.
  • Is it cold in your room?’ ‘Yes, a little.
  • Your shoes are nice. Are they new?

Let’s practice

Complete the spaces with is, are, or am.

  1. Cars are expensive.
  2. John is a student.
  3. I am the best in the class.
  4. My sister is a teacher.
  5. The train is late again.
  6. You are in class 4A.
  7. That computer is very slow.
  8. It is cold today.
  9. We are interested in shopping.
  10. I am tired.
  11. Stephanie and Luke are from Canada.

Rewrite these sentences using the short form.

  1. She is funny. She’s funny.
  2. They are clever. They’re clever.
  3. We are cold. We’re cold.
  4. I am an astronaut.  I’m an astronaut.
  5. He is tall.  He’s tall.
  6. You are friendly.  You’re friendly.
  7. They are kind.  They’re kind.
  8. She is a good teacher.  She’s a good teacher.
  9. They are bad dogs.  They’re bad dogs.
  10. You are nice students.  You’re nice students.
  11. Sally is 15 years old.  Sally’s 15 years old.

Use the prompts to write a sentence. Use short forms.

  1. He / angry
  2. They / happy
  3. It / hot now
  4. You / intelligent
  5. We/ unhappy today
  6. I / a doctor
  7. You / good students
  8. She / from Mexico
  9. My eyes / green
  10. We/ Australian
  11. Michael/ young

Complete the sentence with is, is not, are, are not, am or am not.

  1. ….. am not Spanish, I’m Greek.
  2. Peter ……………….. a good student. He’s a bad one!
  3. Our eyes ………………..  blue. They’re brown.
  4. My sister ………………..  a police officer, she’s a journalist.
  5. ……………….. his brother tall?
  6. The bus ………………..  late, it’s here now.
  7. ………………..  you okay?
  8. That film ……………….. very good. The story is very boring.
  9. They ………………..  tired, they’re hungry.
  10. ………………..  it cold today?

Write short answers to the questions.

  1. Are you a good student? ……………………….
  2. Are your parents at home now? ……………………….
  3. Is it Monday today? ……………………….
  4. Are you hungry? ……………………….
  5. Are your friends with you now? ……………………….
  6. Is your school in a large city? ……………………….
  7. Is it cold outside? ……………………….
  8. Are you young? ……………………….
  9. Is English easy? ……………………….
  10. Are these exercises difficult? ……………………….

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