The verb to be

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

Present I am I am not am I?
you / we / they are you / we / they are are you / we / they?
he/ she/ it is not is he/ she/ it?
he/ she/ it is not
Past I / he/she/it was I / he/she/it was not was I / he/she/it?
You / we / they were You / we / they were were you / we / they?
not
Future I /you / he /we / they I / you/he/we/they will I / you / he / we /
will be will not be they be?

Contractions:
I am = I’m are not = aren’t
You are = you’re is not = isn’t
We are = we’re was not = wasn’t
He is = he’s were not = weren’t
I will = I’ll will not = won’t

I. Complete the sentences using the appropriate form of the verb to be in the
Present Simple.
1. I _____ a first-year student.
2. He _____ a famous scientist.
3. We _____ ecologists.
4. This book _____ interesting.
5. My brother _____ an office-worker. He _____ at work.
6. They ____ colleagues.
7. This article _____ about environmental problems.

II. Complete the sentences using the appropriate form of the verb to be in the
Present Simple.
1. – Where ____ your sister? – She _____ at home.
2. His father _____ not a teacher, he _____ a scientist.
3. – How old _____ you? – I _____ 17.
4. – What _____ the time, please? – It _____ two o’clock.
5. – _____ you busy? – No, I _____.
6. – Where _____ you from? – I _____ from Volgograd.
7. – _____ he reliable person? – Yes, he _____ .
8. – What _____ the weather forecast for tomorrow?

III. Complete the sentences using the appropriate form of the verb to be in the
Present Simple.
1. Ecology as a scientific discipline _____ relatively young.
2. All living things _____ a part of the biosphere.
3. Meteorology _____ the science of the weather.
4. Science _____ useful. The knowledge generated by science _____ powerful and
reliable.
5. Memory_____ one of the most important functions of the mind.
6. Botany and zoology _____ natural sciences.
7. The Earth ____ the third planet of the solar system.
8. A certain degree of stress _____ unavoidable in life.
9. Plants _____ important to us as they provide us with food, clothing, shelter,
medicines, even the air we breathe!
10. The five senses ______ hearing, smelling, seeing, tasting and touching.

IV. Ask questions of 4 types (general, special, alternative, disjunctive) to each

sentence.
1. He is a geographer.
2. They are at the university.
3. This article is interesting.
4. Botany is a natural science.
5. John was angry because they were late.

V. Complete the sentences with the Past Simple of the verb to be.
1. Yesterday they _____ at the theatre.
2. My sister _____ ill last week.
3. – Where ____ you yesterday? – I ____ at the cinema.
4. Last summer _____ very hot.
5. Yesterday the temperature _____ 20°C.
6. _____ the weather good when you ____ on holiday?

VI. Complete the sentences using the appropriate form of the verb to be in the
Present, Past or Future Simple.
1. Charles Darwin _____ a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory
of evolution and transformed the way we think about the natural world.
2. – The conference _____ next week. – How many people ____ there?
3. At that time the theory _____ too fantastic.
4. In 100 years the world _____ very different.
5. The first half of the 19th Century ____ a period of rapid change in society and
industry.
6. Many significant changes of the 20 th century _____ economic and technological
in nature.
7. Ecology _____ the study of relationships between organisms and the
environment.
8. _______ the differences we observe in intelligence due to heredity or to
environmental influences? This _____ one of the oldest and most enduring
questions in all of psychology.

VII. Learn the following proverbs, give the Russian equivalents and try to
explain their meaning in English.
1. Brevity is the soul of wit.
2. East or West – home is best.
3. Everything is good in its season.
4. False friends are worse than open enemies.
5. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

VIII. Match the names of the capitals with the corresponding countries and
make up sentences.
Amsterdam Austria
Ankara Belgium
Oslo Bulgaria
Berlin China
Sofia Czech Republic
Stockholm Denmark
Beijing Egypt
Warsaw Finland
Madrid France
Prague Germany
is the capital of
Helsinki Greece
Vienna Hungary
Bern Italy
Cairo The Netherlands
Budapest Norway
Paris Poland
Rome Spain
Athens Sweden
Copenhagen Switzerland
Brussels Turkey
IX. Do you know English-speaking countries?
Match the names of the capitals with the corresponding countries and make
up sentences.
Dublin England
London Wales
Washington Scotland
Canberra Northern Ireland
Cardiff is the capital of Ireland
Ottawa Canada
Edinburgh the USA
Belfast Australia
Wellington New Zealand

X. Put the expressions with be into the following sentences.

be angry about / with be late be responsible for be good at be famous for
be afraid of be proud of be rich in be busy be located in be sure of
1. Most people ___________ spiders and snakes.
2. I ____________ myself for making such a stupid mistake.
3. Developed countries more _____________ pollution than developing ones.
4. Greenpeace ___________ its environmental campaigns.
5. I tried to play on the drums, but I _____________ that.
6. The offices of WWF _______________ New York City, Los Angeles, London,
Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, and Mumbai.
7. She ___________ her daughter’s achievements in science.
8. Carrots _______ vitamin a, antioxidants and minerals.
9. I __________ the exact figures but it must be 700.
10. He __________ because of delayed flight.

XI. Tell about yourself using the verb to be and the following questions.
I am ... (name/age/occupation).
I am a first-year student of Volgograd State University.
I am 17 years old.
I am (not) from Volgograd.
My favourite subjects at school were ... .
My hobby is ... .

1. What are you interested in?

2. What are you good at? What are you bad at?
3. Are you afraid of anything? What is it?
4. What are you worried about most of all?
5. Can you name some scientists? What are they famous for?
6. What are your parents specialized in?
7. Where is your school (gymnasium/ lyceum) located in?

XII. Translate from Russian into English.

1. О чем эта книга? Она интересная?
2. Я уверен, что он честный и надежный человек.
3. Его дедушка – известный ученый.
4. Извините, я опоздал.
5. Где ты был вчера?
6. – Где сейчас твой брат?
– В университете.
7. Кто отвечает за этот проект?
8. На выходных была ужасная погода.
9. Биология, география и экология – это естественные науки.