USING BE AND HAVE

NOUN + IS + NOUN: SINGULAR

“Singular” means “one, not two or more.”

NOUN + IS + NOUN
(a) Canada is a country.
(b) Mexico is a country.
(c) A cat is an animal.
* An is also sometimes used in front of words that begin with u. The letters a, i, u, e, o are called “vowels”. All of the other letters in the alphabet
are called “consonants”.
In (a): Canada = a singular noun
is = a singular verb
country = a singular noun
A frequently comes in front of signal nouns.
In (b): a comes in front of the singular noun country. A is called “an article.”
A and an have the same meaning. They are both articles.
A is used in front of words that begin with consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k,
etc. Examples: a bed, a cat, a dog, a friend, a girl.
An is used in front of words that begin with a, e, i, and o.* Examples: an
animal, an ear, an island, an office.

EXERCISE 1: Complete the sentences. Use an ARTICLE an or a.

1. A horse is an animal.
2. English is _____ language.
3. Chicago is _____ city.
4. Korea is _____ country.
5. Europe is _____ continent.
6. _____ dictionary is ____ book.
7. _____ hotel is _____ building.
8. _____ bear is _____ animal.
9. _____ bee is _____ insect.
10. _____ ant is _____ insect.

EXERCISE 2: Complete the sentences. Use an ARTICLE (an or an) and the words in the list.
animal continent insect
city country language

1. Arabic is a language . 9. A bee is _________________.

2. Rome is a city . 10. South America is ________________.
3. A cat is an animal . 11. A dog is ________________________.
4. Asia is ___________________. 12. China is ________________________.
5. Tokyo is __________________. 13. Russia is ________________________.
6. Spanish is _________________. 14. A cow is ________________________.
7. Mexico is _________________. 15. A fly is _________________________.
8. London is _________________.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

NOUN + ARE + NOUN: PLURAL

“Plural” means “two, three, or more.”

NOUN + ARE + NOUN Cats = a plural noun
(a) Cats are animals. are = a plural verb
animals = a plural noun
(b) SINGULAR: a cat, an animal Plural nouns end in -s.
PLURAL: cats, animals A and an are used only with singular nouns.

(c) SINGULAR: a city, a country Some singular nouns that end in -y have a special
PLURAL: cities, countries plural form. They omit the -y and add -ies.
NOUN and NOUN + ARE + NOUN Two nouns connected by and are followed by are.
(d) Canada and China are countries. In (d): Canada is a singular noun. China is a singular
 noun. They are connected by and. Together they
are plural (more than one).

EXERCISE 3: Change the singular sentences to plural sentences.

SINGULAR
1. An ant is an insect.
2. A computer is a machine.
3. A dictionary is a book.
4. A chicken is a bird.
5. A rose is a flower.
6. A carrot is a vegetable.
7. A rabbit is an animal.
PLURAL
Ants are insects.
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________

EXERCISE 4: Complete the sentences with is or are and one of the nouns in the list. Use the correct singular
form of the noun (using a or an) or the correct plural form.
animal country language
city insect machine
continent

1. A dog is an animal 8. Thailand ___________________.

2. Dogs are animals 9. Butterflies __________________.
3. Spanish _____________________. 10. A butterfly __________________.
4. Spanish and Chinese __________________. 11. An automobile __________________.
5. Asia ____________________. 12. Automobiles ____________________.
6. Asia and Africa _______________________. 13. London _____________________.
7. Thailand and Vietnam ___________________. 14. London and Baghdad ___________________.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

PRONOUN + BE + NOUN

SINGULAR PLURAL I
PRONOUN + BE + NOUN PRONOUN + BE + NOUN you
(a) I am a student. (f) We are students. she
(b) You are a student. (g) You are students. he = pronouns
(c) She is a student. (h) They are students. it
(d) He is a student. we
(e) It is a student. they

am
is = forms of be
are
Pronouns refer to nouns.
(i) Rita is in my class. She is a student.
In (i): she (feminine) = Rita
(j) Tom is in my class. He is a student.
In (j): he (masculine) = Tom
(k) Rita and Tom are in my class. They are students.
In (k): they = Rita and Tom

EXERCISE 5: Complete the sentences. Use a VERB: am, is, or are. Use a NOUN: a student or students.
1. We are students .
2. I _______________________________.
3. Rita goes to school. She ________________________.
4. Rita and Tom go to school. They ___________________________.
5. You (one person) ________________________.
6. You (two person) ________________________.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

CONTRACTIONS WITH BE

PRONOUN - BE CONTRACTION When people speak, they often push

AM
I - am I’m two words together. A contraction = two
she - is she’s (b) She’s a student. words that are pushed together.
IS he - is he’s (c) He’s a student.
it - is it’s (d) It’s a city. Contractionsn of a subject pronoun + be
you - are you’re (e) You’re a student. are used in both speaking and writing.
You’re students.
ARE
we - are we’re (f) We’re students. PUNCTUATION: The mark in the middle of a
they - are they’re (g) They’re students. contraction is called an “apostrophe” (‘).
NOTE: Write an apostrophe above the line. Do not write an apostrophe on the line.
CORRECT : I’m a student.
INCORRECT: I,m a student.

EXERCISE 6: Complete the sentences. Use CONTRACTIONS (pronoun + be),

1. Sara is a student. She’s in my class.
2. Jim is a student. He’s in my class.
3. I have one brother. ___he’s______ twenty years old.
4. I have two sisters. ___they’re______ students.
5. I have a dictionary. ____it’s______ on my desk.
6. I like my classmates. __they’re________ friendly.
7. I have three books. _____they’re______ on my desk.
8. My brother is twenty-six years old. _______he’s_____ married.
9. My sister is twenty-one years old. ___she’s________ single.
10. Yoko and Ali are students. _____They’re_______ in my class.
11. I like my books. _______they’re____ interesting.
12. I like grammar. ___it’s_______ easy.
13. Kate and I live in an apartment. _____we’re______ roomates.
14. We live in an apartment. _______it’s_____ on Pine Street.
15. I go to school. ________I’m____ a student.
16. I know you. _____you’re_______ in my English class.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

NEGATIVE WITH BE

Not makes a sentence negative.

is not
Tom isn’t a teacher. He is a student.
Not can be contracted with is adn are:
CONTRACTION: is + not = isn’t
are not CONTRACTION: are + not = aren’t
Tom and Ann aren’t teachers.

I am not a teacher. Am and not are not contracted.

EXERCISE 7: Complete the sentences with the correct information.

1. Korea isn’t a city. it ’s a country
2. Horses ____aren’t____insects. They ____________are animals_____.
3. Asia ___isn’t_____ a country. It _____is a continent______________.
4. Bees and ants ____aren’t________ animals. They _____are insects___________.
5. Arabic ___isnt_________ a country. It ___________________is a language_____.
6. I am not______________ a professional photographer. I _____________am a doctor________________.

Ms. Black
Jim Mr. Rice

Mike Ann Sue

7. Ann _____isnt______ a gardener. She ________________is a photographer____.

8. Mike ____is_______ a gardener. He _____isnt____ an artist.
9. Jim _______isnt___ a bus driver. He ______is an artist________________.
10. Sue ___isnt_______ a photographer. She _______is a doctor__________________.
11. Mr. Rice _is_______ a police officer. He isn’t ____a gardener______________________.
12. Ms.Black isn’t ______a police officer_________. She __is a bus driver_____________________________.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

BE + ADJECTIVE

NOUN + BE + ADJECTIVE round

(a) A ball is round. intelligent
(b) Balls are round. hungry = adjectives
(c) Mary is intelligent. young
(d) Mary and Tom are intelligent. happy
PRONOUN + BE + ADJECTIVE
Adjectives often follow a form of be (am, is, are).
(e) I am hungry.
Adjectives describe or give information about a
(f) She is young.
noun or pronoun that comes at the beginning of a
(g) They are happy.
sentence.*
* The noun or pronoun that comes at the beginning of a sentence is called a “subject”.

EXERCISE 8: Find the ADJECTIVE in the first sentence. Then complete the second sentence with be + an
adjective that has an opposite meaning. Use the adjectives in the list. Use each adjective only one time.
beautiful expensive open
clean fast poor
cold  happy short
dangerous noisy sour
easy old tall

1. I’m not sad. I ’m happy

2. Ice isn’t hot. It’s cold____________________
3. Mr. Thomas isn’t rich. He’s poor____________________
4. My hair isn’t long. Its short______________
5. My clothes aren’t dirty. They ________________are clean______
6. Flowers aren’t ugly. They __________________’re pretty_______
7. Cars aren’t cheap. They ____’re expensive______________________
8. Airplanes aren’t slow. They __________________’re fast_____
9. Grammar isn’t difficult. It __________________’s easy______
10. My sister isn’t short. She ___________________’s tall_____
11. My grandparents aren’t young. They ______________’re old_____
12. The dormitory isn’t quiet. It ‘s noisy_____________________
13. The door isn’t closed. It’s open________________________
14. Guns aren’t safe. They _’re dangerous________________________
15. Lemons aren’t sweet. They ‘re sour______________________

EXERCISE 9: Make sentences by using is are are and an ADJECTIVE from the following list. Use each adjective
only one time.
beautiful  hot sour
cold important square
dry large/big sweet
flat round wet
funny small/little

1. Fire is hot
2. Ice and snow _are cold_____________________
3. A box ____is square________________________
4. Balls and oranges ___are round_____________________
5. Sugar __is sweet__________________________
6. An elephant ____________is big___________, but a mouse ____is small______________
7. A rain forest is _wet______________________, but a desert _____________is dry________
8. A lemon ____________is sour______________
9. A joke ______is funny_____________________
10. Good health _________is important_______________
11. Flowers _____are beautiful_______________________
12. A coin __________is__________ small, round and _______flat____________

EXERCISE 10: Complete the sentences. Use is, isn’t, are, or aren’t.
1. A ball isn’t square.
2. Balls are round.
3. A mouse _______isnt______ big.
4. Lemons _______are_______ yellow. Ripe bananas ______are______ too.
5. A lemon ________isnt______ sweet. It _________’s______ sour.
6. A diamond _______is______ cheap.
7. Diamond _______are________ expensive.
8. Apples __________are_______ expensive.
9. The earth _________isnt____ flat. It _________’s______ round.
10. My pen ____________isnt_____ heavy. It _________’s____ light.
11. This room __________isnt_____ dark. It ____’s__________ light.
12. English grammar __________isnt____ hard. It _____is___________ easy.
13. This exercise ____isnt___________ difficult. It ___’s_____________ easy.
14. My classmates __________are____ friendly.
15. A turtle __is___________ slow.
16. Airplanes ___arent________ slow. They ____are__________ fast.
17. The floor in the classroom ____is_________ clean.
18. The weather ____is__________ cold today.
19. The sun ____is____________ bright today.
20. Ice cream and candy _________arent______ sour. They __are__________ sweet.
21. My shoes __are_____________ comfortable.
22. My desk ___is_____________ comfortable.
23. Flowers _______arent_________ ugly. They ___are____________ beautiful.
24. Traffic at rush hour ___________its____ noisy. It ____’snt_________ quiet.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

BE + A LOCATION

In (a): here= a location.

(a) Maria is here.
In (b): at the library = a location.
(b) Bob was at the library.
Be is often followed by a location.
here.
there.
downstairs.
A location may be one word, as in the examples in
(c) Maria is upstairs.
(c).
inside.
outside.
downtown.
PREPOSITION + NOUN
at the library A location may be a prepositional phrase, as in (d).
on the bus. A preposition + a noun are called a “prepositional
(d) Bob is in his room. phrase.”
at work. At the library = a prepositional phrase
next to Maria.
SOME COMMON PREPOSITIONS
above between next to
at from on
behind in under

ON
IN
NEXT TO

ABOVE

BEHIND

UNDER

EXERCISE 11: Complete the sentences with PREPOSITIONS that describe the pictures. Use each preposition
one time.
above next to on
behind under between

1. The cat is __on______________ the desk.

2. The cat is __above_____________ the desk.

3. The cat is _____under_________ the desk.

4. The cat is ___between___________ the desk.

The cat is _______nezt to_______ the desk.

5.

6. The cat is ____behind_________ the desk.

EXERCISE 12: Find the PREPOSITIONS and the PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES in the following sentences.
1. Mike is in his apartment.
in = a preposition
in his apartment = a prepositional phrase

2. Mr. Lee is at the airport.

At
At the airport

3. Ali is from Egypt.

From
From egypt

4. My book is on my desk.
On
On my desk

5. Bob’s pen is in his pocket.

In
In his pocket

6. The post office is on First Street.

7. The post office is next to the bank.

8. My feet are under my desktop.

9. My nose is between my cheeks.

10. My apartment is on the third floor. It is above Mr. Kwan’s apartment.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY: SENTENCE PATTERNS WITH BE

SUBJECT + BE + NOUN The noun or pronoun that comes at the beginning of a sentence is
(a) I am a student. called the “subject”.
SUBJECT + BE + ADJECTIVE
(b) He is intelligent. Be is a “verb”. Almost all English sentences have a subject and a verb.
Notice in the examples: There are three basic completions for
sentences that begin with a subject + the verb be.
SUBJECT + BE + A LOCATION
(c) We are in class.  a noun, as in (a).
 an adjective, as in (b).
 an expression of location, as in (c).

EXERCISE 13: Write the form of be (am, is, or are) that is used in each sentence. Then write the grammar
structure that follows be.
BE COMPLETION
1. We’re students. are N (a noun)
2. Anna is in Rome. is LOC (a location
3. I’m hungry. am ADJ (an adjective)
4. Dogs are animals.
5. Jack is at home.
6. He’s sick.
7. They’re artists.
8. I’m in class.
9. China is upstairs.
10. My pockets are empty.

EXERCISE 14: Is and are are often contracted with nouns in spoken English. Listen to your teacher say the
contractions in the following sentences and practice saying them yourself.
1. Grammar is easy. 9. My money is in my wallet.
“Grammar’s easy.”

2. Rita is a student. 10. Mr. Smith is a teacher.

3. My book is on the table. 11. Tom is at home now.

4. My books are on the table. 12. The sun is bright today.

5. The weather is cold today. 13. My roomate is from Chicago.

6. My brother is twenty-one years old. 14. My roomates are from Chicago.

7. The window is open. 15. My sister is a student in high school.

8. The windows are open.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

YES/NO QUESTIONS WITH BE

QUESTION STATEMENT In a question, be comes in front of

the subject.
BE + SUBJECT SUBJECT + BE
(a) Is she a student? (a) She is a student. Punctuation: A question ends with
(b) Are they at home? (b) They are at home. a question mark (?).
A statement ends with a period
(.).
When people answer a question, they usually give only a “short answer” (but sometimes they give a “long
answer” too). Notice in the short answers below:
After yes, be is not contracted with a pronoun.*
After no, two contractions of be are possible with no differences in meaning.
QUESTION SHORT ANSWER + (LONG ANSWER)
(c) Is she a student? Yes, she is.* (She’s a student.)
No, she’s not. (She’s not a student.)
No, she isn’t. (She isn’t a student.)

(d) Are they at home? Yes, they are.* (They’re at home.)

No, they’re not. (They’re not at home.)
No, they aren’t. (They aren’t at home.)
* INCORRECT: Yes, she’s.
INCORRECT: Yes, they’re.

EXERCISE 15: Make questions and give short answers.

1. A: Are you tired?
B: No, I’m not. (I’m not tired.)

2. A: Is Anna in your class?

B: Yes, she is. (Anna is in my class.)

3. A:
B: (I’m not homesick.)

4. A:
B: (Bob is homesick.)

5. A:
B: (Sue isn’t here today.)

6. A:
B: (The students in this class are intelligent.)

7. A:
B: (The chairs in this room aren’t comfortable.)

8. A:
B: (I’m not married.)
9. A:
B: (Tom and I are roomates.)

10. A:
B: (A butterfly is not a bird.)
QUESTIONS WITH BE: USING WHERE

Where asks about location. Where comes at the beginning of the question, in front of be.
QUESTION SHORT ANSWER + (LONG ANSWER)
BE + SUBJECT
(a) Is the book on the table? Yes, it is. (The book is on the table.)
(b) Are the books on the table? Yes, they are. (The books are on the table.)

WHERE + BE + SUBJECT
(c) Where is the book? On the table. (The book is on the table.)
(d) Where are the books? On the table. (The books are on the table.)

EXERCISE 16: Make questions.

1. A: Is Kate at home?
B: Yes, she is. (Kate is at home).

2. A: Where is Kate?
B: At home. (Kate is at home.)

3. A:
B: Yes, it is. (Cairo is in Egypt.)

4. A:
B: In Egypt. (Cairo is in Egypt.)

5. A:
B: Yes, they are. (The students are in class today.)

6. A:
B: In class. (The students are in class today.)

7. A:
B: On Main Street. (The post office is on Main Street.)

8. A:
B: Yes, it is. (The train station is on Grand Avenue.)

9. A:
B: Over there. (The bus stop is over there.)

10. A:
B: At the zoo. (Sue and Ken are at the zoo today.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

USING HAVE AND HAS

SINGULAR PLURAL I she

(a) I have a pen. (f) We have pens. you + have he + has
 (b) You have a pen. (g) You have pens. we it
(c) She has a pen. (h) They have pens. they
(d) He has a pen.
(e) It has a pen.

EXERCISE 17: Complete the sentences. Use have and has.

1. We have grammar books.
2. I a dictionary.
3. Kate _____________ a blue pen. She ___________ a blue notebook too.
4. You _____________ a pen in your pocket.
5. Bob _____________ a notebook on his desk.
6. Anna and Bob ____________ notebooks. They ___________ pens too.
7. Samir is a student in our class. He __________ a red grammar book.
8. I ____________ a grammar book. it __________ a red cover.
9. You and I are students. We __________ books on our desks.
10. Mike ____________ a wallet in his pocket. Sara __________ a wallet in her purse.
11. Nadia isn’t in class today because she ___________ the flu.
12. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson _____________ two daughters.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

USING MY, YOUR, HIS, HER, OUR, THEIR

SINGULAR PLURAL SUBJECT FORM POSSESSIVE FORM

(a) I have a book. (e) We have books. I my
My book is red. Our books are red. you your
she her
(b) You have a book. (d) You have books. he his
Your book is red. Your books are red. we our
they their
(c) She has a book. (g) They have books. I possess a book = I have a book = It is my book.
Her book is red. Their books are red.
My, your, her, his, our, their are called “possessive
(d) He has a book. adjectives”. They come in front of noun.
His book is red.

EXERCISE 18: Complete the sentences. Use My, your, her, his, our, or their.
1. I have a pen. My pen is blue.
2. You have a pen. __________ pen is black.
3. Kate has a pen. __________ pen is green.
4. Jim has a pen. ___________ pen is yellow.
5. Sara and I have pens. __________ pens are gray.
6. Sara and you have pens. _________ pens are red.
7. Sam and Kate have pens. _________ pens orange.
8. I have a sister. ________ sister is twenty-one years old.
9. Ann has a car. ________ car is a Ford.
10. You have a pen. __________ pen is a ballpoint.
11. Jim and you have mustaches. _________ mustaches are dark.
12. Ann and Alex have a baby. _________ baby is eight months old.
13. Alice and I have notebooks. __________ notebooks are green.
14. Ann has a brother. _________ brother is in high school.
15. Ken has a coat. _________ coat is brown.
16. We have a dog. __________ dog is gray and white.
EXERCISE 19: Complete the sentences. Use have or has. Use my, your, her, his, our, or their.
1. I have a book. My book is interesting.
2. Bob ________ a bookbag. _________ bookbag is green.
3. You ________ a raincoat. _________ raincoat is brown.
4. Kate ________ a raincoat. _________ raincoat is red.
5. Ann and Jim are married. They ________ a baby. _________ baby is six months old.
6. Ken and Sue _________ a daughter. __________ daughter is ten years old.
7. John and I _________ a son. _________ son is seven years old.
8. I _________ a brother. _________ brother is sixteen.
9. We _________ grammar books. __________ grammar books are red.
10. Tom and you _________ bookbags. __________ bookbags are green.
11. Ann _________ a dictionary. _________ dictionary is red.
12. Mike _________ a car. _________ car is blue.

EXERCISE 20: Complete the sentences with my, your, her, his, our, or their.
1. Rita is wearing a blouse. ________ blouse is light blue.
2. Tom is wearing a shirt. _________ shirt is yellow and brown.
3. I am wearing jeans. __________ jeans are blue.
4. Bob and Tom are wearing boots. ________ boots are brown.
5. Sue and you are wearing dresses. ________ dresses are red.
6. Ann and I are wearing sweaters. _________ sweaters are green.
7. You are wearing shoes. _________ shoes are dark brown.
8. Sue is wearing a skirt. _________ skirt is black.
9. John is wearing a belt. _________ belt is white.
10. Sue and Ann are wearing slacks. _________ slacks are dark gray.
11. Tom is wearing slacks. ________ slacks are dark blue.
12. I am wearing earrings. _________ earrings are gold.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

USING THIS AND THAT

(a) I have a book in my hand. This book is red.

(b) I see a book on your desk. That book is blue.
this book = the book is near me.
that book = the book is not near me.
(c) This is my book.
(d) That is your book.
(e) That’s her book. CONTRACTION: that is = that’s
__________________________________________________________________________________________

USING THESE AND THOSE

SINGULAR PLURAL
(a) My books are on my desk. These are my books. this these
(b) Your books are on your desk. Those are your books. that those

EXERCISE 21: Complete the sentences. Use the words in parentheses.

1. (This, These) These books belong to me. (That, Those) That book belongs to Kate.
2. (This, These) __________ coat is black. (That, Those) _________ coats are tan.
3. (This, These) __________ earrings are gold. (That, Those) __________ earrings are silver.
4. (This, These) __________ pencil belongs to Alex. (That, Those) __________ pencil belongs to Alice.
5. (This, These) __________ sunglasses belong to me. (That, Those) belong to you.
6. (This, These) __________ exercise is easy. (That, Those) _________ exercises are hard.
7. Students are sitting at (this, these) __________ desks, but (that, those) ___________ desks are empty.
8. (This, These) __________ book is on my desk. (That, Those) _________ books are on your desk.