Be Verbs

Basic English Grammar – / Be Verbs

In English, verbs have a very important place in communication, they are the ones responsible for expressing actions. Words like jump, run, speak… all are common and clear examples of verbs that describe an action that a subject does. However, there is one verb that’s the most used in the English language: the verb to be. A verb shows action or a state of being. I go home. Home is my place to rest. I like the smell of my house. I feel totally relaxed. Home refreshes me. At home, I get ready for a new day.

The forms of the verb “to be”

  “Be” verbs indicate a state of being. Verbs must match subjects.

• I am a doctor.
• He is sleepy.
• We are here.

Negative sentences need ‘not’ after the verb.

• I am not a doctor.
• He is not sleepy.
• We are not there.

The verb comes first in interrogative sentences.

• Am I a doctor?
• Is he sleepy?
• Are we there?

“Are not” (is not) can be shortened to “aren’t” (isn’t).

• He isn’t sleepy.
• We aren’t there.

Remember the variations of “be” verbs:

[Quiz 5.1] Be Verbs

Which of the following sentences are written correctly? 1)I am thirsty. 2)You are kind. 3)He am not sad. 4)She are not tall. 5)It is not moving. 6)We aren’t tired. 7)Is they running? 8)Are you ready? View Answers

English Grammar – Pronouns

(english)Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. We often use them to avoid repeating the nouns that they refer to. Pronouns have different forms for the different ways we use them.

A pronoun takes the place of a noun.

Example story:

Mary is one of the heads of the ToJi Corporation. Mary works with Mr. James and Mr. James’ son Tom. Mr. James and Mr. James’ son Tom are experts in biochemistry. Mary, Mr. James, and Tom researched and invented a drug for cancer treatment.

If the story above is written using pronouns:

Mary is one of the heads of the ToJi Corporation. She works with Mr. James and his son Tom. He and his son Tom are experts in biochemistry. They researched and invented a drug for cancer treatment.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns refer to a person:

• I go to school.
• You are a student.
• They are Koreans.
• He works here.
• We gave her food.

The word ‘it’ refers to an object:

• I drank it.
• It is big.
• They cut it into halves.

Memorize the personal pronouns:

[Quiz 4.1] English pronouns 

Write the correct pronoun in each blank.

1)I ate an apple.                     was delicious.
2)You look tired.                     should rest.
3)She is a teacher. I gave                    a book.
4)They are my friends. I like                     very much.
5)He saw the movie.                     was fun.

View Answers

Singular and Plural Nouns

Singular and Plural Nouns English

A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Usually, the first page of a grammar book tells you about nouns. Nouns give names of concrete or abstract things in our lives. As babies learn “mom,” “dad,” or “milk” as their first word, nouns should be the first topic when you study a foreign language.

For the plural form of most nouns, add s.

• bottle – bottles
• cup – cups
• pencil – pencils
• desk – desks
• sticker – stickers
• window – windows

For nouns that end in ch, x, s, or s sounds, add es.

• box – boxes
• watch – watches
• moss – mosses
• bus – buses

For nouns ending in f or fe, change f to v and add es.

• wolf – wolves
• wife – wives
• leaf – leaves
• life – lives

Some nouns have different plural forms.

• child – children
• woman – women
• man – men
• mouse – mice
• goose – geese

Nouns ending in vowels like y or o do not have definite rules.

• baby – babies
• toy – toys
• kidney – kidneys
• potato – potatoes
• memo – memos
• stereo – stereos

A few nouns have the same singular and plural forms.

• sheep – sheep
• deer – deer
• series – series
• species – species

[Quiz 1.1] Singular and Plural Nouns

Choose the correct form of the noun in each sentence.

1)I have three (child, children).
2)There are five (man, men) and one (woman, women).
3)(Baby, Babies) play with bottles as toys.
4)I put two big (potato, potatoes) in the lunch box.
5)A few men wear (watch, watches).
6)I put a (memo, memos) on the desk.
7)I saw a (mouse, mice) running by.
8)There are few (bus, buses) on the road today.

View Answers

1) children
2) men, woman
3) Babies
4) potatoes
5) watches
6) memo
7) mouse
8) buses

Possessive nouns are used to indicate ownership.

Possessive nouns usually are formed by adding an apostrophe (‘) and s.

• John’s book
• Kerry’s car
• Grandma’s mirror

When a noun is plural and ends in s, just add an apostrophe (‘).

• The kids’ toys
• My parents’ house
• The teachers’ lounge

If two people own one thing, add the apostrophe and s to the second person only.

• John and Mary’s new house
• David and Sue’s wedding
• Tom and Doug’s car

If two people own separate things, add the apostrophe and s for each person.

• Susan’s and Beth’s books
• Jean’s and Dan’s pants
• Ben’s and Jim’s offices

Singular Possessives

Add ‘s to singular words to show possession.

If a singular word ends in s, it is still necessary to add ‘s.

Plural Possessives

If you have added an s to make a word plural (for example, cat ⇒ cats), adding ‘s will sound ridiculous (cats’s). In that case, add only the apostrophe to the end of the word.

Just like singular possessives, plural possessives that don’t end in s add ‘s.

[Quiz 3.1] ( Possessive Nouns )

Which of the following is not correct?

1)Dr. Hunts has a new computer.
2)Dr. Hunts’s new computer is working well.
3)Dr. Hunts’ computer is new.

View Answers

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