Funtional Grammar

8

Grammar

Peter Piper

picked a peck

of pickled

peppers.

8

Grammar

Mario González.

Licenciado en Lengua, Literatura y Lingüística de la Universidad Francisco Marroquín.

Diplomados de enseñanza de idiomas y literatura de habla inglesa en la Universidad de

Cambridge en Inglaterra y Postdam en Alemania

Créditos

Mario González, CEO, Curriculista y Editor de Acción Humana.

Ben Buckwold, CEO de ESL Library

Tanya Truslet, Directora de Desarrollo de Lenguaje de ESL Library

Robyn Shesterniak, Directora Creativa de ESL lIbrary

Eduardo Prauze, Jefe de Ingenieria de ESL Library

Julia González, Diagramadora de Acción Humana.

www.accionhumanaong.site

Email: mario@accionhumanaong.info

Acción Humana ONG

Eje Educativo

Academia de Inglés

Colección Functional English

Libro: Functional English Grammar

Este libro es propiedad de Acción Humana

MODELO BASADO EN EL CIRCULO LINGUISTICO DE PRAGA

“Todos los derechos reservados. Prohibida la

reproducción parcial o total de la obra.

Arts. Const. 24, 42 y 63;

Dto. 33-98 22/01/98 y su reforma DT.56-2000

01/11/00”

Grammar Practice Worksheets

Teaching Order

Grammar Syllabus

Class:

Term:

Levels:

Beg

Beginner

Low Int

Low-Intermediate

Int

Intermediate

High Int

High-Intermediate

Adv

Advanced

Suggested

Order

Grammar Target

Level

Number

of Pages

1 Simple Present – Be Beg 12

2 Simple Present Beg 14

3 Singular & Plural Nouns Beg 8

4 Articles 1 Beg 10

5 Pronouns 1 Beg 14

6 Imperative Verbs Beg 10

7 Modals of Ability – Present Beg – Low Int 12

8 Present Progressive Beg – Low Int 14

9 Simple Present Vs. Present Progressive Beg – Low Int 11

10 Adverbs of Frequency Beg – Low Int 10

11 Adjectives Beg – Int 11

12 Prepositions of Time Beg – Low Int 8

13 Prepositions of Place Beg – Low Int 11

14 Parts of Speech Beg – Low Int 19

15 Simple Past Beg – Low Int 14

Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (VERSION 2.1) 1

Teaching Order


Suggested

Order

Grammar Target

Level

Number

of Pages

16 Subject–Verb Agreement 1 Beg – Low Int 9

17 Yes/No Questions Beg – Low Int 12

18 Wh- Questions Beg – Low Int 14

19 Modals of Ability – Past Low Int 11

20 Count Vs. Non-Count Nouns Low Int 6

21 Quantifiers – Many & Much Low Int 8

22 Possessive Nouns Low Int – Int 18

23 Articles 2 Low Int – Int 16

24 Quantifiers – Some & Any Low Int – Int 9

25 Adverbs of Manner Low Int – Int 12

26 Prepositions of Direction Low Int – Int 13

27 Prepositions Low Int – Int 14

28 Simple Future Low Int – Int 22

29 Verb Collocations Low Int – High Int 16

30 Subject–Verb Agreement 2 Int 8

31 Pronouns 2 Int 14

32 Gerunds & Infinitives Int 15

33 Modals of Advice Int 8

34 Modals of Possibility Int 9

35 First Conditional Int 11

36 Equative, Comparative & Superlative Adjectives Int 18

Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (VERSION 2.1)

2

Teaching Order


Suggested

Order

Grammar Target

Level

Number

of Pages

37 Equative, Comparative & Superlative Adverbs Int 13

38 Comparatives & Superlatives – Adjectives & Adverbs Int 13

39 Present Perfect Int 19

40 Present Perfect Progressive Int 11

41 Modals of Necessity & Obligation Int 11

42 Second Conditional Int 14

43 Complete Sentences Int 8

44 Conjunctions Int 13

45 Tag Questions Int 10

46 Past Progressive Int 14

47 Future Progressive Int 11

48 Verb Tense Review 1 – The Simple Tenses Int 11

49 Phrasal Verbs Int – High Int 27

50 Passive Int – High Int 11

51 Causative Verbs Int – High Int 11

52 Third Conditional Int – High Int 13

53 Past Tense Modals High Int 10

54 Adjective Clauses High Int 13

55 Adjective Phrases High Int 9

56 Adverb Clauses of Time High Int 11

57 Adverb Clauses of Contrast High Int 9


3

Teaching Order


Suggested

Order

Grammar Target

Level

Number

of Pages

58 Passive Causative High Int – Adv 8

59 Direct & Reported Speech High Int – Adv 13

60 Embedded Questions High Int – Adv 16

61 Past Perfect High Int – Adv 11

62 Past Perfect Progressive Adv 10

63 Subjunctive Adv 12

64 Future Perfect Adv 16

65 Future Perfect Progressive Adv 10

66 Verb Tense Review 2 – The Perfect Tenses Adv 11


4


Simple Present – Be

Table of Contents

2 GRAMMAR NOTES

6 EXERCISE 1: Positive Sentences

Write the pronoun or noun and correct

form of the Be verb under each picture.

7 EXERCISE 2: Fill in the Blanks

Write the correct form of the Be verb.

8 EXERCISE 3: Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences using the Be verb.

9 EXERCISE 4: Positive & Negative Sentences

Write the correct form of the Be verb.

10 EXERCISE 5: Short Answers

Write a short answer for each Yes/No question.

11 EXERCISE 6: Wh- Questions

Write a Wh- question for each answer.

12 EXERCISE 7: Speaking Activity

Read the dialogues with a partner and then write your own.

13 ANSWER KEY

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (BEG / VERSION 1.0)

1



Grammar Notes

A. Introduction

We use the Be verb in the simple present tense to show a state of being.

• She is a nurse.

• The dogs are hungry.

B. Positive Sentences

I am

I am Syrian.

you are

You are happy.

Pronouns

he is

He is 11 years old.

she is

She is a student.

it is

It is furry.

we are

We are at school.

they are

They are shy.

Nouns

[singular noun] is

The dog is big.

[plural noun] are

The dogs are friendly.


2



Grammar Notes cont.

C. Negative Sentences

I am not / I’m not

I’m not from Sweden.

you are not / you aren’t

You aren’t sad.

Pronouns

he is not / he isn’t

He isn’t 12 years old.

she is not / she isn’t

She isn’t a teacher.

it is not / it isn’t

It isn’t scared.

we are not / we aren’t

We aren’t at home.

they are not / they aren’t

They aren’t talkative.

Nouns

the dog is not / the dog isn’t

The dog isn’t small.

the dogs are not / the dogs aren’t

The dogs aren’t scary.


3



Grammar Notes cont.

D. Yes/No Questions & Short Answers

am I…?

Am I late?

Yes, you are. / No, you aren’t.

are you…?

Are you happy?

Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.

Pronouns

is he…?

Is he 11 years old?

Yes, he is. / No, he isn’t.

is she…?

Is she a student?

Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.

is it…?

Is it scared?

Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t.

are we…?

Are we there yet?

Yes, we are. / No, we aren’t.

are they…?

Are they your classmates?

Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.

Nouns

is the dog…?

Is the dog in the house?

Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t.

are the dogs…?

Are the dogs in the backyard?

Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.


4



Grammar Notes cont.

E. Wh- Questions (what, where, when, who, why, how)

...am I…?

Why am I so tired?

...are you…?

Where are you?

Pronouns

...is he…?

How old is he?

...is she…?

Who is the teacher?

...is it…?

Why is it scared?

...are we…?

Where are we?

...are they…?

Who are they?

Nouns

...is the dog…?

Where is the dog?

...are the dogs…?

How many dogs are there?


5



Exercise 1

POSITIVE SENTENCES

Write a pronoun and correct form of the Be verb under each picture.

Ex. she is 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


6



Exercise 2

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Complete the sentences using the Be verb.

Ex. She

is

16 years old.

1. New York a big city.

2. She friendly.

3. He five years old.

4. Sweden and France countries in Europe.

5. Her hair long.

6. It very cold today.

7. The cat furry.

8. The dog hungry.

9. They friendly.

10. An elephant a big animal.

11. Mice small.

12. Apples red.

13. You talkative.

14. Ice cream sweet.

15. The bus late.

16. He 25 years old.

17. I tired.

18. Mr. and Mrs. Baker teachers.

19. We sleepy today.

20. You intelligent.


7



Exercise 3

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

Complete the following sentences using the Be verb and a noun from

the box. Use a or an with a singular noun or use the correct plural form.

Ex. The Mona Lisa is a painting

.

1. A cat .

2. Roses .

3. A Toyota .

4. New York and Paris .

5. Sweden .

6. A dictionary .

7. Spring and fall .

8. A teacher .

9. A doll .

10. Spiders and flies .

Noun List:

• flower

• toy

• painting

• season

• clothes

• bird

• animal

• car

• city

• person

• insect

• country

• book

• movie

• vegetable

• instrument

11. A crow .

12. Shirts and pants .

13. Toy Story .

14. A piano and a guitar .

15. Carrots and cucumbers .


8



Exercise 4

POSITIVE & NEGATIVE SENTENCES

Write the correct positive and negative forms of the Be verb.

Ex. Carrots are vegetables. They aren’t fruit.

1. Tokyo a city. It a country.

2. A feather heavy. It light.

3. Winters cold in Canada. They hot.

4. Ice cream sweet. It sour.

5. Giraffes tall animals. They short.

6. Hockey a fast game. It slow.

7. Elephants light. They heavy animals.

8. Lemons sweet. They sour.

9. Children young. They old.

10. Parties usually noisy. They usually quiet.

11. A library usually noisy. It usually quiet.

12. The US a country. It a city.

13. The sun cold . It hot.

14. A carrot orange. It blue.

15. Five star hotels cheap. They expensive.


9



Exercise 5

SHORT ANSWERS

Write a short answer for each Yes/No question using the Be verb.

Ex. Are you a doctor? (no)

5. Are you tired? (no)

No, I’m not.

Ex. Are you a nurse? (yes)

6. Is she a basketball player? (yes)

Yes, I am.

1. Are you sick? (no)

7. Are your neighbors rich? (no)

2. Are they married? (yes)

8. Is your teacher nice? (yes)

3. Is that TV expensive? (yes)

9. Is he from Spain? (no)

4. Is that exercise difficult? (no)

10. Are you happy? (yes)


10



Exercise 6

WH- QUESTIONS

Write a question using the Be verb and who, what, where, when, or why.

Ex. Where is the teacher?

The teacher is in the classroom.

1.

Tokyo is in Japan.

2.

Mr. Anderson is my teacher.

3.

It is 3:00.

4.

The doctor’s office is near the hospital.

5.

The children are in bed because they are sick.

6.

It is cold in January.

7.

Maria is John’s girlfriend.

8.

The meeting is next Monday.

9.

I am tired because I stayed up late.

10.

That beautiful woman is my mother.


11



Exercise 7

SPEAKING ACTIVITY

Dialogue 1

Read the dialogue with your partner. Then switch roles and read it again.

Juan:

Marie:

Juan:

Marie:

Juan:

Marie:

Juan:

Marie:

Juan:

Marie:

Hi, I’m Juan.

It’s nice to meet you, Juan. I’m Marie.

Hi, Marie. Where are you from?

I’m from France. How about you?

I’m from Mexico.

What do you do in Mexico?

I’m a photographer. What do you do, Marie?

I’m a realtor. I sell houses.

Well, it was nice to meet you, Marie.

You too, Juan. See you later.

Do you know?

It is common to use the

Be verb for introductions.

Use the Be verb to tell or

ask someone about:

• names

• countries

• jobs

Note that in many countries, it is

not polite to ask someone’s age.

Dialogue 2

Work with a partner and fill in the dialogue with your own information.

Then read it out loud.

A: Hi, I’m .

B: It’s nice to meet you, . I’m .

A: Hi, . Where you from?

B: from . How about you?

A: from .

B: What do you do in ?

A: a . What do you do, ?

B: a .

A: Well, it was nice to meet you, .

B: You too, . See you later.


12



Answer Key

Exercise 1

Exercise 5

Answers may vary. 1. No, I’m not.

1. I am

4. they are

2. Yes, they are.

2. we are

5. you are

3. Yes, it is.

3. he is

4. No, it isn’t.

5. No, I’m not.

6. Yes, she is.

7. No, they aren’t.

8. Yes, he/she is.

9. No, he isn’t.

10. Yes, I am.

Exercise 2

Exercise 6

1. is

2. is

3. is

4. are

5. is

6. is

7. is

8. is

9. are

10. is

11. are

12. are

13. are

14. is

15. is

16. is

17. am

18. are

19. are

20. are

1. Where is Tokyo?

2. Who is your teacher?

3. What time is it?

4. Where is the doctor’s office?

5. Why are the children in bed?

Exercise 3

6. When is it cold?

7. Who is Maria?

8. When is the meeting?

1. is an animal

2. are flowers

3. is a car

9. is a toy

10. are insects

11. is a bird

9. Why are you tired?

10. Who is that beautiful woman?

4. are cities

5. is a country

12. are clothes

13. is a movie

Exercise 7

6. is a book

7. are seasons

14. are instruments

15. are vegetables

Answers will vary.

8. is a person

SPELLING NOTE:

Exercise 4

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Neighbor.

Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Neighbour.

1. is, isn’t

2. isn’t, is

9. are, aren’t

10. are, aren’t

Make it a challenge for your students to find this word in the

lesson and see if they know the alternate spelling.

3. are, aren’t

4. is, isn’t

11. isn’t, is

12. is, isn’t

EDITOR’S NOTE:

5. are, aren’t

6. is, isn’t

7. aren’t, are

8. aren’t, are

13. isn’t, is

14. is, isn’t

15. aren’t, are

This lesson shows the negative contractions you aren’t, he/she/

it isn’t, we aren’t, and they aren’t. If you think your students can

handle it, point out that you’re not, he’s/she’s/it’s not, we’re not,

and they’re not are equally acceptable.


13


Simple Present

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

6 Exercise 1

Positive Sentences

7 Exercise 2

Negative Sentences

8 Exercise 3

Listening

9 Exercise 4

Bingo

10 Exercise 5

Questions & Answers

11 Exercise 6

Pair Work

13 Exercise 7

Writing

14 Exercise 8

Quiz

15 Answer Key


1

Simple Present


Grammar Notes

SIMPLE PRESENT

A. Patterns

Positive Sentences Base Verb Base Verb + -s

Pronouns

Singular

Plural

• I run.

• You run.

• We run.

• You run.

• They run.

• He runs.

• She runs.

• It runs.

—

Nouns

Singular — • My friend runs.

Plural • My friends run. —

Negative Sentences Do Not + Base Verb Does Not + Base Verb

Pronouns

Singular

Plural

• I don’t sing.

• You don’t sing.

• We don’t sing.

• You don’t sing.

• They don’t sing.

• He doesn’t sing.

• She doesn’t sing.

• It doesn’t sing.

—

Nouns

Singular — • My friend doesn’t sing.

Plural • My friends don’t sing. —


2

Simple Present


Grammar Notes cont.

A. Patterns cont.

Questions Do + Subject + Base Verb Does + Subject + Base Verb

Pronouns

Singular

• Do I have something in my teeth?

Yes, you do. / No, you don’t.

• Do you like pizza?

Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.

• Do we have time?

Yes, we do. / No, we don’t.

• Does she like pizza?

Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.

• Does he like pizza?

Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t.

• Does it run fast?

Yes, it does. / No, it doesn’t.

Plural

• Do you like pizza?

Yes, we do. / No, we don’t.

—

• Do they like pizza?

Yes, they do. / No, they don’t.

• Does your brother like pizza?

Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t.

Nouns

Singular —

• Does your sister like pizza?

Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.

• Does your dog run fast?

Yes, it does. / No, it doesn’t.

Plural

• Do your roommates like pizza?

Yes, they do. / No, they don’t.

—


3

Simple Present


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Uses

USE #1: Repeated Actions

Use the simple present for actions that happen

over and over. Time markers (words about time)

help to show how often an action happens.

Common Time Markers

Every

Once, twice,

three times, etc.

Adverbs of

Frequency*

every day, every week,

every month, every year, etc.

once a week, twice a month,

three times a year,

four times a day, etc.

always, often, usually,

sometimes, never, etc.

Examples

• He brushes his teeth every day.

• My coworkers write reports every morning.

• She walks her dog twice a day.

• Our neighbors have a

garage sale three times a year.

• It often rains in the springtime.

• They always do their homework.

*Note:

Adverbs of frequency show how often an action

occurs. Use the pattern Subject + Adverb + Verb.

• She usually does her homework.

• They sometimes visit their grandparents.

100% always

95% almost always

80% usually, often, frequently

50% sometimes, occasionally

20% not very often, seldom

10% rarely

5% almost never

0% never


4

Simple Present


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Uses cont.

USE #2: True Facts

The simple present is often used for facts

and information.

• Water boils at 212º Fahrenheit.

• Leaves fall off the trees in autumn.

• Dictionaries help students learn a new language.

USE #3: Schedules

The simple present is common in many types

of schedules and timetables.

• My favorite show starts at 7:00 pm.

• Five buses leave the station at 10:15 am.

• Flight #510 arrives in New York on Friday.

C. Spelling Notes

To form the third person singular for simple present

verbs, follow these rules:

# Rule Examples

1 For most verbs, add -s.

2 If a verb ends in consonant + -y, change -y to -i and add -es.

3 If a verb ends with -s, -z, -sh, -ch, -x, or -o, add -es.

4 For the verbs be and have, use is and has.

• eat eats

• sing sings

• like likes

• carry carries

• try tries

• study studies

• miss misses

• buzz buzzes

• wash washes

• watch watches

• mix mixes

• go goes

• be is

• have has


5

Simple Present


Exercise 1

POSITIVE SENTENCES

Choose a verb from the box, and write the

correct simple present form in the sentences below.

Ex. The show starts at 8:30 pm.

1. I breakfast at 7:00 every morning.

2. He always a suit to work.

3. My teacher usually at the front of the classroom.

4. He his teeth three times a day.

5. We sometimes our groceries on the weekend.

6. My dogs always on my bed.

7. She often chicken for dinner.

8. They the bus to school every day.

9. We often TV in the evenings.

10. He to the radio on his way to work.

11. My roommate three languages.

Verb List:

• fix

• stand

• speak

• drink

• eat

• start

• sleep

• wash

• make

• listen

• buy

• wear

• take

• watch

• freeze

• brush

12. A mechanic cars.

13. She the dishes after dinner.

14. They coffee every morning.

15. Water at 32º Fahrenheit.


6

Simple Present


Exercise 2

NEGATIVE SENTENCES

Choose a verb from the box, and write the

correct negative form in the sentences below.

Ex. The movie doesn’t start for another 15 minutes.

1. I like summer. I winter.

2. Jerry and Beth are strangers. They each other.

3. We to school on the weekend.

4. Mrs. Smith wants a divorce. She her husband anymore.

5. Turtles quickly.

6. Children coffee.

7. You jeans to a wedding.

8. Poor people a lot of money.

9. It’s warm today. You a coat.

10. Jessica is very healthy. She junk food.

11. The students are from China. They English.

Verb List:

• speak

• know

• go

• need

• like

• drink

• love

• move

• eat

• wear

• start

• fall

• sell

• have

• get up

• serve

12. The shoe store hats.

13. That restaurant breakfast.

14. The children early on the weekend.

15. Leaves off trees in the summer.


7

Simple Present


Exercise 3

LISTENING

Listen to the recording and write short answers based on the prompt.

# Prompt Answer

Ex Yes Yes, she does.

Recording:

Does she wake up early every day?

1 Yes

2 No

3 Yes

4 No

5 No

6 Yes

7 Yes

8 No

9 Yes

10 No


8

Simple Present


Exercise 4

BINGO

Ask different classmates these questions. Draw an X through the square

when someone answers “Yes, I do.” If you get a complete horizontal (—),

vertical (|), or diagonal (/ or \) line, yell “Bingo!”

Do you like

ice cream?

Do you

have a cat?

Do you wash your

face every day?

Do you usually

wear jeans

to school?

Do you watch TV

every night?

Do you like

funny movies?

Do you go to

the beach in

the summer?

Do you play

an instrument?

Do you often

take the bus?

Do you

like animals?

Do you do laundry

on the weekend?

Do you have

a dog?

Free Space

Do you like sushi?

Do you have

any brothers

or sisters?

Do you play

any sports?

Do you like

junk food?

Do you brush your

hair every day?

Do you wear

sneakers

to school?

Do you like

to dance?

Do you brush your

teeth before bed?

Do you wear boots

when it rains?

Do you do your

homework five

times a week?

Do you like

English?

Do you drink water

every day?


9

Simple Present


Exercise 5

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Wh- Words

WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW

Pattern:

Wh- word + do / does + subject + base verb

Examples: • How often do you go to school?

• Who texts you every day?

A. Answers

Write answers to the questions.

Ex. Where do you go every Saturday? (the mall)

I go to the mall every Saturday.

1. What does she want for her birthday? (a new shirt)

B. Questions

Write questions for the answers.

Ex. How often do you exercise?

I exercise three times a week.

1.

I live in Paris, France.

2. Who calls you every day? (my best friend)

2.

My birthday is in June.

3. What time does the meeting start? (at 2:00 pm)

3.

They want to talk to the teacher.

4. How often do you brush your teeth? (twice a day)

4.

She goes to bed at 10:30 pm.

5. How much does the book cost? ($10.00)

5.

He sometimes plays the guitar.


10

Simple Present


Exercise 6 (Student A)

PAIR WORK

A. Speaking Practice

Ask your partner questions and fill in the missing information.

Example #1

A: What time does Maria wake up?

B: She wakes up at 6:30 am.

Example #2

B: What time does John wake up?

A: He wakes up at 6:15 am.

wakes up

eats

breakfast

goes to

school

eats lunch

eats dinner

does

homework

goes to bed

6:15 am 8:30 am 7:00 pm 11:00 pm

John

7:45 am 12:00 pm 7:15 pm

Maria

B. Writing Practice

Now write five sentences about John’s daily routine.

Ex. John wakes up at 6:15 am.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


11

Simple Present


Exercise 6 (Student B)

PAIR WORK

A. Speaking Practice

Ask your partner questions and fill in the missing information.

Example #1

B: What time does John wake up?

A: He wakes up at 6:15 am.

Example #2

A: What time does Maria wake up?

B: She wakes up at 6:30 am.

wakes up

eats

breakfast

goes to

school

eats lunch

eats dinner

does

homework

goes to bed

7:20 am 12:15 pm 8:15 pm

John

6:30 am 8:40 am 6:00 pm 10:30 pm

Maria

B. Writing Practice

Now write five sentences about Maria’s daily routine.

Ex. Maria wakes up at 6:30 am.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


12

Simple Present


Exercise 7

WRITING

Write about your daily routine.

Use simple present verbs.

Example:

I wake up at 6:00 am every day. I shower, wash my face,

and brush my teeth. At 8:00 am, I eat breakfast...


13

Simple Present


Exercise 8

QUIZ

Find one error in each sentence. Rewrite the correct sentences.

Ex. She take a trip three times a year.

She takes a trip three times a year.

1. He not speak French.

2. My favorite TV show start at 8:00 pm.

3. I walk my dog twice a days.

4. Water boil at 212º Fahrenheit.

5. Does you eat breakfast at 7:00 am?

6. She not watch TV.

7. They have not a dog.

8. What time do he wake up every day?

9. We play often baseball.

10. The train leave at 2:30 pm.


14

Simple Present


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:

LEVEL: Beg

In this lesson, students learn the patterns and uses of the simple

present. They practice this common tense through writing and

speaking activities that include individual, pair, and group work.

TIME:

TAGS:

2 hours

simple present, present, verb tenses,

questions, negative, grammar practice exercises,

grammar practice worksheets, simple present exercises

Exercise 1

Answers:

1. eat

2. wears

3. stands

4. brushes

5. buy

6. sleep

7. makes

8. take

9. watch

10. listens

11. speaks

12. fixes

13. washes

14. drink

15. freezes

1. Yes, he does.

2. No, they don’t.

3. Yes, she does.

4. No, he doesn’t.

5. No, we don’t.

6. Yes, I do.

7. Yes, they do.

8. No, she doesn’t.

9. Yes, it does.

10. No, we don’t.

Exercise 2

Exercise 4

1. don’t like

2. don’t know

6. don’t drink

7. don’t wear

11. don’t speak

12. doesn’t sell

Answers will vary. Make sure your students are saying a complete

short answer (Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.) and not just Yes or No.

3. don’t go

4. doesn’t love

8. don’t have

9. don’t need

13. doesn’t serve

14. don’t get up

Exercise 5

5. don’t move

10. doesn’t eat

15. don’t fall

A. ANSWERS

Exercise 3

Transcript:

1. Does he take the bus to school?

2. Do they live in a big city?

3. Does your sister study English every day?

4. Does your brother live in an apartment?

5. Do we have any homework?

6. Do you always speak English in class?

7. Do your neighbors have a car?

8. Does she take piano lessons once a week?

9. Does snow melt in the spring?

10. Do you and your friend like horror movies?

1. She wants a new shirt for her birthday.

2. My best friend calls me every day.

3. The meeting starts at 2:00 pm.

4. I brush my teeth twice a day.

5. The book costs $10.00.

B. QUESTIONS

1. Where do you live?

2. When is your birthday?

3. Who do they want to talk to?

4. What time/When does she go to bed?

5. How often does he play the guitar?

(continued on the next page...)


15

Simple Present


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 6

Exercise 8

A. SPEAKING PRACTICE

Student A:

John eats breakfast at 7:20 am, eats lunch at 12:15 pm, and does his

homework at 8:15 pm. Maria wakes up at 6:30 am, goes to school at

8:40 am, eats dinner at 6:00 pm, and goes to bed at 10:30 pm.

Student B:

John wakes up at 6:15 am, goes to school at 8:30 am,

eats dinner at 7:00 pm, and goes to bed at 11:00 pm.

Maria eats breakfast at 7:45 am, eats lunch at 12:00 pm, and does

her homework at 7:15 pm.

B. WRITING PRACTICE

Answers may vary. Possible answers include:

Student A:

• John wakes up at 6:15 am.

• John eats breakfast at 7:20 am.

• John goes to school at 8:30 am.

• John eats lunch at 12:15 pm.

• John eats dinner at 7:00 pm.

• John does his homework at 8:15 pm.

• John goes to bed at 11:00 pm.

1. He doesn’t speak French.

2. My favorite TV show starts at 8:00 pm.

3. I walk my dog twice a day.

4. Water boils at 212º Fahrenheit.

5. Do you eat breakfast at 7:00 am?

6. She doesn’t watch TV.

7. They don’t have a dog.

8. What time does he wake up every day?

9. We often play baseball.

10. The train leaves at 2:30 pm.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Favorite

and Neighbors. Most other English-speaking countries spell these

words this way: Favourite and Neighbours. Make it a challenge for

your students to find these words in the lesson and see if they

know the alternate spellings.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

If your students need more practice with Adverbs of

Frequency, try our Grammar Practice Worksheets lesson:

https://esllibrary.com/courses/88/lessons/2241

Student B:

• Maria wakes up at 6:30 am.

• Maria eats breakfast at 7:45 am.

• Maria goes to school at 8:40 am.

• Maria eats lunch at 12:00 pm.

• Maria eats dinner at 6:00 pm.

• Maria does her homework at 7:15 pm.

• Maria goes to bed at 10:30 pm.

Exercise 7

Answers will vary.


16


Singular & Plural Nouns

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes


6 Exercise 1

Proper & Common Nouns

7 Exercise 2

Regular Nouns

8 Exercise 3

Listening & Speaking

9 Exercise 4

Spelling & Pronunciation

10 Exercise 5

How Many?

11 Exercise 6

Irregular Nouns

12 Exercise 7

Fill in the Blanks

13 Exercise 8

Find the Errors

14 Exercise 9

Picture This!

16 Exercise 10

Quiz

17 Grammar Assessment Tool

18 Self-Assessment

19 Answer Key


1



Grammar Notes

SINGULAR & PLURAL NOUNS

A. Introduction to Nouns

A noun is a person, place, or thing. Nouns are usually the subject

(before the verb) or object (after the verb) of a sentence.

• Julia likes puppies.

• The students are taking a test.

B. Proper & Common Nouns

Proper nouns are the names of people, places, or things.

In English, proper nouns take a capital letter.

Common Noun

Proper Noun

Common Noun

Proper Noun

a person

Ali

an ocean

Atlantic Ocean

a pet

Fido

a river

Amazon River

a city

London

a lake

Lake Baikal

a country

Brazil

a mountain

Mount Fiji

a building

Eiffel Tower

a park

Central Park

a company

Coca-Cola

a planet

Jupiter

C. Singular Nouns

Singular means one. A singular common noun often has

an article (a, an, or the) or the number one in front of it.

• a truck

• an umbrella

• the bank

• one sandwich


2



Grammar Notes cont.

D. Regular Plural Nouns

Plural means two or more. To form the plural of most regular nouns,

add the ending -s. A plural common noun often has the, a number

(two or more), or no article in front of it.

• a cat cats

• an apple apples

• the chair the chairs

• one banana two bananas

Look at the spelling patterns for regular plural nouns.

Can you think of any more nouns to add to this chart?

Rule Singular Plural

Add -s to most regular nouns.

If the noun ends in a consonant

+ -y, change -y to -i and add -es.

If the noun ends in -s, -z, -x, -ch,

or -sh, add -es.

If the noun ends in a consonant

+ -o, add -es.

• banana

• flower

• toy

• candy

• butterfly

• puppy

• kiss

• box

• dish

• potato

• tomato

• hero

• bananas

• flowers

• toys

• candies

• butterflies

• puppies

• kisses

• boxes

• dishes

• potatoes

• tomatoes

• heroes


3



Grammar Notes cont.

E. Pronunciation Rules for Regular Plural Nouns

How is the plural ending -s pronounced? That depends on the final sound

of the singular noun. Listen to the recording and repeat the examples.

# Rule Examples

1

If the noun ends with the voiceless (soft) sounds

f, k, p, t, or θ, pronounce the -s ending as s.

• roofs

• books

• maps

• cats

• months

2

If the noun ends with the voiced (loud) sounds

b, d, g, l, m, n, ŋ, r, ð, v, w, or any vowel sound,

pronounce the -s ending as z.

• cribs

• beds

• dogs

• girls

• plums

• vans

• songs

• sisters

• clothes

• caves

• cows

• bananas

• trees

• plays

• pianos

• emus

3

If the noun ends with the voiceless sounds s, ks, ∫, or

t∫ or the voiced sounds dӡ, ӡ, or z, pronounce the -s

ending as ız (as a separate syllable).

• kisses

• boxes

• wishes

• batches

• bridges

• garages

• quizzes


4



Grammar Notes cont.

F. Irregular Plural Nouns

Irregular nouns don’t take the -s ending to form the plural.

Instead, there are various changes or no changes to these nouns.

• a goose geese

• a die dice

• a fish fish

Look at the spelling patterns for irregular plural nouns.

Can you think of any more nouns to add to this chart?

Type of Change Pattern Singular Plural

Middle Vowel Change

-a -e

-oo -ee

• man

• woman

• foot

• tooth

• men

• women

• feet

• teeth

Middle Vowel + Consonant Change

(various)

• person

• mouse

• people

• mice

Ending Added

(various)

• child

• ox

• children

• oxen

-fe / -f -ves

• knife

• half

• knives

• halves

Ending Change

-us -i

-sis -ses

• cactus

• alumnus

• crisis

• thesis

• cacti

• alumni

• crises

• theses

-um -a

• bacterium

• datum

• bacteria

• data

No Change —

• deer

• species

• deer

• species


5



Exercise 1

PROPER & COMMON NOUNS

Write P if the noun is a proper noun.

Write C if the noun is a common noun.

Ex.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

C

a child

an orange

a book

The Lord of the Rings

Fluffy

Taj Mahal

the car

Starbucks

a bird

a movie

Pacific Ocean

the school

an elephant

Harvard University

Google

the bus


6



Exercise 2

REGULAR NOUNS

Put a check mark () in the singular column if there is only one of the noun.

Put a check mark () in the plural column if there are two or more of the noun.

# Noun Singular Plural

Ex the book

1 a tree

2 shoes

3 the park

4 an apple

5 the vegetables

6 flowers

7 a dictionary

8 the TV

9 a pencil

10 an umbrella

11 bicycles

12 the people

13 leaves

14 a horse

15 the beach


7



Exercise 3

LISTENING & SPEAKING

A. Listening Practice

What sound does the -s ending make? Listen to the following

words and put a check mark () in the /s/, /z/, or /ız/ column.

# Plural Noun /s/ /z/ /ız/

1 surprises

2 paths

3 dogs

4 placemats

5 lids

6 rashes

7 watches

8 forks

9 lemons

10 cups

11 chairs

12 businesses

B. Speaking Practice

Listen and repeat the words in Part A.

Pay attention to your pronunciation.


8



Exercise 4

SPELLING & PRONUNCIATION

A. Spelling Practice

Write the plural form for the following nouns.

# Singular Noun Plural Noun

# Singular Noun Plural Noun

Ex knife knives

8 branch

1 cookie

9 coat

2 cake

10 party

3 dish

11 class

4 leaf

12 minute

5 bridge

13 play

6 box

14 lady

7 potato

15 month

B. Pronunciation Practice

With a partner, read the plural nouns in Part A out loud.

Pay attention to your pronunciation.


9



Exercise 5

HOW MANY?

Ask your partner these questions and write his or her answers in the chart.

Can you think of more questions with “How many” to ask your partner?

# Question Answer

Ex How many hours of sleep do you get? 8 hours

1 How many brothers and sisters do you have?

2 How many pets do you have?

3 How many pairs of shoes do you own?

4 How many days a week do you study English?

5

How many hours do you spend on social media

(e.g., Facebook) in a day?

6 How many phone calls do you make in a week?

7 How many texts do you send in a week?

8 How many TV shows do you watch in a week?

9 How many movies do you watch in a month?

10 How many books do you read in a year?


10



Exercise 6

IRREGULAR NOUNS

Write the plural forms of the irregular nouns in the chart.

# Singular Plural

# Singular Plural

Ex one alumnus two

alumni

8 one oasis two

1 one woman two

9 one foot two

2 one fish two

10 one wife two

3 one child two

11 one crisis two

4 one goose two

12 one half two

5 one man two

13 one ox two

6 one mouse two

14 one species two

7 one die two

15 one bacterium two


11



Exercise 7

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with regular and irregular nouns from the list.

Use plural forms. Use each word only once.

Noun List:

• child

• dish

• baby

• bus

• blanket

• sheep

• fish

• superhero

• knife

• person

• calf

Ex. They have three sons and three daughters. They have six children

.

1. Baby cows are called .

2. It is dangerous to play with sharp .

3. I have to do the after dinner.

4. are animals that produce wool.

5. I need three strong to help me carry the refrigerator upstairs.

6. My friend caught four in the river.

7. Fourteen were born at that hospital yesterday.

8. You have to take two to get to the mall.

9. Here are some more in case you get cold.

10. My brother loves Marvel Comics. He has posters of

all over his bedroom walls.


12



Exercise 8

FIND THE ERRORS

Find one error in each sentence. Write the correct sentence below it.

Ex. They found two new bird speciess on that island.

They found two new bird species on that island.

1. I saw six butterflys in the garden.

2. There are three zoos in the four citys near my house.

3. We need more knifes and forks.

4. Those people are feeding the gooses.

5. There are many big oxes in the fields behind the barn.

6. I looked under the desks and saw many feets.

7. Woman usually live longer than men.

8. Have the children lost all their baby tooths?

9. Would you like some more carrots or potatos?

10. I asked my son to pick up his toyes.


13



Exercise 9

PICTURE THIS!

Look at the pictures. Write a singular or plural noun for each image.

1.

child

2.

people

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.


14



Exercise 9 cont.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.


15



Exercise 10

QUIZ

Circle the correct answer.

1. Do you want any on your salad?

a) tomatoes

b) tomatos

2. The children wanted to pet the .

a) puppys

b) puppies

3. How many English did you take last week?

a) class

b) classes

4. Did you see the at the zoo?

a) wolves

b) wolfs

5. There are two in my city.

a) libraries

b) librarys

6. The stole a lot of jewelry.

a) thieves

b) thiefs

7. How many until your birthday?

a) monthes

b) months

8. Three of my friends dressed up as

for Halloween.

a) witches

b) witchs

9. She goes to the gym on .

a) Fridays

b) Fridaies

10. I cut the apple into two .

a) halfs

b) halves

11. The dentist pulled three out of his mouth.

a) teeth

b) tooths

12. There are a lot of in this garden.

a) cactus

b) cacti


16



Grammar Assessment

Student / Group:

Date Level Assessed By Target Skill

Singular &

Plural Nouns

Grammar

Criteria

Achieved Achieved with Help Needs Improvement

differentiates common

and proper nouns

differentiates singular

and plural nouns

pronounces regular

plural nouns correctly

forms the plural of regular

and irregular nouns using

the correct spelling

Notes


17



Self-Assessment

SINGULAR & PLURAL NOUNS

Add check marks () to show what you've learned in this lesson.

Name:

Date:

Can I...

Yes (very well) Yes (with help) Not yet

tell the difference between common

and proper nouns?

pronounce regular plural nouns properly?

spell regular plural nouns correctly?

spell irregular plural nouns correctly?

My Notes


18



Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:

LEVEL: Beg

This lesson teaches students how to form regular and irregular

plural nouns. Students will review and practice spelling and

pronunciation rules for plural nouns in English.

TIME:

TAGS:

2–3 hours

plural, singular, nouns, plural nouns, regular, irregular,

spelling, pronunciation, grammar, assessment

Exercise 1

Exercise 4

1. C

4. P

7. P

10. P

13. P

A. SPELLING PRACTICE

2. C

3. P

5. P

6. C

8. C

9. C

11. C

12. C

14. P

15. C

1. cookies

2. cakes

6. boxes

7. potatoes

11. classes

12. minutes

Exercise 2

3. dishes

4. leaves

8. branches

9. coats

13. plays

14. ladies

1. singular

6. plural

11. plural

5. bridges

10. parties

15. months

2. plural

3. singular

4. singular

5. plural

7. singular

8. singular

9. singular

10. singular

12. plural

13. plural

14. singular

15. singular

B. PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE

Monitor your students for the correct pronunciation

of the plural endings. The correct pronunciation is:

Exercise 3

A. LISTENING PRACTICE

1. /ız/ 3. /z/ 5. /z/ 7. /ız/ 9. /z/ 11. /z/

2. /s/ 4. /s/ 6. /ız/ 8. /s/ 10. /s/ 12. /ız/

B. SPEAKING PRACTICE

You can choose to do this exercise as a class or by calling on

individual students. Alternatively, put students in pairs. Monitor

your students for the correct pronunciation of the plural endings.

1. /z/ 4. /z/ 7. /z/ 10. /z/ 13. /z/

2. /s/ 5. /ız/ 8. /ız/ 11. /ız/ 14. /z/

3. /ız/ 6. /ız/ 9. /s/ 12. /s/ 15. /s/

Exercise 5

Answers will vary. You may want to challenge pairs who complete

the exercise quickly to think of more questions. Alternatively, have

all students write five more questions for homework.



19



Answer Key cont.

Exercise 6

Exercise 10

1. women

6. mice

11. crises

2. fish

7. dice

12. halves

3. children

8. oases

13. oxen

4. geese

9. feet

14. species

5. men

10. wives

15. bacteria

Exercise 7

1. calves

6. fish

2. knives

7. babies

3. dishes

8. buses

4. Sheep

9. blankets

5. people

10. superheroes

Exercise 8

1. I saw six butterflies in the garden.

2. There are three zoos in the four cities near my house.

3. We need more knives and forks.

4. Those people are feeding the geese.

5. There are many big oxen in the fields behind the barn.

6. I looked under the desks and saw many feet.

7. Women usually live longer than men.

8. Have the children lost all their baby teeth?

9. Would you like some more carrots or potatoes?

10. I asked my son to pick up his toys.

Exercise 9

Answers may vary. Have students work individually or in pairs.

You could also cut up the cards and have students quiz each other.

1. child

9. tomatoes 17. deer

2. people

10. umbrella

18. buses

3. chairs

11. mice

19. dice

4. watches

12. dishes/plates 20. teeth

5. feet

13. babies

21. boxes

6. flowers

14. cacti

22. car

7. cat

15. elephant

23. bananas

8. fish

16. knives

24. dogs

1. a 3. b 5. a 7. b 9. a 11. a

2. b 4. a 6. a 8. a 10. b 12. b

Grammar Assessment

Use this tool for assessment purposes. Find alternative assessment

tools that you can personalize in our Resources section:

https://esllibrary.com/resources

Self-Assessment

Have your students fill out this form. Find alternative self-reflection

tools that you can personalize in our Resources section:

https://esllibrary.com/resources

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Jewelry.

Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Jewellery.



EDITOR'S NOTES:

You may want to point out that there are some exceptions to

the “f ves” rule. Words that don’t follow this change include

roofs and beliefs. You may also wish to discuss the plural of words

ending in -o in more detail. Here are the general rules:

1. Some words ending in -o take the -es plural ending

(e.g., potatoes, tomatoes, heroes).

2. Some words ending in -o can take either the -es or -s

plural ending (e.g.,mangoes/mangos, zeroes/zeros,

volcanoes/volcanos).

3. If a word ends in -oe, add -s (e.g., toe toes, shoe shoes).

4. If the letter before the final -o is a vowel, add -s

(e.g., patio patios, video videos).

5. If the word ending in -o is short for a longer word

(e.g., photograph photo, automobile auto), add -s

(e.g., photos, autos).


20

Articles


Articles

Table of Contents

2

5

5

6

7

7

8

9

10

11

QUICK AND HANDY GRAMMAR REVIEW

Articles

EXERCISE 1: A or An

Complete the sentences using a or an.

EXERCISE 2: A, An, or Ø

Choose the correct noun to complete each sentence.

EXERCISE 3: A or The

Complete the dialogues using a or the.

EXERCISE 4: A, An, or The

Complete the story using a, an, or the.

EXERCISE 5: A, An, The, or Ø

Complete the sentences using a, an, the, or Ø.


Write a paragraph using a, an, the, and Ø.


Complete the class survey.


Complete the multiple-choice quiz.

ANSWER KEY

Copyright 2015, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 1

Articles


Quick and Handy Grammar Review

ARTICLES

An article is a little word that come before a noun (a person,

place, or thing). English articles include a, an, and the.

A. General Articles: A / An / Ø

Use a, an, or Ø (no article) before a general noun. General (indefinite)

means “one of many.” In other words, you can’t see the noun and/or

you don’t know which noun it is.

Examples:

• I want to watch a movie.

(Any movie is okay. You don’t know which movie you want to watch.)

• I bought a new bicycle.

(You can’t see the bicycle right now.)

SINGULAR NOUNS

PLURAL NOUNS

NON-COUNT NOUNS

Use a or an before a singular

noun that is general. Singular

means one. Use a before

a consonant, and use an

before a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).

• I have a cat.

• She has an iPhone.

Use Ø (no article) before a

plural noun that is general.

Plural means two or more.

• Our family likes animals.

(no article)

• You brought pens and

books to class. (no articles)

Use Ø (no article) before a

non-count (uncountable) noun

that is general. A non-count noun

is a noun that you can’t count

because it is too small (snow, hair),

liquid (soup, water), abstract

(love, happiness), etc.

• He drinks milk every day.

(no article)

• They usually have

rice for dinner. (no article)


Articles


Quick and Handy Grammar Review cont.

B. Specific Article: The

Use the before a specific noun. Specific (definite) means

you can see the noun and you know which noun it is.

Examples:

• The black-and-white puppy is really cute.

(You can see the puppy, and you know which puppy it is.)

• I am buying the dress that is on sale.

(You can see the dress, and you know which dress it is.)

SINGULAR NOUNS

PLURAL NOUNS

NON-COUNT NOUNS

• He likes the blue shirt better

than the green one.

• The new rug matches the sofa.

• The students made

the posters in this room.

• Anyone can use the

computers at our school.

• The children played

in the sand all day.

• Here is the money

that I owe you.


Articles



C. Chart

GENERAL

(any one / you don’t know which one)

SPECIFIC

(a certain one / you know which one)

SINGULAR

(1)

A or An

(singular count noun)

• I gave a flower to my mom.

The

(singular count noun)

• Pass me the pen that you’re holding.

PLURAL

(2 or more)

Ø

(plural count noun or non-count noun)

• I gave flowers to my mom.

• I have money in my pocket.

The

(plural count noun or non-count noun)

• Pass me the pens that you’re holding.

• I brought the money that I owe you.

D. Tips

1. Use the when there is only one of the noun.

• the sun, the moon (in the sky)

• the mall, the library, the hospital (in a city)

2. Use the for the second mention of a noun.

• I bought a laptop yesterday. The laptop was expensive.

• I want a new puppy. The puppy must be toilet trained.

3. Use the with a general noun when the noun is followed by

that and information that describes it (called an adjective clause).

• The shoes that I wear every day are red.

• The TV that I want to buy is really big.

4. In most cases, use a/an/Ø with a specific noun

when the sentence starts with “There is/are” and

includes a preposition. Use the after the preposition.

• There is a dog on the sofa.

• There are flowers in the vases.


Articles


Exercise 1

A OR AN

Complete the sentences using a or an.

1. John wants a pair of jeans.

2. Silvia wants iPad.

3. Atsuko wants bicycle.

4. Maria wants pair of shoes.

5. Bob wants book.

6. Alfonso wants Apple computer.

7. Lee wants car.

8. Lisa wants electric guitar.

9. Miguel wants skateboard.

10. Sonya wants umbrella.

Exercise 2

A, AN, OR Ø

Choose the correct noun to complete each sentence.

Part A

1. I want a

2. He wants an

3. She wants

a) money.

b) e-reader.

c) chocolate bar.

Part B

1. Do you have a

2. Do you have an

3. Do you have

a) time?

b) pet?

c) iPad?

Part C

1. She bought an

2. He bought

3. I bought a

a) orange shirt.

b) new iPhone.

c) colorful paper.


Articles


Exercise 3

A OR THE

Complete the dialogues using a or the. Write the correct article on the line.

Dialogue A

Dialogue B

Tracy: What did you buy yesterday?

Lee:

What did you buy yesterday?

Mike: I bought

a

1.

new shirt.

Mika: I bought

1.

new shirt.

Tracy: What does it look like?

Lee:

What does it look like?

Mike: shirt has picture of sun.

2.

3.

4.

Mika: shirt has picture of flower.

2.

3.

4.

Tracy: Sounds nice! I can’t wait to see it.

Lee:

Sounds nice! I can’t wait to see it.

Dialogue C

Now practice with a partner! Draw an object

on the plain shirt and describe it to your partner.

A: What did you buy yesterday?

B: I bought new shirt.

A: What does it look like?

1.

B: shirt has picture of .

2.

A: Sounds nice! I can’t wait to see it.

3.

4. 5.


Articles


Exercise 4

A, AN, OR THE

Complete the story using a, an, or the.

Shopping Spree

Yesterday was Lisa’s birthday. Her parents gave her $200 to spend at

mall.

First Lisa bought necklace. necklace was silver with pink heart.

Next, Lisa bought pair of shoes. Lisa really liked shoes because they

were pink. After that, Lisa went into clothing store. She bought dress.

The saleswoman said

10.

dress was?

2. 3.

4.

5.

9.

7.

dress looked great on Lisa. Can you guess what color

6.

the

1.

8.

Exercise 5

A, AN, THE, OR Ø

Complete the sentences using a, an, the, or Ø.

1. Did I tell you about the TV show that I watched last night?

2. Dave likes reading in library.

3. Yosuke shops for new shirt every week.

4. She needs new glasses.

5. Julia has dog.

6. We usually eat rice for lunch.

7. Chris has motorcycle.

8. There are children in the park.

9. Marco owns e-reader.

10. He climbed tree that is in his backyard.


Articles


Exercise 6

A, AN, THE, OR Ø

Write a short paragraph about your hometown.

Use a, an, the, and Ø in your sentences as often as possible.

Example:

I live in Vancouver, Canada. There is a big shopping mall in Vancouver called

Pacific Centre. I like to buy clothes at the mall. Vancouver also has a park called

Stanley Park. It takes three hours to walk the seawall that goes around the park.

I like to take pictures of the ocean and the park. Does your hometown have a

big park and an ocean nearby, too?


Articles


Exercise 7

A, AN, THE, OR Ø

Class Survey: Ask your classmates these questions, and write

their answers in the chart below. Try to speak to a new classmate

for each question. Focus on articles when you answer these

questions. Write the answers in complete sentences.

# Question Classmate Answer

1 Do you have a pet?

2 Do you have any brothers or sisters?

3 Do you have a mobile phone?

4 Do you want a new car?

5 Do you want new shoes?

6 Do you wish you had more money?

7

What’s the name of the

movie you like the most?

8

What’s the name of

the song you like the least?

9

Can you tell me about

an animal you like?

10

Can you tell me about

a country you want to visit?


Articles


Exercise 8

A, AN, THE, OR Ø

Quiz: Circle the correct article for each sentence.

1. My friend has two daughters.

girls want bicycles

for Christmas.

a) A

b) An

c) The

d) Ø

2. Do you want ice

cream cone from the store?

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

3. Jim picked out

puppy at the pet shop.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

4. She bought new jeans.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

5. Did you see

full moon last night?

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

6. There is

book on the shelf.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

7. movie that I saw

yesterday got good reviews.

a) A

b) An

c) The

d) Ø

8. See those two shirts?

Mark chose orange

shirt, not the blue one.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

9. We need paper and

scissors for this project.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

10. I found ID card

yesterday. The card didn’t

have an address on it.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

11. When she got sick, she

went to hospital.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø

12. There are apple

trees in our backyard.

a) a

b) an

c) the

d) Ø


Articles


Answer Key

Exercise 1

Exercise 5

1. a

3. a

5. a

7. a

9. a

1. the

3. a

5. a

7. a

9. an

2. an

4. a

6. an

8. an

10. an

2. the

4. Ø

6. Ø

8. Ø

10. the

Exercise 2

Exercise 6

PART A

PART B

PART C

Answers will vary.

1. c

2. b

1. b

2. c

1. a

2. c

Exercise 7

3. a

3. a

3. b

Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct article usage.

Exercise 3

Exercise 8

DIALOGUE A

DIALOGUE B

DIALOGUE C

1. a

2. The

1. a

2. The

1. a

2. The

1. c

2. b

3. a

4. d

5. c

6. a

7. c

8. c

9. d

10. b

11. c

12. d

3. a

4. the

3. a

4. a

3. a

4–5. Answers will vary.

SPELLING NOTE:

Exercise 4

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Color,

Colorful, and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries

spell these words this way: Colour, Colourful, and Practise

1. the

3. The

5. a

7. a

9. the

(when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make

2. a

4. a

6. the

8. a

10. the

it a challenge for your students to find these words in the

(Answer: The dress was pink.)

lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings.


Pronouns 1


Pronouns 1

Table of Contents

2

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15


Subject Pronouns, Object Pronouns,

Possessive Adjectives, and Possessive Pronouns

EXERCISE 1: Subject Pronouns

Change the subject noun in each sentence to a subject pronoun.

EXERCISE 2: Object Pronouns

Change the object noun in each sentence to an object pronoun.

EXERCISE 3: Subject or Object Pronouns

Decide if each sentence needs a subject or object pronoun.

EXERCISE 4: Subject and Object Pronouns

Write sentences about your family members.

EXERCISE 5: Subject and Object Pronouns

Locate the error, correct it, and rewrite each sentence correctly.

EXERCISE 6: Possessive Adjectives

Answer each question with the correct possessive adjective.

EXERCISE 7: Possessive Pronouns

Complete each sentence with the correct possessive pronoun.

EXERCISE 8: Possessive Adjectives or Pronouns

Indicate whether the possessive word is a pronoun or an adjective.

EXERCISE 9: Review

Class survey. Ask and answer using the correct pronoun or adjective.

EXERCISE 10: Quiz

Complete the multiple-choice quiz with the correct pronoun or adjective.

ANSWER KEY

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (BEG / VERSION 2.2) 1

Pronouns 1



Pronouns can be people, places, or things. Pronouns refer to

nouns that we already know. This lesson will cover subject pronouns,

object pronouns, possessive adjectives, and possessive pronouns.

A. Subject Pronouns

Person Singular Plural

First

I

I am from Korea.

we

We are happy to be here.

Second

you

You are very nice.

you

You are all invited to my house.

Third

he

He is a pharmacist.

she

She is tired.

it

It has brown fur.

they

They are never late.

Note #1:

Note #2:

Note #3:

The pronoun I is always capitalized.

Maria and I are friends.

Maria and i are friends.

Never use me in a subject position.


Maria and me are friends.

Never start a sentence with me.


Me and Maria are friends.

B. Object Pronouns


First

Second

me

Maria called me at 3:00 am.

you

Laura talked about you yesterday.

us

Sandra invited us to dinner.

you

John wants all of you to go to the party.

Third

him

The teacher asked

him a question.

her

The manager gave

her a promotion.

it

Mike watched

it last night.

them

The airline gave them free tickets.

Note #1:

Object pronouns can be the object

of a verb or the object of a preposition.

• She called him. (object of the verb called)

• She talked to him. (object of the preposition to)


Pronouns 1



C. Possessive Adjectives


First

my

My book is on the table.

our

Our dog has fleas.

Second

your

Is that your pen?

your

Are these girls your* children?

(*your refers to both parents)

Third

his

His black coat

is on the chair.

her

I can’t find

her toothbrush.

its

Its* food bowl is red.

(*its refers to a pet)

their

I want to live in their house.

Note #1:

Note #2:

Note #3:

Possessive adjectives are

always followed by a noun.

Possessive adjectives are more

common than possessive pronouns.

Its is a possessive adjective.

Its can never be a possessive pronoun.

D. Possessive Pronouns


First

mine

That book on the table is mine.

ours

That dog is ours.

Second

yours

Is that pen yours?

yours

Are those children yours*?

(*yours refers to both parents)

Third

his

That black

coat is his.

hers

The pink toothbrush

is hers.

—

theirs

The big house on the corner is theirs.

Note #1:

Note #2:

Possessive pronouns are

never followed by a noun.

Possessive pronouns are usually at

the end of a sentence after the Be verb.


Pronouns 1



E. Review

Subject Pronouns Vs. Object Pronouns

SINGULAR

PLURAL

Person Subject Object Subject Object

First I me we us

Second you you you you

he

him

Third

she

her

they

them

it

it

Possessive Adjectives Vs. Possessive Pronouns

SINGULAR

PLURAL

Person Adjective Pronoun Adjective Pronoun

First my mine our ours

Second your yours your yours

his

his

Third

her

hers

their

theirs

its —


Pronouns 1


Exercise 1

SUBJECT PRONOUNS

Change the subject noun in each sentence to a subject pronoun.

# Sentence with a subject noun Sentence with a subject pronoun

1 John is the floor manager. He is the floor manager.

2 Ricardo really likes Mary. really likes Mary.

3 Hank’s dog is a poodle. is a poodle.

4 Maria is a dog trainer. is a dog trainer.

5 Bob and Gina are best friends. are best friends.

6 Theo and I work at the mall. work at the mall.

7 The book is very long. is very long.

8 The pillows are made of feathers. are made of feathers.

9 The teacher and the student met at 3:00. met at 3:00.

10 Adam and I ate lunch together. ate lunch together.


Pronouns 1


Exercise 2

OBJECT PRONOUNS

Change the object noun in each sentence to an object pronoun.

# Sentence with an object noun Sentence with an object pronoun

1 Johnson bought a dog at the kennel. Johnson bought it at the kennel.

2 Ricardo really likes Mary. Riccardo really likes .

3 I can’t take this situation anymore. I can’t take anymore.

4 Brooke read a long book in one night. Brook read in one night.

5 Bob went on vacation with Joe. Bob went on vacation with .

6 I drank two cups of coffee at the mall. I drank at the mall.

7 Nestor contacted my sister yesterday. Nestor contacted yesterday.

8 Gina ate two sandwiches at Tom’s house. Gina ate at Tom’s house.

9 The professor called on Sunhee and Junko. The professor called on .

10 Mr. Sampson ate an apple. Mr. Sampson ate .


Pronouns 1


Exercise 3

SUBJECT AND OBJECT PRONOUNS

Decide if each sentence needs a subject or object pronoun.

1. Henry and are going

to the game tomorrow.

a) I

b) me

8. I don’t want to talk

to or his brother.

a) he

b) him

15. are the best

players on the team.

a) They

b) Them

2. When Carla speaks French,

Mary can’t understand .

a) she

b) her

9. I met Mey Lin and

at the movie theater.

a) she

b) her

16. Can you take this letter

and give to Louisa?

a) it

b) her

3. Han Bin and

went to the movies.

a) I

b) her

4. and her brother

often eat at that restaurant.

a) She

b) Her

5. The rent is too high for .

a) they

b) them

6. is the best

friend I’ve ever had.

a) Her

b) She

7. Chris and went to

Vietnam together.

a) I

b) me

10. May come in now?

a) we

b) us

11. If you see your parents tonight,

give my best regards.

a) they

b) them

12. The coach called

Bob and last night.

a) I

b) me

13. met a friend of

ours at the mall yesterday.

a) Us

b) We

14. I can’t find my books.

Can I use yours, Joe? I will

give back tomorrow.

a) them

b) they

17. Paul called Lisa and

because he wants us to

travel to Italy together.

a) I

b) me

18. doesn’t want to

talk about the terrible

game anymore.

a) He

b) Him

19. Mika and

are best friends.

a) me

b) I

20. Margarita sent

an email about the test.

a) we

b) us


Pronouns 1


Exercise 4


Write sentences about your family using subject or

object pronouns. Then tell your partner about your family.

# Family Member Example My Family

1 Mother She is a good cook.

2 Father I like talking to him.

3 Brother He plays the guitar.

4 Sister I play baseball with her.

5 Grandfather He is 84 years old.

6 Grandmother We visit her every Sunday.

7 Pet I have a dog. It is friendly.

8

(your choice)


Pronouns 1


Exercise 5


Locate the error, correct it, and rewrite each sentence correctly.

1. Me and Diana work together.

Diana and I work together.

2. Ricky and me are both taking psychology.

3. My brother lives in Ohio with Paula and I.

4. Maria she is a dancer.

5. Is you the manager of this store?

6. The teacher is talking to we.

7. Its a girl!

8. Them are both from China.

9. Are we going with they?

10. Me and Joanna don’t know how to cook.


Pronouns 1


Exercise 6

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

Answer each question with the correct possessive adjective.

1. Whose book is this? It’s my book.

2. Whose hat is this? It’s hat.

3. Whose dog is this? It’s dog.

4. Whose laptop is this? It’s laptop.

5. Whose cell phone is this? It’s cell phone.

6. Whose car is this? It’s car.

7. Whose dictionary is this? It’s dictionary.

8. Whose pen is this? It’s pen.

9. Whose mug is this? It’s mug.

10. Whose camera is this? It’s camera.

11. Whose cat is this? It’s cat.

12. Whose pencil is this? It’s pencil.

13. Whose cookies are these? They’re cookies.

14. Whose glasses are these? They’re glasses.

15. Whose shoes are these? They’re shoes.

(he)

(I)

(they)

(we)

(he)

(I)

(she)

(they)

(you)

(he)

(she)

(you)

(we)

(I)

(you)


Pronouns 1


Exercise 7

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Complete each sentence with the correct possessive pronoun.

# Sentence with a Noun Sentence with a Possessive Pronoun

1 Is that your bag? Is that ?

2 That is Maria’s book over there. That book over there is .

3 This is our house. This house is .

4 The professor’s bag is on the desk. The bag on the desk is .

5 That is my coat. The coat is .

6 The wrestling coach left his pen on the chair. The pen on the chair is .

7 That is Roger’s bike on the lawn. The bike on the lawn is .

8 That is my laptop on the desk. The laptop on the desk is .

9 This notebook is Wendy’s. This notebook is .

10 That is Mr. and Mrs. Kim’s van. The van parked over there is .


Pronouns 1


Exercise 8

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES OR PRONOUNS

Using a check mark (), indicate whether the

possessive word (in bold) is an adjective or a pronoun.

# Sentence Adjective Pronoun

1 The pen on the table is mine.

2 Is this iPad yours?

3 What is your name?

4 My father works for the government.

5 The car parked in front of the school is theirs.

6 Their aunt is a chef.

7 Where is his laptop?

8 The sweater on the table is hers.

9 His is blue, not green.

10 The pizza in the break room is theirs.


Pronouns 1


Exercise 9

REVIEW

Class Survey: Ask your classmates these questions, and write their

answers in the chart below. Try to speak to a new classmate for each

question. Use pronouns/adjectives as often as you can. Write the

answers in complete sentences.

# Question Classmate Answer

1 What is your mother like?

2 What is your father like?

3 What is your best friend like?

4 Who is your ideal date?

5 What is your favorite animal?

6 What is your favorite movie?

7

What is your best

friend’s favorite movie?

8

What is your favorite

room in the house?

9 What is your hometown like?

10

What is your family’s

favorite holiday?


Pronouns 1


Exercise 10

REVIEW

Quiz: Complete the multiple-choice quiz with the correct pronoun or adjective.

1. Is that wallet?

a) my

b) mine

2. went to school.

a) She

b) Her

3. I see you tried the cake that I made.

Did you like ?

a) it

b) them

4. She called after class.

a) he

b) him

5. Is that book ?

a) your

b) yours

6. Mario and are going to the movies later.

a) I

b) me

7. Don’t give your dog food until after the walk.

a) it’s

b) its

8. The red house is .

a) our

b) ours

9. The test was difficult for you and .

a) I

b) me

10. grades are improving.

a) Their

b) They


Pronouns 1


Answer Key

Exercise 1

Exercise 7

1. He

3. It

5. They

7. It

9. They

1. yours

5. mine

9. hers

2. He

4. She

6. We

8. They

10. We

2. hers

6. his/hers

10. theirs

Exercise 2

3. ours

4. his/hers

7. his

8. mine

1. it

2. her

3. it

4. it

5. him

6. them

7. her

8. them

9. them

10. it

Exercise 8

Exercise 3

1. pronoun

2. pronoun

5. pronoun

6. adjective

9. pronoun

10. pronoun

3. adjective

7. adjective

1. a

5. b

9. b

13. b

17. b

4. adjective

8. pronoun

2. b

3. a

4. a

6. b

7. a

8. b

10. a

11. b

12. b

14. a

15. a

16. a

18. a

19. b

20. b

Exercise 9

Exercise 4

Answers will vary. Let your students know that they can choose

different family members if the ones listed don’t apply to them.

Exercise 5

1. Diana and I work together.

2. Ricky and I are both taking psychology.

3. My brother lives in Ohio with Paula and me.

4. Maria is a dancer. / She is a dancer.

5. Are you the manager of this store?

6. The teacher is talking to us.

7. It’s a girl!

8. They are both from China.

9. Are we going with them?

10. Joanna and I don’t know how to cook.

Answers will vary.

Exercise 10

1. a 3. a 5. b 7. b 9. b

2. a 4. b 6. a 8. b 10. a

SPELLING NOTES:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Theater

and Favorite. Other English-speaking countries spell these words

this way: Theatre and Favourite. Make it a challenge for your

students to find these words in the lesson and see if they


Also note that Cell phone is preferred in North American

English, while Mobile phone is preferred in British English.

Exercise 6

1. my

4. my

7. your

10. your

13. our

2. his

5. her

8. his

11. their

14. my

3. their

6. our

9. her

12. his

15. your



Imperative Verbs

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

4 Exercise 1

Teacher Talk

6 Exercise 2

Don’t Do That!

7 Exercise 3

Road Rules

8 Exercise 4

Follow Your Dreams

9 Exercise 5

Boss Talk

10 Exercise 6

Plan a Party

11 Answer Key


1

Imperative Verbs


Grammar Notes

A. Introduction

Imperative verbs are common in English. They are different

from other verbs because they don’t need a subject!

Imperative verbs are always in the simple present tense.

B. Pattern

With imperative verbs, the subject is always you, but it is hidden.

We never say or write you. We only say or write the imperative verb.

The verb can be followed by a noun object, an adjective, or an adverb.

Possible Patterns

Pattern

V

V + N

V + Adj

V + Adv

Example

Stop!

Close the door.

Be quiet.

Drive slowly.

C. Use

Imperative verbs are used to give commands, warnings,

or instructions. For example, parents, teachers, police officers,

and doctors often use imperative verbs.

Commands

• Stop!

• Pay attention.

• Do it right now.

Warnings

• Be careful!

• Watch out!

• Watch where you’re going!

Instructions

• Turn off the lights.

• Open your book to page 2.

• Take these vitamins.


2

Imperative Verbs


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Form

Imperative verbs are very common in positive and negative sentences.

Negative imperative verbs begin with do not, which is usually shortened

to don’t. They can also begin with the adverb never.

Positive Sentences

• Be on time.

• Do your homework.

• Tell me the truth.

Negative Sentences

• Don’t be late.

• Do not leave your homework until the last minute.

• Never lie to me.


3

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 1

TEACHER TALK

What would a teacher say to a class? Choose one

verb from the box on the right for each sentence.

# Picture Sentence

Ex

Pay

attention in class.

1 on time.

Verbs:

• read

• raise

• open

• listen

• sit

• do

• repeat

• pay

• write

• arrive

• look up

2 down.

3 your textbook to page 10.

4 silently.

5 the answers in your notebook.


4

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 1 cont.

# Picture Sentence

6 to this recording.

7 after me.

8 your hand when you have a question.

9 the word in your dictionary.

10 your homework.


5

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 2

DON’T DO THAT!

Complete these negative sentences with the imperative form of

the verbs in parentheses. Then say who the speaker most likely is:

a teacher, a parent, or a boss.

# Sentence Speaker

Ex Don’t push

your little brother. a parent

(push, not)

1 late for work.

(be, not)

2 late for class.

(be, not)

3 late for dinner.

(be, not)

4 to hand in your homework.

(forget, not)

5 any office furniture out of your office.

(move, not)

6 junk food before dinner.

(eat, not)

7 to the meeting without your report.

(come, not)

8 video games all night.

(play, not)

9 when I’m explaining the assignment.

(talk, not)

10 your clothes on the floor.

(leave, not)


6

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 3

ROAD RULES

Look at the pictures below. Then listen to the recording.

Write the letter of the imperative sentence below the matching picture.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.


7

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 4

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

Where does your partner see himself or herself in 5, 10, 15, and 20 years?

Give your partner some advice! What steps can your partner take to reach

his or her goals? Use the pictures for ideas.

Example:

A: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

B: I want to get married and move to Hawaii.

A: Sounds good! Find a kind person to marry. Get a good job

because Hawaii is expensive. Follow your dreams!

B: Okay! How about you? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?


8

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 5

BOSS TALK

Imagine that you’re the boss at a big company. Your employees are

causing problems! What will you say to them? Think of a positive and

negative imperative sentence to show what you mean for each situation.

Ex. Your employee always arrives late to work.

Positive:

Negative:

Get to work on time!

Don’t be late again!

1. Your employee always spends too much time talking to coworkers.

Positive:

Negative:

2. Your employee always uses too many office supplies (pens, paper, etc.).

Positive:

Negative:

3. Your employee always takes an extra-long lunch break.

Positive:

Negative:

4. Your employee is always on social media during the workday.

Positive:

Negative:

5. Your employee always leaves work 15 minutes early.

Positive:

Negative:


9

Imperative Verbs


Exercise 6

PLAN A PARTY

With a partner or a group, plan a party.

What should you wear? What should you bring?

What should you do while you’re there?

Plan a party in small groups. Decide what the theme is,

what people should wear, what they should bring, etc.

Write an invitation to your party.

Example:

We’re having a Valentine’s Day party!

Come at 7:00 pm.

Wear pink or red clothes.

Bring chocolate or other snacks to share.

Get ready to dance all night long!


10

Imperative Verbs


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:

LEVEL: Beg

In this lesson, students how and when to use imperative verbs.

They practice with engaging activities such as discussing

future plans and planning a party.

TIME:

TAGS:

2–3 hours

imperative, imperative verbs, verbs, simple present,

commands, warnings, instructions

Exercise 1 Exercise 3

1. Arrive

2. Sit

3. Open

4. Read

5. Write

Exercise 2

Speaker answers may vary.

1. Don’t be / a boss

2. Don’t be / a teacher

3. Don’t be / a parent

4. Don’t forget / a teacher

5. Don’t move / a boss

6. Listen

7. Repeat

8. Raise

9. Look up

10. Do

6. Don’t eat / a parent

7. Don’t come / a boss

8. Don’t play / a parent

9. Don’t talk / a teacher

10. Don’t leave / a parent

Play the recording or read the transcript out loud. You may wish to

play the recording twice. You may also wish to go over the images

with your students before you begin.

Transcript:

A. Go.

B. Don’t walk.

C. Slow down.

D. Don’t speed.

E. Stop.

F. Watch out for people crossing the street.

G. Don’t park here for more than two hours.

H. Walk.

I. Don’t park here anytime.

Answers:

1. E

2. C

3. A

4. H

5. B

6. D

7. G

8. I

9. F



11

Imperative Verbs


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 4

Answers will vary. Monitor your students

for correct imperative verb usage.

Exercise 5

Answers will vary. Example answers:

1. Stop talking and get back to work!

Don’t waste time talking to your coworkers!

2. Use only what you need!

Don’t waste office supplies!

3. Come back to work on time after lunch!

Don’t take long lunch breaks!

4. Stay off social media during the workday!

Don’t go on social media during the workday!

5. Stay until the end of the work day!

Don’t leave early!

Exercise 6


for correct imperative verb usage.

EDITOR’S NOTES:

1. You may wish to point out that imperative verbs are rarely

used in question form. They are sometimes used to ask an

informal question (e.g., Come with me?) or to confirm something

(e.g., Take this one, right?).

2. If your students can handle it, you may want to mention

that it is possible (but not very common) to have a double

negative imperative verb. Like almost all double negatives in

English, the meaning becomes positive. For example, Don’t not do

it because you’re afraid means Do it even though you’re afraid.


12


Modals of Ability –

Present

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Introduction to Modals &

Modals of Ability – Present Tense

4 Exercise 1

Picture Dictionary

6 Exercise 2

Fill in the Blanks

7 Exercise 3

Complete the Answers

8 Exercise 4

Pronunciation

9 Exercise 5

Pair Work

11 Exercise 6

Find Someone Who

12 Exercise 7

Writing

13 Answer Key

Copyright 2018, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (BEG – LOW INT / VERSION 1.0)

1

Modals of Ability – Present


Grammar Notes

A. Introduction to Modals

Modals (also known as modal verbs) are words

that come before the main verb.

Modals give the verb extra meaning, such as:

• ability (can)

• advice (should)

• necessity (must)

• possibility (might)

Pattern

modal + base verb

Modals are always followed by a base verb.

A base verb is a verb with no ending

(-s, -ed, -ing, etc.) added to it.

Examples

• I can cook.

• She can ride a bike.

• He can play the guitar.


2



Grammar Notes cont.

B. Modals of Ability

We use modals of ability to show that someone is able to do an activity.

Can and can't are present modals of ability.

Positive

Negative

Question

Use

Use can + base verb when someone

is able to do something in the present tense.

Use cannot + base verb when someone is not able

to do something. The short form of cannot is can’t.

Use can + subject + base verb to ask

if someone is able to do something.

Use yes + subject + can or no + subject + can’t

to give a short answer to a question about ability.

Examples

• I can sing.

• She can knit.

• They can play tennis.

• You cannot swim.

• He can’t play piano.

• We can’t drive.

• Can you snowboard?

Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

• Can he play baseball?

Yes, he can. / No, he can’t.

• Can the children ski?

Yes, they can. / No, they can’t.

Note:

When speaking quickly, can has no stress when followed by a verb.

Can is reduced to /kən/ except in short answers. We don’t reduce can’t.

Listen and repeat.

Examples:

• I kәn ski.

• She kәn sing.

• Kәn you dance?

But:

• Yes, I can.

• No, I can't.

• He can't ride a horse.


3



Exercise 1

PICTURE DICTIONARY

What can you do? Circle all the activities you can do.

Then tell your partner what you can and can’t do.

Example:

A: I can swim.

B: I can swim too.

B: I can ski.

A: Oh, I can't ski.

A: I can't snowboard.

B: I can't snowboard either.

swim

ski

snowboard

skate

jog

play basketball


4



Exercise 1 cont.

play baseball

play tennis

play the guitar

play the piano

use a computer

dance

sing

drive

ride a bike

ride a horse

cook

knit


5



Exercise 2

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Write can + verb in the blanks.

# Activity Sentence

Ex He can play

basketball.

1 She baseball.

2 I a horse.

3 My sister .

4 My aunt .

5 They the guitar.

6 My father .

7 He .

8 My friend a computer.

9 We .

10 You .


6



Exercise 3

COMPLETE THE ANSWERS

Write the answers using can or can't.

Ex. Can he cook?

Yes, he can

.

Ex. Can they ski?

No, they can't

.

1. Can she play tennis?

Yes, .

2. Can you play the piano?

Yes, .

3. Can they snowboard?

No, .

4. Can your friends drive?

Yes, .

5. Can your brother skate?

No, .

6. Can your mother knit?

No, .

7. Can he use a computer?

Yes, .

8. Can you swim?

Yes, .

9. Can they play baseball?

No, .

10. Can she jog?

Yes, .


7



Exercise 4

PRONUNCIATION

A. Sentences

Listen to the recording or your teacher.

Repeat the sentences out loud. Then write five things you can do.

Say them out loud to your partner as quickly as you can.

Sentences

1. I can swim.

2. They can skate.

3. She can sing.

4. He can ride a horse.

5. We can play the guitar.

My Sentences

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

B. Questions & Answers

Listen to the recording or your teacher. Repeat the

questions out loud. Then ask your partner the questions

as quickly as you can. Write his or her answers.

Questions

1. Can you ski?

2. Can you dance?

3. Can you cook?


5. Can you ride a bike?

My Partner's Answers

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


8



Exercise 5 (Student A)

PAIR WORK

A. Chart

Ask your partner what Julia and Lee can or can’t do.

Complete the chart.

Example:

A: Can Lee play basketball?

B: Yes, he can.

Julia

Lee

B. Writing

Now write sentences about Julia and Lee.

Ex. Julia can play basketball.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


9



Exercise 5 (Student B)

PAIR WORK

A. Chart

Ask your partner what Julia and Lee can or can’t do.

Complete the chart.

Example:

B: Can Julia play basketball?

A: Yes, she can.

Julia

Lee

B. Writing

Now write sentences about Julia and Lee.

Ex. Julia can play basketball.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


10



Exercise 6

FIND SOMEONE WHO

Write the questions below.

Then walk around the classroom and ask your classmates questions.

Write your classmate’s name on the right if he or she answers “yes.”

# Find someone... Question Classmate

1 who can swim. Can you swim?

2 who can ski.

3 who can play tennis.

4 who can use a computer.

5 who can cook.

6 who can ride a bike.

7 who can ride a horse.

8 who can play the guitar.

9 who can play the piano.

10 who can sing well.


11



Exercise 7

WRITING

Write about your abilities. Write 3–5 sentences about what

you can do and 3–5 sentences about things you can’t do.

Example:

I love sports. I can play basketball. I can also play volleyball.

I can ski, but I can't snowboard...


12



Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:

LEVEL: Beg – Low Int

In this lesson, students learn how to use can and

can't to describe their abilities. Writing, speaking,

and pronunciation tasks are included.

TIME:

TAGS:

2 hours

modals, modal verbs, modals of ability,

be able to, can, can’t, cannot, pronunciation,

grammar, grammar exercises

Exercise 1

Exercise 5

Answers will vary. Have students discuss their abilities

in pairs (following the example) or as a class.

B. WRITING

Order of answers may vary.

Exercise 2

1. Lee can play basketball.

2. Julia can sing.

6. Julia can't play the guitar.

7. Lee can play the guitar.

1. can play

2. can ride

3. can drive

6. can sing

7. can study/read

8. can use

3. Lee can't sing.

4. Julia can't ride a horse.

5. Lee can't ride a horse.

8. Julia can't cook.

9. Lee can cook.

4. can knit

5. can play

9. can cook/eat

10. can skate

Exercise 6

Exercise 3

Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct question

formation. Encourage reduced pronunciation.

1. she can

2. I can

3. they can't

4. they can

5. he can't

6. she can't

7. he can

8. I can

9. they can't

10. she can

1. Can you swim?

2. Can you ski?

3. Can you play tennis?

4. Can you use a computer?

5. Can you cook?

6. Can you ride a bike?

7. Can you ride a horse?

8. Can you play the guitar?


10. Can you sing well?

Exercise 4

Exercise 7

Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct reduced

pronunciation and sentence formation.

Answers will vary.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Note that cannot and can not are both acceptable spellings;

however, the one-word spelling is far more common.


13


Present Progressive

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Present Progressive

8 Exercise 1

Positive Sentences

9 Exercise 2

Writing

10 Exercise 3

Negative Sentences

11 Exercise 4

Yes/No Questions

11 Exercise 5

Act It Out

12 Exercise 6

Wh- Questions

13 Exercise 7

Guessing Game

14 Exercise 8

Quiz

15 Answer Key

17 Action Cards


1

Present Progressive


Grammar Notes

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

A. Use

Use the present progressive for actions

that are happening now (continuing actions).

Present Progressive

Diagram

Common

Time Markers

• now

• right now

• at the moment

• at this time

• nowadays

• these days

• currently

• presently

Examples

• I am writing an email now.

• My sister is taking a nap.

• These days, I’m learning French.

• We are leaving right now.

• The students are working in groups.

• He’s listening to music at the moment.


2

Present Progressive


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Patterns for Positive Sentences

Pattern #1:

Be + -ing V

To form the present progressive (also called the present continuous),

use the Be verb with a present participle (-ing form). The Be verb is

often shortened into a contraction in speaking and writing.

Pronouns

Contractions

Singular

Plural

I am walking to work.

You are watching TV.

He is playing tennis.

She is washing the dishes.

It is raining.

We are eating dinner.

You are watching a movie together.

They are singing.

I’m walking to work.

You’re watching TV.

He’s playing tennis.

She’s washing the dishes.

It’s raining.

We’re eating dinner.

You’re watching a movie together.

They’re singing.

Singular

Nouns

The dog is chasing the cat.

Contractions

The dog’s chasing the cat.

(possible, but informal)

Plural The children are sleeping. —


3

Present Progressive


Grammar Notes cont.

C. Patterns for Negative Sentences

Pattern #2:

Be + not + -ing V

To make a negative present progressive sentence, use not between

Be and the -ing verb. When the subject is a pronoun, there are two

common ways to make contractions (short forms) of the negative verb.

Pronouns

Contractions

I am not calling him back. I’m not calling him back. —

You are not cooking dinner. You’re not cooking dinner. You aren’t cooking dinner.

Singular

He is not washing his car. He’s not washing his car. He isn’t washing his car.

She is not playing the guitar. She’s not playing the guitar. She isn’t playing the guitar.

It is not going well. It’s not going well. It isn’t going well.

We are not moving

to a new city.

We’re not moving

to a new city.

We aren’t moving

to a new city.

Plural

You are not

studying together.

You’re not

studying together.

You aren’t

studying together.

They are not swimming. They’re not swimming. They aren’t swimming.

Nouns

Contractions

Singular

That driver is not

stopping at the red light.

That driver’s not

stopping at the right light.

(possible, but informal)

That driver isn’t

stopping at the red light.

(more common)

Plural

The students are

not paying attention.

—

The students aren’t

paying attention.


4

Present Progressive


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Patterns for Yes/No Questions

Pattern #3:

Be + Subject + -ing V

Yes/No questions in the present progressive tense

begin with the Be verb. There are two common ways

to make contractions for answers with No.

Pronouns

Short Answers

Positive

Negative

Am I bothering you? Yes, you are. No, you’re not. / No, you aren’t.

Are you studying right now? Yes, I am. No, I’m not.

Singular

Is he doing his laundry? Yes, he is. No, he’s not. / No, he isn’t.

Is she playing basketball? Yes, she is. No, she’s not. / No, she isn’t.

Is it snowing? Yes, it is. No, it’s not. / No, it isn’t.

Are we getting a raise? Yes, we are. No, we’re not. / No, we aren’t.

Plural

Are you packing for your trip? Yes, we are. No, we’re not. / No, we aren’t.

Are they shopping? Yes, they are. No, they’re not. / No, they aren’t.

Nouns

Short Answers

Positive

Negative

Singular Is the manager speaking to her staff? Yes, she is. No, she’s not. / No, she isn’t.

Plural Are the neighbors walking their dog? Yes, they are. No, they’re not. / No, they aren’t.


5

Present Progressive


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Patterns for Yes/No Questions cont.

Note #1:

Do not use a contraction in short answers with Yes.

Yes, I’m. Yes, he’s. Yes, they’re.

Yes, I am. Yes, he is. Yes, they are.

Note #2:

When the short answer is No, there are

two common ways to make contractions of

negative verbs, except when the pronoun is I.

‘re not

aren’t

‘s not

isn’t

‘m not

amn’t

E. Patterns for Wh- Questions

Pattern #4:

Wh- + Be + Subject + -ing V

The Be verb follows the Wh- word (who, what, when,

where, why, how, which, whose) in this type of present

progressive question.

Questions

What are you doing now?

Who is she texting?

Why are your friends running?

Answers

I’m doing my homework.

She’s texting her roommate.

Their teacher is telling them to hurry up.


6

Present Progressive


Grammar Notes cont.

F. Spelling Rules

To spell verbs with an -ing ending, use the following rules.

# Rules Examples

1

If the verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern,

double the final consonant and add -ing.

• run running

• forget forgetting

• put putting

2 If the verb ends in -e, drop it and add -ing.

3 For almost all other cases, add -ing to the base verb.

4 There are a few exceptions to the normal spelling rules.

• write writing

• give giving

• choose choosing

• catch catching

• ski skiing

• try trying

• lie lying

• visit visiting

• panic panicking


7

Present Progressive


Exercise 1

POSITIVE SENTENCES

Complete the sentences below with verbs from the Word List.

Use each verb only once. Use the present progressive tense.

Ex. It is a beautiful day. The sun is shining

.

1. My mother is busy now. She dinner.

2. My father is in the garage. He the car.

3. The students are in the classroom. They to their teacher.

4. My son is in his room with his toys. He .

5. Ellie is in her bedroom. She for her exam.

6. Amira and Ali are at a party. They .

7. You should take your umbrella. It .

8. Vasha is going to a wedding. She a beautiful dress.

9. The floor is dirty. Mika it.

Word List:

• wear

• study

• sneeze

• listen

• rain

• fix

• dance

• eat

• read

• shine

• buy

• make

• wash

• snore

• play

10. Sayid is at the supermarket. He groceries.

11. It is 12:00. The children lunch.

12. Bianca has a bad cold. She .

13. The students are in the library. They .

14. My grandfather is asleep on the couch. He .


8

Present Progressive


Exercise 2

WRITING

Look at the picture. Write 10 sentences using the present progressive tense.

Ex. The man is looking at his watch.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.


9

Present Progressive


Exercise 3

NEGATIVE SENTENCES

Complete the sentences below with verbs from the Word List.

Write the same present progressive verb twice in each pair

of sentences, but make the first sentence negative.

Word List:

• drink

• go

• wash

• play

• wear

• eat

• study

• listen

• write

• snow

• drive

• speak

• watch

• ride

• smoke

Ex. Junko isn’t wearing

wearing a blue dress. She is wearing a black dress.

1. Mohammed mathematics. He history.

2. The boys soccer. They hockey.

3. I coffee. I tea.

4. She a letter to her grandmother. She to her aunt.

5. We a new car. We a used car.

6. I fish for dinner. I steak.

7. She sports on TV. She a movie.

8. The tourists Chinese. They Japanese.

9. He a cigarette. He a pipe.

10. She the dishes. She her clothes.

11. They to classical music. They to rock music.

12. We to Hawaii for our vacation. We to Mexico.

13. It inside the house. It outside.

14. My daughter a bicycle. She a horse.


10

Present Progressive


Exercise 4

YES/NO QUESTIONS

Write short answers to these Yes/No questions.

Ex. Are you jogging at the moment? (yes)

6. Is she preparing for her next class right now? (no)

Yes, I am.

1. Is Mrs. Jackson typing up the report? (yes)

7. Are the children playing? (yes)

2. Are you reading Shakespeare right now? (no)

8. Is Mario taking a test at the moment? (no)

3. Are they looking for a new car? (no)

9. Is the teen looking at his phone? (yes)

4. Are you out shopping for my gift now? (no)

10. Is your daughter learning to

tie her shoes nowadays? (yes)

5. Is your dog eating more food these days? (yes)

Exercise 5

ACT IT OUT

Your teacher will give you a

card with an action. Act it out!

Your classmates will ask what you

are doing. Respond using a short

answer. Then guess what your

classmates are doing.

Example:

Lisa: [gets a card that says dance]

Lisa: [starts dancing]

Mark: Are you jumping?

Lisa: No, I’m not.

Kim: Are you dancing?

Lisa: Yes, I am!


11

Present Progressive


Exercise 6

WH- QUESTIONS

Look at the answers below. Then write questions using Wh- words.

Ex. What are you eating?

I’m eating a sandwich.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

He’s going to the store.

The teacher is writing on the blackboard.

I’m studying because I want to do well on the test.

I’m talking to my mother.

My roommates are buying milk and bread.

Kate is jogging around the track.

I’m doing well, thanks.

He is wearing his brother’s jacket.

We are driving to the mall.

10.

I’m taking vitamins because I want to be healthy.


12

Present Progressive


Exercise 7

GUESSING GAME

Find a partner. Your teacher will give you some action cards.

A. Speaking

Take turns choosing a card and

describing your action to your

partner. Do not say the words

on the card and do not act!

Your partner will try to guess

what you are doing. Use present

progressive verbs. Save your last

card for Part B below.

Example:

A: I am using my voice. I am making a loud sound.

B: Are you snoring?

A: No, I’m not. I’m making a beautiful sound.

B: Are you singing?

A: Yes, I am!

B. Drawing

For your last action card, do not speak. Draw the action

in the box below. Your partner will try to guess the action.


13

Present Progressive


Exercise 8

QUIZ

Find one error in each sentence. Write the correct sentences below.

Ex. You’s working on your computer.

You’re working on your computer.

1. My neighbor are mowing the lawn.

2. Are studying you right now?

3. I not am speaking to her at the moment.

4. He is writting an essay in class.

5. Michael and Lindy is watching a movie.

6. She’s walking her dog yesterday.

7. Where you are going?

8. My brothers’re making spaghetti.

9. They’re sking down the mountain.

10. My friends is playing baseball now.


14

Present Progressive


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


In this lesson, students learn the patterns and usage of the

present progressive tense. They practice making affirmative

and negative sentences as well as questions.

TIME:

TAGS:

2 hours

present progressive, present continuous,

verb tenses, time markers, sentence patterns,

questions, negative sentences

Exercise 1

Exercise 3

Answers may vary slightly (contractions may be used).

1. is making 6. are dancing 11. are eating

2. is fixing

7. is raining

12. is sneezing

3. are listening 8. is wearing 13. are reading

4. is playing

9. is washing 14. is snoring

5. is studying 10. is buying

Exercise 2

Answers will vary. You can make this task more interactive by

pairing up students. You can also make it competitive by telling

students that the first pair to write 10 correct sentences is

the winner. Possible answers:

1. The woman is buying / paying for / ordering a hot dog.

2. The woman is selling / handing over a hot dog.

3. The squirrel is holding / eating an acorn.

4. The bird / pigeon is eating some seeds.

5. The boy is holding a balloon.

6. The man is loading / putting groceries into his trunk.

7. The old man is reading a newspaper / sitting on a bench.

8. The girl is walking her dog.

9. The girl is reading / sitting in front of / beside the fountain.

10. The bird is singing.

11. The man / woman is having a picnic /

drinking / sitting on a blanket.

12. The child is hiding behind a tree.

13. The woman is pushing a baby stroller /

walking down the sidewalk.

14. The man is driving.

Answers may vary slightly (contractions may be used).

1. isn’t studying / is studying

2. aren’t playing / are playing

3. am not drinking / am drinking

4. isn’t writing / is writing

5. aren’t driving / are driving

6. am not eating / am eating

7. isn’t watching / is watching

8. aren’t speaking / are speaking

9. isn’t smoking / is smoking

10. isn’t washing / is washing

11. aren’t listening / are listening

12. aren’t going / are going

13. isn’t snowing / is snowing

14. isn’t riding / is riding



15

Present Progressive


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 4

Exercise 7

1. Yes, she is.

2. No, I’m not.

3. No, they’re not. / No, they aren’t.

4. No, I’m not.

5. Yes, it / he / she is.

6. No, she’s not. / No, she isn’t.

7. Yes, they are.

8. No, he’s not. / No, he isn’t.

9. Yes, he is.

10. Yes, she is.

Exercise 5

You can decide if you want to let any student yell out a question or

have them take turns. If you have a small class, you could have each

performing student do five actions instead of just one before they

sit back down. Alternatively, each student can perform as many

actions as they can in a certain time frame (e.g., one minute).

If you require more cards, use the blank card templates in our

Resources section to create your own actions, or have students fill

in actions of their choice: https://esllibrary.com/resources/2463

Exercise 6

Answers may vary.

Encourage your students not to use what for every question.

1. Where is he going?

2. What is the teacher doing?

3. Why are you studying?

4. Who are you talking to?

5. What are your roommates buying?

6. Where is Kate jogging?

7. How are you doing?

8. Whose jacket is he wearing?

9. Where are you driving to?

10. Why are you taking vitamins?

Answers will vary.

Exercise 8

1. My neighbor is mowing the lawn.

2. Are you studying right now?

3. I am not speaking to her at the moment.

4. He is writing an essay in class.

5. Michael and Lindy are watching a movie.

6. She’s walking her dog now.

7. Where are you going?

8. My brothers are making spaghetti.

9. They’re skiing down the mountain.

10. My friends are playing baseball now.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Neighbor.

Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Neighbour.



EDITOR’S NOTES:

1. For practice comparing the simple present and

the present progressive tenses in mixed exercises,

try our Simple Present Vs. Present Progressive lesson:


2. Note that the present progressive can also be used

to indicate a future action (e.g., We are flying to Seattle

next weekend). You can find further explanation and

practice exercises in our Simple Future lesson:



16

Present Progressive


Action Cards

Use these cards with Exercises 5 and 7.

sing run iron a shirt play cards

swim wash a car wake up make dinner

put on makeup eat spaghetti make a sandwich plant a flower

brush your teeth play basketball read a book watch TV

walk a dog pet a cat make cookies

change a

light bulb

play volleyball vacuum text someone take a selfie


17

Present Progressive


Action Cards cont.

wave at someone light a candle play the guitar dry your hair

play a video game watch a movie play the piano take a picture

watch fireworks play the drums go hiking mow the lawn

sleep paint your nails paint a picture study

go to bed walk dance stand up

sit down throw a ball catch a ball kick a ball


18


Simple Present Vs.

Present Progressive

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Present Progressive

5 Exercise 1

Comparing Tenses

6 Exercise 2

Time Markers

7 Exercise 3

Action & Non-Action Verbs

9 Exercise 4

Writing

10 Exercise 5

Find Someone Who

11 Exercise 6

Quiz

12 Answer Key


1

Simple Present Vs. Present Progressive


Grammar Notes

SIMPLE PRESENT VS. PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

A. Comparison Chart

There are two ways to show present time in English.

Use the simple present for repeated actions (actions that happen over

and over). Use the present progressive (also called present continuous)

for continuing actions (actions that are happening now).

Simple Present

Present Progressive

Pattern

base verb (+ -s)

(ends in -s for he, she, it, singular

count nouns, and non-count nouns)

Be + -ing verb

(forms of Be: am, are, is)

Use repeated action continuing action

Diagram

• every

(every day, every week,

Time Markers

every month, every year, etc.)

• once, twice, three times, etc.

(once a week, twice a month,

five times a year, etc.)

• adverbs of frequency

(always, almost always, often,

• now

• right now

• these days

• nowadays

• today

• at the moment

• at this time

• currently

• presently

usually, sometimes, never, etc.)

Examples

• My son always brushes his teeth.

• They walk their dog every day.

• I don’t call my parents very often.

• Do you usually study after school?

• The students are reading now.

• At the moment, the boss is talking.

• He isn’t doing his homework.

• Are you listening to me?


2



Grammar Notes cont.

B. Non-Action Verbs

Most English verbs involve an action (movement), but there are some

verbs that have no movement. They are called non-action (or stative)

verbs. Non-action verbs almost never take an -ing form.

Common non-action verbs can be grouped into five categories.

Categories

state

possession

feelings & needs

thought

the senses

Examples

be, seem, appear, exist

have, own, possess

like, love, hate, feel, want, need, prefer, wish

think, believe, know, imagine, understand

see, hear, taste, smell

Use the simple present with non-action verbs.

Do not use the present progressive.

I am a student.

I am being a student.

He has a dog.

He is having a dog.

The children like pizza.

The children are liking pizza.

My sister wants a new car.

My sister is wanting a new car.

I think that winter is the best season.

I am thinking that winter is the best season.

I see a stain on my shirt.

I am seeing a stain on my shirt.


3



Grammar Notes cont.

C. Notes

Note #1

The simple present is also used for true facts and schedules.

• The earth’s temperature increases every year. (true fact)

• Most plants grow in the spring and summer. (true fact)

• The bus leaves at 5:00 am tomorrow morning. (schedule)

• My favorite TV show starts at 8:00 pm. (schedule)

Note #2

The present progressive can have a future meaning.

It is commonly used for the near future (actions that will happen soon).

• I am going to Australia next weekend.

• My friend is moving on Friday.

• The students are graduating in three days.

• We are seeing a movie tonight.*

*For movies and plays at a theater, it is common to use the

non-action verb see instead of the action verb watch for future time.

Note #3

Some non-action verbs can take an -ing form,

but the meaning of the verb usually changes.

• I am having pizza for dinner. (having = eating)

• We are having fun. (having = experiencing)

• My sister is having a baby. (having = giving birth to)

• Are you seeing anyone? (seeing = dating)

• I am thinking of buying a new car. (thinking = deciding, planning)


4



Exercise 1

COMPARING TENSES

Complete the following sentences using the

simple present or the present progressive tense.

Ex. My team usually practices in the gym, but now we are practicing outside.

(practice)

(practice)

1. They usually the local newspaper,

(read)

but they

(read)

a national newspaper at the moment.

2. I eggs for breakfast today, though I usually cereal.

(eat)

(eat)

3. David always to work, and he in the rain at this time.

(walk)

(walk)

4. I a shower now, though I normally a bath.

(take)

(take)

5. Isabella English every day. She past tense verbs right now.

(study)

(study)

6. Sayid never a tie to work,

(wear)

but he

(wear)

one today because he has an important appointment.

7. Jin sometimes work late,

(leave)

but he

early today because it is his wife’s birthday.

(leave)

8. We always at A&B Market,

(shop)

and right now we

for food for a party.

(shop)

9. Lee a cake for his wife’s birthday,

(make)

but he almost never

cakes.

(make)

10. Fred and Rita never wine, so they water right now.

(drink)

(drink)


5



Exercise 2

TIME MARKERS

Complete the following sentences using the

simple present or the present progressive tense.

Ex. He

goes

(go)

to the gym three times a week.

1. Jack never to class on time.

(get)

2. The sun always in the east and in the west.

(rise)

(set)

3. Maya TV now. She often TV in the evenings.

(watch)

(watch)

4. Mr. Duncan to New York on business very often.

(travel, not)

5. My aunt usually in a hotel when

(stay)

she comes to town, but tonight she

(stay)

with us.

6. At this time, they in Europe.

(travel)

7. We for coffee on Saturdays. We on Sundays.

(meet, not)

(meet)

8. She sometimes jeans to school, but today she a skirt.

(wear)

(wear)

9. Right now, we verb tenses.

(review)

10. My husband dinner at the moment. He the dishes.

(make, not)

(wash)


6



Exercise 3

ACTION & NON-ACTION VERBS

Complete the following sentences using the simple present

or the present progressive tense. Remember that non-action

verbs don’t usually take the progressive form.

Ex. Mi Jin is reading a new book now. She wants

to finish the book tonight.

(read)

(want)

1. Billy a bad cold today. He in bed at the moment.

(have)

(lie)

2. Sara is at the park now. She her dog.

(walk)

She

(love)

her dog so much.

3. I to the store to buy a new computer.

(go)

The computer $1500.

(cost)

4. Yuka her old, green dress, but she

(hate)

(wear)

it today because her mother

(like)

it.

5. Lucas a new car. He to drive it around.

(have)

(love)

6. Juan and Mohammed in the park right now.

(jog)

A cat

(follow)

them. I

(think)

the cat

(belong)

to Juan.


7



Exercise 3 cont.

7. What’s that noise? I something outside the window.

(hear)

I

(be)

scared!

8. My brother and I at home. We a movie on TV.

(be)

(watch)

9. Marco usually to work, but today

(drive)

he a bus because his car a flat tire.

(take)

(have)

10. Slow down! You too fast right now,

(drive)

and I

(see)

a police car up ahead.


8



Exercise 4

WRITING

Write about your school or

work. Write 10 sentences using

the simple present and present

progressive tenses. Try to include

some non-action verbs.

Example:

I go to school three days a week. I take English classes.

Right now, we are learning about adjectives. I don’t like

grammar very much, but I’m trying my best…


9



Exercise 5

FIND SOMEONE WHO

Write questions in the simple present or present progressive tense.

Then walk around the classroom and ask your classmates questions.

Write your classmate’s name on the right if he/she answers “yes.”


1 who usually walks to class Do you usually walk to class?

2

who is wearing

black socks today

Are you wearing black socks today?

3 who has two siblings

4 who likes coffee

5

who is learning a third

language these days

6 who lives in an apartment

7 who plays the guitar

8 who always eats breakfast

9

who is wearing contact

lenses right now

10 who loves his/her pet


10



Exercise 6

QUIZ


1. Listen!

Someone

at the door.

5. My baby from 2:00

to 4:00 every afternoon.

9. The child

ice cream right now.

a) knock

b) knocks

c) is knocking

d) are knocking

a) sleep

b) sleeps

c) is sleeping

d) are sleeping

a) want

b) wants

c) is wanting

d) are wanting

2. It always

in our city in April.

a) rain

b) rains

c) is raining

d) are raining

6. Mr. Jones in his office at

the moment.

a) are

b) isn’t

c) is being

d) isn’t being

10. you your

homework every day?

a) Do, do

b) Does, do

c) Is, doing

d) Are, doing

3. They each other now.

a) don’t text

b) doesn’t text

c) isn’t texting

d) aren’t texting

4. The telephone .

Can you please answer it?

a) ring

b) rings

c) is ringing

d) are ringing

7. he

his presentation now?

a) Do, practice

b) Does, practice

c) Is, practicing

d) Are, practicing

8. My neighbor

the garden twice a day.

a) water

b) waters

c) is watering

d) are watering

11. I can’t talk right now.

I dinner.

a) have

b) has

c) am having

d) is having

12. It’s a beautiful day today.

The sun .

a) shine

b) shines

c) is shining

d) are shining


11



Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


In this lesson, students compare the different uses of the simple

present and present progressive tenses. Various exercises that mix

the tenses and include non-action verbs will demonstrate if they

truly understand when to use each tense.

TIME:

TAGS:

2 hours

simple present, present progressive, present continuous,

verbs, tense, verb tenses, mixed tenses, time markers,

sentence patterns, non-action, stative, grammar

Exercise 1

Exercise 3

1. read, are reading

2. am eating, eat

3. walks, is walking

4. am taking, take

5. studies, is studying

Exercise 2

1. gets

2. rises, sets

3. is watching, watches

4. doesn’t travel

5. stays, is staying

6. wears, is wearing

7. leaves, is leaving

8. shop, are shopping

9. is making, makes

10. drink, are drinking

6. are traveling

7. don’t meet, meet

8. wears, is wearing

9. are reviewing

10. isn’t making, is washing

1. has, is lying

2. is walking, loves

3. am going, costs

4. hates, is wearing, likes

5. has, loves

6. are jogging, is following, think, belongs

7. hear, am

8. are, are watching

9. drives, is taking, has

10. are driving, see

Exercise 4

Answers will vary.



12



Answer Key cont.

Exercise 5

Answers will vary.

Exercise 6

1. c

3. d

5. b

7. c

9. b

11. c

2. b

4. c

6. b

8. b

10. a

12. c

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Traveling,

Neighbor, Favorite, Theater, and Practice. Most other Englishspeaking

countries spell these words this way: Travelling,

Neighbour, Favourite, Theatre, and Practise (when used as a

verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a challenge for

your students to find these words in the lesson and see if

they know the alternate spellings.

EDITOR’S NOTES:

This lesson should follow our Grammar Practice Worksheets

lessons on the simple present and present progressive. For more

grammar explanations and practice with these tenses, see:

• Simple Present – Be


• Simple Present


• Present Progressive


Also, for more examples of non-action verbs,

see our Grammar & Usage Resource:

• Non-Action Verbs & Exceptions

https://esllibrary.com/resources/2329


13

Adverbs of Frequency



Table of Contents

2 QUICK AND HANDY GRAMMAR REVIEW


5 EXERCISE 1: Fill in the Blanks

Write an adverb in each blank.

6 EXERCISE 2: Patterns

Rewrite the sentences in the correct order.

7 EXERCISE 3: Interview Your Partner

Ask and answer questions.

8 EXERCISE 4: Writing

Describe a typical day.

9 EXERCISE 5: Class Survey

Ask your classmates questions.

10 EXERCISE 6: Quiz


11 ANSWER KEY

12 EXTRA PRACTICE: How Often?

Optional activity.





ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY

A. Introduction to Adverbs

An adverb is a word that describes a verb,

an adjective, another adverb, or a complete sentence.

# Example Explanation

1 They always walk to school. The adverb always describes the verb walk.

2 My motorcycle is really fast. The adverb really describes the adjective fast.

3 My teacher speaks very quickly.

The adverb very describes the adverb quickly,

and quickly describes the verb speaks.

4 I like the rain, actually. The adverb actually describes the whole sentence.

B. Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency (also known as frequency adverbs

or adverbs of time) answer the question how often.

Frequency Adverb

100% always

95% almost always

80% usually, often, frequently

50% sometimes, occasionally

Examples:

• He goes shopping.

How often does he go shopping?

He sometimes goes shopping.

• My sister eats breakfast.

How often does she eat breakfast?

She usually eats breakfast.

20% not very often, seldom

10% rarely

5% almost never

0% never





C. Patterns

Adverbs of frequency have three sentence patterns in English.

Examples

Pattern Notes Sentence Explanation

Adv + V

Adverbs of frequency

are usually placed

before the verb they

describe.

She never studies.

My friend usually plays

baseball with us.

I always watch TV before bed.

Never describes how

often she studies.

Usually describes how often

my friend plays baseball.

Always describes how often

I watch TV before bed.

BE + Adv

With the verb to be

(is, am, are, was, were,

will be, etc.), adverbs of

frequency come after

the Be verb. In this

position, the adverb

usually describes

an adjective.

My brother is always hungry.

You are almost never late.

Her children are often tired.

Always describes how

often he is hungry.

Almost never describes

how often you are late.

Often describes how often

her children are tired.

V + Adv + V

When the verb has two

or more parts, the most

common spot for an

adverb of frequency is

after the first part of

the main verb.

I have never been to Europe.

Older books are usually

found at the back of

the library.

She has never been told

to keep quiet.

Never describes how often

I have been to Europe.

Usually describes how often

the books are found at the

back of the library.

Never describes how

often she has been

told to keep quiet.





D. Exceptions

Exception #1

Because they’re so common, some frequency adverbs

can be moved around in the sentence and assume

other adverb positions. Sometimes, often, and usually

fall into this category. These examples are all correct

and have the same meaning:

• Sometimes he is late.

• He is sometimes late.

• He is late sometimes.

Exception #2

The position of not very often is an exception to

the normal rule. Add not to the auxiliary verb do

(before the main verb) and place very often at

the end of the sentence.

• She doesn’t go to parties very often.

E. Notes

Note #1

Though usually used with

the simple present tense,

it is possible to discuss

frequency using other tenses.

For example, we can say:

• I always ate breakfast

when I was a child.

(simple past)

Note #2

Most adverbs of frequency are very common in English, but seldom,

occasionally, and frequently are more formal and less commonly used.

We frequently visit our

grandparents. (formal)

They seldom drink coffee.

(formal)

We often/usually visit our

grandparents. (more common)

They don’t drink coffee

very often. (more common)

• I will never eat

broccoli when I grow up.

(simple future)

• He is always reading.

(present progressive)

• She has never cried

during a movie.

(present perfect)




Exercise 1

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Write one adverb in each blank that matches the percentage below the blank. Note that

the adverb in number 8 is divided up. Look back at the chart on page 2 if you need to.

Ex. My parents

usually

(80%)

drink coffee in the morning.

1. My brother drives to school.

(50%)

2. They walk their dog after dinner.

(80%)

3. She is sad.

(5%)

4. Melissa practices the piano after school.

(80%)

5. My neighbor goes swimming in his pool .

(50%)

6. Daniela texts me.

(10%)

7. Chris is bored.

(0%)

8. He does forget his homework .

(20%)

9. Your cat wants to sit on me.

(100%)

10. She has seen the ocean.

(0%)




Exercise 2

PATTERNS


There may be more than one correct adverb position.

Ex. tests / difficult / English / are / often

English tests are often difficult.

1. she / never / swimming / goes

2. is / friendly / he / always

3. shower / sing / I / often / in / the

4. sister / my / angry / gets / never / almost

5. movies / he / sometimes / likes / scary

6. delicious / almost / mother / your / food / always / cooks

7. often / don’t / call / other / each / very / they

8. classmates / come / class / my / usually / time / on / to

9. we / go / vacation / on / in / always / summer / the

10. doesn’t / she / do / homework / very / her / often




Exercise 3

INTERVIEW YOUR PARTNER

A. Ask Questions

Ask your partner the following questions.

Write his or her answers using adverbs of frequency.

Ex. How often do you check your email?

3. How often do you go to the dentist?

He rarely checks his email.

1. How often do you wear running shoes?

4. How often do you go to bed before 10:00 pm?

2. How often do you eat junk food?

5. How often do you go camping?

B. Write Questions

Now write three more questions with

“how often,” and then write your partner’s answers.

1.

2.

3.




Exercise 4

WRITING

Describe a typical day.

Write at least 10 sentences.

Use adverbs of frequency.

Example

When I wake up, I always brush my teeth. I often wear jeans to class.

In class, we usually study grammar during the first hour...




Exercise 5

CLASS SURVEY

Walk around your class and ask

your classmates the questions

below. Try to talk to as many of

your classmates as you can. You

only need to write the adverb

of frequency, but use complete

sentences when you are speaking.

Example

Robyn: Tara, how often do you do your homework?

Tara: I always do my homework.

Robyn writes Tara’s name and the adverb of frequency always in the chart.

# How often do you... Name Adverb of Frequency

1 do your homework?

2 go out for dinner?

3 go to the movies?

4 read books?

5 study English?

6 play sports?

7 text your friends?

8 call your family?

9 brush your teeth?

10 sleep in?




Exercise 6

QUIZ


1. The bus arrives on time.

7. My parents go on vacation to Hawaii.

(10%) (80%)

a) sometimes

b) rarely

c) always

2. Our teacher gives us homework.

8. I babysit my younger cousins.

(95%) (50%)

a) almost always

b) never

c) always

3. He is on time for class.

9. She brushes her teeth before bed.

(5%) (100%)

a) almost never

b) sometimes

c) often

4. She doesn’t read books .

10. She is nervous before a presentation.

(20%) (80%)

a) usually

b) seldom

c) (not) very often

5. My friend cries during movies .

11. I get hungry before lunch.

(50%) (95%)

a) sometimes

b) often

c) almost always

6. They are tired on Mondays.

12. He goes skiing. He prefers snowboarding.

(80%) (0%)

a) usually

b) always

c) rarely

a) very often

b) often

c) never

a) rarely

b) always

c) sometimes

a) almost never

b) almost always

c) always

a) usually

b) rarely

c) sometimes

a) always

b) almost never

c) almost always

a) not very often

b) never

c) always




Answer Key

Exercise 1

Exercise 5

1. sometimes / occasionally

2. usually / often / frequently

3. almost never

4. usually / often / frequently

5. sometimes / occasionally

6. rarely

7. never

8. not, very often

9. always

10. never

Answers will vary. If your students can handle it,

have them ask a follow-up question.

John: How often do you go to the movies?

Mary: I don’t go to the movies very often.

John: Why not?

Mary: Because it’s too expensive.

You may want to follow up by having students report on their

findings. (E.g., John: Mary doesn’t go to the movies very often

because it’s too expensive.)

Exercise 2

1. She never goes swimming.

2. He is always friendly.

3. I often sing in the shower. /

Often, I sing in the shower. /

I sing in the shower often.

4. My sister almost never gets angry.

5. He sometimes likes scary movies. /

Sometimes he likes scary movies. /

He likes scary movies sometimes.

6. Your mother almost always cooks delicious food.

7. They don’t call each other very often.

8. My classmates usually come to class on time. /

Usually, my classmates come to class on time. /

My classmates come to class on time, usually.

9. We always go on vacation in the summer.

10. She doesn’t do her homework very often.

Exercise 3

Exercise 6

1. b 3. a 5. a 7. b 9. c 11. c

2. a 4. c 6. a 8. c 10. a 12. b

Extra Practice

Optional activity. Cut up the premade question cards (Part A),

or have students make their own using the blank cards (Part B), or

both. Cards can be used for a variety of activities. One suggestion

is to put students in groups and have a student choose a question

card and answer using an adverb of frequency in a complete

sentence. If that student answers correctly, he or she gets a

point. The student with the most points wins.

SPELLING NOTES:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Neighbor,

Color, Jewelry, and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries

spell these words this way: Neighbour, Colour, Jewellery, and

Practise (when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun).


for correct spoken and written sentences.

Exercise 4

Answers will vary.




Extra Practice

HOW OFTEN?

A. Question Cards

How often do you exercise?

How often do you play tennis?

How often do you go snowboarding?

How often do you go shopping?

How often do you walk your dog?

How often do you go to the movies?

How often do you cook dinner?

How often do you watch TV?

How often do you buy flowers for someone?

How often do you listen to music?

How often do you make a mistake?

How often do you play an instrument?

How often do you go skiing?

How often do you do laundry?

How often do you arrive early to class?

How often do you talk on the phone?

How often do you arrive late to class?

How often do you wear bright colors?

How often do you do your homework?

How often do you wear jewelry?

How often do you speak in English?

How often do you go hiking?

How often do you look up a word in your dictionary?

How often do you go swimming?

How often do you drink tea?

How often do you text your friends or family?




Extra Practice cont.

B. Make Your Own Cards



Adjectives

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Adjectives

9 Exercise 1

Sentence Patterns

10 Exercise 2

Suffixes

11 Exercise 3

Feelings

12 Exercise 4

Silly Story

13 Exercise 5

Adjective Order & Punctuation

14 Exercise 6

Participial Adjectives

15 Exercise 7

Participial Adjectives

16 Exercise 8

Multiple-Word Adjectives

17 Exercise 9

Find Someone Who

18 Exercise 10

Multiple-Choice Quiz

19 Answer Key

Copyright 2017, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (BEG – INT / VERSION 1.2)

1

Adjectives


Grammar Notes

ADJECTIVES

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (a person, place, or thing).

Adjectives can describe a noun’s size, shape, age, origin, color, or purpose.

They can also be used to show a person’s opinion or feeling.

A. Patterns

Adjectives have two sentence patterns in English.

# Pattern Adjective Placement Examples

1 adjective + noun

2 be + adjective

Adjectives can be placed before

the noun they describe.

Adjectives can be placed

after the verb “to be”

(is, am, are, was, were, will be, etc.)

The noun that the adjective

is describing comes before

the “be” verb.

• She has a red car.

(red describes the noun car)

• The lazy student didn’t do his homework.

(lazy describes the noun student)

• My brother is happy.

(happy describes the noun brother)

• Those jeans were expensive.

(expensive describes the noun jeans)

B. Suffixes

In English, many adjectives are

formed by adding a common

adjective suffix to a noun.

Other adjectives are formed by

adding -ed or -ing to a verb. These

are called participial adjectives.

Some adjectives have no suffixes,

usually because they don’t come

from nouns or verbs.

Noun

danger

logic

Adjective

dangerous

logical

Verb

excite

inspire

Adjective

excited,

exciting

inspired,

inspiring

• common

• big

• small

• hot

• cold

• green


2

Adjectives


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Suffixes cont.

Here is a list of common adjective suffixes.

Suffix

-able

-al

-ant

-ed

-ent

-ful

-ible

-ic

-ing

-ive

-less

-ous

Example

lovable

logical

important

excited

independent

careful

sensible

energetic

exciting

attractive

careless

dangerous

Note #1:

The -ly suffix is commonly used

to form adverbs (words that

describe verbs), but there are a

few adjectives that end in -ly.

These include friendly, costly,

and the time words daily, weekly,

monthly, yearly, hourly, and early.

Note #2:

Some adjectives take the same form as an adjective or an adverb.

Some common examples include fast and hard.

• He is a fast learner. (adjective, describes the noun learner)

• She runs fast. (adverb, describes the verb runs)

• She is a hard worker. (adjective, describes the noun worker)

• He studies hard. (adverb, describes the verb studies)

-y healthy


3

Adjectives


Grammar Notes cont.

C. Participial Adjectives

Some adjectives have more than one ending.

Adjectives that describe how people feel often end in -ed or -ing.

Suffix Use Examples

-ing

-ed

Use -ing if the noun is the reason

or the cause of the feeling adjective.

In other words, -ing adjectives show

why a person is feeling a certain way.

These -ing adjectives are commonly

used with nouns that are things.

Use -ed to show the result or

the effect of the feeling adjective.

In other words, -ed adjectives

describe how a person is feeling.

These -ed adjectives are commonly

used with nouns that are people.

• This movie is boring.

(The noun movie is the reason/cause

of the feeling of boredom.)

• I have an exciting life.

(The noun life is the reason/cause

of the feeling of excitement.)

• She is bored.

(The adjective bored

describes how she is feeling.)

• My friend is excited.

(The adjective excited describes

how my friend is feeling.)

Note:

Can you use -ing with a person instead of a thing?

It is possible if the person is the cause of the feeling.

• The teacher is confusing. The students are confused.

(The teacher causes the confusion, perhaps by not explaining

something clearly. The effect is that the students feel confused.)

• The artist is interesting. We are interested in him.

(The artist, because of his talent, is the reason for our interest.

We are interested in him and his art as a result.)


4

Adjectives


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Punctuation and Order of Multiple Adjectives

When you want to use more than one adjective to describe a noun,

you need to think about punctuation and the order of the adjectives.

1. PUNCTUATION

When using multiple adjectives to describe a noun, commas

should separate them. Using “and” is a good test to determine

if the multiple adjectives you’re using should follow this rule.

• She has long, dark hair.

(She has long and dark hair. Both long and dark

are adjectives that describe the noun hair.)

• I live in the big, red house down the street.

(I live in the big and red house. Both big and red describe the noun house.)

• I admired the expensive, new, German cars at the car show.

(I admired the expensive and new and German cars.

Expensive and new and German all describe the noun cars.)

Note:

Using “and” is necessary when there is no noun that follows the adjectives.

• Her hair is long and dark.

• The cars were expensive, new, and German.


5

Adjectives


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Punctuation and Order of Multiple Adjectives cont.

2. ORDER

The natural order for multiple adjectives is based on what type

of adjectives are used. Adjectives should appear in this order:

# Type of Adjective Examples

1

Opinion

what you think about something

2 Size big, small

beautiful, expensive,

easy, delicious

3 Age young, old, new

4 Shape round, rectangular, circular

5 Color red, white, blue, green

Note:

Purpose adjectives are used to

specify what the noun is rather

than just describe it. Purpose

adjectives can be used to form

a compound noun.

For example, sleeping bag is

now a specific type of bag,

whereas red bag could be any

type of bag that is red.

Be careful about punctuation

with purpose adjectives: You

will NOT need a comma between

another type of adjective

and a purpose adjective. For

example:

6

Origin

where something came from

European, Japanese

• I have a red sleeping bag.

(color, no comma, purpose)

7

Material

what something is made from

metal, silk

• I have a comfortable,

red sleeping bag.

(opinion, comma, color,

no comma, purpose)

8

Purpose

what something is used for

sleeping (as in sleeping bag),

gardening (as in gardening gloves)

See examples of the order of multiple adjectives on the following page.


6

Adjectives


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Punctuation and Order of Multiple Adjectives cont.

3. EXAMPLES

• My friend is a talented, young musician.

(opinion, age)

• That car is a beautiful, older, Italian model.

(opinion, age, origin)

• I bought a shiny, small, square, metal vase.

(opinion, size, shape, material)

• We browsed through the many antique, colorful, silk dresses in the boutique.

(age, color, material)

Note:

If the multiple adjectives are of the same type,

then you can use any order you want. For example:

• She has a funny, kind coworker. (opinion, opinion)

• She has a kind, funny coworker. (opinion, opinion)

Tip:

Here is a good test for recognizing if you need a comma

between adjectives or not. See if the sentence still

makes sense if you switch the order of the adjectives.

If it does, you need a comma(s). If it doesn’t, you can’t

use a comma(s).

For example, switching “He is a talkative, energetic

student” to “He is an energetic, talkative student”

makes sense, so you need a comma in both cases.

Notice that switching “I have a red, sleeping bag”

to “I have a sleeping, red bag” does not make sense,

so you CAN’T use a comma. The correct sentence is

“I have a red sleeping bag” with NO comma.


7

Adjectives


Grammar Notes cont.

E. Hyphens and Multiple-Word Adjectives

When an adjective consists of more than one word,

there are a few simple rules about when to use hyphens (-).

1. USE HYPHENS BEFORE NOUNS.

If the multiple-word adjective

comes before a noun, use hyphens.

• She gave me an

up-to-date report.

• We used computer-generated

images in our presentation.

• After the reading

exercise, answer these

follow-up questions.

This rule is especially common

with time, money, and distance.

Note that adjectives must never

end in “s.”

• We have a five-minute

break in our morning class.

(NOT five-minutes break)

• The clerk handed

me a 100-dollar bill.

• I went for a 20-kilometer

run this morning.

What about using adverbs

and adjectives together? Be

careful. Most adverb/adjective

combinations will NOT be

hyphenated. One common

exception is with the adverb well.

• Lady Gaga is a very famous

singer. (NOT very-famous singer)

• The second presenter was

a less interesting speaker.

(NOT less-interesting)

• J.R.R. Tolkien is a well-known

author. (This is the exception.)

2. DON’T USE HYPHENS AFTER VERBS.

When the multiple-word adjective (or adjective + noun) comes after the

main verb (or is the main verb), do NOT use hyphens. Let’s take a look at

the previous examples:

• Her report was up to date.

• The images in our presentation were computer generated.

• We followed up the reading exercise with comprehension questions.

• Our morning class break is five minutes.

(Now that we don’t need a hyphen, we must follow the

normal rules for forming the plural, so we need to use an “s.”)

• The clerk handed me 100 dollars.

• I ran for 20 kilometers this morning.

• J.R.R. Tolkien is well known.


8

Adjectives


Exercise 1

SENTENCE PATTERNS


Ex. test / difficult / is / the

The test is difficult.

1. she / intelligent / is

2. is / friendly / he

3. is / sunny / it

4. sister / my / angry / was

5. a / book / she / good / reading / is

6. delicious / ate / I / meal / a

7. day / it / cloudy / a / is

8. student / fell / tired / asleep / the

9. radio / played / songs / the / station / good

10. beautiful / 18 / years / old / girl / the / is


9

Adjectives


Exercise 2

SUFFIXES

A. Matching

Match the noun forms on the left to the adjective forms on the right.

1.

beauty

a)

careful

2.

independence

b)

academic

3.

importance

c)

floral

4.

care

d)

competitive

5.

danger

e)

beautiful

6.

competition

f)

furry

7.

fur

g)

important

8.

flower

h)

accessible

9.

academy

i)

independent

10.

access

j)

dangerous

B. Complete the Sentences

Write the adjective form of the words in parentheses.

Try not to look at Part A.

1. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is .

(danger)

2. If you are driving in the snow, please be .

(care)

3. We have athletes at our school.

(competition)

4. That painting is by Pablo Picasso.

(beauty)

5. Our teacher told us that the next test is .

(importance)


10

Adjectives


Exercise 3

FEELINGS

A. Write the Feeling

Write the correct feeling next to each face (emoji).

Use each word in the Feelings box only once.

# Face Feeling

1

# Face Feeling

4

Feelings

• happy

• sad

• angry

• scared

• nervous

• tired

2

5

3

6

B. Complete the Sentences

Fill in each blank with the correct feeling from Part A.

1. Someone stole my brother’s laptop. He is .

2. My classmate got an A on her test. She is .

3. I have a job interview today. I am .

4. My dog is at the vet. My dog is .

5. You only had three hours of sleep. You are .

6. She watched a movie where the main character died. She is .


11

Adjectives


Exercise 4

SILLY STORY

Fill in the blanks below with words of your choice.

Follow the suggestions in parentheses. The sillier, the better!

My Silly School

I go to a strange school. My school is painted and .

(1. adjective, color)


There is a statue of a on the front lawn.

(3. adjective, size)

(4. noun, food)

The teachers are all

(5. adjective, feeling)

(6. noun, animals)

. Every day, we

study and we have nine tests.

(7. noun, language)

(8. adjective, difficulty)

In my class, the students are

(9. adjective, feeling)

. We have to sing five

(10. adjective, sound)

songs every morning. At lunchtime, we have to eat a .


(12. noun, animal)

After, we read books in .

(13. adjective, difficulty)

(14. noun, language)

Do you want to go to my silly school?


12

Adjectives


Exercise 5

ADJECTIVE ORDER & PUNCTUATION

A. Put in Order

Put the adjectives into the correct order. Don’t forget to use commas!

Ex. a

large, brown, European

horse

(brown / large / European)

Reminder:

1. Opinion

2. Size

3. Age

4. Shape

5. Color

6. Origin

7. Material

8. Purpose

1. a musician

(young / talented)

2. an book

(interesting / old)

3. a apartment

(smelly / messy)

4. a car

(Japanese, red, shiny)

5. a video game

(new / violent / exciting)

6. an table

(marble / old / Italian)

7. a photograph

(black-and-white / big / beautiful)

8. a dress

(silk / red / new)

9. a bag

(sleeping / rectangular / cheap)

10. a vase

(metal / square / shiny / small)

B. Write Sentences

Write five sentences using the topics provided.

Use two or more adjectives in each sentence.

Ex. friend

My friend is a beautiful, friendly, intelligent, young woman.

1. pet

2. house

3. trip

4. movie

5. friend


13

Adjectives


Exercise 6

PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES

Fill in the blanks with the correct adjective form.

1. The roller coaster was .

(excited / exciting)

2. This blog post on animals is .

(interested / interesting)

3. The students are by the difficult math questions.

(confused / confusing)

4. She was because she woke up very early.

(tired / tiring)

5. I was to ride the roller coaster.

(excited / exciting)

6. The students think the math problems are .

(confused / confusing)

7. He was after he ran the marathon.

(exhausted / exhausting)

8. The bomb threat is very .

(frightened / frightening)

Reminder:

When you describe how

someone feels, use an

adjective that ends in -ed.

When you describe the cause

someone’s feeling, use an

adjective that ends in -ing.

9. The marathon was .

(exhausted / exhausting)

10. The reporter was so that I fell asleep while watching the news.

(bored / boring)


14

Adjectives


Exercise 7

PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES

Write a paragraph about your favorite trip.

Describe how you felt and what you did.

Include at least 10 adjectives from the box below.

Example:

I went on an exciting trip to Australia last year.

The flight was long and I was very tired. When I arrived…

Adjectives:

• excited / exciting

• bored / boring

• fascinated / fascinating

• tired / tiring

• embarrassed / embarrassing

• interested / interesting

• confused / confusing

• terrified / terrifying

• relaxed / relaxing

• disappointed / disappointing

• surprised / surprising

• thrilled / thrilling


15

Adjectives


Exercise 8

MULTIPLE-WORD ADJECTIVES

Write the correct adjective on the line. Use hyphens when necessary.

Ex. Let’s take a

five-minute

(five minutes)

break.

1. She found a bill.

(50 dollars)

2. I bought a bag of coffee.

(six pounds)

3. The professor is .

(well liked)

4. They have a daughter.

(two years old)

Reminder:

Adjectives don’t end in -s.

5. The meeting took .

(two hours)

6. We ran for .

(15 kilometers)

7. I have a few questions.

(follow up)

8. That building is .

(100 years old)

9. He is a author.

(well known)

10. My boss needs an report.

(up to date)

11. She is a singer.

(very famous)

12. Make sure your files are .

(up to date)


16

Adjectives


Exercise 9

FIND SOMEONE WHO

Write the questions in the chart. Then interview your classmates. If your

classmate answers “Yes,” write his or her name in the space on the right.

# Find someone... Question Name

1 who is tired today. Are you tired today?

2 who has a wonderful family.

3

who sleeps in a comfortable

bed every night.

4

who is a happy person

most of the time.

5

who likes eating

healthy food.

6

who thinks scary

movies are exciting.

7

who is nervous

about something.

8

who lives in a big,

expensive house.

9

who traveled to a beautiful,

tropical place last year.

10

who has a one-hour lunch

break at school or work.


17

Adjectives


Exercise 10

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZ


1. This is an document.

a) importance

b) important

2. My friend happy today.

a) has

b) is

3. That was an movie.

a) exciting

b) excited

4. They live in a house.

a) big, red

b) red, big

5. The puppy is .

a) furry

b) fur

6. My teacher reads the newspaper.

a) day

b) daily

7. That girl is a worker.

a) hard

b) hardly

8. We will have a break.

a) 15-minutes

b) 15-minute

9. The interviewer asked five questions.

a) follow-up

b) follow up

10. Can you explain that again? I am .

a) confusing

b) confused

11. That actor is .

a) well-known

b) well known

12. He bought a sculpture.

a) metal, old, small

b) small, old, metal


18

Adjectives


Answer Key

NOTE:

LESSON DESCRIPTION:

LEVEL: Beg – Int

In its entirety, this lesson is suitable for

This comprehensive lesson covers

TIME:

2–3 hours

low-intermediate to intermediate learners.

If you teach beginners, you may want

to limit this lesson to pages 2–3 of the

Grammar Notes and Exercises 1–4 on

adjective sentence patterns and suffixes,

participial adjectives, multiple adjective

order and punctuation, and hyphens in

multiple-word adjectives.

TAGS:

adjectives, feelings, suffixes,

participial adjectives, adjective

order, punctuation, grammar

pages 9–12.

Exercise 1

B. WRITE SENTENCES

1. She is intelligent.

2. He is friendly.

3. It is sunny.

4. My sister was angry.

5. She is reading a good book.

6. I ate a delicious meal.

7. It is a cloudy day.

8. The tired student fell asleep.

9. The radio station played good songs.

10. The beautiful girl is 18 years old.

Exercise 2

A. MATCHING

1. e 3. g 5. j

2. i 4. a 6. d

B. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

1. dangerous 3. competitive

2. careful

4. beautiful

Exercise 3

A. WRITE THE FEELING

7. f 9. b

8. c 10. h

5. important

Answers may vary.

1. angry

3. nervous

5. tired

2. happy

4. scared

6. sad

Exercise 4

Answers will vary.

Exercise 5

A. PUT IN ORDER

1. talented, young

2. interesting, old

3. smelly, messy / messy, smelly

4. shiny, red, Japanese

5. violent, exciting, new / exciting, violent, new

6. old, Italian, marble

7. beautiful, big, black-and-white

8. new, red, silk

9. cheap, rectangular sleeping

10. shiny, small, square, metal

B. WRITE SENTENCES

Answers will vary. Check that the adjectives are in the correct order.

1. sad

2. angry

3. nervous

4. scared

5. happy

6. tired



19

Adjectives


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 6

Exercise 10

1. exciting

5. excited

9. exhausting

1. b

3. a

5. a

7. a

9. a

11. b

2. interesting

6. confusing

10. boring

2. b

4. a

6. b

8. b

10. b

12. b

3. confused

7. exhausted

4. tired

8. frightening

SPELLING NOTE:

Exercise 7

Answers will vary.

Monitor your students for correct participial adjective usage.

Exercise 8

1. 50-dollar

5. two hours 9. well-known

2. six-pound 6. 15 kilometers 10. up-to-date

3. well liked 7. follow-up 11. very famous

4. two-year-old 8. 100 years old 12. up to date

Challenge your students to come up with a mnemonic device

to remember adjective order. For example, you could have pairs

make a sentence out of the first letters of each word (OSASCOMP).

Exercise 9

Names will vary. Help students with question formation.

1. Are you tired today?

2. Do you have a wonderful family?

3. Do you sleep in a comfortable bed every night?

4. Are you a happy person most of the time?

5. Do you like eating healthy food?

6. Do you think scary movies are exciting?

7. Are you nervous about something?

8. Do you live in a big, expensive house?

9. Did you travel to a beautiful, tropical place last year?

10. Do you have a one-hour lunch break?

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Favorite,

Color, Kilometer, and Traveled. Most other English-speaking

countries spell these words this way: Favourite, Colour, Kilometre,

and Travelled. Make it a challenge for your students to find these

words in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spellings.

EDITOR’S NOTES:

1. For a fun activity on adjectives to begin or

end this lesson, try My Favorite Warm-Up Activity:

https://blog.esllibrary.com/2013/01/31/my-favourite-warmup-activity/

2. For E. Hyphens and Multiple-Word Adjectives on page 8:

You may want to point out that though rules #1 and 2

work most of the time, there are some exceptions.

A few adjectives always contain a hyphen. For example,

the adjective good-looking is always hyphenated,

no matter the position in the sentence.

• A good-looking guy waved at me this morning.

• That guy is good-looking.

ABOUT THE EMOJI:

The emoji (and their derivatives) used in this lesson are from

Twemoji, an open-source project by Twitter. They are licensed

under CC-BY 4.0. https://github.com/twitter/twemoji


20

Prepositions of Time



Table of Contents

2

4

5

6

7

8

9



EXERCISE 1: Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences with at, on, or in.

EXERCISE 2: Complete the Dialogues

Complete the dialogues with at, on, or in.

EXERCISE 3: Write Sentences

Write sentences by adding at, on, or in in the right spot.

EXERCISE 4: Class Survey

Ask and answer the questions.

EXERCISE 5: Multiple-Choice Quiz

Choose the best answer.

ANSWER KEY





INTRODUCTION TO PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are short words that show time, place, direction, etc. Some

examples of prepositions are at, on, in, to, from, above, under, of, and between.

A. Common Prepositions of Time

Let’s learn about these common prepositions of time: at, in, and on.

At

Pattern

Example

Clock Time

at + clock time

• The meeting starts at 9:00.

• Come to my house at 7:30 pm.

at + noon • We eat lunch at noon.

at + midnight • I am usually asleep at midnight.

at + night • We watch TV at night.

Other Times

at + dinnertime /

lunchtime

• Take off your hat at dinnertime.

• She wants pizza at lunchtime.

Days

Pattern

on + day

on + the weekend /

weekends

Example

On

• We have free time on Monday.

• I play baseball on Thursdays.

• They unwrap presents on Christmas Day.

• My son always eats chocolate cake on his birthday.

• He has hockey practice on the weekend.

• I study English on (the) weekends.

Dates

on + date

• She has class on September 10.

• I am going to a party on the first of July.

• He has a doctor’s appointment on Monday, December 2.

• They got a new car on January 10, 2014.





A. Common Prepositions of Time cont.

In

Pattern

Example

in + the morning • I take a shower in the morning.

Time of Day

in + the afternoon • You have English class in the afternoon.

in + the evening • We study in the evening.

Months

and Years

in + month • My birthday is in June.

in + year • She went to Europe in 2015.

Seasons

in + season

• We go camping in the summer.

• They like to ski in the wintertime.

B. Saying the Date

We use ordinal numbers to say the date.

Example:

Ordinal Numbers

My birthday is on February 12.

1 first

11 eleventh

21 twenty-first

31 thirty-first

• Write February 12

or February 12th.

• Say February twelfth.

2 second

3 third

4 fourth

12 twelfth

13 thirteenth

14 fourteenth

22 twenty-second

23 twenty-third

24 twenty-fourth

5 fifth

15 fifteenth

25 twenty-fifth

6 sixth

16 sixteenth

26 twenty-sixth

7 seventh

17 seventeenth

27 twenty-seventh

8 eighth

18 eighteenth

28 twenty-eighth

9 ninth

19 nineteenth

29 twenty-ninth

10 tenth

20 twentieth

30 thirtieth




Exercise 1


Complete the sentences with at, on, or in.

1. The class begins 8:30 am.

2. The next school year starts September.

3. I took swimming lessons April 2015.

4. She plays volleyball Saturdays.

5. December 31, my family celebrated New Year’s Eve.

6. His birthday is Monday, June 8.

7. the winter, we go ice-skating.

8. They watch TV night.

9. 2010, my city held a big festival.

10. My wife drinks coffee the morning.

11. We eat lunch 12:15 pm.

12. I like to go to the beach July.

13. They are getting married Saturday, May 26, 2018.

14. My brother has his first karate class Wednesday.

15. They like to read the afternoon.

16. Flowers bloom the spring.

17. The concert tickets go on sale tomorrow. that day, people will line up for hours.

18. My kids thought they heard Santa Claus Christmas Eve midnight.

19. The meeting starts Monday 9:00 am.

20. Call me 5:00 Thursday.




Exercise 2

COMPLETE THE DIALOGUES

Complete the dialogues with at, on, or in.

1. A: What are you doing the weekend?

B: I’m buying a present for my sister.

A: When is her birthday?

B: Her birthday is Monday.

2. A: What do you usually do the evening?

B: I watch TV.

A: What do you watch?

B: I watch a cooking show. It starts 7:00 pm.

3. A: What does your family do the summertime?

B: We go to our cabin the summer.

A: When do you usually go there?

B: We usually go August.

4. A: Can you come to my house tomorrow?

B: No, I can’t. I have a dentist appointment 2:30.

A: But tomorrow is Sunday!

B: Oh, you’re right! My appointment is Monday. I’ll come over Sunday!

5. A : What are you doing Saturday?

B: I’m playing hockey noon.

A: Can you go to a movie after your game? It starts 8:00.

B: Sounds like a plan! See you 8.




Exercise 3

WRITE SENTENCES

Write sentences by adding at, on, or in in the right spot.

1. We / eat / sandwiches / lunchtime

We eat sandwiches at lunchtime.

2. They / do / their homework / 6:30 pm

3. I / am getting / a new car / my birthday

4. My friends / go / to the movies / the weekends

5. My sister / wakes up / 7:00 am

6. Monday, July 4 / we / are having / a party

7. She / has / a doctor’s appointment / September 2

8. Halloween / is / October

9. We / got / a dog / 2012

10. The tulip festival / is / April




Exercise 4

CLASS SURVEY

Ask your classmates these questions. Write their answers in the box.

Try to talk to a different classmate for each question.

Practice using at, on, and in in your answers.

# Question Classmate’s Name Answer

1 What time does this class start?

2 What time does this class end?

3 What do you usually do at 6:00 pm?

4 What do you usually do on the weekend?

5 When is your birthday?

6 When is your favorite holiday?

7 What do you usually do on Christmas Day?

8 What time do you usually wake up?

9 What time do you usually go to bed?

10 What do you like to do in the summer?




Exercise 5

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZ

Choose the best preposition for each sentence.

1. I clean my apartment Sundays.

a) at

b) on

c) in

2. We go fishing the spring.

a) at

b) on

c) in

3. They like to travel September.

a) at

b) on

c) in

4. He is meeting me Thursday, January 15.

a) at

b) on

c) in

5. Do you study the evening?

a) at

b) on

c) in

6. I have a piano lesson Tuesday.

a) at

b) on

c) in

7. The hotel will open July 2018.

a) at

b) on

c) in

8. I like watching movies night.

a) at

b) on

c) in

9. I always wake up midnight.

a) at

b) on

c) in

10. She has a doctor’s appointment November 18.

a) at

b) on

c) in

11. I rake the leaves in my yard the fall.

a) at

b) on

c) in

12. The party is Saturday, December 10, 2016.

a) at

b) on

c) in




Answer Key

Exercise 1

SPELLING NOTE:

1. at

2. in

3. in

4. on

5. On

6. on

7. In

8. at

9. In

10. in

11. at

12. in

13. on

14. on

15. in

16. in

17. On

18. on, at

19. on, at

20. at, on

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Favorite

and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries spell

these words this way: Favourite and Practise (when used as a

verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a challenge for



Exercise 2

EDITOR’S NOTES:

1. on, on

2. in, at

3. in, in, in

4. at, on, on

5. on, at, at, at

1. American and Canadian English prefer

on the weekend/on weekends, while British

English prefers at the weekend/at weekends.

Exercise 3

1. We eat sandwiches at lunchtime.

2. They do their homework at 6:30 pm.

3. I am getting a new car on my birthday.

4. My friends go to the movies on the weekends.

5. My sister wakes up at 7:00 am.

6. On Monday, July 4, we are having a party.

7. She has a doctor’s appointment on September 2.

8. Halloween is in October.

9. We got a dog in 2012.

10. The tulip festival is in April.

2. For more practice with prepositions of time, see

our Functional English lessons on Asking for the Time

(https://esllibrary.com/courses/92/lessons/1742) and

Asking about Days and Dates (https://esllibrary.com/

courses/92/lessons/1943)

Exercise 4

Answers will vary. Monitor students for correct preposition use.

Exercise 5

1. b

3. c

5. c

7. c

9. a

11. c

2. c

4. b

6. b

8. a

10. b

12. b



Prepositions of Place

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Introduction to Prepositions

4 Exercise 1

Matchup

5 Exercise 2

In the Kitchen

7 Exercise 3

In the Living Room

8 Exercise 4

Pair Work

10 Exercise 5

Writing

11 Exercise 6

Class Survey

12 Answer Key

Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (BEG – LOW INT / VERSION 1.1) 1



Grammar Notes

INTRODUCTION TO PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are short words that show time, place, direction, etc.

Some examples of prepositions are at, on, in, of, to, and from.

In this lesson, we will study prepositions of place.

A. Common Prepositions of Place

in

The fruit is in the bowl.

on

The owl is on the branch.

next to / beside

The movie tickets are

next to the popcorn.

near

The pencil is

near the eraser.

above

The painting is

above the sofa.

under

The shoes are

under the table.

across from

The fridge is

across from the stove.

between

The apple is between

the strawberry and

the banana.

in front of

The girl is

in front of the boy.

behind

The teacher is

behind the desk.




Grammar Notes cont.

B. Common Sentence Patterns for Prepositions of Place

There are two common sentence patterns

that we use with prepositions of place.

1. The + noun + verb + preposition + the + noun.

• The cookie is on the plate. (singular)

• The strawberries are on the plate. (plural)

2. There + is + (a) + noun + preposition + the + noun.

• There is a cup of coffee on the table. (singular)

• There are bananas on the table. (plural)

C. Prepositions of Place with Similar Meanings

Some prepositions have similar meanings.

1. Next to and beside

have the same meaning.

• The sunglasses are

next to the sunscreen.

• The sunglasses are

beside the sunscreen.

2. On, above, and over

have similar meanings.

Use on when the two nouns

are touching and above when

they aren’t. Use over when

there is movement.

• The boat is on the water.

• The light is above the table.

• The plane flew over

the Eiffel Tower.

3. Under, beneath, and below

have similar meanings.

• The cat is under the bed.

• The cat is beneath the bed.

• The cat is below the bed.




Exercise 1

MATCHUP

Write the letter of the picture that matches the preposition of place.

e

1.

2.

near

in

3.

4.

5.

under

behind

on

g

6.

7.

8.

across from

above

next to

a

9.

10.

in front of

between

i

c

h

b

d

e

f

j




Exercise 2

IN THE KITCHEN

A. Look at the Picture

Look at the picture of the kitchen below. Then answer the questions on the next page.




Exercise 2 cont.

B. Choose the Best Preposition

Look at the picture of the kitchen in Part A.

Then choose the best preposition for each sentence.

1. The stove is the toaster.

a) above

b) near

c) behind

d) on

2. The pot is the pan.

a) in front of

b) in

c) behind

d) on

3. The kettle is

the microwave.

a) across from

b) above

c) under

d) next to

4. The pot is the stove.

a) in

b) above

c) on

d) under

5. The cabinets are

the sink.

a) under

b) between

c) behind

d) on

6. The dishes are

the cabinet.

a) in

b) on

c) across from

d) behind

7. The kettle is the

microwave and the fridge.

a) across from

b) between

c) next to

d) beside

8. The fridge is the stove.

a) beside

b) behind

c) next to

d) across from

9. The toaster is the stove.

a) on

b) above

c) beside

d) across from

10. The flower pot is the

sink.

a) in front of

b) on

c) under

d) above

C. Write Sentences

Look at the picture of the kitchen

in Part A. Now write two more

sentences. Use a preposition of

place in each sentence.

1.

2.




Exercise 3

IN THE LIVING ROOM

Choose the preposition from the box that matches

each picture. Use each preposition only once.

Prepositions

• in

• on

• next to

• above

• under

• between

• in front of

• behind

1. There is a cat under the coffee table.

5. There is a dog the sofa.

2. There is a couch the recliner.

6. There is a remote control

the stereo cabinet.

3. There is a painting the sofa.

7. There is an end table

the sofa and the recliner.

4. There is a stereo the recliner.

8. There is a coffee table the sofa.




Exercise 4

PAIR WORK

sofa

recliner

rug

A. My Living Room

Draw the objects to the right

in the empty square. When

you’re finished drawing your

living room, describe it to

your partner. (See Part B.)

lamp

coffee table

cat

remote

control

dog

TV

painting

stereo

end table




Exercise 4 cont.

B. My Partner’s Living Room

Listen as your partner describes his/her living room, and draw

the objects to match the description in the empty box below.

C. Compare Drawings

Compare your Part B drawing with your partner’s

Part A drawing. Do your drawings match?




Exercise 5

WRITING

Write two sentences for each picture. Use a preposition in every sentence.

The second sentence must begin with There is or There are.

1. The books are under the TV.

5.

There are books under the TV.

2.

6.

3.

7.

4.

8.




Exercise 6

CLASS SURVEY

Ask your classmates these questions. Write their answers in

the boxes below. Try to talk to a different classmate for each

question. Practice using prepositions of place in your answers.

# Question Classmate’s Name Answer

1

Is there a clock in your

classroom? Where is it?

2

Where do you put

your books at school?

3

Where do you put

your books at home?

4

Do you have a cell phone?

Where is it?

5

What’s in your

backpack/bag/purse?

6

Do you have any paintings

on your walls at home?

7

How many pillows

are on your bed?

8

Do you have a nightstand

beside your bed? What’s on it?

9

How many pairs of

shoes are in your closet?

10 What’s in your fridge?




Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


In this lesson, students learn and practice common prepositions of

place using themes such as furniture and food. Students will use

prepositions in context as they describe various rooms in a house

and conduct a class survey.

TIME:

TAGS:

2 hours

prepositions, prepositions of place, in, on, at, above,

below, over, under, across from, next to, beside, near,

there, there is, there are, between, behind, in front of,

grammar, grammar practice, house, furniture, living room,

kitchen, bedroom, pets

Exercise 1

Exercise 5

1. e

3. a

5. j

7. c

9. g

Answers may vary. Help your students

2. i

4. b

6. f

8. h

10. d

with any vocabulary they are unfamiliar with.

Exercise 2

B. CHOOSE THE BEST PREPOSITION

1. b 3. d 5. a

2. a 4. c 6. a

C. WRITE SENTENCES

Answers will vary.

Exercise 3

1. under

4. behind

2. next to

5. on

3. above

6. in

Exercise 4

7. b 9. c

8. d 10. d

7. between

8. in front of

1. The books are under the TV. There are books under the TV.

2. The sushi is on the plate. There is sushi on the plate.

3. The apple is between the bananas.

There is an apple between the bananas.

4. The palm tree is next to / beside / near the pine tree.

There is a palm tree next to / beside / near the pine tree.

5. The painting is above the bed.

There is a painting above the bed.

6. The fruit is in the bowl. There is fruit in the bowl.

7. The stove is across from the fridge.

There is a stove across from the fridge.

8. The shoes are on the floor / in front of the couch.

There are shoes on the floor / in front of the couch.

Exercise 6

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary. Monitor students for correct preposition

usage when they explain their drawings to their partners.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.

Other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Practise

(when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun).

Make it a challenge for your students to find this word

in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spelling.



Parts of Speech

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Parts of Speech

6 Exercise 1

Functions

7 Exercise 2

Parts of Speech

9 Exercise 3

Sentences

11 Exercise 4

Patterns

13 Exercise 5

Word Endings

15 Exercise 6

Writing

17 Exercise 7

Quiz

20 Answer Key


1

Parts of Speech


Grammar Notes

PARTS OF SPEECH

In English, the main parts of speech are: nouns, verbs, articles,

adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions. Let’s learn what

these parts of speech do and how they fit into English sentences.

A. Nouns & Pronouns (S, O, N)

Nouns (N) are people, places, or things. Pronouns

(I, you, she, he, it, we, they, me, him, mine, yours,

etc.) are words that can replace nouns. Nouns

and pronouns can be subjects (S) of a sentence,

objects (O) of a sentence, or objects of a preposition.

PATTERN

S + V + O

EXAMPLE

• People like him.

• The girl ate an apple.

• She went to Hawaii.

B. Verbs (V)

Verbs are the action or state of being in a sentence.

Most verbs are action verbs that have one or

more parts (run, is running, has been running, etc.).

The most common state of being (no action) verb

is be. Verbs usually follow a subject and can be

followed by an object. With imperative verbs,

the subject “you” is dropped.

PATTERN

S + V (+ O)

V (+ O)

EXAMPLES

• My sister jogs.

• He likes her.

• Jane is a teacher.

• Begin.

• Call me.

• Be here at 9:00.

C. Articles (Art)

Articles are little words that give information about

a noun. They come before a noun and usually show

how many of a noun there are. Common articles are

a, an, the. Other similar words are determiners such

as a number (one, two) or a quantifier (many, a few).

PATTERN

Art + N

EXAMPLE

• a puppy

• an orange

• the books


2

Parts of Speech


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Adjectives (Adj)

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adjectives

give information about the noun’s color, shape, size,

etc. They have two common patterns in English:

before a noun or after the “Be” verb.

PATTERN

Adj + N

Be + Adj

EXAMPLE

beautiful flower

The flower is beautiful.

E. Adverbs (Adv)

Adverbs are words that can describe verbs,

adjectives, other adverbs, or even the whole

sentence. Adverbs usually end in -ly.

PATTERN

Adv + V

V + Adv

V + Adv + V

Adv + Adv

Adv + Adj

Adv + S + V + O

S + V + O + Adv

EXAMPLE

often go

speak fluently

is quickly preparing

really well

very shiny

Actually, I like rainy days.

I like rainy days, actually.


3

Parts of Speech


Grammar Notes cont.

F. Prepositions (Prep)

Prepositions are little words that indicate direction,

time, place, etc. They are followed by a noun.

PATTERN

Prep + N

EXAMPLE

• to school

• in July

• at home

G. Conjunctions (Conj)

Conjunctions are short words that join two

sentences or two similar parts of speech.

Tip:

Use the word “fanboys” to help you

remember common conjunctions:

F A N B O Y S

for and nor but or yet so

PATTERN

SVO + Conj + SVO

VO + Conj + VO

N + Conj + N

V + Conj + V

Adj + Conj + Adj

Adv + Conj + Adv

EXAMPLE

My brother likes Tracy, but

he never says a word to her.

She brushes her teeth

and washes her face

before bed.

I ate cake and ice cream.

You can call or text me.

Our cat is cute and lazy.

The ballerina danced

beautifully and gracefully.


4

Parts of Speech


Grammar Notes cont.

BEYOND THE BASICS

Patterns for different parts of speech work together and build on each

other. For example, in the Prep + N pattern, the noun can also take an

article (Art + N) and/or an adjective (Adj + N). Here are some examples:

Example 1

Example 3

PATTERN

EXAMPLE

PATTERN

EXAMPLE

Adj + N

fast car

V + Adv

writes often

Art + Adj + N

a fast car

V + Adv + V

is often writing

Art + Adv + Adj + N

a really fast car

V + Adv + Adv + V

is so often writing

Example 2

Example 4

PATTERN

EXAMPLE

PATTERN

EXAMPLE

Prep + N

at school

S + V + O

Cats chase mice.

Prep + Art + N

Prep + Art + Adj + N

at the school

at the elite school

(Art + N) + V

+ (Art + N)

(Art + Adj + N)

+ (Adv + V)

+ (Art + Adj + N)

The cats chase the mice.

The hungry cats always

chase the scared mice.


5

Parts of Speech


Exercise 1

FUNCTIONS

What does each part of speech do?

Fill in the correct part of speech next to each clue.

# Clue Part of Speech

1 describes a verb, an adjective, or an adverb

2 can be a person, place, or thing

3 shows an action or a state of being

4 describes a person, place, or thing

5 joins two sentences or words

6 shows direction, time, or place

7 shows how many there are

Did You Remember?

THE PARTS OF SPEECH

• noun or pronoun

• verb

• article

• adjective

• adverb

• preposition

• conjunction


6

Parts of Speech


Exercise 2

PARTS OF SPEECH

A. Nouns & Pronouns

Underline or circle the nouns and pronouns in the sentences.

1. The suntanned lifeguard sat on the red chair in the sand.

2. Give me the hammer and the nails. I will fix the broken shelf.

3. The words in this exercise are simple, but the questions are hard.

4. Sam burned the hamburgers and the hot dogs, but the potatoes were good.

B. Verbs

Underline or circle the verbs in the sentences.

1. Sit down and be quiet. I am reading a book.

2. Barbara took a shower, made breakfast, and left the house at 9:00.

3. While I was driving to school, I saw my old teacher.

4. Right now Marta is sitting at her desk and studying for her math exam.

C. Articles

Underline or circle the articles in the sentences.

1. I went to a movie last night. The movie was really good.

2. The store down the street has clothes for sale.

3. I’d like to place an order for a large pizza.

4. A young girl is watching the parade.


7

Parts of Speech


Exercise 2 cont.

D. Adjectives

Underline or circle the adjectives in the sentences.

1. She lives in a beautiful, new house.

2. The examination was long and difficult.

3. The words are easy to understand but tough to spell.

4. The chicken was overcooked, dry, and tasteless.

E. Adverbs

Underline or circle the adverbs in the sentences.

1. She walked very slowly down the street.

2. Brenda felt incredibly lucky to meet the singer who sang so beautifully.

3. Mario speaks softly, but his eyes are intensely bright.

4. Actually, I don’t really want to go to the party.

F. Prepositions

Underline or circle the prepositions in the sentences.

1. We went to the store for milk.

2. Do you like to stay at home at night?

3. In 2016, Maria traveled to Europe in the summer.

4. Yosuke lives on Main Street in Vancouver.

G. Conjunctions

Underline or circle the conjunctions in the sentences.

1. My mother and her sister live on the same street.

2. Mike wants a new car, but he can’t afford it.

3. Do you want chicken or fish for dinner?

4. Sam needs new glasses, so his mother took him shopping.


8

Parts of Speech


Exercise 3

SENTENCES

Choose the correct parts of speech for the words in the following sentences.

A. The Lazy Man

The lazy man slept in the afternoon, and he was very tired at night.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. The

3. man

5. in

7. and

9. very

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) preposition

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) conjunction

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) adverb

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

2. lazy

4. slept

6. afternoon

8. he

10. tired

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adverb

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun

B. Tigers

Tigers are big, fast, and dangerous, but they are incredibly beautiful.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. Tigers

3. big

5. and

7. but

9. incredibly

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) adverb

d) adjective

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) conjunction

a) conjunction

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) adverb

d) pronoun

2. are

4. fast

6. dangerous

8. they

10. beautiful

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) adjective

b) noun

c) adverb

d) pronoun

a) preposition

b) adjective

c) verb

d) adverb

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun


9

Parts of Speech


Exercise 3 cont.

C. The Slim Dancer

The slim dancer stopped for a cup of coffee in the crowded cafe.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. The

3. dancer

5. for

7. cup

9. coffee

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) preposition

a) conjunction

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) adverb

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

2. slim

4. stopped

6. a

8. of

10. crowded

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) preposition

b) article

c) verb

d) adverb

a) article

b) noun

c) preposition

d) conjunction

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun

D. In the Summer

In the summer, the happy children play enthusiastically in the park.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. In

3. summer

5. children

7. enthusiastically

9. the

a) article

b) preposition

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) noun

d) preposition

a) conjunction

b) adverb

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

2. the

4. happy

6. play

8. in

10. park

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) preposition

b) article

c) verb

d) adverb

a) article

b) pronoun

c) preposition

d) conjunction

a) article

b) adjective

c) noun

d) pronoun


10

Parts of Speech


Exercise 4

PATTERNS

A. Write the Patterns

Write the patterns from pages 2–5 that match the words from the sentences.

1. I usually read big novels.

4. Jackie has very long hair.

I read novels.

usually read

big novels

S + V + O

Jackie has hair.

very long

long hair

2. The young men live in really big houses.

the men

young men

in houses

really big

big houses

3. He prefers winter to summer, actually.

He prefers winter.

to summer

He prefers

winter, actually.

5. We traveled to a large,

European city with friends.

We traveled.

a city

large city

European city

with friends

6. The woman bought an

incredibly beautiful painting.

the woman

incredibly beautiful

an incredibly

beautiful painting


11

Parts of Speech


Exercise 4 cont.

B. Write the Words

Write the words that match the patterns from the sentences.

1. The hungry students ate all of the cookies.

4. The movie was funny and interesting.

the students

Art + N

Art + N

Adj + N

Be + Adj

Art + N

Adj + Conj + Adj

2. The athletic man ran quickly around the track.

5. The sleepy cats rested peacefully on the bed.

Art + N

Art + N

Adj + N

Adj + N

V + Adv

V + Adv

Prep + Art + N

Prep + Art + N

3. He has never cooked for a very large group.

6. She was tired, yet she studied hard.

V + Adv + V

Be + Adj

Adj + N

V + Adv

Prep + Art +

Adv + Adj + N

SV + Conj + SV


12

Parts of Speech


Exercise 5

WORD ENDINGS

A. Chart

The ending (suffix) of a word can help you figure out its part of speech.

Review common word endings in the chart below.

Endings

Examples

Endings

Examples

-ance

importance

-able

lovable

-ence

independence

-al

logical

-er

teacher

-ant

important

-ion

attention

-ed

excited

Nouns

-ity

capacity

-ent

independent

-ment

government

-ful

beautiful

-ness

kindness

Adjectives

-ible

sensible

-or

actor

-ic

specific

-ship

friendship

-ing

exciting

-ate

participate

-ive

active

-en

sharpen

-less

careless

Verbs

-ify

identify

-ous

dangerous

-ise

-ize

advertise

organize

-y happy

Adverbs -ly happily

The -ly Ending

The -ly suffix is commonly used to form adverbs, but there are

a few adjectives that end in -ly. These include friendly, costly, and

time words such as daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, hourly, and early.


13

Parts of Speech


Exercise 5 cont.

B. Practice

Use your knowledge of sentence patterns and word

endings to help you choose the correct word in parentheses

to write in each sentence. Then write the pattern on the right.

# Sentence Pattern

Ex

They are

excited

(excite / excited)

to go to the concert.

Be + Adj

1

A hippopotamus is a

(danger / dangerous)

animal.

2

Companies

(advertise / advertisement)

their products.

3

My daughter learns

(real / really)

quickly.

4

We

(usual / usually)

go to the beach after class.

5

The hotel bed was surprisingly .

(comfort / comfortable)

6

Pay

(attentive / attention)

to what I’m telling you.

7

8

9

10

11

I have to write everything down because I’m .

(forget / forgetful)

My father always tells me to treat people with .

(kind / kindness)

I believe that all people should have freedom and .

(independent / independence)

Your mother sings .

(beautiful / beautifully)

His son wants to be a .

(write / writer)

12

Do you like

(scare / scary)

movies?


14

Parts of Speech


Exercise 6

WRITING

Write a word of your choice on the top blank,

and write its part of speech on the bottom blank.

1. The frustrated

student walked

quickly

out of the classroom.

adjective

adverb

2. The happy yelled at the soccer player.

3. The banker wore a suit.

4. In morning, my friends around the block four times.

5. It was raining, we didn’t go to the .

6. black dog with its owner.

7. Jenny was late, so she

all the way from the bus stop

the office.

8. Maya loves to eat pizza, , hamburgers.

9. My brother two every afternoon.

10. Carol loves Carl, but doesn’t love .


15

Parts of Speech


Exercise 6 cont.

11. The snow

was so heavy that school

was canceled

.

noun

verb

12. bag on the table is .

13. Jenny is the girl in the class.

14. Oscar to talk to the teacher, she had to leave for class.

15. I can’t believe you had three of pie. must be full now.

16. It was raining, we didn’t go the park.

17. You have a mouth. You really can’t keep a .

18. John is rich cheap, no one invites him to dinner.

19. Henrietta drinks coffee, but often drinks tea.

20. When was six years old, I could a bicycle.


16

Parts of Speech


Exercise 7

QUIZ

Choose the correct parts of speech for the words in the following sentences.

A. The Black Cat

The black cat ran quickly down the street at night.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. The

3. cat

5. quickly

7. the

9. at

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adverb

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) conjunction

a) verb

b) adjective

c) adverb

d) preposition

2. black

4. ran

6. down

8. street

10. night

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) preposition

b) noun

c) verb

d) adverb

a) conjunction

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) noun

b) adjective

c) adverb

d) pronoun

B. The Very Tall Woman

The very tall woman talked to an old friend on her new phone.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. The

3. tall

5. talked

7. old

9. on

a) noun

b) article

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) preposition

a) conjunction

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) adverb

b) noun

c) verb

d) preposition

2. very

4. woman

6. to

8. friend

10. new

a) adverb

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) pronoun

b) article

c) preposition

d) adverb

a) article

b) noun

c) preposition

d) conjunction

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun


17

Parts of Speech


Exercise 7 cont.

C. A Thief

A thief stole my bicycle, so I walked to John’s house.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. A

3. stole

5. so

7. walked

9. John’s

a) conjunction

b) adjective

c) adverb

d) article

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) conjunction

c) verb

d) adjective

a) preposition

b) article

c) verb

d) adverb

a) adjective

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

2. thief

4. bicycle

6. I

8. to

10. house

a) article

b) preposition

c) verb

d) noun

a) article

b) noun

c) adjective

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) pronoun

d) preposition

a) preposition

b) conjunction

c) adverb

d) verb

a) article

b) noun

c) preposition

d) conjunction

D. The Cute Puppy

The cute puppy slept well on a very comfortable couch.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. The

3. puppy

5. well

7. a

9. comfortable

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) preposition

c) verb

d) adverb

a) conjunction

b) noun

c) verb

d) article

a) adverb

b) noun

c) adjective

d) pronoun

2. cute

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

4. slept

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun

6. on

a) preposition

b) noun

c) verb

d) adverb

8. very

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adverb

10. couch

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) pronoun


18

Parts of Speech


Exercise 7 cont.

E. The Angry Teacher

The students whispered softly, but the angry teacher heard them.

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. The

3. whispered

5. but

7. angry

9. heard

a) noun

b) article

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) preposition

b) conjunction

c) adverb

d) verb

a) adjective

b) adverb

c) preposition

d) conjunction

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) noun

2. students

4. softly

6. the

8. teacher

10. them

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) adjective

c) adverb

d) verb

a) conjunction

b) adverb

c) article

d) preposition

a) adverb

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) article

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun

F. An Ugly House

He lives in an incredibly ugly house with his sons and daughters.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1. He

3. an

5. ugly

7. with

9. and

a) article

b) preposition

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) article

b) adjective

c) pronoun

d) preposition

a) adjective

b) adverb

c) verb

d) pronoun

a) adverb

b) noun

c) conjunction

d) preposition

a) conjunction

b) adjective

c) verb

d) pronoun

2. lives

4. incredibly

6. house

8. sons

10. daughters

a) article

b) noun

c) verb

d) adjective

a) preposition

b) adjective

c) verb

d) adverb

a) article

b) noun

c) preposition

d) conjunction

a) noun

b) adjective

c) verb

d) article

a) pronoun

b) adjective

c) verb

d) noun


19

Parts of Speech


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


In this lesson, students will learn the function and sentence

position of the basic parts of speech. They will also be introduced

to word endings that can help them identify the parts of speech.

TIME:

TAGS:

2–3 hours

parts of speech, verb, nouns, pronouns, articles,

adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions,

grammar, sentences

Exercise 1

F. PREPOSITIONS

G. CONJUNCTIONS

1. adverb

2. noun

3. verb

4. adjective

5. conjunction

6. preposition

7. article

1. to, for

2. at, at

3. In, to, in

4. on, in

1. and

2. but

3. or

4. so

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

A. NOUNS

A. THE LAZY MAN

1. lifeguard, chair, sand

2. me, hammer, nails, I, shelf

1. a

2. d

3. b

4. c

5. b

6. b

7. a

8. d

9. a

10. b

3. words, exercise, questions

4. Sam, hamburgers, hot dogs, potatoes

B. TIGERS

1. b

3. d

5. d

7. a

9. c

B. VERBS

C. ARTICLES

2. c

4. a

6. b

8. d

10. b

1. sit, be, am reading

2. took, made, left

3. was driving, saw

4. is sitting, studying

1. a, The

2. The, the,

3. an, a

4. A, the

C. THE SLIM DANCER

1. a 3. b

2. d 4. c

5. d

6. b

7. b

8. c

9. b

10. b

D. ADJECTIVES

1. beautiful, new

2. long, difficult

E. ADVERBS

1. very, slowly

2. incredibly, so, beautifully

D. IN THE SUMMER

1. b 3. b

2. a 4. d

5. c

6. c

7. b

8. c

9. a

10. c

3. easy, tough

4. overcooked, dry, tasteless

3. softly, intensely

4. Actually, really



20

Parts of Speech


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 4

A. WRITE THE PATTERNS

1. I usually read big novels.

B. WRITE THE WORDS

1. The hungry students ate all of the cookies.

the students

Art + N

hungry students

Adj + N

I read novels.

S + V + O

the cookies

Art + N

usually read

Adv + V

big novels

Adj + N

2. The young men live in really big houses.

2. The athletic man ran quickly around the track.

the man

Art + N

athletic man

Adj + N

the men

Art + N

ran quickly

V + Adv

young men

Adj + N

around the track

Prep + Art + N

in houses

Prep + N

really big

Adv + Adj

big houses

Adj + N

3. He prefers winter to summer, actually.

3. He has never cooked for a very large group.

has never cooked

V + Adj + V

large group

Adj + N

for a very large group Prep + Art + Adv + Adj + N

He prefers winter.

to summer

He prefers winter, actually.

4. Jackie has very long hair.

S + V + O

Prep + N

S + V + O + Adv

4. The movie was funny and interesting.

the movie

Art + N

was funny / was interesting Be + Adj

funny and interesting Adj + Conj + Adj

Jackie has hair.

S + V + O

very long

Adv + Adj

long hair

Adj + N

5. We traveled to a large, European city with friends.

5. The sleepy cats rested peacefully on the bed.

the cats

Art + N

sleepy cats

Adj + N

rested peacefully

V + Adv

We traveled.

S + V

on the bed

Prep + Art + N

a city

Art + N

large city

Adj + N

European city

Adj + N

with friends

Prep + N

6. The woman bought an incredibly beautiful painting.

6. She was tired, yet she studied hard.

was tired

Be + Adj

studied hard

V + Adj

She was tired,

yet she studied hard.

SV + Conj + SV

the woman

incredibly beautiful

an incredibly

beautiful painting

Art + N

Adv + Adj

Art + Adv + Adj + N



21

Parts of Speech


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 5

Exercise 6

B. PRACTICE

Patterns may vary.

1. dangerous / Adj + N

2. advertise / S + V + O

3. really / Adv + Adv

4. usually / Adv + V

5. comfortable / Adv + Adj

6. attention / V + O

7. forgetful / Be + Adj

8. kindness / Prep + N

9. independence / N + Conj + N

10. beautifully / V + Adv

11. writer / Art + N

12. scary / Adj + N

Answers may vary. Possible answers include:

1. frustrated (adjective), quickly (adverb)

2. fans (noun), tired (adjective)

3. dark (adjective)

4. the (article), walk (verb)

5. so (conjunction), game (noun)

6. The (article), ran (verb)

7. very (adverb), ran (verb), to (preposition)

8. chicken (noun), and (conjunction)

9. little (adjective), watches (verb), programs (noun)

10. he (pronoun), her (pronoun)

11. snow (noun), was canceled (verb)

12. The (article), mine (pronoun)

13. tallest (adjective), whole (adjective)

14. wanted (verb), but (conjunction)

15. slices (noun), You (pronoun)

16. so (conjunction), to (preposition)

17. big (adjective), secret (noun)

18. but (conjunction), so (conjunction)

19. never (adverb), she (pronoun)

20. I (pronoun), ride (verb)



22

Parts of Speech


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 7

SPELLING NOTE:

A. THE BLACK CAT

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Traveled

and Canceled. Most other English-speaking countries spell these

1. a

2. d

3. b

4. c

5. b

6. a

B. THE VERY TALL WOMAN

7. a

8. b

9. d

10. a

words this way: Travelled and Cancelled. Make it a challenge for

your students to find these words in the lesson and see if they


1. b

2. a

3. d

4. b

5. c

6. c

7. b

8. b

9. d

10. b

EDITOR’S NOTES:

1. This lesson is intended as a brief introduction to the

main parts of speech in English. For more details and

C. A THIEF

1. d

2. d

3. c

4. b

5. b

6. c

7. c

8. a

9. b

10. b

examples of each part of speech, see the individual

grammar lessons listed under the related resources:


2. Your students might question the role of the words my,

D. THE CUTE PUPPY

your, her, his, its, our, and their in a sentence since they are

included in some of the exercises in this lesson. You may

1. a

3. b

5. d

7. d

9. c

wish to point out that these words are called possessive

2. d

4. c

6. a

8. d

10. b

adjectives. They take an adjective position (before a noun)

and function like a pronoun (indicates the singular/plural

E. THE ANGRY TEACHER

person) or article (indicates a specific person). For more

1. b

2. b

3. c

4. c

5. b

6. c

7. a

8. b

9. c

10. d

examples and practice, see our Pronouns 1 lesson:


F. AN UGLY HOUSE

1. d

3. a

5. a

7. d

9. a

2. c

4. d

6. b

8. a

10. d


23


Simple Past

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Simple Past

7 Exercise 1

Be: Fill in the Blanks

8 Exercise 2

Be: Complete the Sentences

9 Exercise 3

Be: Pair Work

10 Exercise 4

Regular Verbs: Verb Chart

11 Exercise 5

Regular Verbs: Choose the Correct Verb

12 Exercise 6

Regular Verbs: Questions & Answers

13 Exercise 7

Irregular Verbs: Verb Chart

14 Exercise 8

Irregular Verbs: Choose the Correct Verb

16 Exercise 10

Irregular Verbs: Opposites

17 Exercise 11

Irregular Verbs: Time Markers

18 Exercise 12

Irregular Verbs: Positive & Negative

19 Exercise 13

Irregular Verbs: Write the Questions

20 Exercise 14

Irregular Verbs: Find Someone Who

21 Exercise 15

All Past Verbs: Writing

22 Exercise 16

All Past Verbs: Quiz

23 Irregular Verb List

24 Answer Key

15 Exercise 9

Irregular Verbs: Bingo


1

Simple Past


Grammar Notes

SIMPLE PAST

A. Use

We use the simple past to talk about

finished actions that happened in the past.

past present future

B. Time Markers

Words that show the time of an action are called "time markers."

Common time markers for the simple past are yesterday, last, ago, and when.

Time Marker

yesterday

last

ago

when

Examples

• I walked my dog yesterday.

• He called me yesterday morning.

• They went to the movies last night.

• Our company hired 20 new employees last year.

• She got a new job two months ago.

• Six weeks ago, we moved to New York.

• My brother learned to ride a bike when he was four years old.

• When I graduated from university, I applied for many jobs.


2

Simple Past


Grammar Notes cont.

C. Form

A common way to form the simple past is to add -ed to the end of a verb.

These verbs are called “regular verbs.”

Other verbs have many kinds of changes.

They are called “irregular verbs.”

The Be verb is a special kind of irregular verb.

It has two forms (was and were). It also has different sentence patterns.

Let’s look at regular verbs, irregular verbs, and the Be verb in more detail.

D. Regular Verbs

To form the past tense of regular verbs, add -ed to the base verb.

Type of Sentence Pattern Examples

• I talked to my friends for hours yesterday.

Positive

Negative

Question

Wh- Question

base verb + -ed

did not / didn't + base verb

did + subject + base verb

Wh- word + did + subject + base verb

• They worked until 7:00 pm last night.

• She tried to help me two weeks ago.

• My coworkers completed the project.

• He did not study French at school.

• My classmates didn't like my speech.

• Did you call me last night?

• Did she go on a trip last year?

• When did you leave?

• How did they know about the test?


3

Simple Past


Grammar Notes cont.

D. Regular Verbs cont.

How do we spell regular past verbs? Follow these simple rules:

# Rule Examples

1 If a verb ends in -e, add -d.

2 If a verb ends in consonant + -y, change -y to -i and add -ed.

3 If a verb ends in vowel + -y, add -ed.*

• like liked

• arrive arrived

• decide decided

• carry carried

• try tried

• study studied

• play played

• stay stayed

• enjoy enjoyed

4

If a verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern,

double the final consonant and add -ed.**

• hug hugged

• plan planned

• stop stopped

5 For all other verbs, add -ed.

• watch watched

• ask asked

• clean cleaned

*Note:

There are some exceptions to this rule:

• pay paid

• lay laid

**Note:

For verbs with more than one syllable, this rule is only

true if the stress is on the last syllable. Notice the

difference below:

• prefer preferred

• visit visited


4

Simple Past


Grammar Notes cont.

E. Irregular Verbs

To form the past tense of an irregular verb, we must

make a change (in the middle or ending) to the verb.


• She wrote me a long email this morning.

Positive

Negative

Question

Wh- Question

various changes*

did not / didn't + base verb

did + subject + base verb

Wh- word + did + subject + base verb

• I ate an entire pizza on the weekend.

• The staff members met with the boss.

• They rode their bikes to

school when they were young.

• He did not read the newspaper yesterday.

• My neighbors didn't pay

their rent last month.

• Did you tell her about your accident?

• Did they go shopping

yesterday afternoon?

• When did you catch a cold?

• Why did you sing that song?

*Note:

For a complete list of irregular verbs,

see page 23 in this lesson.


5

Simple Past


Grammar Notes cont.

F. Be Verb

To form the past tense of the Be verb, use the words was or were.


Positive

I / he / she / it / singular count noun /

non-count noun + was

you / we / they /

plural count noun + were

• I was happy when I was in Hawaii.

• The teacher was in the classroom.

• We were sick last month.

• The children were at the park.

Negative

was not / wasn't • He was not at home last night.

were not / weren't • We weren't at work yesterday.

Question

Wh- Question

was / were + subject

Wh- word + was / were + subject

• Were you in trouble?

• Was your sister at school yesterday?

• Who was that?

• Where were you?


6

Simple Past


Exercise 1

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Put the correct past tense form of Be in the blanks below.

Ex. Eva

was

sick yesterday.

1. We in the same class last year.

2. I tired after a long day at work.

3. The weather beautiful yesterday.

4. My teachers really good last semester.

5. The children hungry after so much exercise.

6. The wind very strong last night.

7. She so happy last week.

8. They nervous on the first day of school.

9. Luckily, the windows closed during the rainstorm.

10. We very happy to get your invitation last week.


7

Simple Past


Exercise 2


Finish the following sentences using

the negative form of Be in the past tense.

Ex. I am at work today, but I wasn’t at work yesterday.

1. It is cold outside today, but

2. She is sick today, but

3. They are at school today, but

4. The TV show is good today, but

5. The peaches are sweet today, but

6. The class is interesting today, but

7. He is angry today, but

8. The door is locked today, but

9. The exercises are easy today, but

10. The children are tired today, but


8

Simple Past


Exercise 3

PAIR WORK

Write the questions using the prompt and the simple past tense.

Then interview your partner. Write down your partner’s answers.

# Prompt Question Answer

Ex at home / last night Were you at home last night? No, I wasn't.

1 at school / yesterday

2 at the movies / last weekend

3 at the gym / last week

4 at the mall / last month

5 in another country / last year

6 tired / last night

7 angry / last week

8 sick / last month

9 excited / about your last birthday

10 happy / during your last vacation


9

Simple Past


Exercise 4

VERB CHART (REGULAR VERBS)

Review the spelling rules on page 4.

Then write the past forms of these regular verbs.

# Base Form Past Form


Ex ask asked

10 laugh

1 brush

11 learn

2 carry

12 like

3 check

13 listen

4 clean

14 plan

5 cry

15 play

6 dance

16 study

7 decide

17 talk

8 hope

18 walk

9 hug

19 wash


10

Simple Past


Exercise 5

CHOOSE THE CORRECT VERB

Choose a verb from the list on the right to complete the following

sentences. Write the verb in the past tense. Use each verb only once.

Ex. I

visited

my friend in the hospital last night.

1. The boys baseball in the field behind the school.

2. Robert his wife wash the dishes.

3. We our living room a soft blue color.

4. Susan TV for two hours last night.

5. We planes on the way to New York.

6. She for him for 20 minutes at the coffee shop.

Verb List:

• change

• visit

• paint

• travel

• listen

• help

• arrive

• learn

• watch

• play

• wait

7. He how to swim when he was a child.

8. They all around the country three years ago.

9. The students late for class.

10. We to the radio until midnight.


11

Simple Past


Exercise 6

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

A. Write the Answers

Answer the questions using the simple past tense and the prompt.

# Question Prompt Answer

Ex Did Anna bake a cake last weekend? no No, she didn’t.

1 Did the boys play soccer yesterday? yes

2 Did she call her mother last night? no

3 Did you fix your TV yesterday? no

4 Did they play in a band together? yes

5 Did he study history at university? yes

B. Interview Your Partner

Now write five questions using any regular verbs from the list on page 10.

Then ask your partner the questions and write his or her answers.

# Question Answer

Ex Did you watch TV last night? Yes, she did.

1

2

3

4

5


12

Simple Past


Exercise 7

VERB CHART (IRREGULAR VERBS)

Write the past forms of these irregular verbs.

Refer to the list on page 23 if you need help.



Ex be was, were

10 make

1 begin

11 read

2 bring

12 run

3 catch

13 see

4 choose

14 sing

5 do

15 sleep

6 fall

16 take

7 go

17 teach

8 have

18 think

9 know

19 write


13

Simple Past


Exercise 8

CHOOSE THE CORRECT VERB

Choose a verb(s) from the list on the right to complete the following

sentences. Write the verb(s) in the past tense. Use each verb only once.

Ex. She

broke a plate when she was washing the dishes.

1. They to Paris in a jumbo jet last week.

2. I the alarm clock for 7:00 yesterday morning, but I

up an hour before the alarm clock .

3. I an email to my friend back home.

4. He a five-page essay last night.

5. His mother care of him when he sick.

6. The teacher the mathematics class

and then

the students three exercises to do for homework.

7. Matthew his wallet on the way to work yesterday.

Verb List:

• buy

• ring

• lie

• break

• teach

• fly

• set

• send

• wake

• swim

• feel

• pay

• meet

• have

• write

• drink

• give

• get

• take

• catch

• lose

He

very upset.

8. Angie a bad cold last week. She in bed for three days.

9. The children in the lake behind their house last summer.

10. We a wonderful time at your party last night.

11. I groceries on my way home yesterday and I cash.

12. I three friends at the cafe and

we

several cups of coffee together.


14

Simple Past


Exercise 9

IRREGULAR VERB BINGO

Choose any 24 verbs from the Irregular Verb List on page 23 and write

the past tense forms in the squares. Then play Bingo! Draw an when

you hear your teacher call out a matching verb.

Free

Space


15

Simple Past


Exercise 10

OPPOSITES

Write the opposite of each verb below. Make sure to use the past tense.

There may be more than one possible opposite, but try to think of one

that has an irregular past form.

# Verb Opposite

Ex gave took

1 remembered

2 bought

3 found

4 sat

5 arrived

6 opened

7 rose (the sun)

8 learned

9 floated

10 saved (money)


16

Simple Past


Exercise 11

TIME MARKERS

Complete the following sentences using yesterday, last, or ago.

Ex. We went skiing a lot

last

winter.

1. She came to this country three years .

2. The teacher canceled the class Monday.

3. I spoke to him for ten minutes .

4. We went dancing night.

5. The boss was away morning.

6. We began this class fall.

7. The children ran around outside afternoon.

8. She got married five years .

9. We went shopping .

10. He left five minutes .


17

Simple Past


Exercise 12

POSITIVE & NEGATIVE

Read the example. Then complete the sentences below using the past

tense. Make the first sentence negative and the second one positive.

Ex. Ben usually eats cereal for breakfast.

6. Ben usually meets his boss in the morning.

He

didn’t eat

cereal yesterday.

He

his boss in the morning.

He

ate

toast.

He

him in the afternoon.

1. Ben usually gets up at 7:00.

7. Ben usually writes ten emails in the morning.

He

at 7:00 yesterday.

He

ten emails yesterday.

He at 8:00.

He

five letters.

2. Ben usually takes a shower.

8. Ben usually eats lunch in the office.

He

a shower yesterday.

He

lunch in the office today.

He

a bath.

He

lunch in a restaurant.

3. Ben usually reads the Times newspaper.

9. Ben usually has a lot of appointments every day.

He

the Times yesterday.

He

a lot of appointments yesterday.

He

the Post.

He only

a few.

4. Ben usually leaves the house at 8:00.

10. Ben usually gets home at 6:00.

He the house at 8:00.

He

home at 6:00 yesterday.

He at 9:00.

He home at 7:00.

5. Ben usually takes a bus to work.

He

He

a bus yesterday.

a taxi.


18

Simple Past


Exercise 13

WRITE THE QUESTIONS

Use the correct question word (who, what, where, when, why, how many)

to make Wh- questions in the simple past tense. The bold words are the

answers to the questions.

Ex. Where did she buy that toy?

6.

She bought that toy at Walmart.

She said “hello” to me.

1.

7.

They left the office at 6:00.

I felt sick yesterday.

2.

8.

She didn’t go to work because she was sick.

The sun rose at 6:45 am yesterday.

3.

9.

I spent $80.00 on groceries.

She wore a beautiful dress to the party.

4.

10.

Rosa spoke to the boss.*

The meeting took place in Room 29.

5.

Rosa spoke to the boss.*

*Note:

There is a difference between questions 4 and 5.

Can you explain the grammar rule?


19

Simple Past


Exercise 14

FIND SOMEONE WHO

Walk around the classroom and ask your classmates questions.

Write the questions in the spaces provided below, and write

your classmate’s name on the right if he/she answers “yes.”


1 who woke up late this morning. Did you wake up late this morning?

2

who didn’t take the bus

to school this morning.

3

who ate an egg for

breakfast this morning.

4

who saw a good movie

on TV last night.

5

who bought something

expensive yesterday.

6 who had a bad cold last week.

7 who won something last year.

8 who read a great book last month.

9

who heard some

interesting gossip last week.

10

who went on vacation to

another country last year.


20

Simple Past


Exercise 15

WRITING

Choose one of the topics below. Write a paragraph

using regular and irregular past tense verbs.

Topics:

• what you did yesterday

• what you did last weekend

• what you did during your last vacation

Example:

I went on vacation to Amsterdam last year. It was

spring. There were many tulips. I went to a lot of

museums and saw a lot of beautiful art…


21

Simple Past


Exercise 16

QUIZ


1. Two weeks ago, I a new car.

a) bought

b) buyed

2. Juan at the store on his way home.

a) stoped

b) stopped

3. I was very tired week.

a) ago

b) last

4. It us two days to write the report.

a) taked

b) took

5. How the weather last weekend?

a) was

b) were

6. Alyssa to go to Spain.

a) decideed

b) decided

7. They left the city a month .

a) ago

b) last

8. She a cold last week.

a) cought

b) caught

9. your homework?

a) Did you finish

b) Did you finished

10. Maya and Louise late for class.

a) was

b) were

11. They to sell their house.

a) tryed

b) tried

12. Chang to the party last night.

a) didn’t go

b) didn’t went


22

Simple Past


Irregular Verb List

Base Form

Past Form

Base Form

Past Form

Base Form

Past Form

be

was, were

get

got

read

read

become

became

give

gave

ring

rang

begin

began

go

went

run

ran

break

broke

grow

grew

say

said

bring

brought

have

had

see

saw

buy

bought

hear

heard

sell

sold

catch

caught

hide

hid

send

sent

choose

chose

hit

hit

shut

shut

come

came

hold

held

sing

sang

cost

cost

keep

kept

sleep

slept

cut

cut

know

knew

speak

spoke

do

did

lay

laid

spend

spent

draw

drew

lead

led

stand

stood

drink

drank

leave

left

take

took

drive

drove

let

let

teach

taught

eat

ate

lie

lay

tell

told

fall

fell

lose

lost

throw

threw

feel

felt

make

made

understand

understood

find

found

meet

met

wake

woke

forget

forgot

pay

paid

wear

wore

freeze

froze

put

put

write

wrote


23

Simple Past


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


This lesson covers the past tense of the Be verb, regular verbs,

and irregular verbs. Through various individual and group activities,

students will get plenty of written and oral practice with the

affirmative, negative, and question forms of simple past verbs.

TIME:

TAGS:

3–4 hours

simple past, past, past tense, verbs, verb tenses,

regular verbs, irregular verbs, Be, spelling,

pronunciation, grammar

Exercise 1

1. were

6. was

2. was

7. was

3. was

8. were

4. were

9. were

5. were

10. were

Exercise 2

1. ...it wasn’t cold yesterday.

2. ...she wasn’t sick yesterday.

3. ...they weren’t at school yesterday.

4. ...it wasn’t good yesterday.

5. ...they weren’t sweet yesterday.

6. ...it wasn’t interesting yesterday.

7. ...he wasn’t angry yesterday.

8. ...it wasn’t locked yesterday.

9. ...they weren’t easy yesterday.

10. ...they weren’t tired yesterday.

Exercise 3

Partners’ answers will vary. Make sure students write down their

partner's answers and not their own. You can have them copy

exactly what their partners say (Yes, I was/No, I wasn't) or have them

report their partner's answers (Yes, he/she was/No, he/she wasn't).

1. Were you at school yesterday?

2. Were you at the movies last weekend?

3. Were you at the gym last week?

4. Were you at the mall last month?

5. Were you in another country last year?

6. Were you tired last night?

7. Were you angry last week?

8. Were you sick last month?

9. Were you excited about your last birthday?

10. Were you happy during your last vacation?



24

Simple Past


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 4 Exercise 7

1. brushed

8. hoped

15. played

1. began

8. had

15. slept

2. carried

9. hugged

16. studied

2. brought

9. knew

16. took

3. checked

10. laughed

17. talked

3. caught

10. made

17. taught

4. cleaned

11. learned

18. walked

4. chose

11. read

18. thought

5. cried

12. liked

19. washed

5. did

12. ran

19. wrote

6. danced

13. listened

6. fell

13. saw

7. decided

14. planned

7. went

14. sang

Review the spelling rules on page 4 before starting this exercise.

For further spelling practice when forming regular past verbs, try

the worksheet in our Grammar & Usage Resource: https://esllibrary.

com/resources/2732

For pronunciation practice, have students read the past forms out

loud. Before that, you may want to hand out our pronunciation

rules guide and exercise (with audio) in our Grammar & Usage

Resources: https://esllibrary.com/resources/2733

Exercise 8

1. flew

2. set, woke, rang

3. sent

4. wrote

5. took, got/felt

6. taught, gave

7. lost, felt/got

8. caught, lay

9. swam

10. had

11. bought, paid

12. met, drank

Exercise 5

Exercise 9

1. played

2. helped

3. painted

4. watched

5. changed

Exercise 6

A. WRITE THE ANSWERS

1. Yes, they did.

2. No, she didn’t.

3. No, I didn’t.

4. Yes, they did.

5. Yes, he did.

6. waited

7. learned

8. traveled

9. arrived

10. listened

Make sure your students mix up the order of the verbs they copy

down so that they all have a different card. Tell them you will call

out the base/present verb and that they should draw an over

the corresponding past form if they have it on their card. The first

student to complete a line (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally)

should shout “Bingo!” To make the game last longer, tell students

they can only yell “Bingo!” when they have two completed lines

instead of one.


B. INTERVIEW YOUR PARTNER?

Questions and answers will vary.


25

Simple Past


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 10

Exercise 13

Answers may vary. If this task is too difficult for your students,

you could write the base forms of the following suggested

answers on the board (in a random order).

1. forgot

6. closed/shut

2. sold

7. set/went down

3. lost

8. taught/forgot

4. stood

9. sank

5. left

10. spent

Exercise 11

1. ago

6. last

2. last

7. yesterday

3. yesterday

8. ago

4. last

9. yesterday

5. yesterday

10. ago

Exercise 12

1. didn’t get up / got up

6. didn’t meet / met

2. didn’t take / took

7. didn’t write / wrote

3. didn’t read / read

8. didn’t eat / ate

4. didn’t leave / left

9. didn’t have / had

5. didn’t take / took

10. didn’t get / got

1. When did they leave the office?

2. Why didn’t she go to work?

3. How much did you spend on groceries?

4. Who did Rosa speak to?

5. Who spoke to the boss?

6. What did she say to you?

7. How did you feel yesterday?

8. When/What time did the sun rise yesterday?

9. What did she wear to the party?

10. Where did the meeting take place?

Note Answer: Question 4 is asking about the indirect object

(who someone spoke to) and question 5 is asking about the

subject (who spoke to someone).

Exercise 14

Classmates’ answers will vary.

1. Did you wake up late this morning?

2. Did you take the bus to school this morning?

3. Did you eat an egg for breakfast this morning?

4. Did you see a good movie on TV last night?

5. Did you buy something expensive yesterday?

6. Did you have a bad cold last week?

7. Did you win something/anything last year?

8. Did you read a great book last month?

9. Did you hear some/any interesting gossip last week?

10. Did you go on vacation to another country last year?



26

Simple Past


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 15

Answers will vary. Encourage your students to use both

positive and negative, regular and irregular past verbs.

Exercise 16

1. a 3. b 5. a 7. a 9. a 11. b

2. b 4. b 6. b 8. b 10. b 12. a

SPELLING NOTES:

1. This lesson shows the American spelling of the words

Color, Neighbors, Canceled, and Traveled. Most other Englishspeaking

countries spell these words this way: Colour,

Neighbours, Cancelled, and Travelled. Make it a challenge for



2. Note that in the American spelling of words ending with

the CVC pattern of consonant + e + l, the final l will

usually not double in the most commonly accepted form

(e.g., travel traveled, cancel canceled). Most other

English-speaking countries prefer to double the final l

(e.g., travel travelled, cancel cancelled).

EDITOR'S NOTES:

1. In our Verb Cards: Present, Past & Past Participle resource

(available in our Grammar & Usage Resources section) you’ll

find cards on pages 1–4 that you can use in a variety of

ways. Page 7 contains a blank card template so that you or

your students can make your own. https://esllibrary.com/

resources/2247

You could use these verb cards with some of the activities

suggested in our 5 Fun Activities for Irregular Verbs blog

post: http://blog.esllibrary.com/2015/02/26/5-fun-activitiesfor-irregular-verbs/

2. See our spelling rules and pronunciation guide for regular

past verbs in our Grammar & Usage Resources section:

• Spelling Rules:


• Pronunciation Rules:



27


Subject–Verb

Agreement

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Subject–Verb Agreement

5 Exercise 1

Multiple-Choice

6 Exercise 2

Fill in the Blanks

7 Exercise 3

Find the Errors

8 Exercise 4

Complete the Sentences

9 Exercise 5

Find Someone Who

11 Exercise 7

Fill in the Blanks

12 Exercise 8

Find the Errors

13 Exercise 9

Complete the Sentences

14 Exercise 10

Quiz

15 Grammar Assessment

16 Self-Assessment

17 Answer Key

10 Exercise 6

Multiple-Choice

Copyright 2020, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. (INT / VERSION 2.1)

1



Grammar Notes

SUBJECT–VERB AGREEMENT

Subject–verb agreement in English is generally quite logical. Singular

subjects take a singular verb, while plural subjects take a plural verb.

Plural subjects often end in -s, while singular subjects usually don’t.

Like most grammar rules in English, there are many exceptions, from

irregular plural subjects to singular subjects that end in -s and tricky

pronouns and quantifiers. Let’s take a look at the basic rules and some

common exceptions.

A. Basic Rules

# Rule Example

1

Singular subjects take a

singular verb.

My dog wants dinner.

S V

2

Non-count subjects take a

singular verb.

Water is essential for survival.

S V

3

Plural subjects take a

plural verb.

The students study every night.

S

V

Memory Trick

Almost every sentence in the simple present tense needs an -s! If there is

no -s at the end of the subject noun, use a singular verb that ends in -s. If

there is an -s at the end of the noun, use a plural verb.

• A girl walks her dog.

S

V

• Juice tastes good.

S

V

• The books are all over the floor.

S

V


2



Grammar Notes cont.

B. Other Cases That Follow the Basic Rules

# Case Examples

1 Gerunds take a singular verb.

2 Irregular plural subjects take a plural verb.

3 Nouns joined by “and” take a plural verb.

• Singing is my favorite hobby.

• Trespassing is a criminal offense.

• People talk to me on the bus every day.

• The police are coming to stop the robbery.

• Maria and Antonio have a baby.

• Snow and ice make driving dangerous.

4

When the subject includes a prepositional

phrase, the noun that comes before the

preposition agrees with the verb.

• One of the leaders was guilty.

• Members of that group are organizing a fundraiser.

C. Cases That Don’t Follow the Basic Rules

# Case Examples

1 “Each” and “every” take a singular verb.

• Each component is sold separately.

• Every reporter wants to do that interview.

2

3

4

The pronouns “everybody/everyone” and

“nobody/no one” take a singular verb.

Non-count nouns that end in -s take

a singular verb.

Subjects about time, money, or distance take

a singular verb.

• Everyone was tired after the long flight.

• Nobody knows what happened.

• Her good news was a relief.

• Mathematics is my first class of the day.

• Five hours is enough sleep for me.

• One thousand dollars was my gift to him.


3



Grammar Notes cont.

C. Cases That Don’t Follow the Basic Rules cont.

5

6

7

8

Collective nouns (family, team, staff, etc.) usually

take a singular verb, especially in American and

Canadian English.

When the subject includes certain quantifiers

(all, a lot, most, some, none, etc.) and a prepositional

phrase, the verb agrees with the noun after

the preposition.

When the subject includes a fraction or a

percentage, the verb agrees with the noun after

the preposition.

The subject “a number of” + noun takes a plural

verb, while “the number of” + noun takes

a singular verb.

• My family has three dogs and a cat.

• Our team wins the competition every year.

• A lot of my friends have their own cars.

• A lot of rain is in the forecast.

• Half of the pasta is vegetarian.

• Only 25% of the survey results were favorable.

• A number of articles deal with this topic.

• The number of attacks is increasing.


4



Exercise 1

MULTIPLE-CHOICE

Circle the correct form of the verb.

Ex. Every student in the class

language.

a) speak

b) speaks

a different

1. Six miles a long way to walk to school.

a) is

b) are

2. Louisa two jobs.

a) has

b) have

3. Giovanni and Maria a small apartment

and three dogs.

a) has

b) have

4. The group very large.

a) is

b) are

6. Mrs. Izaguerra early at work every day.

a) arrive

b) arrives

7. The coffee very good.

a) is

b) are

8. Nineteen hundred dollars a lot

to pay to rent that old apartment.

a) is

b) are

9. Mr. Iwasaki very well.

a) dance

b) dances

10. Almost 50% of the book about

the vice president.

a) is

b) are

5. Her jacket and gloves on the table.

a) is

b) are


5



Exercise 2

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Write the correct form of the verb to complete each sentence.

Ex. Half of the flowers in the garden

are

(is / are)

roses.

1. Most of the workers in that company from the Chicago area.

(come / comes)

2. Shara six brothers.

(has / have)

3. My brother and I a lot of money when we go to the mall.

(spend / spends)

4. That football team very good.

(is / are)

5. Two hours the perfect length for a movie.

(is / are)

6. Roberto and his sister from Venezuela.

(come / comes)

7. My mother’s advice usually old-fashioned.

(is / are)

8. Six people in that small house.

(live / lives)

9. Physics a difficult subject for me.

(is / are)

10. The police many arrests on Saturday nights.

(make / makes)


6



Exercise 3

FIND THE ERRORS

Find one mistake in each sentence and rewrite the sentence correctly.

Ex. That police officer are always standing at the front of the school.

That police officer is always standing at the front of the school.

1. John work too much.

2. My sister never have time to talk to me.

3. Eight miles take 15 minutes on the highway.

4. She never cry when she has an argument with her boyfriend.

5. His sisters comes home very late every night.

6. One of my friend is from India.

7. His hair are short and blond.

8. The cheese are from France.

9. My brother and sister lives in a big house.

10. A lots of people in the class are from Thailand.


7



Exercise 4


Complete the following sentences with a verb that agrees with the subject.

Ex. One of my favorite meals is spaghetti with meatballs.

1. Two hours

2. Watching TV

3. One of my best friends

4. Larissa and José

5. The counselor’s advice

6. The news from northern Africa

7. None of the children

8. Every student in the class

9. More than 60% of the people in the country

10. Half of the cookies


8



Exercise 5

FIND SOMEONE WHO

Find someone who agrees with the sentences in the chart.

Walk around the classroom and ask your classmates questions.

Write your classmate’s name if he/she answers “yes.”

Ex. Is Friday the best day of the week?

# Sentence Name

1 Friday is the best day of the week.

2 Watching sports is boring.

3 Two hours of studying on weekends is enough.

4 Mathematics is your favorite subject.

5 Coffee and tea are both delicious.

6 Five miles is a long walk.

7 Pizza is your favorite food.

8 The number of quizzes in this class is too many.

9 One hundred dollars is a lot of money.

10 Going to the movies is fun.


9



Exercise 6

MULTIPLE-CHOICE


Ex. A lot of the words in Chapter 6

a) is

b) are

1. Six blocks not too far to walk.

a) is

b) are

2. Some of the vocabulary words in the

lesson difficult.

a) is

b) are

new.

3. Most of that movie place in China.

a) take

b) takes

4. Most of the people I know from Europe.

a) come

b) comes

5. Half of the book about soccer.

6. Two-thirds of the test about Sigmund Freud

and Carl Jung.

a) is

b) are

7. About 40% of the teams their games

at night.

a) play

b) plays

8. All of my money in my purse.

a) is

b) are

9. One of my friends at the mall.

a) work

b) works

10. Some of the newscasters on

Channel 47 very young.

a) is

b) are

a) is

b) are


10



Exercise 7

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Write the correct form of the verb to complete each sentence.

Ex. Six blocks

was

(was / were)

not too far to walk.

1. Almost all of the air near the factory polluted.

(is / are)

2. Some of Louisa’s friends cars.

(has / have)

3. Most of the teachers the bus to school.

(take / takes)

4. Most of my brother’s mail in the late afternoon.

(come / comes)

5. Half of the boxes full.

(was / were)

6. One-third of the program about the war.

(is / are)

7. Seventy percent of the books in Spanish.

(was / were)

8. Many of the dogs fleas.

(has / have)

9. All of the windows closed for the night.

(is / are)

10. Some of these TV shows very interesting.

(is / are)


11



Exercise 8

FIND THE ERRORS

Find one mistake in each sentence and rewrite the sentence correctly.

Ex. My father’s advice are always good.

My father’s advice is always good.

1. He always go to church on Sunday.

2. In the morning, Inez drink two cups of coffee.

3. The professors at this college is nice, but they give us too much homework.

4. One of my teachers were sick yesterday.

5. Min Ju and her brother does not talk to each other.

6. Economics were my major when I was in college.

7. Every day offer a chance to learn something new.

8. The police is coming right now.

9. Farid have four brothers and one sister.

10. In the hot summer weather, 12 miles are too long to run.


12



Exercise 9


Complete the following sentences with a verb that agrees with the subject.

Ex. Snowboarding takes a long time to learn.

1. Isabella’s hair

2. A lot of students

3. None of the lawyers

4. Going to the beach

5. Two hundred dollars

6. All of the students

7. A lot of the words in Chapter 2

8. Every person I know

9. Twenty-five percent of the book

10. A lot of the cheese in the refrigerator


13



Exercise 10

QUIZ


1. A lot of the coaches in the

tournament from Asia.

a) is

b) are

2. Seventeen people to this class.

a) comes

b) come

3. The police called

immediately after the accident.

a) was

b) were

4. One of my friends hired for the job.

a) was

b) were

5. Ana and Gustav to get married.

a) wants

b) want

6. A lot of the information in that

article wrong.

a) is

b) are

7. Some of the singers on the

program very nervous.

a) is

b) are

8. Every student in the class

homework every night.

a) does

b) do

9. Mathematics my best subject in school.

a) is

b) are

10. All of the cities in southern California

really rain.

a) needs

b) need

11. The news about the World Cup.

a) is

b) are

12. Looking online usually me

find answers to my questions.

a) helps

b) help


14



Grammar Assessment

Student / Group:

Date Level Assessed By Target Skill

Subject–Verb

Agreement

Grammar

Criteria

Achieved Achieved with Help Needs Improvement

demonstrates correct usage

of singular verbs with singular

and non-count subjects

demonstrates correct

usage of plural verbs with

plural subjects

uses the correct verb

form with common exceptions

to the basic subject–verb

agreement rules

uses the correct verb form

with nouns in a series

Notes


15



Self-Assessment

SUBJECT–VERB AGREEMENT

Add check marks () to show what you've learned in this lesson.

Name:

Date:

Can I...

Yes (very well) Yes (with help) Not yet

use singular verbs with singular subjects?

use singular verbs with non-count subjects?

use plural verbs with plural subjects?

choose the correct verb form in cases that don’t

follow the basic rules on subject–verb agreement?

My Notes


16



Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:

LEVEL: Int

In this lesson, students go over the basic rules for subject–verb

agreement with singular, plural, and non-count nouns. This lesson

also reviews many common exceptions.

TIME:

TAGS:

2–3 hours

subject, verb, agreement, subject-verb agreement, nouns,

count, non-count, uncountable, singular, plural, present,

simple present, simple past, grammar, grammar exercises

Exercise 1

Exercise 4

1. a

3. b

5. b

7. a

9. b

Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct subject–verb

2. a

4. a

6. b

8. a

10. a

agreement. Possible answers include:

Exercise 2

1. come

2. has

3. spend

4. is

5. is

Exercise 3

6. come

7. is

8. live

9. is

10. make

1. Two hours is a long time to watch television.

2. Watching TV is how I relax.

3. One of my best friends is from Russia.

4. Larissa and José are best friends.

5. The counselor’s advice is excellent

6. The news from northern Africa is not very good today.

7. None of the children are wearing a jacket today.

8. Every student in the class has a book.

9. More than 60% of the people in the

country work in the oil business.

10. Half of the cookies were gone when I got to the party.

1. John works too much.

2. My sister never has time to talk to me.

3. Eight miles takes 15 minutes on the highway.

4. She never cries when she has an argument with her boyfriend.

5. His sisters come home very late every night.

6. One of my friends is from India.

7. His hair is short and blond.

8. The cheese is from France.

9. My brother and sister live in a big house.

10. A lot of people in the class are from Thailand.

Exercise 5

You may want to review forming questions with the Be verb before

your students begin (i.e., remind them to move “is” to the beginning

of the question). Encourage follow-up conversation and monitor

your students for correct subject–verb agreement.



17



Answer Key cont.

Exercise 6

Exercise 9

1. a

3. b

5. a

7. a

9. b

Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct subject–verb

2. b

4. a

6. a

8. a

10. b

agreement. Possible answers include:

Exercise 7

1. is

2. have

3. take

4. comes

5. were

Exercise 8

6. is

7. were

8. have

9. are

10. are

1. Isabella’s hair is long and curly.

2. A lot of students are studying for the examination.

3. None of the lawyers have jobs with the government.

4. Going to the beach is fun to do with friends.

5. Two hundred dollars is too much for a pair of shoes.

6. All of the students are nervous about the test.

7. A lot of the words in Chapter 2 are difficult.

8. Every person I know is from a foreign country.

9. Twenty-five percent of the book is about World War II.

10. A lot of the cheese in the refrigerator is from England.

1. He always goes to church on Sunday.

2. In the morning, Inez drinks two cups of coffee.

3. The professors at this college are nice, but they give us too

much homework.

4. One of my teachers was sick yesterday.

5. Min Ju and her brother do not talk to each other.

6. Economics was my major when I was in college.

7. Every day offers a chance to learn something new.

8. The police are coming right now.

9. Farid has four brothers and one sister.

10. In the hot summer weather, 12 miles is too long to run.

Exercise 10

1. b 3. b 5. b 7. b 9. a 11. a

2. b 4. a 6. a 8. a 10. b 12. a

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Favorite,

Favorable, Offense, and Counselor. Most other English-speaking

countries spell these words this way: Favourite, Favourable,

Offence, and Counsellor. Make it a challenge for your students

to find these words in the lesson and see if they know

the alternate spellings.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

For more practice with subject–verb agreement, try our Grammar

Practice Worksheets lesson on There Is / There Are:



18


Yes/No Questions

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Yes/No Questions

5 Exercise 1

Fill in the Blanks

6 Exercise 2

Ask & Answer

7 Exercise 3

Likes & Dislikes

8 Exercise 4

Find Someone Who

9 Exercise 5

Dialogues

11 Exercise 6

Bingo!

12 Exercise 7

Quiz

13 Answer Key


1

Yes/No Questions


Grammar Notes

YES/NO QUESTIONS

A. Introduction

Yes/No (Y/N) questions are very common in English conversations. The

answer to these questions is almost always “Yes” or “No.” These questions

have two patterns: one for the Be verb, and one for other types of verbs.

Key

Symbol Part of Speech Meaning

Aux

auxiliary verb

a word that “helps” the main verb

(do, be, have, will, can, etc.)

S subject the person or thing doing the action

V main verb the action

O object the person or thing receiving the action

B. Be Verb

When the main verb of a Y/N question is Be, the pattern is VSO.

The Be verb comes first in the question and there is no auxiliary verb.

Pattern

V + S (+ O)

Question

• Am I late?

• Are you okay?

• Is he a teacher?

• Are we there yet?

• Are they from Italy?

• Is your dog a pit bull?

• Are the children hungry?


2

Yes/No Questions


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Be Verb cont.

How do we answer Y/N questions in English?

We usually use a short answer with "Yes" or "No."

1. Positive Short Answers

We never use a contraction in a positive short answer.

For example, “Yes, I am” is correct, but “Yes, I’m” is incorrect.

Question Short Answer Never Use

Are you tired? Yes, I am. Yes, I’m. (incorrect!)

Is she from Canada? Yes, she is. Yes, she’s. (incorrect!)

Is he a teacher? Yes, he is. Yes, he’s. (incorrect!)

Are we ready? Yes, we are. Yes, we’re. (incorrect!)

Are they students? Yes, they are. Yes, they’re. (incorrect!)

2. Negative Short Answers

We often use a contraction in a negative short answer.

There are two correct forms in most cases.

Short Answer

Question Form 1 Form 2

Are you busy? No, I’m not. —

Is he a student? No, he’s not. No, he isn’t.

Is she tired today? No, she’s not. No, she isn’t.

Are we on time? No, we’re not. No, we aren’t.

Are they from Japan? No, they’re not. No, they aren’t.


3

Yes/No Questions


Grammar Notes cont.

C. All Other Verbs

For every Y/N question with a verb other than Be, the first word

of the question is an auxiliary verb such as do, be, can, or did.

The short answer uses the same auxiliary as the question.

Pattern Question Positive Answer Negative Answer

Do you like junk food? Yes, I do. No, I don’t.

Does the class start at 9:00 am? Yes, it does. No, it doesn’t.

Are you studying now? Yes, I am. No, I’m not.

Aux + S + V (+ O)

Is your sister calling you? Yes, she is. No, she isn’t.

Can you ski? Yes, I can. No, I can’t.

Can he play the guitar? Yes, he can. No, he can’t.

Did she bring her lunch? Yes, she did. No, she didn’t.

Did your parents drive you here? Yes, they did. No, they didn’t.


4

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 1

FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the Be verb (am, are, is).

Ex.

Are

you happy?

1. he a teacher?

2. I late?

3. you nervous?

4. we on time?

5. she from Korea?

6. they your children?

7. your friend a nurse?

8. the students tired?

9. the dogs at the park?

10. the book on the table?


5

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 2

ASK & ANSWER

A. Questions with Be

Write questions with “Are you…”

B. Short Answers

Write short answers with yes or no based on the emoji.

# Feeling Question

# Feeling Question & Answer

Ex

Are you tired?

Ex

Is she happy?

No, she isn't.

1

1

Is he nervous?

2

2

Are they angry?

3

3

Is she scared?

4

4

Are they happy?

5

5

Are you nervous?

Feelings

• happy

• sad

• angry

• scared

• nervous

• tired


6

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 3

LIKES & DISLIKES

What does Amalia like to do? Look at the chart and write the answers.

Amalia

Ex. Does Amalia like to ski?

6. Does Amalia like to snowboard?

No, she doesn't.

1. Does Amalia like to jog?

7. Does Amalia like to cook?

2. Does Amalia like to watch TV?

8. Does Amalia like to read?

3. Does Amalia like to sing?

9. Does Amalia like to work out?

4. Does Amalia like to swim?

10. Does Amalia like to play the guitar?

5. Does Amalia like to dance?


7

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 4

FIND SOMEONE WHO

Write Yes/No questions below using "do" or "can."

Then walk around the class and ask your classmate questions.

When a classmate answers “Yes,” write his or her name below.

# Activity Question Classmate

1 Do you like to watch TV?

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11


8

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 5

DIALOGUES

A. Language School

Read the dialogue out loud with a partner.

Underline all the questions in the dialogue.

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Hi, I'm Christina.

Hi, I'm Miguel. It's nice to meet you, Christina.

Nice to meet you too, Miguel. Are you from Mexico?

Yes, I am. Are you American?

No, I'm not. I'm Canadian. Are you a student at this school?

Yes, I'm studying English. Are you a student here too?

Yes, I am. I'm learning Spanish.

Do you like Spanish?

Yes, I do. It's a beautiful language. Do you like English?

No, not really. I think English is very difficult.

Maybe I can help you. Do you want to be study partners?

Yes, I do! Can we start today?

Yes, we can!


9

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 5 cont.

B. Nice to Meet You

Now write your own dialogue with a partner.

Include questions with do, be, and can.

Imagine you are meeting for the first time.


10

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 6

BINGO!

Walk around the class asking your classmates these questions. Draw an X

through the square when someone answers “Yes.” If you get a complete

horizontal (—), vertical (|), or diagonal (/ or \) line, yell “Bingo!”

Do you like pizza?

Can you swim?

Can you count

to 20 in English?

Do you study

every day?

Are you happy?

Do you often eat

healthy food?

Did you watch TV

last night?

Are you a student?

Do you have

any pets?

Did you study

last night?

Are you wearing

black socks?

Did you go to

the movies

last weekend?

Free Space

Do you like sushi?

Are you

tired today?

Did you go to

school yesterday?

Do you have

any brothers

or sisters?

Do you like

to read?

Can you play

the piano?

Can you ski?

Are you hungry

right now?

Are you wearing

any jewelry?

Do you usually

wake up at

7:00 am?

Are you married?

Can you cook?


11

Yes/No Questions


Exercise 7

QUIZ

Listen to the recording and circle the correct answer.

1. a) Yes, he is.

b) Yes, he does.

c) Yes, he can.

5. a) No, they're not.

b) No, they don't.

c) No, they didn't.

9. a) Yes, they are.

b) Yes, they do.

c) Yes, they can.

2. a) No, I'm not.

b) No, I don't.

c) No, I didn't.

6. a) Yes, I am.

b) Yes, I do.

c) Yes, I did.

10. a) Yes, he is.

b) Yes, he does.

c) Yes, he did.


b) Yes, they do.

c) Yes, they did.

7. a) No, I'm not.

b) No, I don't.

c) No, I can't.


b) Yes, they do.

c) Yes, they can.

4. a) No, she isn't.

b) No, she doesn't.

c) No, she didn't.

8. a) Yes, it is.

b) Yes, it does.

c) Yes, it can.

12. a) No, I'm not.

b) No, I don't.

c) No, I can't.


12

Yes/No Questions


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


In this lesson, students learn how to form Yes/No questions.

They practice asking and answering questions through various

writing and speaking activities.

TIME:

TAGS:

2 hours

questions, question formation, yes/no questions,

grammar, grammar exercises, grammar practice

worksheets, present, past, present progressive, can

Exercise 1

Exercise 4

1. Is

3. Are

5. Is

7. Is

9. Are

Answers will vary.

2. Am 4. Are

Exercise 2

6. Are

8. Are

10. Is

Exercise 5

A. LANGUAGE SCHOOL

A. QUESTIONS WITH BE

Christina:

Hi, I'm Christina.

1. Are you happy?

2. Are you angry?

3. Are you scared?

4. Are you sad?

5. Are you nervous?

B. SHORT ANSWERS

1. No, he isn't.

2. Yes, they are.

3. Yes, she is.

4. No, they aren't.

5. Yes, I am.

Exercise 3

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Miguel:

Christina:

Hi, I'm Miguel. It's nice to meet you, Christina.

Nice to meet you too, Miguel. Are you from Mexico?

Yes, I am. Are you American?

No, I'm not. I'm Canadian.

Are you a student at this school?

Yes, I'm studying English. Are you a student here too?

Yes, I am. I'm learning Spanish.

Do you like Spanish?

Yes, I do. It's a beautiful language. Do you like English?

No, not really. I think English is very difficult.

Maybe I can help you.

Do you want to be study partners?


2. Yes, she does.

3. Yes, she does.

4. Yes, she does.


6. Yes, she does.


8. Yes, she does.

9. Yes, she does.


Miguel: Yes, I do! Can we start today?

Christina: Yes, we can!



13

Yes/No Questions


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 5 cont.

B. NICE TO MEET YOU

Answers will vary.

Exercise 6

Answers will vary.

Exercise 7

1. a

3. b

5. a

7. b

9. c

11. a

2. c

4. a

6. c

8. a

10. b

12. c

Transcript:

1. Is he wearing glasses?

2. Did you hear a noise?

3. Do the children like ice cream?

4. Is your roommate messy?

5. Are the students working hard?

6. Did you study last night?

7. Do you have a pet?

8. Is the class over?

9. Can your friends play tennis?

10. Does he want to pass the test?

11. Are they eating dinner now?

12. Can you swim?

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Jewelry.

Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Jewellery.




14


Wh- Questions

Table of Contents

2 Grammar Notes

Wh- Questions

7 Exercise 1

Wh- Words & Uses

7 Exercise 2

Complete the Question

8 Exercise 3

Matchup

8 Exercise 4

Question Cards

9 Exercise 5

Write the Question

10 Exercise 6

Find the Error

12 Exercise 7

Listening

13 Exercise 8

Party Planning

14 Exercise 9

Quiz

15 Answer Key

17 Question Cards

for Exercise 4

19 Blank Question Cards

Optional Activity


1

Wh- Questions


Grammar Notes

WH- QUESTIONS

A. Introduction

Questions are a common part of conversations in English.

It is important to learn how to ask and answer different types of questions.

There are two main types of questions:

• Yes/No Questions (e.g., Do you like pizza?)

• Wh- Questions (e.g., What kind of pizza do you like?)

Key

Symbol Part of Speech Meaning

Wh-

Aux

Wh- word

Auxiliary verb

a question word

(who, what, where, when, etc.)

a word that “helps” the main verb

(do, be, have, will, can, etc.)

S Subject the person or thing doing the action

V Verb the action

O Object the person or thing receiving the action


2

Wh- Questions


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Wh- Questions

Wh- questions are very common in English.

We use Wh- words to ask about a person, place, time, etc.

Wh- words begin with the letters "wh" (e.g., who, where, when, etc.).

The only Wh- word that doesn't begin with those letters is how.

Answers are usually complete sentences

that focus on the Wh- word from the question.

1. Wh- Questions with Be

The usual Wh- question pattern with the Be verb is:

Wh- word + V + S (+O)

Wh- Word Use Example Question Example Answer

Who person Who is the man in the blue shirt? He's our new teacher.

What thing What is that? It's a new game.

Where place Where is your school? My school is on Smith Street.

When time When is your birthday? It's April 25.

Why reason Why are they late?

They are late because

they slept in this morning.

How method/way How is your new car? It is very fast.

Which choice Which is better, the cake or the pie? The cake is better than the pie.

Whose possession Whose jacket is this? It's Mike's jacket.


3

Wh- Questions


Grammar Notes cont.

B. Wh- Questions cont.

2. Wh- Questions with All Other Verbs

For all other verbs besides the Be verb, the Wh- question pattern is:

Wh- word + Aux + S + V (+O)

Wh- Word Use Example Question Example Answer

Who person Who are you talking to now? I'm talking to my boyfriend.

What thing What did Wendy do last weekend? She went to a party.

Where place Where do they live? They live on Johnson Street.

When time When do you need this report? I need it by 5:00 pm.

Why reason Why did you quit your job? I quit because it was too stressful.

How method/way How can we fix this? We can call a plumber.

Which

choice

Which does he prefer,

horror movies or comedies?

He prefers comedies.

Whose possession Whose sunglasses did you borrow? I borrowed my brother's sunglasses.

Did You Know?

The verbs in Wh- Questions can be in any tense.

Which tenses are used in each of the examples above:

the simple present, present progressive, or simple past?


4

Wh- Questions


Grammar Notes cont.

C. Notes

Note #1

In the simple present tense, the auxiliaries do and be

end with -s in the third person singular form (with he,

she, it, singular count nouns, and non-count nouns).

Note #3

Questions with how can ask about the way

someone is feeling. How questions are

very common in conversations.

• When does she work out?

• How is your son feeling today?

Question

How are you?

Answer

I'm fine, thanks.

Note #2

Wh- words usually act as the object of a sentence.

How is he feeling?

How does she feel?

He's feeling better today.

She's nervous.

Wh- + Aux + S + V

Question

Answer

How is also often used with another word such as

often (to ask about frequency), much (to ask about

cost), or many (to ask about an amount).

What does she drive?

She drives a truck.

Question

Answer

O Aux S V

S V O

How often do you study?

I study every night.

However, some Wh- words, especially who and what,

can also act as subjects.

How much is this dress? It's $85.00.

Wh- + V (+ O)

How many dogs

do you have?

I have three dogs.

Question

Answer

Who called?

S

V

Maria called.

S

V

What made that noise?

S V O

A cat made that noise.

S V O


5

Wh- Questions


Grammar Notes cont.

C. Notes cont.

Note #4

What is often used with another word such as time

(to ask about clock time).

Question

What time is it?

Answer

It's 1:15 pm.

What time does the class start? It starts at 9:00.

What is also used before another noun to ask about a choice.

(What and which have the same meaning in the examples below.)

Question

What movie do you want to watch?

Which movie do you want to watch?

What kind of pizza do you want?

Which kind of pizza do you want?

Answer

Let’s watch the new Star Wars.

Let’s watch the new Star Wars.

Pepperoni, please.

Pepperoni, please.

Note #5

Whose and who’s sound the same but have different meanings.

Whose means possession (something belongs to someone),

while who’s means who is or who has.

Question

Whose car is that?

Who's coming to the party?

Answer

It's Doug's car.

Silvia is coming.


6

Wh- Questions


Exercise 1

WH- WORDS & USES

Draw a line between the Wh- word and its most common use.

1.

when

a)

place

2.

where

b)

reason

3.

what

c)

time

4.

whose

d)

method

5.

how

e)

choice

6.

who

f)

person

7.

why

g)

possession

8.

which

h)

thing

Exercise 2

COMPLETE THE QUESTION

Choose the best Wh- word for each question. Use each Wh- word only once.

Ex. When is your birthday?

1. do you live?

2. happened to your leg?

3. blue hat is this?

4. are you feeling today?

Wh- Words

• who

• what

• where

• when

• why

• how

• which

• whose

5. called while I was away?

6. do you prefer, cats or dogs?

7. did he quit his job?


7

Wh- Questions


Exercise 3

MATCHUP

Match the questions with the best answers.

g

1.

Why did you call me?

a)

That's my uncle.

2.

How did you unlock the door?

b)

I can play the violin.

3.

Who is the man in the black jacket?

c)

I like orange juice.

4.

Whose glasses are these?

d)

I lived in Taiwan when I was a child.

5.

When is your birthday?

e)

I used my key.

6.

What instrument can you play?

f)

They're mine.

7.

Where did you grow up?

g)

I needed help with my homework.

8.

Which do you prefer, apple juice or orange juice?

h)

It's in October.

Exercise 4

QUESTION CARDS

Time for a chat! Your teacher will give you some question cards.

Take turns picking up a card and reading the question out loud

to your partner(s). Answer using complete sentences.

Example:

A: What time do you usually wake up?

B: I usually wake up at 7:00 am during the week.

On weekends, I wake up at 9:00.


8

Wh- Questions


Exercise 5

WRITE THE QUESTION

Write questions for the following answers.

Ex. When do you go to the gym?

I go to the gym every weeknight.

1.

I usually eat a sandwich for lunch.

2.

My daughter is three years old.

3.

The hotel costs $150 a night.

4.

She is the teacher.

5.

They are from Korea.

6.

The class starts at 1:00 pm.

7.

He is a butcher.

8.

I prefer coffee.

9.

That is Sarah's pen.

10.

I finished my homework two days ago.


9

Wh- Questions


Exercise 6

FIND THE ERROR

Find one error in each of the questions AND answers below.

# Questions & Answers Corrections

Ex

Q: What did Robert last Sunday?

A: He going to the movies.

What did Robert do last Sunday?

He went to the movies.

1

Q: Why work Maria two jobs?

A: She need the money.

2

Q: What the weather like yesterday?

A: It is cold.

3

Q: Whose our teacher?

A: Our teacher is Mr. Johnson's.

4

Q: When did come Chang to class?

A: He come at 3:00.


10

Wh- Questions


Exercise 6 cont.

# Questions & Answers Corrections

5

Q: How often can she

attends these meetings?

A: She can attends every

Tuesday and Thursday morning.

6

Q: Where were he yesterday?

A: I'm not sure

because I no see him.

7

Q: Why do you prefer, chocolate

or vanilla ice cream?

A: I prefers chocolate.

8

Q: How change you this clock?

A: You holding down

the button on the right.


11

Wh- Questions


Exercise 7

LISTENING

Listen to the questions.

Circle the best response for each question.

1. a) It's at 2:00.

b) It's in three days.

c) It's 5:30.

2. a) That is John's bag.

b) That is John.

c) That is Johns bag.

3. a) I took the bus.

b) I get good grades.

c) I know how.

4. a) Luis is in my class.

b) Julia sits beside me.

c) Abdul sit next to me.

5. a) It's at the bank.

b) It's around the corner.

c) It's a place.

6. a) I saw Wonder Woman.

b) I went to a movie.

c) I went out last night.

7. a) I want to get a good job.

b) I asked why.

c) I am studying now.

8. a) He is my brother.

b) He is lazy.

c) He works at the mall.

9. a) I can call you at 8:00.

b) I didn't call her.

c) I hurt my back.

10. a) I like animals.

b) I love elephants.

c) I have two pets.


12

Wh- Questions


Exercise 8

PARTY PLANNING

Imagine you are planning a party with a partner.

Write a dialogue using Wh- questions.

Then perform your dialogue for the class.

Example:

Talk about:

A: Did you hear that Alex is turning 30 on Saturday?

B: Really? Let's throw a party for him.

A: Okay! Who should we invite?

(etc.)

reason/theme

guest list

food

decorations

music

activities


13

Wh- Questions


Exercise 9

QUIZ

Read the story.

Then write the missing questions and answers in the boxes below.

This is Lee. Lee is 17 years old. He lives in San Diego, California.

Lee likes watching movies and playing the guitar. He likes playing the

guitar much better than playing the piano. Lee also goes surfing every

day. He often uses his brother’s surfboard.

# Question Answer

1 He is 17 years old.

2 Where does Lee live?

3

He likes watching movies,

playing the guitar, and surfing.

4

Which does he prefer to play,

the guitar or the piano?

5 He goes surfing every day.

6 Whose surfboard does Lee often use?


14

Wh- Questions


Answer Key

LESSON DESCRIPTION:


In this lesson, students learn how to form Wh- questions.

They practice asking and answering Wh- questions through

various speaking and writing activities.

TIME:

TAGS:

2–3 hours

questions, question formation, Wh- questions,

Wh questions, grammar, grammar practice worksheets,

present, past, present progressive, can, who, what,

where, when, why, how, which, whose

Grammar Notes

Exercise 4

Review the grammar notes with your students.

Answers to the (optional) Did You Know box on page 4 are:

• present progressive

• simple past

• simple present

• simple present

• simple past

• simple present (with a modal of ability)

• simple present

• simple past

Exercise 1

Answers will vary. Divide students into pairs or groups. Cut up the

cards from pages 17–18 and divide them among the pairs/groups

(or cut up one whole set for each pair/group). Monitor students for

correct answer formation. Encourage students to follow up with

more discussion after they answer each question. (E.g., A: Which do

you prefer, dogs or cats? B: I prefer dogs. I have a dog at home named

Fido. How about you? A: I'm a dog person too.) Page 19 has a blank

card template to use as an optional review activity on another day.

Have students write their own Wh- questions before proceeding

as above.

Exercise 5

1. c

2. a

Exercise 2

3. h

4. g

5. d

6. f

7. b

8. e

Answers may vary.

1. What do you (usually) eat for lunch?

2. How old is your daughter?

3. How much does the hotel cost (a night)?

4. Who is that woman?

1. Where

2. What

3. Whose

4. How

5. Who

6. Which

7. Why

5. Where are they from?

6. What time / When does the class start?

7. What does he do? / What is his job?

8. Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?

9. Whose pen is this/that?

Exercise 3

10. When did you finish your homework?

1. g

3. a

5. h

7. d


2. e

4. f

6. b

8. c


15

Wh- Questions


Answer Key cont.

Exercise 6

Exercise 9

1. Why does Maria work two jobs? She needs the money.

2. What was the weather like yesterday? It was cold.

3. Who is/Who's our teacher? Our teacher is Mr. Johnson.

4. When did Chang come to class? He came at 3:00.

5. How often can she attend these meetings?

She can attend every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

6. Where was he yesterday?

I'm not sure because I didn't see him.

7. Which/What do you prefer, chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

I prefer chocolate.

8. How do/can you change this clock?

You hold down the button on the right.

Answers may vary.

1. How old is Lee?

2. He lives in San Diego, California.

3. What does Lee like doing?

4. He prefers to play the guitar.

5. How often does Lee go surfing?

6. He often uses his brother's surfboard.

Exercise 7

Play the recording or read out the transcript below.

1. c

3. a

5. b

7. a

9. a

2. a

4. b

6. a

8. c

10. b

Transcript:

1. What time is it?

2. Whose bag is on the table?

3. How did you get to school today?

4. Who sits next to you in class?

5. Where is the nearest bank?

6. Which movie did you see last night?

7. Why are you studying English?

8. Where does your brother work?

9. When can you call me back?

10. What is your favorite animal?

Exercise 8


for correct question formation and pronunciation.


16

Wh- Questions


Question Cards

Cut up these cards and use them for Exercise 4 (on page 8).

What time does this

class start?

How many brothers and

sisters do you have?

Which do you prefer,

summer or winter?

How are you today?

What do you do

on weekends?

Whose English skills

do you admire?

Which do you prefer,

dogs or cats?

How often do you

study English?

What time do you

eat breakfast?

What did you do

last night?

Who is your

favorite singer?

Why are you

studying English?


17

Wh- Questions


Question Cards cont.

Where is your favorite

vacation spot?

How much was your last

pair of shoes?

How often do

you exercise?

How often do you eat

junk food?

What's your

favorite movie?

When did you wake up

this morning?

Funtional Grammar

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