Beginning of the lesson.
Proverb 1.
Better late than never.
Rule. The verb to be
The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It is difficult to use because it is an irregular verb in almost all of its forms. In the simple present tense, to be is conjugated as follows:
Affirmative forms of the verb to be
| Subject Pronouns | Full Form | Contracted Form |
| I | am | ‘m |
| you | are | ‘re |
| he/she/it | is | ‘s |
| we | are | ‘re |
| you | are | ‘re |
| they | are | ‘re |
Interrogative forms of the verb to be:
| Am | I? |
| Are | you? |
| Is | he/she/it? |
| Are | we? |
| Are | you? |
| Are | they? |
Negative Forms of the verb to be:
| Subject Pronouns | Full Form | Contracted Form |
| I | am not | ‘m not |
| you | are not | aren’t |
| he/she/it | is not | isn’t |
| we | are not | aren’t |
| you | are not | aren’t |
| they | are not | aren’t |
Remember:
- ‘m, ‘re, ‘sare short (contracted) forms of am, are, is
- ‘m not, aren’t, isn’tare short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not.
Procedure
Task 1. I am+name
Teacher: Hi, I am Ken. (Point at yourself)
Teacher: Hi, I am Ken. (Repeat stressing each word)
Teacher: (Point to each student and have them repeat ‘I am…’)
Task 2. He, she, it.
Teacher: I am Ken. He (stress ‘he’) is … (Point at a student)
Student(s): Paolo (Student(s) give that student’s name)
Teacher: I am Ken. (Point at the student again and then circle your finger in the air indicating ‘everybody’)
Student(s): He is Paolo.
Teacher: I am Ken. She (stress ‘she’) is … (Point at a student)
Student(s): She is Illana. (If students make a mistake and say ‘he’ instead of ‘she’, point to your ear and repeat the sentence stressing ‘she’)
Teacher: (Point at different students and repeat a number of times)
Task 3. Questions with “is”.
Teacher: I am Ken. Is He Ken? No, He is Paolo. (Use modeling here — ask yourself the questions)
Teacher: Is he Paolo? Yes, He is Paolo.
Teacher: Is He Greg? (Point to various students illiciting a yes or no response)
Student(s): Yes, He is Paolo, No, She is Jennifer, etc.
Teacher: (Point from one student to the next indicating that he / she should ask a question)
Student 1: Is he Greg?
Student 2: No, He is Peter. OR Yes, He is Greg.
Teacher: (Continue around the room)
Task 4.
- a. Write am, is or are:
Hi! I ……… Peter and this …………… Emma. She ……….. my sister. We………….. brother and sister. I …………… eleven and she………………… ten. We …………….from Salford. Salford ……….. near Manchester. What …….. your name? Where………… you from?
b. Write sentences. Use the correct form of be.
I/young ……………………………………………………………………
She / clever ………………………………………………………………
You / not old ………………………………………………………………
You / sleepy ……………………………………………………………..
We / not naughty ……………………………………………………….
She / not short ……………………………………………………….
It / rainy ………………………………………………………….
He / not hungry ………………………………………………………….
They / tidy ………………………………………………………….
He / handsome ………………………………………………………….
c. Write the full forms.
I´m Laura ……………………………………………………………….
He´s my brother ………………………………………………………….
She isn´t at home. ………………………………………………………
It´s your seat. ……………………………………………………………
What´s that book called? ………………………………………………
They´re friends. …………………………………………………………..
d. Write he, she, it or they.
Jane and Martin are friends. .They are friends………………….
Elephants are huge. ………………………………………………….
My father is an astronaut. ……………………………………………
His cat is grey. …………………………………………………………….
My family and I are from Madrid. ………………………………..
John is quite tall. …………………………………………………………
e. Ask questions.
………………………………………………. I´m ten.
………………………………………………. She´s from Scotland.
………………………………………………. My mum is at home.
………………………………………………. Her birthday is on 12th June.
………………………………………………. He´s 23 years old
Conclusion.
Hometask. Do the exercises on the sheets of paper (Appendix 4).