Personal pronouns and the verb to be
Personal pronouns and the verb to be

After several lessons in the Biglang textbook, you already know how to describe surrounding objects in English, both in the singular and in the plural:

This is a cup, the cup is big and red. It's new.
The cups are big and red.

However, we have not yet learned to describe ourselves or people in other faces. For example, we cannot say: you are kind, I am an American, you are smart, etc. In order to fill this gap, we need to know how to say I, You, He, She, etc. in English, as well as learn all forms of the verb to be- be.

Let's start with personal pronouns.
Note: Pronouns in the nominative case - I, you, we, he, you, etc., are called personal.

I - I
You - you / you
He - he
She - she
It - it, this
We - we
They - they

English inanimate nouns do not have genders, but people do. Therefore, the pronouns he and she refer only to people. He - to a man, and she - to a woman. The pronoun it refers to non-living (inanimate) objects. They apply to both inanimate objects and people.
That's why pronouns have such a name that they are used instead of names - i.e. instead of nouns. Let's look at an example of replacing nouns with corresponding pronouns:

Mr. Brown- he
The girl - she
The table - it
Mr. and Mrs. Brown - they
The tables - they

Try right now to memorize English personal pronouns and say them in English:

You
We
He
I
She
It
You

Personal pronouns are a very important topic in the English language. Know them and don’t confuse them, now they will meet all the time. However, they will not occur on their own, but necessarily with verbs. To say, for example: I'm smart, you're beautiful, we're friends - we definitely need to use a verb to be(be).

There is one interesting point in the English language that may seem unusual and somewhat offend the Russian ear. In English, the verb “to be” must be used in sentences in which this verb is absent in Russian:

The lamp is white - The lamp (is) white
The girl is nice - The girl (is) cute
The pencils are long - Pencils (are) long

In order to say I'm big or You're sweet, in English you also need to say I there is a big one, You there is a sweetheart, but in this case we cannot use the form is .

Is is only one form of the verb to be, referring to the third person singular (he, she, it). Let's look at all the forms of this verb.

I am - I am
You are - you are
He is - he exists
She is - she is
It is - it is
We are - we are
They are - they are

Remember the conjugation of the verb to be and use the correct forms all the time.

Now let's try to connect full-fledged sentences:

I am smart - I am intelligent
You are beautiful - You are beautiful
We are friends - We are friends
He is American - He is American
She is tall
They are happy - They are happy
You and Mike are good boys

Say it yourself:

I'm joyful
You're tall
We are smart
She's beautiful
Are you friends

In fact, as you can understand, forms of the verb to be can be used not only with pronouns, but also with full nouns:

The boys are intelligent
Mr. Brown is old
Rebecca is tall
The houses are white

These phrases are already familiar to you. We already used them, but we didn’t know that is and are are two forms of the same verb to be.

Practice your acquired knowledge through exercises.

Exercises
Exercises

Exercise 1
Say the following personal pronouns in English

He, I, We, You, She, They, It, You

Exercise 2

Example:

Tom - he;
The houses - they.

1. Kate and Jane - __________________;
2. Mary - __________________;
3. Peter and I - __________________;
4. David and you - __________________;
5. You and I - __________________;
6. The children and you - __________________;
7. We and you - __________________;
8. The dog - __________________;
9. The women - __________________;
10. The book - __________________.

Exercise 3
Put the verb to be in the correct form

1. You - _____________;
2. We - _____________;
3. I - _____________;
4. He - _____________;
5. They - _____________;
6. She - _____________;
7. It is _____________.

Exercise 4
Replace persons and objects with appropriate pronouns

Example:

The trees are green - They are green

1. The girls are blonde; 2. Patrick is a teacher; 3. Lisa is a nice girl; 4. Mike and Sam are good friends; 5. Charles and I are students; 6. You and Rebecca are Canadians; 7. You and I are very intelligent; 8. The flower is yellow.

Exercise 5
Answer yes to the questions using the correct pronoun.

Example:

Are you American? - Yes, I am American

1. Are they Russian? 2. Is he Pete? 3. Are you a student? 4. Is she beautiful? 5. Are we friends? 6. Is the bridge long? 7. Are the children nice? 8. Is Kate blonde? 9. Are you teachers? 10. Is Michael tall?

Exercise 6
Put the sentences in negative form

Example:

Mary is a teacher - Mary is not a teacher = Mary isn't a teacher = She isn't a teacher

1. We are happy; 2. The cat is gray; 3. They are very nice; 4. I am a football player; 5. He is Chris; 6. It is interesting; 7. You are Russian; 8. She is very tall; 9. We are young; 10. Nick and Daniel are very good boys.

Exercise 7
Give negative answers to the questions using the correct pronoun.

Example:

Are you and Mike friends?
- No, we are not friends.

1. Is Mary blonde? 2. Are you happy? 3. Is the house white? 4. Are the walls black? 5. Am I right? 6. Are George and Rob students? 7. Are you and I French? 8. Are you and they football players? 9. Is Andy a waiter? 10. Are you partners?

Exercise 8
Pluralize the sentences using the correct pronoun

Example:

I"m a teacher - We are teachers
The lake is big - The lakes are big - They are big

1. She is a student; 2. The car is red; 3. Mike is ready; 4. I am busy; 5. The book is not interesting; 6. He is a waiter; 7. The river is long; 8. Mary is tall and beautiful.

Exercise 9
Ask direct questions to proposals

Example:

I am a student - Are you a student?
Kate is blonde - Is she blonde?

1.Mr. Brown is old - _________________________;
2. Lucy is young - _________________________;
3. Chris and Bob are busy - _________________________;
4. The dog is brown - _________________________;
5. The film is new - _________________________;
6. I"m tired - _________________________;
7. Steve and I are old friends - _________________________;
8. You are very intelligent - _________________________;
9. You are good teachers - _________________________;
10. The shops are very expensive - _________________________.

Exercise 10
Translate the sentences into English

1. I am a student; 2. You are Americans; 3. She is very sweet; 4. They are young; 5. We are waiters; 6. Are you waiters? 7. He is not ready; 8. Are you happy? 9. Are Patrick and Mary good friends? 10. I'm not French.

Colleagues once asked what tricks they could use to quickly, interestingly and effectively study the verb to be with children, and this resulted in several posts. It’s already difficult to find these posts on the group’s wall, because many new ones have appeared since then, so I decided to put everything together and post it here.

So what do you do with this verb to be?

Remember the main thing: call it whatever you like, just not “verb to be”. Children in elementary school have no use for these terms. And preschoolers don’t even know what a “verb” is. And they use it well at the same time.

First we introduce pronouns. A colleague once showed me gestures for pronouns and I have been using them for many years with children aged 6-10 years. We stand up and pronounce pronouns, accompanying them with gestures:

• I- pointing at ourselves
• You- turn and point to the neighbor
• He- hands at your sides
• She- show an imaginary skirt with our hands
• It- pick up a pen or pencil
• We— we make a gesture as if we are hugging several people at once
• You- point at two classmates or with both hands in front of us
• They- point with both hands into the distance

We practice it several times in different variations (we speak and show together, I speak - the children show, I show - the children speak, discordantly, etc.)

When children remember pronouns well, let's move on to the to be itself. I tell the children that this is our assistant. (Yes, there are all sorts of grammatical tales about the king and sons, but I don’t like them and that’s all. And there are a lot of options, you can always come up with something of your own.)

Have you figured out the statements? Let's move on to the negatives. The hardest thing with negatives is figuring out the short form. We write out the full form on the board in two columns (I always separate the singular and plural), then we erase part of the word and put an apostrophe in its place. It turns out very clearly. We drill, we train negatives orally in different situations, we make sentences from cards, we do written exercises, and we describe something using affirmations and negatives.

And finally, we get to the questions. I’ll tell you in a little more detail how you can work with them.

🔎 We got acquainted with the structure in the textbook and marked the sentences in different colors - this way the children pay more attention to the structure of statements, questions and denials (especially since they still have to re-read this comic at home).

🔎 In pairs, we make statements from cards, and then turn them into questions.

🔎 I hand out cards with questions and the children put them in a column: Am I?, Are you?, Is he? etc.
Then I ask the children questions by pointing to objects in the classroom or pictures, for example Is he your friend?/Is he your brother? and trying to get the full answer Yes, he is my friend./No, he isn't my brother!, I write it on the board and then highlight the short answer like this: Yes, he is (my friend)./No, he isn' t (my brother)
Collecting short answers Yes, he is./No, he isn’t. to our table of cards on the table. I continue to ask questions and receive answers verbally, the children collect signs on the tables.
🔎 Drill the table in unison. Here is one of the drill options: Take one word, for example happy, and practice all the questions with it: Am I happy?/Are you happy?/Is he happy? etc.
First, I ask all the questions, and the children answer in unison (Am I happy? - Yes, you are./No you aren’t), then you can divide the class into groups and one answers with a positive answer, the other with a negative answer. Then you can make + and - cards and show them to the groups separately so that they don’t know in advance which answer they will get. Then we divide the class into three groups: one asks a question, the other answers positively, and the third answers negatively. Then we use cards +, -, and? and again one group asks a question, the other two answer. The table is memorized. (we change happy to other words in the process).
🔎 I ask the children various questions about objects in the classroom and pictures, their task is to pick up the required card with a short answer. (Are they pencils?/Is she a teacher?, etc.) Then we do the same thing orally. My role of asking questions at this stage can already be performed by a strong student.
🔎 We do two or three written exercises for consolidation, the rest is for work at home at home.
🔎 In the next lesson we will repeat, drill and play in different situational mini-dialogues. It is better to separate for this purpose Is he? -Is she?, Is it? -Are they?, Are you? -Am I? (singular) and Are you? -Are we? -Are they?

This, of course, is not everything we do with the verb to be, but only the most basic and interesting. AND ATTENTION! for Young Learners, all of the above is work not for one lesson, but for at least three.

Do you have any interesting tricks? Let's share!

I hope you found this article helpful. Good luck in teaching English!

Rule am, is, are For children, it becomes one of the first difficulties when learning English grammar. In fact, there is nothing difficult about this rule. The main thing is to learn the theory and practice in practice.

English verb to be

Of course, in English the verb to be(to be, to be) is the most basic and important. It is used much more often than other verbs. There are 3 verb forms in total to

I	am
He	is
She	is
It	is
We	are
They	are
You	are

Remembering the rule is not difficult. In order to fully master the rule am, is, are, There is a special algorithm for children. First you need to learn all the pronouns ( I- I, he- He, she- she, it- This, we- We, they- They, you- you, you). Then you need to learn all forms of the verb to be, as well as lexical meanings. Only after this will it be easy for the child to remember which form refers to which pronoun.

Verb to be necessary in English to convey your name, where you are from, your profession, etc.

After the child has learned all the language and verb forms to be, you can begin to study the short form of this verb, negative, as well as short negative. To study this rule, you need to study and learn this table.

Regular form (Long Form)	Short Form	Negative Form	Short Negative Form
I am a doctor	I'm a doctor	I am not a doctor	I'm not a doctor
He is a doctor	He's a doctor	He is not a doctor	He isn't a doctor
It is a cat	It's a cat	It is not a cat	It isn't a cat
We are tourists	We"re tourists	We are not tourists	We aren't tourists
You are a singer	You"re a singer	You are not a singer	You aren't a singer
She is from Spain	She's from Spain	She is not from Spain	She isn't from Spain

It is worth considering that it is impossible to learn both full, short and negative forms in one day am, is, are. need to be selected according to the level of study. If you have just begun to study and reinforce this rule, allow your child to do exercises using a notebook or textbook with a written rule. When you see that the child does not make mistakes in the exercises, close all the aids and let the child do it on his own.

You shouldn’t learn all the subtleties of verb forms on the first day to be. The rule must be remembered for the rest of your life, which means that every moment must be given special attention.

Examples of using the verb to be

Verb to be used:

• when you need to introduce yourself to a stranger:

I am Ivan (my name is Ivan).

His name is John (his name is John).

• To share your location:

I am in London (I'm in London).

He is in Moscow (he is in Moscow).

We are in the park (we are in the park).

• To name someone's nationality:

I am Russian (I am Russian).

She is American (she is American).

• To name your profession or talk about your hobby

He is a doctor (he works as a doctor/he is a doctor).

I am a tourist (I am a tourist).

We are teachers (we are teachers/We work as teachers).

Verb to be has very wide usage in English. Throughout the study of this foreign language verb to be will accompany your child at all times. That's why the rule am, is, are It is so important for children, it must be remembered once and for all.

Exercises to reinforce learning of the verb to be

Consolidating verb learning to be (am, is, are)- exercises for children. The English language must be constantly reinforced in practice. Both live communication and grammar exercises will help for this.

Exercise No. 1.

Task: Insert the required form of the verb to be in the pass.

1. I_a teacher.

2. He_a tourist.

3. My name _ Roma.

4. Kate _ a doctor.

5. They_actors.

Correct answers: am, is, is, is, are.

Exercise No. 2.

Task: Translate into English, use the short form of the verb to be.

1. He is from Spain.

2. She works as a singer.

3. We are not in France.

4. My name is Alina.

5. She is not a tourist.

6. My father works as a driver.

7. They don't live in Australia.

8. My mother does not work as a doctor.

9. I don't work as a teacher.

10. We live in Russia.

1. He's from Spain.

2. She's a singer.

3. We aren't in France.

4. I"m Alina/My name"s Alina.

5. She isn't a tourist.

6. My father's a driver.

7. They aren't living in Australia.

8. My mother isn't a doctor.

9. I'm not a teacher.

10. We"re live in Russia.

Exercise No. 3.

Task: Select am, is or are.

1. I _ very friendly.

2. My mother is very busy.

3. My friends _ very funny.

4. My teachers are very kind.

5. I_American.

6. He _ from Italy.

7. I _ not very good pupil.

Answers: am, is, are, are, am, is, am.

It is necessary to constantly practice to remember the use of forms am, is, are. Exercises for children help to understand all the intricacies of using these forms.

PREFACE

Despite the large number of existing grammatical reference books, the compilers of this publication had a need to create grammatical comments that include material in the amount necessary for students of a technical university.

As you know, grammar is the basis of any language. Therefore, in order to master the skills of oral and written speech, translation skills, students need to study the grammatical structure of the English language.

This publication complements the “Collection of exercises for independent study of the main sections of grammar for full-time students of technical specialties.” Grammar material is given in the same order as the exercises in the collection. Therefore, students should first carefully study the theoretical material (tables, exceptions, notes), analyze these examples and then begin to perform the exercises.

Grammatical comments include the main phenomena found in colloquial speech, in technical texts and documents: article, verb tobe, tohave, construction thereis(are), plural formation, possessive case, pronouns, numerals, prepositions, active voice tenses. This is material recommended for first-year students of a technical university. For more effective assimilation, most of the material is presented in tables, which allows you to systematize the material and present it in a more accessible form. The material is arranged in such a way that students studying English have a complete understanding of the features of the grammatical structure of the language and the elements of its components. This manual can be used by students both in class and independently when doing homework and preparing for tests.

Verb "to be"

PRESENTINDEFINITETENSE

Personal pronouns

Compare: My mother is a doctor. My mother is a doctor.

She- a good doctor. She is a good doctor.

To me– 17 years old. I am seventeen.

He has a knack for English. He is good at English.

He (is) at the institute now. He is at the institute now.

The verb tobe is used as a linking verb in the meaning of being, being concluded and a semantic verb in the meaning of being, being. The present tense verb tobe is often not translated into Russian. In Present Indefinite, the verb tobe has the forms am, is, are, depending on the form of the subject (person and number).

Learn the person conjugation of the verb tobe and its use in sentences (negative and interrogative).

The verb "to be". Personal pronouns.

	Singular	Plural
	I- I am	We- We are
	You- You are	You- You are
	He- He She- she is It- he, she, it (inanimate kind)	They- They are

Affirmativeform (+)

I am(I'm) a student We are(we're)

You are(you're) a student You are(you're) students

He is(he’s) a student They are(they're)

She is(she's) a student

It is(it's) a desk

Negativeform (-)

I am not(I’m not) a pupil We aren't(we're not)

You aren't(you’re not) a pupil You aren't(you're not) pupils

He isn't(he’s not) a pupil They aren't(they're not)

She isn't(she’s not) a pupil

It isn't(it's not) a school

Interrogative form (General question-Generalquestion) (?) Short answers

Am I….?

Are you…..? Yes, I am. (No, I am not)

Is she…..? Yes, she is. (No, she isn't)

Are you…. ?

they….? Yes, they are. (No, they aren't)

Alternativequestion(Alternative question) (“or”?)

Are you a student or a pupil? Are you a student? or student?

Is your father a doctor or an engineer? Your father is a doctor or engineer?

Is it a keyboard or a mouse? This is the keyboard or mouse?

Dividing question (“Tail” question) (+,-? -,+?)

You are 17, aren't you? You are 17 years old NotSowhether?

She isn't your sister, is she? She's not your sister isn't it true?

But I'm late , aren't I? - Am I still late?

I'mclever, aren't’ tI? - Am I not smart?

Specialquestions(Special questions) (wh-questions)

What is your name (surname)? (What’s your name?) - My name is…

How old are you? - I'm 18.

What is your job (profession)? (What’s your job?) - I’m a student.

Where are you from? - I’m from….

(What country are you from?)

What is your address / phone number / hobby? - My address is...

What is it (this)? - It's a book.

What book is it? (about the title) - It’s “Harry Porter”

What kind of book is it? (about quality) - It’s fantasy.

What are these? - These are trousers.

What color are they? - They are blue.

Where are they? - They are in the wardrobe.

To be or not to be? That is not the question... The sea deity Proteus of the ancient Greeks could (like the sea) take on any form. What are we talking about?

Moreover, the verb “to be” is known in the world not only as the most vital and always relevant, but also as the most changeable (protean) in the English language, constantly changing and taking on different forms, sometimes not so noticeable to us.

Considering that it is used so often in English speech, it is rather sad that "to be" should be the most fickle and slippery verb in the language. Let's get to know him better. C"mon!

What is the verb to be and why is it needed?

The verb To Be (am, is, are) is the basis of English grammar. If you misunderstood or understudied this material, then your entire study of the English language will most likely be unsuccessful. Therefore, if you feel that there is a gap somewhere in this material, then it is better to stay longer on this article.

It is this verb that underlies the construction of approximately 30 percent of all English grammatical constructions and is where you should start studying English grammar.

For example, to say “I am a student,” we must insert the desired form of the linking verb “to be” and the sentence will take on the meaning “I am a student." - “I (am) a student.”

We must carefully choose the correct verb form for the object, depending on whether it is singular or plural. This is usually easy. We wouldn’t write: “The troops were moving to the border.” Well, where is this good?

However, some proposals require closer attention. For example, how would you write:

The majority of Facebook users are (or is?) upset about the increase in spam.
Most Facebook users are upset about the increase in spam.

In fact, in this sentence everything depends on your accent - if it is focused on users— put “ are"if on group people— « is».

Plural or singular depends on your choice. If you find it difficult what exactly to focus on, then choose what sounds best to you. It is unlikely that your chosen form of “to be” will upset anyone.

By the way, “majority” is used only with countable nouns: “he ate the majority of cookies", but not "he ate the majority of the pie". instead we will say: “he ate most of the pie."

Translation into Russian of the verb To Be

“To be” is translated as “to be”, “to be”, “to exist”, “to appear” or not translated at all, and can be in Present (am, is, are), Past (was, were) and Future (will ( be)/shall (be)) tenses. The form of the verb depends on who is doing the action.

Unlike the Russian language, in English the linking verb is never omitted, due to the strictly fixed word order:

Rule To Be: subject ( subject) + predicate ( verb) + addition ( object).

• As independent verb(to be, to be, to exist or not translated):

I am at home.
I (am) at home.
She was at the Institute yesterday.
She was at the institute yesterday.
Not is in New York.
He (be) in New York.

• IN interrogative form of the verb “to be” is placed before subject to and does not require an auxiliary verb to form the interrogative or negative form. The same thing happens in the continuative (durative) form of the verb (Continuous).

Is he in New York?
Is he (to be) in New York?
Was she at the Institute yesterday?
Was she at the institute yesterday?

• Negative the form is formed using the negation " not", which is put after verb "to be".

She was not (wasn't) at the Institute yesterday.
She wasn't at the institute yesterday.
Not is not (isn't) in New York.
He is not (located) in New York.

In colloquial speech, "not" usually merges with "to be", forming abbreviations:

is not = isn't
are not = aren't

The verb "to be" is also shortened with personal pronoun:

I am = I"m
We are = we"re
He is = he's

• As auxiliary verb.

Used to form continuous verb forms ( Continuous) and continuous perfect tenses ( Perfect Continuous).

They are reading a book.
They are reading a book.
He is sleeping now.
He's sleeping now.
We have been working here for 10 years.
We have been working here (for) 10 years.

Auxiliary verbs, By the way , can also be combined with the basic form of "to be" to form simple answers:

Is Jack in class this morning?
Well, he might be.
Is anyone helping Jack with his homework?
I'm not sure. Jane could be.

“to be” is also used to form the passive voice ( Passive Voice):

Active: Didn't buy a new magazine.
He bought a new magazine.
Passive: A new magazine was bought.
We bought a new magazine.

• As verb-ligaments(to be, to appear).

I am a doctor.
I am a doctor.
Not is a doctor.
He's a doctor.
Her new hat is red. Her new hat is red.

• In the design " there is/there are"(to be, to be).

There is a table in the room.
There (is) a table in the room.

In this sentence " there" is a formal subject. The active subject is the noun that follows the verb "be" (is), i.e. "table".

If the subject is plural, then the verb “to be” must also be plural.

There are tables in the room.
There (are) tables in the room.

At time change the form of the verb changes to be»:

There was a table in the room.
There was a table in the room.
There were tables in the room.
There were tables in the room.

Translation of sentences with the construction “there is/there are” begins with translation circumstances places.

Negative form:

There is no table in the room. (There isn't a table...).
In the room there is (no) table.
There is no water in the bottle. (There isn't any water in the bottle.)
In a bottle no water.

Question form:

Is there a man in the house?
In the house is there a man?
Are there(any) apples in the greengrocers?
In vegetable Are there any apples in the store?

• “To be” often works in conjunction with others verbs:

He is playing the piano
She will be arriving this afternoon.

• And sometimes “to be” will stand myself By to myself. Especially in simple answers to equally simple questions:

Who's going to the movies with me tonight?
I am.
Who's responsible for this mess?
She is.

Present:
I am to (not to) / We are to (not to) / You are to (not to);
He/she/it is to (not to) / They are to (not to).

Past:
I was to (not to) / We were to (not to) / You were to (not to) You were to (not to);
He/she/it was to (not to) / They were to (not to).

• To be ( Present) is used only With Indefinite Infinitive(indefinite infinitive).

They are to be here.
They should be here.

• "To be" ( Past) used with Indefinite Infinitive(indefinite infinitive) and with Perfect Infinitive(perfect infinitive), which means that the action was not performed:

She was(supposed) to be in the cinema.
She should have been in the movies.

• The modal verb "to be" can be used to express responsibilities, which is based on previous agreements (plan, schedule etc.)

We are to go to the cinema.
We should go to the cinema.

• We also use this modal verb to express order or instructions:

You are to go to school.
You have to go to school.

• We use "to be" if something categorically forbidden V negative form.

Children are not allowed to drink alcohol.
Children are prohibited from drinking alcohol.

• "To be" is used for urgency council or wishes:

You are to drive straight.
Drive straight.

• “To be”, in the passive voice (constructed using the infinitive “to be”) and Past Participle— 3rd form of irregular verb or adding the ending “- ed" to the correct one), describes opportunity:

She was not to be heard.
It was impossible to hear her.

You were to be heard very good on the concert.
You could be heard very well at the concert.

Conclusion

We have looked at all the main important nuances of this tricky verb. For the last time, we draw your attention to the fact that when you say a phrase and doubt whether you should put the verb be there, you can always test yourself by asking questions to the sentence: am I who/what, is where, is what?

If in translation the words “is, is, is” give the sentence a logical meaning, then in English such a sentence will be correct.

We hope this article helped you understand the verb to be, which is simple only at first glance. Cheers!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family