Lesson 4 - To Be
Introduction
In this lesson you'll learn how to use the very common English verb be. You'll also learn the English pronouns, possessive adjectives, and how to use contractions.
Conversations
Eric and Ashley are walking to a restaurant for lunch. On the way they see Eric's friend Tom.
Eric: Hi Tom. How's it going?
Tom: Good.
Eric: This is Ashley. She is from London.
Tom: Nice to meet you Ashley.
Ashley: Nice to meet you too. Are you hungry? We're going for lunch.
Tom: I'm hungry, but I have to go back to work. Maybe I'll see you later.
Ashley: Bye.
Eric: Let's go. John is already there.
Vocabulary and Phrases
| restaurant | |
| lunch | |
| On the way they see Eric's friend Tom. | |
| How's it going? | |
| good | |
| This is Ashley. She is from London. | |
| Nice to meet you. | |
| Are you hungry? | |
| I'm hungry. | |
| We're going for lunch. | |
| Let's go. | |
| I have to go back to work. | |
| I'll see you later. | |
| already | |
| there |
Advertisement
Grammar
Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns in a sentence. Pronouns are a very important part of the English language, so be sure to take the time to learn them.
There are three types of pronouns in English: subject, object, and possessive.
Possessive Adjectives are used in front of a noun to show who the noun belongs to. Possessive pronouns are pronouns that indicate ownership. They can be used to replace a possessive adjective and its noun. For example: It is my cup. It is mine. The cup is mine.
The pronoun you is used when referring to a single person as well as multiple people. Its subject and object forms are the same. You is used in both formal and informal situations.
| Subject | Object | Poss. Adj. | Poss. Pronoun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | me | my | mine | |
| you | you | your | yours | |
| he | him | his | his | |
| she | her | her | hers | |
| it | it | its | its | |
| we | us | our | ours | |
| they | them | their | theirs |
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun is used as the object when the subject and object are the same person. The expression by + reflexive pronoun means alone. Example: Anna lives by herself.
The following table shows the English reflexive pronouns.
| Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun |
|---|---|
| I | myself |
| you | yourself |
| she | herself |
| he | himself |
| it | itself |
| one | oneself |
| we | ourselves |
| they | themselves |
Examples
I pour myself a glass of juice.
|
|
|
Mark blames himself for the accident.
|
|
|
Brad and Tammy can't finish the work by themselves.
|
To Be
The verb be is very common in English. It is also the most irregular verb in the English language. It is used to describe or indicate the state of a person or object. It is also used to indicate that two concepts are the same or equal.
| be | |
|---|---|
| I am | |
| you are | |
| he is | |
| she is | |
| it is | |
| we are | |
| they are |
Contraction
A contraction is a shortened version of a word, or a group of words. Contractions are indicated by an apostrophe.
The English language has many contractions. Contractions are very common with pronouns and the verb be. The following table shows the contractions between pronouns and be.
| I am | I'm |
| you are | you're |
| he is | he's |
| she is | she's |
| it is | it's |
| we are | we're |
| they are | they're |
Examples
| Where are you? | |
| Where is she? | |
| We're here. | |
| He's on his way. | |
| She is thirsty. | |
| I'm hungry. | |
| I saw him. | |
| We saw her. | |
| He saw them. | |
| You are late. | |
| They are angry. | |
| This is my friend. | |
| The house is ours. | |
| The sky is blue. | |
| That is my shirt. | |
| That is your cup. | |
| Their cups are empty. |
Practice
Play the audio, then write the English word or sentence that you hear. Press the Check button to see if your answers are correct.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quiz
Here is an online quiz to help you learn the English vocabulary introduced in this lesson.
