Grammar presentation created by ESL faculty at Ball State University.

1. The “BE” Verb

2. Forms of BE
I am…
She is...
Be He is…
It is…
You are…
We are…
They are...
Am
Is
Are

3. Meaning of BE
5 = 5
Five is five.
I = student
I am a student.

4. I am...
I am + noun.
I am a son.
I am a
daughter.
I am a
student.
I am a
teacher.

5. She/He/It is...
He is a doctor. She is a nurse.

6. We/You/They are...
They are
runners.
We are friends. You are twins.

7. Subject + BE + Adjective
He is old.
We are happy.
It is blue.

8. Subject + Be + Preposition
A computer is on
the desk. Apples are
in the basket.
A cat is under the table.

9. BE-verb in Questions
Is it a ball?
Yes, it is a ball.
Where is it?

10. Yes/No Questions
Am I a student?
Are you a student?
Is he/she a student?
Are you students?
Are they students?
BE + Subject + Noun ?

11. WH- Questions with BE
What is your name?
Where are the pencils?
When is the exam?
Who is our teacher?
How are your classes?
WH- + BE + Subject (+ Complement)?

12. BE-verb in Questions
Are they friends?
Yes, they are friends.
How old are they?
They are 8 years old.

13. Negative Sentences
Subject + BE + “not” + ______
with Nouns: She is not a teacher.
with Adjectives: They are not old.
with Prepositions: It is not on the table.

14. BE Contractions
Subject +BE and BE + “not” can be together in
complete sentences.
I am tired. = I’m tired.
They are not here. = They aren’t here.

15. Contractions
Subject BE Contraction
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
BE not Contraction
am not XXXXXX
is not isn’t
are not aren’t

16. In At
On
There are 50
states in the U.S.
It is at the
corner of
Riverside and
McKinley.
He is on this small
planet.

17. Preposition of Place: In
The family is in the living room

18. Use in for enclosed spaces
In the bedroom
In the bathroom
In the kitchen
In the dining room

19. Use in for the names of land-areas:
cities, countries, continents, etc.
I am in New York
We live in the United States
Italy is in Europe

20. Preposition of Place: At
The kids are at the park

21. Use at for locations: buildings, addresses, specific places...
We are at the library.
The White House is
at 1600
Pennsylvania
Avenue.
She is at the lake
today.

22. At vs. In
I am at school.
● I am at the
location.
I am at the hospital.
● I am at the
building.
I am in school.
● I am a student.
I am in the hospital.
● I am sick or hurt.

23. Preposition of Place: On
The ball is on the floor

24. Use on when items touch or connect.
A sign is on the door.
The boat is on the beach.
The food is on the table

25. Use on when mentioning transportation.
He is on a boat.
They are on the bus.
I am on a plane.

26. Prepositions of Time
at a precise time at 9 o’clock/noon/dinner time
on days or dates on Sunday/my birthday/25, October
in long periods(month, year,century) in May/ 2015/ the next
century

27. at
at dinner time at noon

28. on
on their wedding day on her birthday

29. in
World Cup in 2014 fun time in the summer
Olympics in 2016

30. Other Simple Present Verbs
Simple present does not use the be-verb.
Use simple present to describe habits, routines,
facts:
I eat breakfast at 8:00a.m. every day.
Our class starts at 1:00p.m.
They always watch a movie on weekends.
I don’t ride my bike to school in the morning.

31. Simple Present: Forms
Use the base form of verbs with all subject
pronouns, except for: he/she/it:
I ride my bike. We ride our bikes.
You ride your bike. You ride your
bikes.
He rides his bike. They ride their
bikes.
Add -s/-es to verbs for the third person singular:

32. Simple Present: Negative
To make negative statements in simple present we
need to use the auxiliary: do + not = don’t
I don’t eat lunch at home on weekdays.
We don’t have class on Fridays.
He does not drive his car to work.
She doesn’t have a cat. =
For he/she/it, we add -es to the auxiliary do: does
doesn’t + base form

33. Simple Present: Questions
To make questions statements in simple present we
need to use the auxiliary: do
Do you eat lunch at home on weekdays?
Do we have class on Fridays?
Does he drive his car to work?
Does she have a cat? =
For he/she/it, we add -es to the auxiliary do: does
does +subject + base form