TheBeVerb(CLB3-4)EnglishOnlineLunch&Learn

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Simple Tenses- The “Be” Verb
Lunch&Learn
(CLB3–4)
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Simple Tenses – The “Be” Verb
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A few riddles to warm up:
1. I am a fruit. I am crunchy and can be red, yellow,
or green.
I can be made into pies or enjoyed fresh.
What am I?

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1. I am a fruit. I am crunchy and can be red, yellow,
or green.
I can be made into pies or enjoyed fresh.
What am I?
ANSWER: I am an apple.

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2. I am a building. People go inside to read books, use the
internet, and study. What am I?

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2. I am a building. People go inside to read books, use the
internet, and study. What am I?
Answer: I am a library.

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3. I am a pet. I have 4 legs, a fur coat and sometimes I bark.
What am I?

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3. I am a pet. I have 4 legs, a fur coat and sometimes I bark.
What am I?
Answer: I am a dog.

The “Be” Verb” (am/is/are)
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“The “be” verb is an important verb in English that helps us talk about
who or what someone or something is.”
“It helps us describe people, things and situations.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh3Ln39fkXY&ab_channel=EtacudeEnglishTeachers

The “Be” Verb” (am/is/are)
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The verb “be” is irregular. This means it does not use “ed” or “d” in the
simple past tense.
“Be” has eight different forms:
be was
am were
is being
are been

The “Be” Verb”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH57BAO9K88&ab_channel=Engli
shwithRonnie%C2%B7EnglishLessons4UwithengVid

The “Be” Verb – Simple Present
I am I am tired.
He/she/it is She is a doctor.
They/we are They are late again.
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https://pixabay.com/photos/books-pages-story-stories-notes-1245690/ shared under CC0

Forming questions:
I am tired. Am I tired?
She is a doctor. Is she a doctor?
They are late again. Are they late again?
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We often make the be verb and the pronoun into a contraction.
Contractions shorten and combine 2 words.
I am I’m tired.
He/she/it is She’s a doctor.
They/we are They’re late again.
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The “Be” Verb – Contractions (simple present)
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Example: I am Ana. → I’m Ana.
1. It is really nice in the park.
__________________________________________________________________
___
2. We are average height.
__________________________________________________________________
___
3. I am from Guatemala.
__________________________________________________________________
___
4. We are homesick for Guatemala.
__________________________________________________________________
___
5. He is a student.
__________________________________________________________________
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6. She is a great cook.
__________________________________________________________________
___
7. We are hungry for Mom’s pupusas.
__________________________________________________________________
___
8. We are tired of the cold!
__________________________________________________________________
___
9. It is a good playground.
__________________________________________________________________
___
10. We are outside on sunny days.
__________________________________________________________________
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The “Be” Verb – Simple Present Negative
To make any form of the “be” verb negative, we add “not” after it:
I am not I am not tired.
He/she/it is not She is not a doctor.
They/we are not They are not late again.
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The “Be” Verb – Simple Present Negative
Again, we often use contractions. In the simple present, (when using a pronoun) there are 2 ways
to make a negative contraction.
1. contract the subject and verb (he is not = he’s not).
2. contract the verb and the negative (he is not = he isn’t).
I am not I’m not tired.
He/she/it is not She isn’t a doctor. OR
She’s not a doctor
They/we are not They aren’t late again. OR
They’re not late again.
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The “Be” Verb – Negative Contractions (simple present)
Example: I am not Ana. → I’m not Ana.
1. It is really nice in the park.
__________________________________________________________________
___
2. We are average height.
__________________________________________________________________
___
3. I am from Guatemala.
__________________________________________________________________
___
4. We are homesick for Guatemala.
__________________________________________________________________
___
5. He is a student.
__________________________________________________________________
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The “Be” Verb – Negative Contractions (simple present)
6. She is a great cook.
__________________________________________________________________
___
7. We are hungry for Mom’s pupusas.
__________________________________________________________________
___
8. We are tired of the cold!
__________________________________________________________________
___
9. It is a good playground.
__________________________________________________________________
___
10. We are outside on sunny days.
__________________________________________________________________
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The “Be” Verb – Simple Past
I was I was tired.
He/she/it was She was a doctor.
They/we were They were late again.
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The “Be” Verb – Simple Past
Forming Questions:
I was tired. Was I tired?
She was a doctor. Was she a doctor?
They were late again. Were they late again?
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The “Be” Verb – Simple Past Negative
Any form of be is made negative by adding not immediately after it.
I was not I was not tired.
He/she/it was not She was not a doctor.
They/we were not They were not late again.
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The “Be” Verb – Simple Past Negative
Again, we often use contractions. There is only one way to do this in the simple past
(contracting the verb and the negative).
I was not I wasn’t tired.
He/she/it was not She wasn’t a doctor.
They/we were not They weren’t late again.
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The “Be” Verb – Present Continuous
The present continuous tense describes something that is happening right now. It is
formed by:
- using the be verb and the -ing form of a verb.
I am I am eating dinner.
He/she/it is She is eating dinner.
They/we are They are eating dinner.
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The present continuous tense describes something that is happening right now.
We use the short (contracted) form more often than the full form, especially when
speaking.
I am I’m eating dinner.
He/she/it is She’s eating dinner.
They/we are They’re eating dinner.
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The present continuous tense describes something that is happening right now. Notice the
responses to the questions:
Are you eating dinner? Yes, I am.
Is she eating dinner? Yes, she is.
Are they eating dinner? Yes, they are.
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The “Be” Verb – Present Continuous Negative
The present continuous tense describes something that is happening right now:
I am not I am not eating dinner.
He/she/it is not She is not eating dinner.
They/we are not They are not eating dinner.
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The “Be” Verb – Present Continuous Negative
Negative contractions:
I am not I’m not eating dinner.
He/she/it is not She isn’t eating dinner. OR
She’s not eating dinner.
They/we are not They aren’t eating dinner. OR
They’re not eating dinner.
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Practice”WordWall Activities
https://wordwall.net/resource/22063759/esl/verb-to-be-right-or-wrong
https://wordwall.net/resource/2749810/esl/questions-with-was-were
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A short story using “be” verbs:
Ana & Pedro
I am Ana. I am from Guatemala. I am 20 years
old. My brother, Pedro is here too. Pedro is 19 years
old. We both study English at CCC. We are Spanish-
speakers. Pedro and I have black hair and black eyes.
We are not tall, and we are not thin. We are average
in height and weight.
We live with our aunt and uncle. We live in an
apartment near a park. Our apartment is on the ground
floor. There is a patio outside our back door. Next to
the patio is the park. There are paths for walking and
a playground for kids. It is really nice. We are
outside on sunny days. However, there are not many
trees! On hot days, there is not much shade. 32

We like Oregon, but we are homesick for Guatemala.
We are not really “sick”. We just miss our country
and its culture. Our mom is in Guatemala. She is a
great “pupusa” cook. Pupusas are a thick corn
tortilla filled with beans and meat. We are homesick
for her and her cooking. We are also tired of the
cold! We prefer a warmer climate. However, we like
the green trees and blue skies of Oregon. The people
are so nice, too! Oregonians are friendly and
helpful people.
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Comprehension Questions
1. Who are Ana and Pedro?
___________________________________________________________
_______
2. Where are they from?
___________________________________________________________
_______
3. Where do they live now?
___________________________________________________________
_______
4. Who do Ana and Pedro live with?
___________________________________________________________
_______
5. Describe Ana and Pedro’s living situation. What is near 34

Comprehension Questions
6. What do they miss in their country?
_______________________________________________________
___________
7. What do they like about Oregon?
_______________________________________________________
___________
8. What don’t they like about Oregon?
_______________________________________________________
___________
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/explorations1/chapter/chapter-1/ 35

Fill in the Blanks – Ana and Pedro
Ana and Pedro live with their aunt and uncle. Their
aunt’s name __________ Maria Carmen. Everyone calls her
Carmen. Their uncle’s name __________ Miguel. Carmen
__________ 40 years old, and Miguel __________ 41 years
old. Carmen __________ a preschool teacher, and Miguel
__________ a landscaper. They __________ married, and
they have two children. Both children __________ boys.
Therefore, Ana and Pedro have two nephews.
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Fill in the Blanks – Ana and Pedro
Their names __________ Luis and Diego. Luis __________
older than Diego. Both boys __________ in high school.
Luis __________ in 10th grade. Diego __________ in the
9th grade. Luis plays soccer, but Diego plays basketball.
Both boys __________ bilingual. They speak English at
school and Spanish at home.
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Getting to Know You
Asking questions using the “be” verb is a great way to get
to know someone.
In breakout rooms, practice asking and answering questions
like these (using the simple present form of the “be”
verb).
1. Where are you from?
2. Is your country beautiful? Is it cold?
3. Is your family big?
4. Are you a parent? Are you a sibling?
5. 2 more questions using “are you” or “is your”.
When we come back to the classroom, tell us something about
someone else.
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Positive to Negative
Change the positive sentences into negative sentences:
1. Tigers are blue and orange.
_________________________________________________________
_______
2. Chicago is a country.
_________________________________________________________
_______
3. The park is downtown.
_________________________________________________________
_______
4. Dogs are quiet.
_________________________________________________________
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Positive to Negative
Change the positive sentences into negative sentences:
5. Cats are loud.
_________________________________________________________
_______
6. She was a nurse.
_________________________________________________________
_______
7. He is tall.
_________________________________________________________
_______
8. They were from China.
_________________________________________________________
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The “Be” Verb – Getting to Know You
Describe where you live. What do you see when you look out the window? Is there a yard, trees,
plants, a sidewalk, a street, buildings, or something else?
There is/are: ______________________________
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Making Contractions
Example: Tigers are not blue and orange. → Tigers aren’t blue and
orange.
1. Ana and Pedro are not from France.
________________________________________________________________
2. Ana and Pedro are not tall.
________________________________________________________________
3. Our apartment is not on the third floor.
________________________________________________________________
4. Our mom is not a terrible cook.
________________________________________________________________
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Making Contractions
Example: Tigers are not blue and orange. → Tigers aren’t blue and
orange.
5. We are not thin.
________________________________________________________________
6. We are not students at Portland Community College.
________________________________________________________________
7. There is not a patio outside our front door.
________________________________________________________________
8. Ana is not 40 years old.
________________________________________________________________
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The “Be” Verb – Pronouncing Contractions
https://rachelsenglish.com/contractions/ (- 8:32 only)
“What is the difference between voiced consonants and unvoiced consonants? For voiced
consonants, the vocal cords are engaged, making sound. For unvoiced consonants, the vocal
cords are not making sound, there is just air passing through them.”
More info on voiced/unvoiced consonant sounds:
https://rachelsenglish.com/voiced-vs-unvoiced-
consonants/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20difference%20between,just%20air%20passing%20t
hrough%20them.
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Questions?
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HOMEWORK:
1. Use the correct tense of the “be” verb to complete
each sentence (there may be more than 1 correct answer).
2. Make each sentence into a negative sentence.
1. Yesterday, we ___________ (are/were) celebrating the holiday.
2. Matt ____________________ (is/am/were) my only sibling.
3. It __________________(is/am/was) snowing today.
4. I _________________ (is/am/was) shovelling snow right now.
5. They ___________________ (are/am/is) late for dinner.

HOMEWORK: The details:
1. Submit your homework to Lori on Skype: live:loramoren
2. After class, you have until the 11:59 pm the next day to complete the assignment.
3. I will correct the homework and offer feedback. 

Sources:
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• https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/grammar-vocabulary/grammar-
practice/present-simple-verb-be
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh3Ln39fkXY&ab_channel=EtacudeEnglis
hTeachers
• https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/explorations1/chapter/chapter-1/
• https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/easy-learning/how-do-you-use-the-
verb-be-in-english
• https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/20th-
century-lives

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Thankyou!
Lori Morency
Skype: live:loramoren
livelearn.ca

Thankyou!
Blaine
broberts@myenglishonline.ca
livelearn.ca
1-204-946-5140
Website:
livelearn.ca
Email:
info@myenglishonline.ca

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