This document contains a pre-test, lesson content, and practice exercises for a module on verb conjugation of the verb "to be" in present tense. The pre-test contains 20 multiple choice questions to assess knowledge of using "to be" in affirmative sentences, negative sentences, yes/no questions, and information questions. The lesson provides rules and examples for conjugating "to be" in the present tense in its affirmative, negative, contracted, and question forms. It also includes language notes. The practice exercises consist of 20 additional multiple choice questions to apply the concepts learned. Scoring guidelines are provided to help evaluate performance and determine if a post-test can be taken.

1. Inter American University of Puerto Rico
Guayama Campus
Title V Cooperative Project
Verb To BE Present Tense Module
Prof. Marisol Piazza Aguirre

2. Pre-Test (Affirmative Sentences)
Select the best answer.
__ 1. I am not from Mexico. I ____ from Puerto Rico.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 2. Jennifer López ____ a popular Latin actress and singer.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 3. Ricky Bones and Carlos Beltrán ____ famous Puerto Rican
baseball players.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 4. Río de Janeiro ____ the capital of Brazil.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 5. You and I ____ in Prof. Rivera’s English course, room A-10.
(A) are (B) am (C) is

3. Pre-Test (Negative Sentences)
__ 6. Steven Spielberg ____ a painter. He’s a movie director.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__ 7. Today ____ my birthday. It’s next Friday.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__ 8. The Dalmatians ____ dangerous dogs. They are obedient and playful.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__ 9. I ____ in the kitchen. I am in the laundry room.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__10. Ronnie and Jennifer ____ absent. They are in the library.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not

4. Pre-Test (Yes/No Questions)
__ 11. ____ your dental appointment at 9:30 AM?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 12. ____ I a qualified candidate for the sales position?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 13. ____ the neighborhood a safe place to live?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 14. ____ you very busy right now?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 15. ____ the students in the language laboratory now?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are

5. Pre-Test (Information Questions)
__ 16. What ____ your cell phone number?
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 17. Why ____ I so nervous? Maybe because of the oral report.
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 18. How ____ you and all your family?
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 19. Who ____ the manager of the store?
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 20. Why ____ they home so late?
(A) am (B) is (C) are

6. Pre-Test Answer Key
1. B 11. B
2. C 12. A
3. A 13. B
4. C 14. C
5. A 15. C
6. B 16. B
7. B 17. A
8. C 18. C
9. A 19. B
10. C 20. C

7. Pre-Test Evaluation
Total Correct Answers:
20 Excellent: Go to the Post Test.
19 Very Good: Review the incorrect answer and go to the
Post Test.
18-12 Good: Review the incorrect answers, study the rules
presented in this module, do the practice exercises
and then go to the Post Test.
11 or You Need More Practice: Study the module, review the
less rules carefully and do the practice exercises. When
you improve your score, you may go to the Post Test.

8. Verb BE Present Tense
The Verb To BE is used to express:
 state of being → ( I am a student.)
 location → ( I am in the university.)
 feelings → ( I am happy.)
 descriptions → ( He is tall.)
 health → ( He is sick.)
 conditions → ( The house is old.)
 weather → ( It is sunny.)
 time → ( It is 5:30 PM.)
 nationality → ( She is Chinese.)
 colors → ( The curtains are green.)
 sizes → ( The blouse is medium.)
 dates → ( It is December 24th
.)
 moods → ( John is angry.)
 prices → ( The brown leather coat is $75.00.)
 etc…

9. Verb BE Present Tense
The Verb To BE has three forms in the
Present Tense:
am
is
are

10. Some Time Expressions
 today
 every day
 every week
 every weekend…
 always
 usually
 often
 sometimes
 seldom
 occasionally
 never…

11. Verb BE Affirmative Statements
Singular
Subject BE
I am a student.
You (usted) are intelligent.
He
is
in the library.
She
It interesting.

12. Verb BE Affirmative Statements
Plural
Subject BE
You (ustedes)
are
late today.
We on a cruise.
They from Costa Rica.

13. Affirmative Statements
More Examples:
1. I am an accounting student.
2. My name is Alicia. It is a pleasure to meet you.
3. You (usted) are a responsible person.
4. Carol is in the cafeteria.
5. Pablo is absent today.
6. Wal-Mart is open every day.
7. The monkey is high up in the tree.
8. We are hungry and thirsty.
9. You (ustedes) are in the correct room.
10. Computers are complex machines.

14. Negative Statements
Singular
Subject BE NOT
I am not a designer.
You (usted) are not sincere.
He
She
It
is not in the library.
beautiful.

15. Negative Statements
Plural
Subject BE NOT
You
(ustedes)
are not
late today.
We on a cruise.
They from Costa
Rica.

16. Negative Statements
More Examples:
1. I am not an accounting student.
2. My name is not Alicia. It is Aixa.
3. You (usted) are not a responsible person.
4. Carol is not in the cafeteria.
5. Pablo is not absent today.
6. Wal-Mart is not open every day.
7. The monkey is not high up in the tree.
8. We are not hungry and thirsty.
9. You (ustedes) are not in the correct room.
10. Computers are not complex machines.

17. Verb BE Contractions
Contractions: A contraction is the combination of two
words into one. In contractions, letters are replaced with
an apostrophe (’).

18. Verb BE Contractions (Affirmative)
Complete Form 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
You are You’re
They are They’re

19. Verb BE Contractions in Affirmative
Statements
1. I am Puerto Rican.
2. You are a friendly person.
3. He is at the baseball game.
4. She is eighteen years old.
5. It is 12:00 o’clock noon.
6. We are in the library.
7. You are quiet today.
8. They are fraternal twins.
1. I’m Puerto Rican.
2. You’re a friendly person.
3. He’s at the baseball game.
4. She’s eighteen years old.
5. It’s 12:00 o’clock noon.
6. We’re in the library.
7. You’re quiet today.
8. They’re fraternal twins.

20. Verb BE Contractions (Negative)
Complete Form Contraction
I am not I’m not -
You are not You’re not You aren’t
He is not He’s not He isn’t
She is not She’s not She isn’t
It is not It’s not It isn’t
We are not We’re not We aren’t
You are not You’re not You aren’t
They are not They’re not They aren’t

21. Verb BE Contractions in Negative
Statements
1. I am not French.
2. You are not a friendly person.
3. He is not at the baseball game.
4. She is not eighteen years old.
5. It is not 12:00 o’clock noon.
6. We are not in the library.
7. You are not quiet today.
8. They are not fraternal twins.
1. I’m not French.
2. You’re not (aren’t) a friendly person.
3. He’s not (isn’t) at the baseball
game.
4. She’s not (isn’t) eighteen years old.
5. It’s not (isn’t) 12:00 o’clock noon.
6. We’re not (aren’t) in the library.
7. You’re not (aren’t) quiet today.
8. They’re not (aren’t) fraternal twins.

22. Language Notes
 We can make a contraction with the subject
pronoun + am, is, or are.
Examples:
I am→ I’m he is→ he’s
you are→ you’re she is→ she’s
we are→ we’re it is→ it’s
they are→ they’re

23. Language Notes
 We can make a contraction with most
nouns + is.
Examples: My grandmother’s energetic. (grandmother is)
Your dog’s playful. (dog is)
 We don’t make a contraction with is if the noun ends
in letters: s, se, ce, ze, sh, ch, or x.
Examples: A mouse is a small animal.
A fox is a relative of a dog.

24. Language Notes
 We don’t make a contraction with a noun and are.
Example: The children are ready.
 We can make a contraction with there + is.
Example: There is a sandwich on the table.
There’s a sandwich on the table.
 We don’t make a contraction with there + are.
Example: There are many excellent recipe books.

25. Language Notes
 The negative contractions are: isn’t and aren’t.
Examples: She isn’t home.
You aren’t patient.
There is no contraction for am not.

26. Yes/No Questions and Short Answers
Question
BE
Subject
Am I
late ?
Are you (usted)
Is he
she
It
Are you (ustedes)
we
they

27. Yes/No Questions and Short Answers
Short Answers
Affirmative Negative
Yes, you are. No, you’re not. / No, you aren’t.
Yes, I am. No, I’m not.
Yes, he is.
Yes, she is.
Yes, it is.
No, he’s not. / No, he isn’t.
No, she’s not. / No, she isn’t.
No, it’s not. / No, it isn’t.
Yes, we are.
Yes, you are.
Yes, they are.
No, we’re not. / No, we aren’t.
No, you’re not. / No, you aren’t.
No, they’re not. / No, they aren’t.

28. Yes/No Questions and Short Answers
More Examples:
1. (Q) Are you (usted) from Puerto Rico?
(A) Yes, I am. / No, I am not. / No, I’m not.
2. (Q) Am I on the English 1101 official course list?
(A) Yes, you are. / No, you’re not. / No, you aren’t.
3. (Q) Is your father a business man?
(A) Yes, he is. / No, he’s not. / No, he isn’t.
4. (Q) Is Jennifer at the supermarket?
(A) Yes, she is. / No, she’s not. / No, she isn’t.

29. Yes/No Questions and Short Answers
5. (Q) Is the Toyota Camry a safe car?
(A) Yes, it is. / No, it’s not. / No, it isn’t.
6. (Q) Are you (ustedes) comfortable?
(A) Yes, we are. / No, we’re not. / No, we aren’t.
7. (Q) Are we on time for the concert?
(A) Yes, you are. / No, you’re not. / No, you aren’t.
8. (Q) Are Miguel and Carlos certified electricians?
(A) Yes, they are. / No, they’re not. / No, they aren’t.

30. Wh-Questions (Information Questions)
Question Word Questions Answers
Who (person) Who is Vanessa Williams? She is a famous tennis
player.
What (thing) What is your nationality? My nationality is Puerto
Rican.
When (time) When are the Income Tax
Forms due?
They are due on April 15th
.
Why (reason) Why are you (ustedes)
late?
We are late because traffic
is terrible.
Where (place) Where am I? You are in the hospital.
How (description,
health)
How is your new job? It is fun and interesting.
Whose (possession) Whose MP3 is this? It is Ana’s MP3.

31. Wh-Questions and Answers
More Examples:
1. (Q) Who are Isabel Allende and Ana Lydia Vega?
(A) They are famous Latin novel writers.
2. (Q) What is your computer password?
(A) It is a secret.
3. (Q) When is Labor Day?
(A) It is on September 4th
.
4. (Q) Where are the car keys?
(A) They are on the kitchen counter.

32. Wh-Questions and Answers
5. (Q) Why is Juan trembling?
(A) He is trembling because he is cold.
6. (Q) How much is the English book?
(A) It is $29.95.
7. (Q) Whose calculator is this?
(A) It is Andrea’s calculator.

33. Practice Exercises (Affirmative Sentences)
Select the best answer.
__ 1. Marilyn had a baby. It ____ a gorgeous boy.
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 2. It’s raining. Get the umbrella. ____ near the door.
(A) I’m (B) He’s (C) It’s
__ 3. ____ cold. Please turn off the air conditioner.
(A) I’m (B) I’s (C) I’re
__ 4. There ____ an extra towel in the closet. Use it.
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 5. The Admissions and Financial Aid offices ____ on the first floor.
(A) am (B) is (C) are

34. Practice Exercises (Negative Sentences)
__ 6. A college education ____ free. It’s expensive.
(A) am not (B) aren’t (C) isn’t
__ 7. The party ____ at 6:00 o’clock. It’s at 7:30 PM.
(A) isn’t (B) am not (C) aren’t
__ 8. I ____ single. I’m married.
(A) am not (B) isn’t (C) aren’t
__ 9. Chicago and Orlando ____ states. They’re cities.
(A) isn’t (B) am not (C) aren’t
__10. David and I ____ at the post office. We’re at the bank.
(A) aren’t (B) isn’t (C) am not

35. Practice Exercises (Yes/No Questions)
___ 11. ____ there a city map in the car?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
___ 12. ____ the children at the park or at the zoo?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
___ 13. ____ there good hotels and restaurants in this area?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
___ 14. ____ I the leader of the group?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
___ 15. ____ Toyotas economical and safe cars?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are

36. Practice Exercises (Information Questions)
___ 16. Where ____ the Statue of Liberty? It’s in New York.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
___ 17. Who ____ Antonio Banderas? He’s a handsome actor.
(A) are (B) is (C) am
___ 18. Why ____ I on the Dean’s Honor Students List? Because you’re
intelligent.
(A) am (B) are (C) is
___ 19. What color ____ your new gym shoes? They’re navy blue.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
___ 20. When ____ traffic very heavy? It’s heavy at noon.
(A) is (B) are (C) am

37. Practice Exercise Answer Key
1. B 11. B
2. C 12. C
3. A 13. C
4. B 14. A
5. C 15. C
6. C 16. C
7. A 17. B
8. A 18. A
9. C 19. A
10. A 20. A

38. Practice Exercise Evaluation
Total Correct Answers:
20 Excellent: Go to the Post Test.
19 Very Good: Review the incorrect answer and go to the
Post Test.
18-12 Good: Review the incorrect answers, consult the module
again and then go to the Post Test.
11 or You Need More Practice: Study the module, review the
less rules carefully and do the practice exercises again.
When you understand the rules and improve your
score, you may go to the Post Test.

39. Post Test (Affirmative Sentences)
Select the best answer.
__ 1. I am not from Mexico. I ____ from Puerto Rico.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 2. Jennifer López ____ a popular Latin actress and singer.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 3. Ricky Bones and Carlos Beltrán ____ famous Puerto Rican
baseball players.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 4. Río de Janeiro ____ the capital of Brazil.
(A) are (B) am (C) is
__ 5. You and I ____ in Prof. Rivera’s English course, room A-10.
(A) are (B) am (C) is

40. Post Test (Negative Sentences)
__ 6. Steven Spielberg ____ a painter. He’s a movie director.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__ 7. Today ____ my birthday. It’s next Friday.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__ 8. The Dalmatians ____ dangerous dogs. They are obedient and playful.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__ 9. I ____ in the kitchen. I am in the laundry room.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not
__10. Ronnie and Jennifer ____ absent. They are in the library.
(A) am not (B) is not (C) are not

41. Post Test (Yes/No Questions)
__ 11. ____ your dental appointment at 9:30 AM?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 12. ____ I a qualified candidate for the sales position?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 13. ____ the neighborhood a safe place to live?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 14. ____ you very busy right now?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are
__ 15. ____ the students in the language laboratory now?
(A) Am (B) Is (C) Are

42. Post Test (Information Questions)
__ 16. What ____ your cell phone number?
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 17. Why ____ I so nervous? Maybe because of the oral report.
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 18. How ____ you and all your family?
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 19. Who ____ the manager of the store?
(A) am (B) is (C) are
__ 20. Why ____ they home so late?
(A) am (B) is (C) are

43. Post Test Answer Key
1. B 11. B
2. C 12. A
3. A 13. B
4. C 14. C
5. A 15. C
6. B 16. B
7. B 17. A
8. C 18. C
9. A 19. B
10. C 20. C

44. Post Test Evaluation
Total Correct Answers:
20 Excellent: Congratulations! You have successfully
completed this module. You may work with a different
module if necessary.
19 Very Good: Review the incorrect answer. You may work
with a different module if necessary.
18-12 Good: Review the incorrect answers, review the areas of
difficulty and take the Post Test again.
11 or You Need More Practice: I recommend that you review
less the complete module and take the Post Test again.

45. Letter to the Student
Congratulations ! You have completed the module
Verb BE in the Present Tense. If you really understand
all of the rules and examples presented, you can work
with a different module depending on your needs.
However, if you still have some questions concerning the
rules, I advise you to review this module again or visit the
Language Laboratory, Room B-6 and ask for help before
studying a different module.
Remember you learn by practicing, therefore use the
Verb BE in your daily conversations and written work.