The verb "be" - Level: beginner

 

The verb be has the following forms:

The verb be
Infinitive form	be
Present simple:	+	I am, I'm You are, You're He/She/It is, He/She/It's	We are, we're You are, you're They are, they're
	?	Am I? Are you? Is he/she it?	Are we? Are you? Are they?
	-	I am not, I’m not You are not, You aren’t, You're not He/She/It is not, He/She/It isn’t, He's not	We are not, We aren’t, We're not You are not, You aren’t, You're not They are not, They aren't, They're not
Past simple	+	I was You were He/She/It was	We were You were They were
	?	Was I? Were you? Was he/she/it?	Were we? Were you? Were they?
	-	I was not, I wasn't You were not, You weren't He/She/It was not, He/She/It wasn't	We were not, We weren't You were not, You weren't They were not, They weren't
Past participle	been
Present perfect	has/have been
Past perfect	had been
Present participle	being
Present continuous	am/is/are being
Past continuous	was/were being

We use the infinitive form be with modal verbs:

It will be dark soon.
They might be tired.

The verb be is a link verb. It is used:

·         with a noun phrase:

My mother is a teacher.
Bill Clinton was the president of the US.

·         with an adjective:

This soup is very tasty.
The children were good.

·         with a prepositional phrase:

John and his wife are from Manchester.
The flowers are on the table.

Valentine's Day (reading practice – basic level)

 Valentine's Day (or Saint Valentine's Day) is a holiday that, in the United States, takes place on February 14 and technically signifies the accomplishments of St. Valentine, a third-century Roman saint.

With that said, most Americans, instead of honoring St. Valentine through religious ceremony, enjoy the holiday by engaging in "romantic" behavior with their significant other or someone who they wish to be their significant other; gifts, special dinners, and other acknowledgements of affection comprise most individuals' Valentine's Day celebrations.

Chocolates and flowers are commonly given as gifts during Valentine's Day, as are accompanying greeting cards (greeting card companies release new Valentine's Day designs annually). Red and pink are generally understood to be "the colors" of Valentine's Day, and many individuals, instead of celebrating romantically, spend the holiday with their friends and/or family members.

Variations of Valentine's Day are celebrated across the globe throughout the year. In America, the holiday, although acknowledged by the vast majority of the population, isn't federally recognized; no time off work is granted for Valentine's Day.

Did you understand the text?

 

1) When does Valentine's Day take place in the United States?

a) February 1

b) February 14

c) Throughout February

d) A and B

 

2) What does Valentine's Day technically signify?

a) The accomplishments of St. Valentine

b) Love throughout the ages

c) The fun of gifts

d) None of the above

 

3) Which of the following gifts are commonly given on Valentine's Day?

a) Chocolates

b) Flowers

c) Greeting cards

d)  All of the Above

 

4) Besides in the US, where is Valentine's Day celebrated?

a) In Europe and South America

b) In Oceania and Western Europe

c) Across the globe

d) In the United Kingdom

 

5) Which colors are generally understood to represent Valentine's Day?

a) Red

b) Green

c) Pink

d) A and C

Solution: 1) b 2) a 3) d 4) c 5) d

My morning routine (reading practice - basic level)

 My name is Bob. Each day I drive my kids to school. My daughter goes to a school that's far from our

house. It takes 30 minutes to get there. Then I drive my son to his school. It's close to my job. My

daughter is in the sixth grade and my son is in the second. They are both good students. My daughter

usually sings her favorite songs while I drive. My son usually sleeps.

I arrive at the office at 8:30 AM. I say good morning to all my workmates then I get a big cup of hot

coffee. I turn on my computer and read my email. Some days I have a lot to read. Soon I need another

cup of coffee.

Did you understand the text?

1) Which two places are near each other?

a) home and office

b) son's school and office

c) home and daughter's school

d) daughter's school and office

2) Which child is older?

a) daughter

b) son

c) same age

d) not sure

3) What happens in the car each morning?

a) father and daughter tell jokes

b) son and daughter talk

c) son sleeps and daughter sings

d) daughter reads and son sleeps

4) What happens at the office?

a) workmates give Bob a big cup of hot coffee

b) Bob gives all his workmates a big cup of hot coffee

c) Bob gets a big cup of hot coffee

d) all of the above

5) When does Bob get his second cup of coffee?

a) after driving the children home

b) before reading his email

c) before greeting his coworkers

d) after reading his email

Solution: 1) b 2) a 3) c 4) c 5) d

Information about English

 English is the largest language by number of speakers  and the third most-spoken native language in the world, after Standard Chinese and Spanish. It is the most widely learned second language and is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. There are more people who have learned it as a second language than there are native speakers. As of 2005, it was estimated that there were over 2 billion speakers of English. English is the majority native language in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, an official and the main language of Singapore, and it is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

The earliest form of English is called Old English or Anglo-Saxon (c. year 550–1066). Old English developed from a set of West Germanic dialects, often grouped as Anglo-Frisian or North Sea Germanic, and originally spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony and southern Jutland by Germanic peoples known to the historical record as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. From the 5th century, the Anglo-Saxons settled Britain as the Roman economy and administration collapsed. By the 7th century, the Germanic language of the Anglo-Saxons became dominant in Britain, replacing the languages of Roman Britain (43–409): Common Brittonic, a Celtic language, and Latin, brought to Britain by the Roman occupation. England and English (originally Ænglaland and Ænglisc) are named after the Angles.

It is important to know about the language we are learning, in this case, English. Enjoy knowing about this language.