1A present tense verb be +, subject pronouns: I, you, etc.

+ affirmative form

Full form Contraction

I am your teacher. I’m your teacher.
You are in room 7. You’re in room 7.
He is Mike. He’s Mike.
She is Hannah. She’s Hannah.
It is a school. It’s a school.
We are students. We’re students.
You are in Class 2. You’re in Class 2.
They are teachers. They’re teachers.
1A present tense verb be +, subject pronouns: I, you, etc.

• Always use a subject pronoun (you, he, etc.) with a verb, e.g.,

It’s a school. NOT Is a school.

They’re teachers. NOT Are teachers.
• Always use capital I, e.g.,He’s Mike and I’m Sally. NOT
i’m Sally. With other pronouns only use a capital letter when it’s
the first word in a sentence.

• you = singular and plural.

• Use he for a man, she for a woman, and it for a thing.
• Use they for people and things.
Contractions
• In contractions ’ = a missing letter, e.g., ’m = am.
• We use contractions in conversation and in informal writing,
e.g., an email to a friend.
1B present tense verb be – and ?

I’m not Brazilian. She isn’t from Los Angeles.

They aren’t Spanish. Are you Peruvian? Yes, I am.
Is she South Korean? No, she isn’t.

– negative form
Full form Contraction
I am not I’m not
You are not You aren’t Italian.
He / She / It is not He / She / It isn’t Spanish.
We are not We aren’t Mexican.
You are not You aren’t
They are not They aren’t
• Put not after the verb be to make negatives.
• You can also contract are not and is not like this:
You’re not Italian. She’s not Spanish.
1B present tense verb be – and ?
? question form positive✓
short answer –
negative short answer

Am I I am. I’m not.

Are you Chinese? you are. you aren’t.
Is he / she / it American? Yes, he / she / it is. No, he / she / it isn’t.
Are we Turkish? we are we aren’t.
Are you you are. you aren’t.
Are they they are. they aren’t.

• In questions, put am, are, is before I, you, he, etc.

Are you German? NOT You are German?
Where are you from? NOT Where you are from?
• Don’t use contractions in affirmative short answers.
Are you Iranian? Yes, I am. NOT Yes, I’m.
1C possessive adjectives: my, your, etc.

I’m Chinese. My family is from Beijing.

You’re in level 1. This is your classroom.
He’s the director. His name is Michael.
She’s your teacher. Her name is Tina.
It’s a school. Its name is Queen’s School.
We’re an international school. Our students are from many different countries.
They’re new students. Their names are David and Emma.
• his = of a man, her = of a woman, its = of a thing.
• their = of plural people or things.
• Possessive adjectives don’t change with plural nouns.
our students NOT ours students
! it’s or its?
Be careful with it’s and its.
it’s = it is It’s a school.
its = possessive Its name is Queen’s School.
2A a / an, plurals; this / that / these / those

a / an, plurals
It’s a bag.
It’s an umbrella.
They’re books.
They’re watches.

a / an (indefinite article)
It’s a bag.
pen.
It’s an ID card.
umbrella.

• Use a / an with singular

nouns.
• Use an with a noun beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
• Use a with words beginning u when u = /yu/, e.g., university.
2A a / an, plurals; this / that / these / those

regular plurals
Singular Plural Spelling
a book books add -s
a key keys
a watch watches add -es after ch, sh, s, x
a box boxes
a country countries consonant + y > ies
a dictionary dictionaries

• Add -s (or -es or -ies) to make plural nouns:

It’s a pen. They’re pens.

• Don’t use a / an with plural nouns:

They’re keys. NOT They’re a keys.
2A a / an, plurals; this / that / these / those
irregular plurals
Singular Plural
a man /mæn/ men /mɛn/
a woman /ˈwʊmən/ women /ˈwɪmən/
a child /tʃaɪld/ children /ˈtʃɪldrən/
a person /ˈpərsn/ people /ˈpipl/
2A a / an, plurals; this / that / these / those
this / that / these / those
1 What’s this? It’s a ticket.
These watches are Japanese.
2 That car is Italian.
What are those? They’re headphones.

1 Use this / these for things near you (here).

2 Use that / those for things which aren’t near you (there).
• this / that = singular; these / those = plural.
• this, that, these, and those can be adjectives (this watch) or pronouns
(What’s this?).
2B adjectives

1 The White House is in the US.

They’re blue jeans.
2 He’s strong.
It isn’t easy.
Is it American?
3 It’s a very big city.
She’s really small.
1 When we use an adjective with a noun, the adjective goes before the noun: It’s
a big house. NOT It’s a house big.
Adjectives don’t change before a plural noun:They’re blue jeans. NOT
They’re blues jeans.
2 We can also use adjectives without a noun, after the verb be.
1. We often use very before adjectives:
a He’s very tall.
b He’s tall.
c He isn’t very tall.
2C imperatives, let’s

1 Open the door. Turn

right.
Don’t worry. Don’t
stop.
Be quiet, please. Please sit
down.
2 Let’s go home. Let’s
wait.
1 Use imperatives to give orders or instructions.
• + imperatives = verb (base form). – imperatives = don’t + verb (base form).
• Add please to be polite: Open the door, please.

• We often use be + adjective in imperatives: Be quiet, Be careful, etc.

• Don’t use a pronoun with imperatives:Be quiet.

2 Use Let’s + verb (base form) to make suggestions.

• Use Let’s not + verb to make a negative suggestion:Let’s not wait.
3A simple present + and –

Americans like fast food.

They live in houses with yards.
My husband works from 9:00 to 5:00.
Ann has three children.
3A simple present + and –

+ –
I work. I don’t work.
You work. You don’t work.
He / She / It works. He / She / It doesn’t work.
We work. We don’t work.
You work. You don’t work.
They work. They don’t work.

• We use the simple present for things that are generally true or
that habitually happen.
• Contractions: don’t = do not, doesn’t = does not.
• To make negatives use don’t / doesn’t + verb (base form).
He doesn’t work. NOT He doesn’t works.
3A simple present + and –

spelling rules for he / she / it

I work / play / live. He works / plays / lives.
I watch / finish / go / do. She watches / finishes / goes / does.
I study. She studies.

• The spelling rules for the he / she / it forms are the same as for
the plurals (see Grammar Bank 2A).

! Be careful with some he / she / it forms

I have He has NOT He haves
I go He goes /ɡoʊz/
I do He does /dʌz/
I sayHe says /sɛz/
3B simple present ?

Do you work in an office? No, I don’t.

Does she work outside? Yes, she does.

? ✓ ✗
Do I work? I do. I don’t.
Do you work? you do. you don’t.
Does he / she / it work? Yes, he / she / it / does. No, he / she / it doesn’t.
Do we work? we do. we don’t.
Do you work? you do. you don’t.
Do they work? they do. they don’t.
3B simple present ?

• Use do (or does with he, she, it) to make questions.

! do and does
do = /du/, does = /dʌz/
Do and does can be:
1 the auxiliary verb to make simple present questions.Do you speak English? Does she
live here?
2 a normal verb.I do my homework in the evening. He does housework every day.

• The word order for simple present questions is auxiliary (do, does), subject (I,
you, he, she, etc.), base form (work, live, etc.).
3C word order in questions

Question word / phraseAuxiliary Subject Base form of verb

Do you live near here?

What doDoes your mother work?
you do?
Where does he live?
How many childrendo you have?
What kind of musicdoes she like?
Howdo you spell your last name?

• The word order for simple present questions with do and does is
auxiliary, subject, base form), e.g., Do you live here? OR
question word, auxiliary, subject, base form, e.g., Where do you live?
3C word order in questions

• We often use question phrases beginning with What, e.g.,What color…? What
size…? What make…? What time…?, etc.

! Word order in be questions

Remember the word order in questions with be.
Put be before the subject.Where are you from?
What’s your name?
Is he Japanese?
4A Whose…?, possessive ’s

1 He’s George Clooney’s father.

It’s James’s house.
2 They’re my parents’ friends.
3 Whose bag is this? It’s Maria’s.
4 The end of the movie is fantastic. I live near the city park.
1 We use ’s with a person to talk about family and possessions:
George Clooney’s mother NOT the mother of George Clooney
1. We use s’ not ’s with regular plural nouns, e.g.,They’re my parents’ friends. NOT
They’re my parent’s friends.
1. With irregular plural nouns, e.g., children, men, use ’s:the children’s
room, men’s clothes.
3 We use Whose…? to ask about possessions.
We can ask Whose is this bag? OR Whose bag is this?
You can answer It’s Maria’s bag. OR It’s Maria’s.
4A Whose…?, possessive ’s

4 We don’t usually use a thing + ’s, e.g.,the end of the movie

NOT the movie’s end
the city park NOT the city’s park.

! ’s
Be careful with ’s. It can be two things:
Maria’s mother (’s = of Maria)
Maria’s Spanish (’s = is)
Whose / Who’s
Who’s = Who is, e.g.,Who’s that girl? She’s my sister.
Whose = of who, e.g.,
Whose is this bag? It’s Jack’s.
Whose and Who’s are pronounced the same.
4B prepositions: (at, in, on, to)

Tim
e
i o a
n n
Monday t
the morning three o’clock
Tuesday (morning)
the afternoon The weekend noon / midnight
the evening lunchtim
the summer e
nigh
t
4B prepositions: (at, in, on, to)

• We use in for parts of the day and seasons.

• We use on for days.
• We use at for times of the day, night, the weekend, and festivals.

! Other uses of in and on

We also use in with months and years. e.g. in December, in 2015
We also use on with dates. e.g. on 1 January
(See Grammar Bank 7A)
4B prepositions: (at, in, on, to)

Movement and place

1 He goes to work at
8:00.
2 He has lunch at
work.He works in an
office.

1 We use to for movement or direction:She goes to the gym. NOT She

goes at the gym.
We don’t use to before home:go home NOT go to home

2 We use at and in for position.

• We use at + work, home, school.
• We use in + other places: an apartment, an office, a room, etc.
• We can use in or at with some public places: a restaurant, the movies, etc.
On Saturdays he usually has lunch in / at a restaurant.
4C adverbs and expressions of frequency

1 I always have toast for

breakfast.
Do you usually go to work by
bus? She doesn’t often go to the
movies.
They’re sometimes
late. She hardly ever watches
TV. He is never
stressed.
2 I have English classes twice a
week.
She doesn’t work every
day.
4C adverbs and expressions of frequency

1 We use adverbs of frequency to say how often you do something.

• Adverbs of frequency go before all main verbs (except be).
after be.

• Use a + verb with never and hardly ever.He never smokes. NOT He
doesn’t never smoke.

• In negative sentences the adverb of frequency goes between don’t / doesn’t

and the verb.

2 Expressions of frequency usually go at the end of a sentence or verb phrase.

5A can / can’t

1 I can sing, but I can’t

dance.
2 I can come on Tuesday, but I can’t come on Wednesday.
3 You can park here. You can’t park there.
4 Can you help me? Can I open the window?

• can + base form of verb has different meanings:

1 I can = I know how to.
I can’t = I don’t know how to.
2 I can = It’s possible for me.
I can’t = It’s impossible for me.
3 You can = It’s OK / It’s permitted.
You can’t = It’s not OK / It’s not permitted.
4 Can you…? = Please do it.
Can I…? = Is it OK if I do it?
5A can / can’t

+ –
I / You / swim. I / You / swim.
He / She / It / can come. He / She / It / can’t come.
We / They help. We / They
help.

• can and can’t are the same for all persons (I, you, he, etc.).
NOT He cans.
• Contraction: can’t = cannot.
• Don’t use to after can.
I can swim. NOT I can to swim.
5A can / can’t

? ✓
I / you / swim? Z /
I / you
Can he / she / it come? Yes, he / she / it / can.
we / they help? we / they

✗
I / you / No, he / she / it / can’t.
we / they
5B present continuous: be + verb + -ing

They’re having a party in apartment 4.

Oh no! The baby’s crying.
It’s
raining.
A What are you doing?
B I’m waiting for my brother.

• We use the present continuous for things that are happening now.

• We also use the present continuous with longer periods of time, e.g., today, this
week.
I’m working at home this week because my daughter’s not feeling well.
5B present continuous: be + verb + -ing

+ –
I’m I’m not
You’re You aren’t
He / She / It ’s He / She / It isn’t having a party.
We’re We aren’t
They’re They aren’t
5B present continuous: be + verb + -ing

? ✓ ✗
Am I I am. I’m not.
Are you you are. you aren’t.
Is he / she / it having a party? Yes, he / she / it is. No, he / she / it isn’t.
Are we we are. we aren’t.
Are they they are. they aren’t.

spelling rules for the -ing form

Infinitive verb + -ing spelling
cook cooking add -ing
study studying
dance dancing e + -ing
shop shopping one vowel + one consonant =
double consonant + -ing
5C simple present or present continuous?
simple present present continuous
My sister works in a bank. Today she’s working at home.
What do you usually wear to work? What are you wearing now?
It rains a lot here in the spring. Look! It’s raining.

• We use the simple present to say what we usually do, or things that are
normally true.
• We often use the simple present with adverbs and expressions of frequency, e.g.,
always, often, once a week, etc.
• We use the present continuous to say what is happening now.
• We often use the present continuous with right now, today, this week.
5C simple present or present continuous?
! What do you do? or What are you doing?
A What do you do? (= What’s your job?)
B I’m a teacher.
A What are you doing? (= now, at the moment)
B I’m waiting for a friend.
6A object pronouns: me, you, him, etc.

subject pronoun object pronoun

I me Can you help me?
you you I know you.
he him She isn’t in love with him.
she her He calls her every day.
it it I don’t like it.
we us Wait for us!
they them Call them this evening.
6A object pronouns: me, you, him, etc.

• Pronouns take the place of

•nouns.
We use subject pronouns when the noun is the subject of a verb (i.e.,
the person who does the action):
John is a doctor. He lives in Chicago.
• We use object pronouns when the noun is the object of a verb (i.e., the
person who receives the action):
Anna meets John. She invites him to a concert.
• Object pronouns go after the verb:
I love you. NOT I you love.
• We also use object pronouns after prepositions (with, to, from, etc.):
Listen to me! I’m in love with her. NOT I’m in love with she.
6B like (+ verb + -ing)

☺ ☺ I love shopping.
☺ I like going to the movies.
 I don’t mind getting up early.
☹ I don’t like doing housework.
☹ ☹ I hate driving at night.

• We use verb + -ing after like, love, don’t mind, and hate.
spelling rules for the -ing form
base form verb + -ing spelling

Cook cooking add -ing

Study studying
Dance dancing e + -ing
Shop shopping one vowel + one consonant =
double consonant + -ing
6C be or do?

be
1 Hi.
I’m Jim.
She isn’t very
friendly.
Are you
Brazilian?
2 I can’t talk. I’m
driving.
They aren’t working
today.
Is it
raining?
1 We use be as a main
verb.
2 We also use be to form the present continuous. Be here is an
auxiliary verb.
6C be or do?

do / does
Do you speak English?
Where do they live?
They don’t have children.

Does your sister have a job?

What does your father do?
Alan doesn’t like jazz.

• We use do / does and don’t / doesn’t to make questions and

negatives in the simple present.
• Remember the word order for simple present questions:
auxiliary, subject, base form OR question word, auxiliary, subject,
base form. (see Grammar Bank 3C).
6C be or do?

! do as a main verb
Remember, we also use do as a main verb.
I’m doing my homework.
Does he do the housework?