To be

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1 Be: Present Simple (1)
1 Here are some examples of be in the Present
Simple: This is my brother. He’s ten years old. I’m a student. These are my books. They aren’t at home. They’re at the theatre.
Tenses: present

4 We use be:
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2 We form the Present Simple of be like this: positive FULL FORM SHORT FORM
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to say who we are: I’m Steve and this is my friend Bill. We’re from Scotland. I’m Janet and these are my sisters. This is Sandra and this is Patricia. Sandra and Patricia are doctors. to talk about the weather: It’s cold today. It’s a beautiful day. It’s usually hot here It isn’t very warm today. to talk about the time: It’s ten o’clock. It’s half past four. You’re late! to talk about places: Milan is in the north of Italy. John and Mary are in Yorkshire. to talk about people’s ages: My sister is six years old.

Singular

Plural

I am you are he/she/it is we are you are they are
FULL FORM

I’m you’re he’s/she’s/it’s we’re you’re they’re
SHORT FORM

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negative
Singular I am not you are not he/she/it is not we are not you are not they are not I’m not you aren’t he/she/it isn’t we aren’t you aren’t they aren’t
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Plural

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3 In speech, we usually use the short forms:
She’s my sister. I’m from Italy. He’s my brother. They’re German.

Practice
A Maria is from Brazil. She is writing about herself and her family. Put full forms of be in the gaps.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

I am a student from Brazil. My parents are not (not) rich. My father a teacher. My mother (not) Brazilian. She from America. I twenty years old. My little brother two. My older brothers (not) students. They in the army. It often very hot in Brazil.

Gram to g mar

EE fr FR

o!

om

PAGE 2 • TENSES: PRESENT

Oxford Practice Grammar Basic

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press

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B Now fill these gaps. This