1. The Use of To Be before Nouns, Adjectives, And Prepositional Phrases
We use to be Present Simple, is, am, are, before nouns, adjectives, or prepositional phrases. Look at the following examples.
Noun: I am a youtuber.
Adjective: He is famous.
Prepositional phrase: My mother is inthe kitchen.
As you can see, youtuber is a noun. Famous is an adjective, and in the kitchen is a prepositional phrase.
2. To Be Present Simple Examples
The second thing you should know about To Be is the right examples of using them in sentences. Look at more examples of to be Present Tense in sentences. Pay close attention to the underlined word/words before to be. So, you know how to use it correctly in sentences. Make sure you can produce your sentences correctly.
She is my sister.
You are not my competitor.
Is John good-looking?
Yes, he is very handsome.
Are you in the bathroom?
Who is beside your sister?
He is her boyfriend.
Are you a doctor?
How are you?
Where is George?
3. To Be Present Simple and Pronouns
The third thing is the agreement between the subjects, which are pronouns in this case, and the to be. Different pronouns use different to be.
Pronouns
To Be
I you he she it we they
am
are
is
is
are
are
4. To Be and Sentence Subject
The fourth thing you should understand is the use of to be before singular or plural nouns. Singular subjects use is, while plural subjects use are.
Examples:
Kabayan is an artist. (Kabayan: singular)
Kabayan and I are busy with our fans. (Kabayan and I: plural)
5. To Be in Negative Sentences and Questions
The last thing you should know to master to be is to understand how you form negative sentences and questions. We form the negative sentences by placing not after the to be.
Examples:
I am a singer. 👉 I am not a singer.
She is an actress. 👉 She is not a actress.
You are smart. 👉 You are not smart.
Pay attention to the short form of to be in the sentences below.
I’m not a singer.
She isn’t an actress.
You aren’t smart.
We form questions by placing the to be before the subject.
Examples:
He is sick today. 👉 Is he sick today?
Jack is angry. 👉 Is Jack angry? 👉 Why is Jack angry?
The answers for the questions are as follows:
Is he sick today? Yes, he is./No, he isn’t./I don’t know.
Is Jack angry? Yes, he is./No, he isn’t./I don’t know.
Those are five things you should know about to be simple present if you want to master English. Don’t forget to do the exercises below. You know we also provide you with the answers. Don’t cheat!
To Be Present Simple Exercises
Exercise I
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the Present Tense of to be.
He …..a singer.
I …. a teacher.
Raul …..absent from school today.
The house …. expensive.
Jack and Jim …best friends.
She and I ….sisters.
Mr. Budiman …sick today.
Mr. Brown …a lawyer.
Yani and John …..both good workers.
My father ….at home now.
The weather ….fine today.
They …happy with the maid.
Todd … my new friend.
Today ….Thursday.
The city …. crowded.
Exercise II
Change the following sentences to negative.
He is a smart boy. 👉 …………………………
They are in London now. 👉 ………………..
Mary and Susan are sisters. 👉 ……………
She is very happy. 👉 ……………………………
They are my classmates. .. 👉………………..
He is a good footballer. 👉 …………………..
It is warm today. 👉 …………………………….
The Quran is always on my desk. 👉 ……………..
He is a tall handsome boy. 👉 ……………..
It is windy today. 👉 …………………………….
Both brothers are well-known. 👉 ………………..
Mr. Black is a policeman. 👉 ……………….
It is an expensive car. 👉 …………………….
The boy is my new friend. 👉 ……………..
The cat is on the table. 👉 ……………………
Exercise III
Change all the sentences in exercise I to questions.
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