35 Present simple of be

This is Kevin Spacey. He's an actor.

But he isn 't British, he's American.
His shows are very popular.

1 Form
POSITIVE SHORT FORM

am I'm
He/ She/ It is He's / She's/It's
We are English. We 're from Cuba.
You are You're
They are They're

NEGATIVE SHORT FORM

am not I'm not

He/Sh e/It isn't
He/Sh e/It is not
He's /Sh e's /It's not
British. French.
We are not We aren 't/ We 're not
You are no t You aren 't / You're not
They are not They aren't/Th ey're not

NATURAL ENGLISH We use short fo rms (I'm , I'm not, You're, etc.) when we are speakin g to
someone and in informal writing.
cm Pronunciation ~ 1.10

2 Use
We u se the verb be
• to describ e people and things:
Th is is my brother. We aren't teachers, we're students.
My car is Japanese. My sisters are both married.
A )< I not l1'I61rricd. ./ I'm not ma/Tied.
• to talk about our feelings or ideas:
We're all tired and hungry. This book is boring. His shows are very popular.
• to describe position an d time:
My flat's close to the city centre. It's two o'clock.
Use be not have
)< ! h61vc cold. ./ I'm cold ..
)< f h61'/C hungry. ./ I'm hungly.
)< He h61s six YC61rs old. ./ He's six years old.

there + be ~ Unit 75 it + be ~ Unit 76.1

86

I
 Practice
1 Write sentences with forms of be. Use the words below. ctJmD listen and check.

o Angela not a student .A.fJ3~~(i(.. i.f.~t. . q( ..f.~!1-ff~I1t.. ..... .. .......... .. ....... ..... .... ... .. .... ... .. .. ..... ...... ...... ..
1 My brother married ................. .. .......... ... .... .... .... ... ................. .. .... ... ... ... ...... .. ..... ................ .
2 Our house near the bus stop .... ...... .. ................... .. .................. .. .... .............. ... ........... .. ..... .. ..
3 I very hungry .... ... .. ... .... ... .... .. ....... ........... .. ....... ......... .. ... ...... .... ... ... ... .. .. .. ........ ........ ...... ... .. .
4 We not Canadian ............ .. ... .. ....... .... .... ... .. .......... .. .... .. ..... .... .... .. ..... .... ... .. ... ... ......... ... ........ .
5 The bank close to the station ... .. ..... .... ......... .. .... .. .... ... ..... .. ...... .. ....... .... .. ... .. .. .. ....... .... .. .... ..
6 I not an English teacher ....... .... ... .. .. .. ..... ... .... .. .. ...... ... .. .. ... .... .. ... ..... .... ... .. .... .... .. ... ... ... .. ... .. ..
7 It time for lunch now ......... ..... ...... ............. .. .. ..... .. .................. .. .... ........ ... ...... ... ... .... .. ........ .
8 Those magazines not very interesting .... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... ... ..... .. ... .. ...... .. ..... ...... ......... .... .. ..... ..

2 Read the information. Write sentences about these famous people.

Use short forms where possible. ctJmD listen and check.
comedian actors
not American very rich
from Ontario, Canada
not married ,
r:;• American
not from New York
171 metres tall
very funny

o Mike Myers is a ..co.m.:e4ilif~....... ............ . 6 Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox

1 He's .. .. ........ ........ ..... .... ..... ........ ... ....... .. .... .
2 ... .. .. ... ... .. .... .. .. .. ..... .. .. .. .. ... ... ... .. ... .... ....... .. 7 ..... .. ...... .. ... .......... .... ................ .... ............ .
3 8
4 but ........ .. ..... .. ............. .. ........................ .
5 .......... ..... .......... .. ... ...... .... ..... ... .. ... .. ..... ...... .

3 GRAMMAR IN USE There are six more mistakes in the text. Find and correct them.

Michvtel MVlSOf1.- ~ my best frieMd. His Aust rVlLiVlf1.- VlMd he Vlm Vlf1.- Vlctor.
His Vl very 300d Vlctor - but he VU1t very jVlWl-OUS. He's twef'l.-ty-six VlMd
he WI-Vlrried. MichvteL VlMd his wife VU1t Vlre very rich, but they is hvtppy.
MichvteL's very frieMdLy VlMd jL{~y. He Vl rCVlLLy ~e persof1.- is!

4 Write about your best friend. Write three or four sentences like the examples in Exercise 3.

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 36 Questions
with be

He's Andrea Bocelli.

1 Form

Yes / No QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS

Am I Yes, I am. No, I'm not.

Is he/she/it Yes, he/she/it is. No, he/she/it isn't. No, he's /she 's /it's not.
Are we late? Yes, we are. No, we aren't/ we're not.
Are you Yes, you are. No, you aren't/you're not.
Are they Yes, they are. No, they aren't/they 're not.

Wh- QUESTIONS
Where am I?
Who are you?
What is ('s) your j ob?
How old is ('s) your brother?

cm Pronunciation >- 1.11

2 Use
We use be to ask about
• names, nationality, jobs and family:
What's your name? Is Sandra Canadian? Are they doctors? Is she married?
• feelings:
Are you hungry? How are you? Is she happy?
• position and time:
Where is it? Is your house near here? What time is it? Am I late?
A In questions, we put the verb be before the subject of the sentence:
X YOH aFe hHngry? .I Are you hungry?
X What YOHr job is? .I What's your job?

3 Short answe rs
We usually use the short form of the verb in short answers with no:
Is he British? No, he isn't.
A We don't use the short form of the verb in short answers with yes:
X K?s the(Fe.
Are those people students? / v: ' th
" ifS, ey are.
A We use pronouns, not nouns, in short answers:
? X K?s, my hOHse is.
Is your house near here. / v: "t'
" Ies, I IS.
X K?s, Garrie and Kapl are.
Are Carrie and Karl married? /
" Yes, they are.

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88
 Practice
1 Write questions. Use the words below.

o you / English / or / Scottish Are.'y~u,. {:"Y~f..r.I:rJr:.5.~.~tticrhL ... ....................... ....... ... ... .
00 where / your / house .Wk.<;-re..icr.yp.u,r..kqL1-f.~? .. .... .......... .. ........ ....... .. ... ........ .... .. ..... ....... .. .. ...
1 Maria / a / student .......... .... .. .... ........ .... .... ........................ ..... ... .......... .. ..... .................. .. .... .
2 your / brothers / married .... .. .... .. ..... .. .... ..... .... .... .... ...... ................... .. .... ... ...... .. .... .. .. ....... ..
3 where / the / post office .... .. .................. .... ......... .. ......... .. ... ..... ..... .. .. .. .................... ..... .. ... ..
4 1/ early ..... ........ .......... ......... .. ... ...... .. .. ..... ..... .. .. .. ................... ....... ..... ......... ........ .... ........ ... .
5 who / your / teacher ............. .. .. ... .. .... .. .. .... .... .. ... .......... .. .. ...... ....... ....... .... .. ....................... .
6 the / station / near / here ........ .. ..... .. ........ .. .... .... ....... ...... .. ..... ... ... ... .... ... ... ........ ... .. ..... .. .... .

2 GRAMMAR IN USE Complete the conversation with forms of be.

G)fID Listen and check.

A What a lovely family photo. (0) .. Ar"" .. they your children?

B No, they (1) .. ........ ' They (2) ......... . my sister's children.
A The girl (3) .......... pretty. How old (4) .. ... .. ... she?
B She (5) .......... four.
A (6) .. ...... .. she at school?
B No, she (7) ........ ... She (8) .......... very young!
A Who (9) .......... the two people at the back?
B They (10) .... .. .... my parents.

3 Write true short answers.

o Are you American? ...N9, .. fm.xwt. ............. .. 5 Is your house in a town? ....... ... .. .. .... .... .. ..
1 Are you a student? .... ......... .. ...... .... ... .. ... .. 6 Is Eminem Australian? ..... ... .. .......... .. ..... ..
2 Are you Polish? .......... .. .. ........... .. .... ...... .. . 7 Are Mercedes cars German? .... .. ...... .. .... . ..
3 Are you married? .. ...... ............. ....... ......... . 8 Is it winter now? ...... .. ......... ... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. ..
4 Are your parents teachers? .............. .. .. .... .

4 Complete the questions and give true answers. Write complete sentences,
CEfID Listen and check.
o What ....... f..r.......... your surname?
.My.!u,r!1t'!~ . i,r .!.:9P~?:· ................... ......... ........ ... ........ .. ............. .. ..... .. .. .... .... ... .... .. ..... ....... ...... .
1 What nationality ... .... ........ .. .. you?

2 How old ... ..... .. .. .... .. . your brother/sister?

3 Where .................. . your parents at the moment?

4 What .... ... ...... ...... the name of your home town?

5 Who ... ... .. ........... your favourite singer?

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 37 Present simple (1)

1 Form
POSITIVE
I/We/You/They live in Sao Paulo.
He/She/It lives in the countryside.

We add -s or -es to the verb after he/she/it:

go --+ goes, teach --+ teaches, wash --+ washes, relax --+ relaxes
Sometimes the spelling changes:
carry --+ canies, fly --+ flies
NEGATIVE SHORT FORMS

I/We / You/ They do not big cities. I/ We / You/They don't live

like here.
He/She/It does not the countryside. He/She/It doesn't live

A After he/she/it, we use doesn't:

X He don 't like cities. ,/ He doesn't like cities.
Spelling rules for he, she, it forms >- page 316
cm Pronunciation >- 1.12

2 Use
We use the present simple
• for facts that are always true:
Water boils at 100 0 e and freezes at O°e. The Sun doesn't go round the Earth.
Some trees don't lose their leaves in winter.
• for things that we don't expect to change:
] don't live in the country; ] live in the city.
My sister doesn't work in an office; she works in a hospital.
• for feelings (e.g. feel, hate, like, love, prefer, want):
My grandfather likes the counbyside. He doesn't like the city. ] prefer ballet to opera.
• for thoughts and ideas (e.g. agree, believe, know, mean, remember, think, understand):
'] think New York is exciting. ' 'Yes,] agree.' A red light means 'Stop '. You don't understand.
Verbs that don't use the continuous form >- Unit 41.2

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90
 Practice Use the spel li ng rules to help you complete these exercises. ~ page 316

1 Write the he /she / it form of these verbs below.

+ -5 + -es (-y) + -ies ffiffJ enjoy fly

go hurry know
cvrrnu live relax take
try wash watch

2 Complete the sentences about famous people. Use the verbs in brackets 0 and short forms.
aIlfID Listen and check.
o The actor Colin Farrell is Irish but he ..... At!.?f.Jit.y!.qr.1<-. .. ... in Ireland; he
..... ....... .VIIO.r1<! .......... in Hollywood. (not work, work)
1 Film star Alicia Silvers tone .......... ... ..... ........ ..... meat; she's a vegetarian. (not eat)
2 Brad Pitt and AngelinaJolie ........................ ....... in Hollywood but they
................... ... ......... there. (work, not live)
3 Phil Collins is a famous musician but he ............................... painting and acting. (prefer)
4 The actor Russell Crowe also ............. .... .............. and ..... ...... .. ..... ............. the guitar in
an Australian band. (sing, play)
5 Nicole Kidman ............................... fruit but she .. .. ......... ... ......... ..... . strawberries.
(love, not eat)
6 Catherine Zeta-Jones .. .. .... ......... ...... ..... ... chocolate or sweets. (not like)
7 Antonio Banderas ............................... from Spain but he ...................... ... ...... films in
Europe these days. (come, not make)
8 Businessman Bill Gates is a very rich man but he ........ ....... ............ .... his children a lot
of money. (not give)

3 GRAMMAR IN USE Read about Carmen Salandras. Complete the

text with the correct verb forms. CEfm Listen and check.

My IWlme is Cvrrmel1- 5vrLvrM.drvrs. I come from Pu.erto Rico

but I dOl-tt Live there J1,OW. I Live il1- FLoridvr. I work vrt
vr bi:g kospitvrL il1- Mivrmi. It's vr fvrl1.-tvrstic job vrM.d I Love
it. Like vr Lot of people il1- FLoridvr, I spevrk Evt3Lish vrM.d
5pvrVL-ish. I'm mvrrried vrM.d my hU.-sbvrM.d's IWlme is ]u.vr11-
Al1.-toVL-Lo. We dOl-tt Live J1,eV(r the bevrch, we Live il1- vrl1-
vrpvrrtmel1.-t il1- the cel1.-tre of the city. 111- my free time, I
evtjoy cookiM!J - I try to cook hevrLthy food for my fvrmiLy.

Carmen Salandras (0) .....c9.w.tY. .... . from Puerto Rico but she (1) ................... there now.
She (2) ...... ............. in Florida. She (3) ............... .... at a big hospital in Miami. She
(4) ................... her job. Carmen (S) .......... ... ... .. . English and Spanish. She is married and
her husband's name is Juan Antonio. They (6) ................... near the beach, they live in an
apartment in the centre of the city. In her free time, Carmen (7) ...... ........ ... .. cooking and
she (8) .. .. ......... ..... . to cook healthy food for her family.

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 38

! I

1 Form
Yes / No QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS

Do I/ we/you/they Yes, I/ we/you/they do. No, I/ we/you/ they do not (don't).

work here?
Does he /she/it Yes, he/she/it does. No, he/she/it does not (doesn't).

Wh- QUESTIONS

When / Wha t time I/we/you/ they get up ?

How often do
come?
What does he /she/it do on Sundays?

A We don't add -s to the main verb in questions and negatives.

X Where does he works? ,/ Where does he work?

2 Use
We use the present simple for things that happen regularly:
David goes to work by bus. The bus stops outside his house.
'Do you drink a lot of coffee?' 'Yes, I do, but my parents only drink tea.'
When we talk about when or how often we do regular activities we can use
• time expressions (e.g. every day/evening/weekend, at the weekend, on Mondays/Sundays,
once a week/month/year):
Do you come here every day? I go on holiday once a year.
A Look at the word order:
,/ On Sundays, we go to our grandparents' house for lunch.
,/ We go to our grandparents' house for lunch on Sundays.
X We ge on Sundays te our grrmdparents' house for lunch .
• adverbs of frequency (e.g. never, often, always). We usually put these BEFORE the verb:
We usually start at eight o'clock.
'Do you drive to work?' 'No, we always take public transport. We never drive.'
A With the verb be we put the adverb AFTER the verb:
X She often is late. ,/ She's often late.
Adverbs and word order >- Unit 28
cm Pronunciation >- 1.1 3

92
 Practice
1 GRAMMAR IN USE Choose the correct words in italics in the text.

I (0) get up always I(always get uilJat seven

0' clock. My husband (1) work I works in a
restaurant so he (2) get up I gets up much later.
I (3) don't eat I doesn't eat breakfast, I just
I i

drink a cup of coffee. I drive to the office and I

(4) usually am I am usually at my desk by nine 0' clock.
When I arrive, I (5) check I checks my email messages.
After that, my assistant and I (6) visit I visits one of our
buildings and (7) talks I talk to the builders. Then we
Alexandra Wilson (8) go I goes for lunch. We (9) doesn't eat I don't eat very much, just

is an architect in a salad or a sandwich. In the afternoon I work at the

Sydney, Australia. computer and my clients often (10) calls I call me on the phone.
I (11) finishes I finish work at six. In the evenings I like to relax
She tells us about by watching TV - I (12) work never I never work at home. But my
a typical day in her husband (13) doesn't finish I don't finish before ten 0' clock. So we
busy life. (14) don't see I doesn't see each other very much! _

2 GRAMMAR IN USE Complete the conversation with the correct words from the box.
CDB Listen and check.
A Do you (0) .... Y'!.0-lr:h-...... TV during the day? do (x3) does doesn't
B No, I (1) ................... ; I work during the day. don't like likes never
sometimes wutffi
A What about the evenings? Do you watch TV then?
B Yes, I (2) ................... .
A What programmes (3) ................... you like?
B 1(4) ................... films and comedy shows best. But I (5) .... ... .... ... .. .. . watch the news -
it's boring.
A (6) ................... you watch TV on your own or with members of your family?
B Well, I (7) ................... watch TV with my sister, but not very often. She
(8) ......... .. ........ dramas and music programmes.
A (9) ................... she watch the news?
B No, she (10) .......... .. .. .. ... .

3 Use the verbs below to write questions. Then write true answers. CFlf!lD Listen and check.

o what time / you / get up . w.hqt..t.i.~..0.q,yo.lA.:3.et..0-p?J..0!u,.qUY3.e;r0-p .C1t.?..3.o. .................. .

00 you / work / in an office .D..o,yq.£:!: . }\i~rl<..jl1c. C1f1:..offi..ce?tJo,..fYVi-..Ci!..st.£:!:0.eYli. ......... .. .... ... ........... .
1 what / you / have / for breakfast ... ...... ... ... ............. .... ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... .... .... .. .. .... .. .... ..... .. .. .... .
2 how often / you / watch TV ........................ .. ..... ..... .. ............. .. .... ....... .. .... ..... .. .. .... ........... ..
3 you / visit / friends / at the weekend ................ .. .......... ....... ... ........... .. ................ ... ... ....... ..
4 your family / go to the beach / in summer ....... .. .......... .... .......... .. .... ... .................. .. .. .. ...... .
5 you / often / go to bed / late ............................. .. .... .. ........... .. .......... .... .. ..... .......... ..... .. ... ..
6 how often / your best friend / phone you ... .. .. ..... ... .. ... .. ... .. .... .... .... .. .. ................. .. .......... ..

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