1.3: Grammar
- Page ID
- 172157
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Grammar Focus
Subject Pronouns
Affirmative Form: Subject Pronoun + Be (am/ is/ are)
| Subject | Verb (Be) | Complement |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | a student. |
| He | is | a doctor. |
| She | is | a professor. |
| It | is | a city. |
| We | are | classmates. |
| You (singular subject) | are | an engineer. |
| You (plural subject) | are | engineers. |
| They | are | employees. |
Subject pronouns are at the beginning of a sentence. We use subject pronouns to replace people, things, objects, or animals.
Examples
- Tom is a new student. He is in my class.
- Ms. Pham is my teacher. She teaches math.
- Hung and Nga are coworkers. They live in San Jose.
Negative Form: Subject Pronoun + Be (am/ is/ are) + not
Use “not” after the verb Be to make sentences become negative.
Examples
- Jet Li is a famous Chinese actor, but he is not a singer.
- Rabbani and I are not in ESL classes. We are in math classes.
- Listening to music is not my hobby.
Interrogative: Yes/No Questions
Examples
- Am I in this class? - Yes, you are./ No, you aren't.
- Is Shea at home today? - Yes, she is./ No, she isn't.
- Is Peter a new student? - Yes, he is./ No, he isn't.
- Are they from Mexico? - Yes, they are./ No, they aren't.
Interrogative: Wh- Questions
Wh- questions start with what, who, why, when, where, etc.
Wh-word + BE (Am/ Is/ Are) + Subject ...?
Examples
- Where are they from? They are from Brazil.
- What is your first name? My first name is Christopher.
- When is your class? My class is at 10 o'clock.
Contraction Forms
| Positive | Positive Contraction | Negative | Negative Contraction |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am | I'm | I am not | I'm not |
| He is | He's | He is not | He isn't |
| She is | She's | She is not | She isn't |
| We are | We're | We are not | We aren't |
| You are | You're | You are not | You aren't |
| They are | They're | They are not | They aren't |
Examples
- The store isn't far from downtown.
- Minh isn't a plumber.
- Broccoli and lettuce aren't fruit.
- I'm not a teacher.
Possessive Adjectives
| Subject Pronouns | Possessive Adjectives (+ Noun) |
|---|---|
| I | My (+ name) |
| He | His (+ parents) |
| She | Her (+ major) |
| It | Its (+ color) |
| We | Our (+ class) |
| You (singular and plural) | Your (+ city) |
| They | Their (+ apartment) |
Examples
- My name is Sandra Chen.
- His parents are from a small town.
- Her major is accounting.
- Its color is blue.
- Our class is on the first floor.
- Your city is beautiful.
- Their apartment is small.
Grammar Practice
Practice 1
Directions: Choose the correct answer for the verb Be (am, is, are).
Example: My brother am/ is/ are an engineer.
- My mom am/ is/ are a nurse.
- My mom and dad am/ is/ are friendly people.
- Their wedding am/ is/ are on Saturday
- My friends am/ is/ are from a small town.
- I am/ is/ are usually at school in the morning.
- Hung and Le am/ is/ are our classmates.
- Mary am/ is/ are in high school.
- She am/ is/ are very busy at work.
- Our parents am/ is/ are business people.
- The children am/ is/ are in the park on weekends.
Practice 2
Directions: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb BE (am, is, are).
- He ______________ (not) from China.
- I ______________ a cashier.
- She ______________ late for class.
- They ______________ (not) hungry.
- You ______________ busy.
- It ______________ (not) dark now.
- We ______________ students.
- Kit ______________ (not) a teacher.
- Susan and Pablo ______________ (not) engineers.
- My teacher ______________ from Mexico.
Practice 3
Directions: Complete the sentences with a correct possessive adjective: my, his, her, its, our, your, their
Example: Bill makes his own lunch every day.
- Mary likes to spend time with ______________ brothers.
- Brian is feeding ______________ new puppy.
- Linda and Tom love visiting ______________ children.
- Daniel and Lisa like to play games on ______________ laptop.
- Lisa enjoys going out with ______________ cousins.
- My dad often washes ______________ car.
- My brother and I enjoy ______________ new apartment.
- My friends work at a restaurant. They like ______________ job.
- My aunt and uncle work in ______________ garden every day.
- Jenny always finishes ______________ homework before going to bed.
Practice 4
Directions: Complete these sentences with a correct subject pronoun and possessive adjective with your own information. Then practice with a partner.
Hello! Nice to meet you. My name is (1) ______________. (2) ______________ am from (3) ______________. (4) ______________ family lives in (5) ______________. (6) ______________ father is a/an (7) ______________, and (8) ______________ mother is a/an (9) ______________. I study at Evergreen Valley College. (10) ______________ classmates are nice and friendly.
Directions: Work with a group of 3 students. Take turns introduce each other.
Hello! Nice to meet you. I’d like to introduce my new classmate. His/ Her name is (1) ______________ . (2) ______________ is from (3) ______________. (4) ______________ family lives in (5) ______________. (6) ______________ father is a/an (7) ______________, and (8) ______________ mother is a/an (9) ______________. He/ She studies at Evergreen Valley College. (10) ______________ classmates are nice and friendly.