English Grammar Exercises: Mastering the Verb “To Be”
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks with Am, Is, or Are
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb “to be”.
- The weather is very nice.
- I am not tired.
- This case is very heavy.
- These cases are very heavy.
- The dog is asleep.
- Look! There is Carol.
- I am hot. Can you open the window, please?
- This castle is one thousand years old.
- My brother and I are good tennis players.
- Ann is at home but her children are at school.
- I am a student. My sister is an architect.
Exercise 2: Sentence Construction with Am/Is/Are
Write full sentences using the prompts and the correct form of the verb “to be”.
- (my shoes very dirty) My shoes are very dirty.
- (my bed very comfortable) My bed is very comfortable.
- (your cigarettes in your bag) Your cigarettes are in your bag.
- (I not very happy today) I am not very happy today.
- (this restaurant very expensive) This restaurant is very expensive.
- (the shops not open today) The shops are not open today.
- (Mr. Kelly’s daughter six years old) Mr. Kelly’s daughter is six years old.
- (the houses in this street very old) The houses in this street are very old.
- (the examination not difficult) The examination is not difficult.
- (those flowers very beautiful) Those flowers are very beautiful.
Exercise 3: Positive and Negative Sentences
Write positive or negative sentences using am/am not/is/isn’t/are/aren’t.
- (Paris/ the capital of France) Paris is the capital of France.
- (I/ interested in football) I am not interested in football.
- (I/ hungry) I am not hungry.
- (It/ warm today) It is warm today.
- (Rome/ in Spain) Rome is not in Spain.
- (I/ afraid of dogs) I am not afraid of dogs.
- (my hands/ cold) My hands are cold.
- (Canada/ a very big country) Canada is a very big country.
- (the Amazon/ in Africa) The Amazon is not in Africa.
- (diamonds/ cheap) Diamonds are not cheap.
- (motor-racing/ a dangerous sport) Motor-racing is a dangerous sport.
- (cats/ big animals) Cats are not big animals.
Exercise 4: Question Formation with Am/Is/Are
Write questions using the prompts and the correct form of the verb “to be”.
- (your mother at home?) Is your mother at home?
- (your parents at home?) Are your parents at home?
- (this hotel expensive?) Is this hotel expensive?
- (you interested in art?) Are you interested in art?
- (the shops open today?) Are the shops open today?
- (the park open today?) Is the park open today?
Exercise 5: More Question Formation
Write questions using the prompts and the correct form of the verb “to be”.
- (what color your car?) What color is your car?
- (where my key?) Where is my key?
- (where my socks?) Where are my socks?
- (how old your father?) How old is your father?
- (what color his eyes?) What color are his eyes?
- (why John angry with me?) Why is John angry with me?
- (who your favorite actor?) Who is your favorite actor?
- (why you always late?) Why are you always late?
Exercise 6: Name Questions
Write questions using the prompts and the correct form of the verb “to be”.
- (Paul) Is his name Paul?
- (Diana) Is her name Diana?
- (Vince) Is his name Vince?
- (Joanne) Is her name Joanne?
- (Jack) Is his name Jack?
- (Sally) Is her name Sally?
Exercise 7: Introduction Questions and Answers
Complete the dialogues with the correct questions and answers.
- What’s your name? My name’s Mark.
- What’s his name? His name’s Sandy.
- Is he Mark Ellis? Yes, he is. Mark Ellis.
- Is your name Diana? No, I’m not Diana, I’m Ann.
- What is her name? Her name’s Jane.
- Is your name Ronald? No, it isn’t Ronald. It’s Gerald.
- What is your address? 14, King Street, Bournemouth.
- What is your phone number? 805 9866.
- What is your room number? Room 202.
Exercise 8: Nationalities
Write sentences about people’s nationalities using the prompts and the correct form of the verb “to be”.
- They/ Italian/ Spanish They aren’t Italian. They are Spanish.
- We/ English/ American We are not English. We are American.
- She/ Japanese/ Chinese She is not Japanese. She is Chinese.
- He/ Spanish/ Brazilian He is not Spanish. He is Brazilian.
- We/ Italian/ French We are not Italian. We are French.
- They/ American/ British They are not American. They are British.
- She/ Danish/ Swedish She is not Danish. She is Swedish.
- I/ American/ Canadian I am not American. I am Canadian.
Exercise 9: Origin and Location Questions
Complete the dialogues with the correct questions and answers.
- Where are you from? I’m from Japan.
- Are you British? No, I’m not British. I’m Chilean.
- What is her address? Her address is 29, Addison Road.
- Where are you from? We’re from the States.
- Are you Chilean? That’s right. Chilean.