The am, is, are rule for children becomes one of the first difficulties in learning English grammar. In fact, there is nothing difficult in this rule. The main thing is to learn the theory and practice in practice.
English verb to be
Of course, in English, the verb to be is the most basic and main. It is used much more often than other verbs. There are 3 forms of the verb to be: am, is, are.
| I | am |
| He | is |
| She | is |
| It | is |
| We | are |
| They | are |
| You | are |
Remember the rule is not difficult. In order to fully master the rule am, is, are, there is a special algorithm for children. First you need to learn all the pronouns ( I - I, he - he, she - she, it - this, we - we, they - they, you - you, you). Then you need to learn all forms of the verb to be, as well as lexical meanings. Only after this will it be easy for the child to remember which form the pronoun refers to.
The verb to be is needed in English in order to tell your name, where you are from, your profession, etc.
After the child has learned all the pronouns of the English language and the form of the verb to be , you can begin to study the short form of this verb, negative, and also short negative. To learn this rule, you need to study and learn this table.
| Normal Form (Long Form) | Short Form | Negative Form | Short Negative Form |
| I am a doctor | I'm a doctor | I am not a doctor | I'm not a doctor |
| He is a doctor | He's a doctor | He is not a doctor | He isn't a doctor |
| It is a cat | It's a cat | It is not a cat | It isn't a cat |
| We are tourists | We're tourists | We are not tourists | We aren't tourists |
| You are a singer | You're a singer | You are not a singer | You aren't a singer |
| She is from Spain | She's from spain | She is not from Spain | She isn't from Spain |
It is worth considering that in one day it is impossible to learn the complete, short and negative forms of am, is, are . For children, exercises need to be selected according to the level of study. If you have just begun to study and consolidate this rule, allow the child to do exercises using a notebook or a textbook with a written down rule. When you see that the child does not make mistakes in the exercises, close all the aids and let the child cope on his own.
You should not study all the subtleties of the forms of the verb to be on the first day. The rule must be remembered for the rest of your life, which means that every moment must be given special attention.
Examples of the use of the verb to be
The verb to be used:
- when you need to introduce yourself to a stranger:
- I am Ivan (my name is Ivan).
- His name is John (his name is John).
- I am in London (I'm in London).
- He is in Moscow (he is in Moscow).
We are in the park.
- To name someone's nationality:
- I am Russian (I am Russian).
- She is American (she is American).
- To name your profession or talk about a hobby
- He is a doctor (he works as a doctor / he is a doctor).
- I am a tourist (I am a tourist).
- We are teachers (we are teachers / We work as teachers).
The verb to be is very widely used in English. During the study of this foreign language, the verb to be will accompany your child all the time. That is why the rule am, is, are for children is so important, it must be remembered once and for all.
Exercises to consolidate the study of the verb to be
Consolidating the study of the verb to be (am, is, are) - exercises for children. The English language must be constantly fixed in practice. For this, both live communication and grammar exercises will help.
Exercise number 1.
Task: Insert the necessary form of the verb to be in the pass.
1. I _ a teacher.
2. He _ a tourist.
3. My name _ Roma.
4. Kate _ a doctor.
5. They _ actors.
Correct answers: am, is, is, is, are.
Exercise number 2.
Task: Translate into English, use the short form of the verb to be .
1. He is from Spain.
2. She works as a singer.
3. We are not in France.
4. My name is Alina.
5. She is not a tourist.
6. My father works as a driver.
7. They do not live in Australia.
8. My mother does not work as a doctor.
9. I do not work as a teacher.
10. We live in Russia.
Answers:
1. He's from Spain.
2. She's a singer.
3. We aren't in France.
4. I'm Alina / My name's Alina.
5. She isn't a tourist.
6. My father's a driver.
7. They aren't live in Australia.
8. My mother isn't a doctor.
9. I'm not a teacher.
10. We're live in Russia.
Exercise number 3.
Task: Select am, is or are .
1. I _ very friendly.
2. My mother _ very busy.
3. My friends _ very funny.
4. My teachers _ very kind.
5. I _ American.
6. He _ from Italy.
7. I _ not very good pupil.
Answers: am, is, are, are, am, is, am.
You must constantly train to remember the use of the forms am, is, are . Exercises for children help to understand all the intricacies of using these forms.