Escuche, repita y aprenda:

is not /iz nt/, isnt /znt/ ; are not /a:r nt/, arent /:rent/;
here /har/ aqu; there /ar/ all; over there /uver ar/ all

I am not a pilot. /pilot/

They are not students /sti:dnts/.
He is not here /har/.
They are not there /(ar/
It is not a train. /trin/
Bob is not very well /vri wl/
The students are not in the lab /lb/.

---------------------------They arent students.

He isnt here.
They arent there.
It isnt a train.
He isnt very well.
They arent in the lab.

Im not a pilot
Theyre not students.
Hes not here.
Theyre not there.
Its not a train.
Hes not very well.
Theyre not in the lab.

Escuche, repita y aprenda estas preguntas y respuestas:

Is this a pen? /pn/
Is that a tank? /tk/
Are these books? /bks/
Are those chairs? /tcharz/

No, it isnt. (Its not a pen.) Its a pencil. /pnsl/

No, it isnt. (Its not a tank.) Its a truck. /trk/
No, they arent. (Theyre not books.) Theyre magazines. /mgazinz/
No, they arent. (Theyre not chairs). Theyre tables /tiblz/.

3. La forma interrogativa se expresa mediante simple inversin de orden con el sujeto de la oracin.
Am I? /am ai/
Are you? /:r i:/
Is he? /z h:/
Is she? /z sh:/
Is it? /z it/

Arent I? * /:rent ai /
Arent you? /:rent iu:/
Isnt he? /znt hi:/
Isnt she? /znt shi:/
Isnt it? /znt it/

Are we? /:r w:/

Are you? /:r i:/

Arent we? /:rent wi:/

Arent you? /:rent i:/

Are they? /:r ei/

Arent they? /.rent ei/

Debido a que no existe una contraccin para AM NOT, habitualmente se usa ARENT en este caso. En
conversacin coloquial se usa la contraccin AINT /int/ Ejemplo: Arent I your friend? Aint I your friend?

Escuche, repita y aprenda:

Am I right? /m i rit/ Estoy correcto?
Are you all right? /.r iu: :l rit/ Ests bien?
Is he a captain? /z hi: a kptin/ Es l un capitn?
Are they busy? /:r ei bzi/ Estn ellos ocupados?
Is my answer correct? /z mai :nser korkt/

Arent I right? /:rent ai rit/ No estoy en lo cierto?

Arent you tired? /:rent iu tiard/ No ests cansado?
Isnt she a nurse? /znt shi. a ne:rs/ No es ella una enfermera?
Arent they happy? /:rent ei hpi/ No estn ellos felices?
Isnt this question correct? /znt is kwstchion korkt/

EXERCISES
Ex. 1. Use the correct form of the verb TO BE (am/is/are)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The teacher ______ in the classroom now.

John and Mary _____ good friends.
The men ______ tired.
Those vehicles______ slow-moving.(vehculos lentos)
Those weapons ______ powerful. (armas-poderosas)

6. Doctor Smith _____ busy right now.

7. The train _____ ten minutes late.
8. ______ an undergraduate student.
9. The instructors name _____ John Doe.
10. The instructors _____ in the staff-room. (sala de profs.)

Ex. 2. Answer these questions, as in the example

Is Tom a pilot?
1. Are you in the ofce?
2. Is that man Mr. Clark?
3. Are we ready to go?
4. Am I a good instructor?
5. Are the students in class?
6. Is Miss Jones a secretary?
7. Is this a modern plane?
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A short course in english for adult students

Yes, he is. Hes a pilot.

Yes,_____________ _______________________________________
Yes,_____________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________

8. Are the manuals updated?(actualizados)

9. Is the bank open?
10.Are you hungry? (hambriento)

________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________

Ex. 3. Answer the questions as in the example:

Are they instructors? (students)
1. Are the boys angry? enojados (hungry) hambrientos
2. Are you thirsty? sedientos (hungry)
3. Is Bob at home? en casa (at work) en el trabajo
4. Are the children happy? felices (sad) tristes
5. Is your brother a doctor? (an engineer)
6. Are your friends American? (British)
7. Are you a navy ofcer?(an army ofcer)
8. Is the table clean? limpia (dirty) sucia
9. Are the men old? viejos (young) jvenes
10.Is Cpt. Bowman on duty? de servicio (off duty) de franco

No, they are not. (They arent instructors)

They re students
No, _________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________

Ex. 4 Ask questions, as in the example below:

The Browns - at home
1. The manager / in his ofce
2. Peter and John / in class
3. The course / interesting
4. Your friends / from Canada
5. The computer / connected to Internet
6. The package / light or heavy (liviano o pesado)
7. The pictures / clear (ntidas, claras)
8. The children / in the playground.(patio)
9. The CDs / in the drawer (gaveta)
10. The maps / in the library (biblioteca)

Are the Browns at home?

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Ex. 5. Ask questions using the wh-words What?, Who?, Where?, How?, as in the example:
Its a plane.
1. Its a knife
2. Theyre books
3. The cigarettes are in the bag
4. Im ne, thanks
5. The cats under the sofa
6. Its a chair
7. That boys my brother
8. The books are on the table
9. The children are tired
10.That womans my wife

Whats this? o Whats that?

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
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A short course in english for adult students

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Ex. 6. Complete and practise these dialogues with a partner.

1. Robert
Jack
Robert
Jack

:
:
:
:

How do you do? My name ______ Robert Brown.

How do you do? My name ______ Jack Richardson. Where ______ you from, Mr. Brown?
I ______ American. I ______ from Appleton, Wisconsin.
Oh. That ______ very interesting.

2. Frank
John
Frank
John
Frank

:
:
:
:
:

Hello. My name ______ Frank. What ______ your name?

My name ______ John. How ______ you?
I ______ ne, thanks. ______ you a student here?
No, I ______ not. I ______ an instructor.
Oh. Pleased to meet you, Sir.

3. Peter
Michael
Peter
Michael
Peter
Michael
Peter
Michael

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

Hello, Mike
Hello, Peter. Who______ that girl?
She ______ Mary. She ______ a new student.
Where ______ she from?
She ______ from Australia.
______ she single?
No, she ______ ______. She ______ married.
Oh. Thats bad news.

4. Jack
Jim
Jack
Jim

:
:
:
:

Where ______ you, Jim?

I ______ here, in the library.
______ you alone?
No, I ______ ______. I ______ with my friend Janet. Come and meet her.
(pausa)
This ______ Janet. She ______ my classmate . She ______ from London.
Hello, I ______ glad to meet you, Jane. How ______ you?
I ______ ne, Jack. Im glad to meet you, too.

Jim
Jack
Janet

:
:
:

B. EL TIEMPO PASADO: WAS /woz/ - WERE /wer/

1. El verbo TO BE tiene las siguientes formas en el tiempo pasado: WAS /woz/ - WERE /wer/
I was /ai wz/ (yo era/estaba/fui/estuve)
You were /i: w:r/ (T eras/estabas/fuiste/estuviste)
He was /h: wz/ (El era/estaba/fue/estuvo)
She was /shi: wz/ (Ella era/estaba/fue/estuvo)
It was /it wz/ (era/estaba/fue/estuvo)

We were /wi: w:r/ (Nos. ramos/estbamos/fuimos/estuvimos)

You were /i: w:r/ (Uds. eran/estaban/fueron/estuvieron)
They were /ei w:r/ (Ellos/as an/estaban/fueron/estuvieron)

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

When? /wn/, Cundo? Why? /wi/, Por qu?; How old? /hu uld/ Qu edad?
Last week /l:st w:k/ ; la semana pasada Two days ago /t: diz agu/ Hace dos das Yesterday /jsterdei/ ayer;
The day before yesterday /e di bifr jsterdei/ anteayer Last night /la:st nit/ anoche

I was very busy yesterday. /ai woz vri bzi isterdei/

John was at home all day today. /dlln woz at hum :l di tudi/
We were in Paris last year /wi w:r in pris la:st ar/
Mary was the best student in my class. / mri woz e bst sti:dent in mai kls/
They were very good friends. /ei w:r vri gud frndz/
Mr. Jackson was here three weeks ago. /mster djkson woz har r: w:ks agu/

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A short course in english for adult students

(Yo estuve muy ocupado ayer)

(John estuvo en casa todo el da hoy)
(Nosotros estuvimos en Paris del ao pasado)
(Mary era la mejor alumna de mi curso)
(Ellos eran / fueron muy buenos amigos)
(Mr Jackson estuvo aqu hace 3 semanas).

2. La forma negativa se expresa usando NOT despus de WAS o WERE. Normalmente se usan las contracciones
WASNT /wznt/ o WERENT /w:rent/.
Escuche, lea y aprenda:
I was not very busy last week. /ai woz nt vri bzi l:st w:k/
(Yo no estuve muy ocupado la semana pasada)
John wasnt at home this morning. /dlln wznt at hum is mrnin/
(John no estuvo en casa esta maana)
We werent in New York last year. /wi w:rent in ni: irk l:st ar/
(Nosotros no estuvimos en N.Y. el ao pasado)
Mary wasnt a good student at high school. /mri wznt a gd sti:dent at hi sk:l/ (Mary no era una buena alumna en el liceo)
They werent very hardworking. /ei w:rnt vri h:rdwrki/
(Ellos no eran muy trabajadores)
3. La forma interrogativa se expresa invirtiendo el orden de WAS / WERE con el sujeto
Escuche, lea y aprenda:
Were you in class this morning? /we:r i: in kls is mrnin/
Was John sick yesterday? /woz dlln sk isterdi/
Was Mary a good student at school? /woz mri a gd sti:dent at sk:l/
Where were you at this time yesterday? /war w:r i at is tim isterdi/
Why was Jim absent from work? /wi woz dllm bsent from w:rk/

(Estuviste en clase esta maana?)

(Estuvo John enfermo ayer?)
(Era Mary una buena alumna en el colegio?)
(Dnde estabas a esta hora ayer?)
(Por qu estuvo Jim ausente del trabajo?)

EXERCISES:
Ex. 1. Complete these sentences with the proper form of the verb TO BE, present or past:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

John ______ in New York the day before yesterday but he ______ in Chicago today.
They ______ free today, but they ______ at work yesterday.
Today ______ Monday. Yesterday ______ Sunday.
Where ______ the Johnsons last weekend? Where ______ they today?
The elevator ______ out of order last night, but it ______ working well now.
John ______nt in the ofce at ten this morning because he ______ at a meeting.
Bob ______ very sick yesterday, but he ______ much better today.

Ex. 2. Change the following sentences into a) Negative b) interrogative

1. The secretary was busy at midday.
2. They were good friends at school.
3. The weather was ne that day.
4. The men were tired after the long walk.
5. Mary was late for the train this morning.
6. Henry was at the movie at 7 P.M.

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Ex. 3. Ask questions using wh-words like What? Where? When?,Why?, How?, How old, Who?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Tom was at home at midnight last night.

John was in the car at that moment.
Liz was in bed because she was sick.
The Smiths were in Chile in 1985.
George was a little better this morning.
Mr Clark was about 85 years old when he died.

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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A short course in english for adult students

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