TEACHER’S NOTES

ESL / EFL RESOURCES Describing a Town or City

Activity Type Introduction

Reading and writing In this describing places worksheet, students learn and practice
activity how to describe a town or city using singular and plural nouns and
there is/are.

Language Focus Procedure

Places in a town or city
There is/are
Singular and plural nouns
Give each student a copy of the two-page worksheet.
Students begin by matching nouns to pictures. The nouns are all
places you would normally find in a town or city.

Exercise A - Answer key

Aim
1. a zoo 4. a park 7. a school
To learn and practice how
2. a cinema 5. a hospital 8. hotels
to describe a town or city
3. restaurants 6. shops
using singular and plural
nouns and there is/are.
Students then use their own ideas to write five more things
they might find in a town or city, e.g. factories, a train station,
supermarkets, etc.
Preparation
Make one copy of the Next, students list the things that are in their town or city.
two-page worksheet for
each student. Students then move on to categorize the nouns in Exercise A and
B into singular and plural nouns.

Level Exercise D - Answer key

Elementary (A1-A2)
Singular nouns: a zoo, a cinema, a park, a hospital, a school
Plural nouns: restaurants, shops, hotels
Time
After that, students complete a set of rules on how to use singular
30 minutes and plural nouns with there is/are.

Exercise E - Answer key

1. There is / isn't 2. There are / aren't

(continued on the next page)

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 TEACHER’S NOTES

ESL / EFL RESOURCES Describing a Town or City

Activity Type Procedure continued

Reading and writing Students then practice the grammar rules by reading sentences
activity containing errors in the use of there is/are. The students identify
the errors and rewrite the sentences, correcting the mistakes.

Language Focus Exercise F - Possible answers

Places in a town or city
There is/are
Singular and plural nouns
Aim
To learn and practice how
to describe a town or city
using singular and plural
nouns and there is/are.
Preparation
Make one copy of the
two-page worksheet for
each student.
1. In New York, there are restaurants.
2. In Orlando, there is a beach.
3. There aren't a lot of restaurants in the countryside.
4. In a perfect city, there aren't any criminals.
5. In San Francisco, there is a red bridge .
6. There isn't a forest in the city.
7. Is there a park in your city?
8. Are there any shopping centers in your town?
9. There isn't a beach in the city.
10. There are a lot of coffee shops .
In the last exercise, students do a gap-fill exercise where they
describe their own town or city.
When the students have finished, have them read their texts to
the class and provide feedback.

Level
Elementary (A1-A2)

Time
30 minutes

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 DESCRIBING PLACES

ESL / EFL RESOURCES Describing a Town or City

A. Match the nouns to the pictures.

a hospital restaurants a school hotels

a park a cinema shops a zoo

1. 2. 3. 4.

............................ ............................ ............................ ............................

5. 6. 7. 8.

............................ ............................ ............................ ............................

B. Write five more things you might find in a town or city.

..................................................................................................................................

C. List the things you can find in your town or city?

..................................................................................................................................

D. Are the nouns in Exercise A and B singular or plural? Categorize the nouns by
writing them on the lines.

Singular nouns: ............................................................................................................

Plural nouns: ................................................................................................................

There is/are is used to describe things that exist in a particular place.

Examples: There is a hospital and a school in my town.

In my city, there are shops and hotels.

E. Complete the rules by circling the correct words.

1. There is / are is used for singular nouns and the negative form is there isn't / aren't.

2. There is / are is used for plural nouns and the negative form is there isn't / aren't.

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 DESCRIBING PLACES

ESL / EFL RESOURCES Describing a Town or City

F. Correct the mistakes and rewrite the sentences.

1. In New York, there is a restaurants.

..................................................................................................................................

2. In Orlando, there are a beach.

..................................................................................................................................

3. There isn't a lot of restaurants in the countryside.

..................................................................................................................................

4. In a perfect city, there isn't any criminals.

..................................................................................................................................

5. In San Francisco, it is a red bridge.

..................................................................................................................................

6. There aren't a forest in the city.

..................................................................................................................................

7. Are there a park in your city?

..................................................................................................................................

8. Are there any shopping center in your town?

..................................................................................................................................

9. There aren't a beach in the city.

..................................................................................................................................

10. There is a lot of coffee shops.

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G. Describe your town or city by completing the sentences.

I live in ......................... In my town/city, there are ......................... and .........................

There is a ........................... and a ........................... There aren't any ...........................

and there isn't a ........................ Close to my home, there ..............................................

..................................................................................................................................

In the future, I hope there .............................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

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