Understanding Family Relationships and Using Verb ‘To Be’
Talking About Family Members
Family: son, brother, daughter, sister, parents, father (husband), mother (wife), grandparents (grandfather, grandmother). Relatives: uncle, aunt, cousins.
- Who’s Jack? He’s Angela’s husband.
- Who’s Angela? She’s Jack’s wife.
- Who’s Carlos? He’s Erica and David’s father.
Telling the Age
How old? (La edad – age)
Question words: what (objects), where (places), who (persons), how old (age).
Example: How old are you? I’m twenty-seven years old.
Using Verb ‘To Be’ in Information Questions
ARE – IS – AM
- How are you? I’m fine, thanks.
- How old are you? I’m twenty-seven years old.
- How old is your sister? She’s … years old.
- How old is your brother? He’s … years old.
Where are you from? I’m from Valdivia.
Question word + are, is, am + subject + complement?
How, what, where
Building Language
Akemi: So, who’s this?
Erica: My grandma. And this is my grandpa. He’s a nice man. He’s seventy-eight now.
Akemi: Really? And how old is your grandmother?
Erica: She’s seventy-two.
Akemi: She’s very pretty. What’s her name?
Erica: Angela.
Akemi: That’s a nice name. So, where are your grandparents from originally?
Erica: They’re from Texas.
Possessive adjectives: ‘S, HER, HIS, MY, THEIR
- Where are your parents from originally? They’re from Talcahuano.
- How old is your father? He’s fifty-two years old.
- What are your grandparents’ names? Their names are Maria and John.
Information Questions with ‘To Be’
- How are you? I’m fine.
- Who’s this? It’s my grandmother.
- How are your parents? They’re fine, thanks.
- Where are you from? I’m from Florida.
- Where’s she from? She’s from Texas.
- Where are they today? They’re at home.
- How old are you? Twenty-three.
- What’s she like? She’s very smart.
- What are their names? …
Write at least six questions to ask your classmates about their families.
What…? Where…? How…?
- What’s your mother’s name?
- Where’s Lucas from?
- How are you?
- What’s your email address?
- Where’s the book?
- How are your parents?
- What’s your cellphone number?
- Where is your mother?
- How old are you?
- What’s this?
- Where are the students now?
- How old is Alicia?
Conversation Strategy
Mark: This is a great photo. Who is it?
Eve: It’s a friend of mine – Natasha.
Mark: Oh? Where’s she from?
Eve: She’s from London, but she’s here in Miami now.
Mark: London? Wow. Is she a student here?
Eve: No, she’s an artist – a painter. She’s an amazing woman.
Mark: A painter? Really? What are her paintings like?
Eve: They’re wonderful. Look.
Mark: Oh. Interesting… um, what is it?
Complete the responses. Then practice with a partner.
- My friend Gemma is a singer. A singer? Is she in a band?
- My best friend’s name is Vlad. Really? Where’s he from?
- My friends Joshua and Pat are actors. They’re actors? Are they famous?
Listen and Speaking: Friends
- Amy is a friend of mine from the neighborhood. She’s about 45 years old. Olivia is her daughter. She’s the same age as my son.
- Anton’s a friend of mine. He’s my best friend. He’s around my age. He’s a nice guy – a fun guy.
- Gary is a friend from college. He’s very smart. His wife’s name is Gloria.
Write about a best friend
Example 1:
- Cristian is my best friend.
- He is very smart and nice.
- He is from Lanco.
- He’s about thirty years old.
- His favorite singer is Kymani Marley.
Example 2:
- Daniela is my best friend.
- She is very smart and beautiful.
- She is from Valdivia.
- She’s about twenty-two years old.
- Her favorite singer is Shakira.
Can you complete this conversation?
Angel: Hi, Carla. How are you?
Carla: I’m fine, thanks. Is this your car?
Angel: No, it’s my brother’s car. He’s on vacation.
Carla: Cool. So, where is your brother?
Angel: He and his wife are in Miami, with her parents. Her family is from Miami, you know.
Carla: Oh, right. So, are their children in Miami, too?
Angel: No, they’re with my parents and me. Our house is crazy. We’re all so busy with the kids.
Carla: I bet you’re tired.
Angel: Yeah, I really am… Uh-oh, I’m late!
Carla: Ok. See you later.
Angel: Wait! Where are my car keys? I mean, where are my brother’s car keys?
Carla: Are these his keys? Under the car? Here you go.
Angel: Oh, thanks, Carla. You’re wonderful!
Yes/No questions with ‘To Be’: Am, Is, Are + subject + complement?
Information questions (with question words):
Question word = what, where, who, how old + am, is, are + subject + complement?
- What is our teacher’s full name?
- What’s the school’s phone number?
- Is our English class hard? Yes, it is.
- Are the students in this class smart? Yes, they are.
- Who’s not in class today?
- Where are your books?
Complete the conversation with expressions from the box. Then practice with a partner.
Anna: Oh, no! Where’s my pen? Excuse me. Can I borrow your pen?
Michel: Sure. Here you go.
Anna: Thank you.
Michel: You’re welcome.
Anna: Hmmm. How do you spell ‘neighbor’?
Michel: Neighbor? I’m sorry. I don’t know.
Anna: Ok, thanks anyway.
Michel: Wait. Here’s my dictionary.
Anna: Oh, thanks.
Michel: You’re welcome.
Anna: Oh, this is a French-English dictionary.
Michel: Yes. I’m from France.
Anna: France? Really? Uh-oh! My coffee! I’m sorry.
Michel: That’s ok.
Anna: By the way, I’m Anna.
Michel: I’m Michel. Nice to meet you.
Anna: Oh, no, I’m late for work. Sorry. Bye. Have a good day.
Michel: Thanks. You too. Uh-oh. Where’s my pen? And my dictionary?
- How old are your parents?
- Where is your family from originally?
- What’s your best friend like?
- What’s your best friend’s name?
- What’s your favorite singer?
- Who’s your favorite TV show?
Unit 4: Talking About Habitual Activities
Positive | Negative |
---|---|
I work every day. | I don’t do exercise. |
I do exercise on weekends. | 3rd person: he/she doesn’t (have) |
She works. He works. | |
(Subject + verb + complement) | We don’t work. |
You watch TV. | He/she does homework. |
They watch TV. | Exception with have: she/he = has |
He/she watches TV. |
- Greg checks his email.
- Jennifer’s sister watches TV.
- Amanda’s husband doesn’t have breakfast.
- Alex and his wife don’t talk a lot.
Verb Endings: he, she, it | ||
---|---|---|
I eat breakfast. | I don’t eat lunch. | get – gets |
You have coffee. | You don’t have tea. | watch – watches |
We get up late. | We don’t get up early. | play – plays |
They read the paper. | They don’t read books. | study – studies |
He listens to the radio. | He doesn’t listen to CDs. | have – has |
She watches TV. | She doesn’t watch videos. | do – does |
Don’t = do not; Doesn’t = does not |