Verb 'be' - vocabulary and use
Jobs
Before this you should understand the grammar of the verb 'be'. Click here for that page.
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One important way to use verb 'be' is with jobs.
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Let's look at some:
Subject + verb 'be' + a + job
I am a teacher.
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She is a firefighter.
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We are policemen.
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They are chefs.
Conversation
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A: What do you do?
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B: I am a teacher. What do you do?
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A: I'm a chef.
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A: What does your sister do?
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B: She's a policewoman. What does your brother do?
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A: He's a waiter.
A: What does your husband do?
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B: He's a shop assistant. What does your husband do?
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A: He's a fireman.
Age
Subject + verb 'be' + age
We use the verb 'be' to describe the state of something - how it is. For example, we say:
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I am tall.
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because it is true now that 'I' exist as a tall person. We use this structure to say our age because we exist as that age.
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I am 34-years-old.
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We often do not say 'years old' if it is obvious from context.
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I am 34.
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We also contract the 'I' and the 'am'.
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I'm 34.
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Guess what the person is saying:
She is 25.
Answer
He's 17.
Answer
It is 8.
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They're 64.
Conversation
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A: How old are you?
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B: I am 35. What about you?
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A: I'm 24.
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A: How old is your sister?
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B: She's 42. What about your sister?
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A: She's also 42.
A: How old are your children?
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B: They're 5 and 7.
From
Blog post on 'From'
Subject + verb 'be' + from + place
I am from London.
We are from Brighton.
I'm from London.
We're from Brighton.
We - Brighton
Answer
They are from Baltimore.
Answer
They're from Baltimore.
They - Baltimore
Answer
You are from Bristol.
Answer
You're from Bristol.
You - Bristol
Conversation
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A: Where are you from?
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B: I am from London. Where are you from?
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A: I'm from Osaka.
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A: Where is your mum from?
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B: She's from Chicago. What about your mum?
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A: She's from Washington.
Make it natural
We use the verb 'be' ALL THE TIME. Make sure you get it right.
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Self-introductions
Hi! My name is Tom. I'm 40-years-old and from London. I was a firefighter but now I'm a teacher.
Hello, I'm Jane. I'm 36-years-old and from London. I'm a chef.
You
[Hello / Hi], I'm [name].
I'm [age] and from [______].
I'm a [job].