May 17, 2020 by Dr. Velma Mohan
The verb to be is the most used verb in the English language. The to be verb is used to describe something or someone. The to be verb almost changes completely in most of its forms.
Forms of ‘to be’ Verb
The to be verb is highly irregular. It is written in different ways according to the tense of the verb and also the subject.
Practice Exercise!
Fill in the blanks using is/are/am:
1. The students ______ reading a lesson.
2. Anil _____ going for a walk.
3. The boys _____ playing cricket.
4. This _____ my uncle’s car.
5. I _____ writing an essay.
6. The dogs _____ barking.
7. He _____ flying a kite.
8. It ____ eight o’clock by my watch.
9. The birthday cake ____ on the table.
10. We ____ playing football.
Solutions:
Fill in the blanks using is/are/am:
1. The students are reading a lesson.
2. Anil is going for a walk.
3. The boys are playing cricket.
4. This is my uncle’s car.
5. I am writing an essay.
6. The dogs are barking.
7. He is flying a kite.
8. It is eight o’clock by my watch.
9. The birthday cake is on the table.
10. We are playing football.
ERROR CORRECTION: ‘to be’ verb
The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction against the correct question number. One is done as an example.
There is many sports that I enjoy, eg: is are
but my favorite was skateboarding. (a) ___________ ___________
It are a sport that I can do almost anywhere. (b) ___________ ___________
It are difficult to learn some tricks in the beginning, (c) ___________ ___________
but once you were able to do the basics, (d) ___________ ___________
you will soon be doing other tricks. (e) ___________ ___________
Skateboarding were also a really fun activity to do with friends.
(f) ___________ ___________
For all of these reasons, (g) ___________ ___________
skateboarding got the favorite of all of my sports activities.
(h) ___________ ___________
Solutions:
There is many sports that I enjoy, eg: is are
but my favorite was skateboarding. (a) was is
It are a sport that I can do almost anywhere. (b) are is
It are difficult to learn some tricks in the beginning, (c) are is
but once you were able to do the basics, (d) were are
you will soon be doing other tricks. (e) x x
Skateboarding were also a really fun activity to do with friends.
(f) were is
For all of these reasons, (g) x x
skateboarding got the favorite of all of my sports activities.
(h) got is
It’s such delight to go through your explanation. Very precise, concise and lucid. The exercise further aids in comprehending the topic. Thank you!
Well done Dr.Velma!Concept is explained with clarity.Practice exercises with solutions are helpful.