Grammar › Present Simple with to be

Am, is, are: positive sentences

450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten

Three forms, one for each kind of subject. In speech they nearly always contract.

The pattern

Subject, then the right form of be, then whatever describes it:

The road is narrow. The roads are narrow.

Nothing else has to be added. This is the shortest complete sentence pattern in English.

Which words count as singular

Anything you could replace with he, she or it takes is:

• a name: Anna is here.
• one thing: The bridge is closed.
• an uncountable noun: The news is good. Money is tight.
• a group treated as one: The team is ready.
• everybody, nobody, everything: Everyone is waiting.

Two nouns joined by and are plural: Anna and Tom are here.

there is and there are

To say that something exists, English uses there plus be, and the verb agrees with the noun that comes after it:

• There is a problem.
• There are two problems.

In a list, the verb follows the first item: There is a table and four chairs.

it is for weather, time and distance

These sentences have no real subject, so English supplies it:

It is raining. It is half past six. It is two kilometers to the station.

All forms

Examples

Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.

• This book is interesting and informative.
• The mountains are beautiful in the winter.
• I am the new neighbor from the top floor.
• This beach is crowded during the summer holidays.
• The children are excited about the field trip.
• I am the only left-handed player on the team.
• The library is quiet on weekday mornings.
• These apples are sweeter than the green ones.
• I am an organized person.
• The book I'm reading is very interesting.
• The city streets are crowded during rush hour.
• I am hungry.

Mistakes to avoid

Quick choices from this form

Other forms of Present Simple with to be