CHAPTER

1
COLLEGE LIFE

PART I. THE VERB BE

S tudy the word list. Use it to name the th ings in the picture.
Useful words:

Nouns
professor lecture hall economics notes
instructor class assignment exam(ination)
teacher blackboard homework midterm, final (exam)
student seats text(book) test
classmate department notebook quiz
2
Read th e conversation.
Carlos: Hi. I'm Carlos Torres.
H iroshi: I'm glad to meet you, Carlos. My name's Hiroshi Watanabe.
Carlos: Nice to meet you, Hiroshi . Arc you a vi sa student?
Hi roshi: Yes, I am. I'm from Japan. How about you?
Carlos: I'm from Mexico, but I'm a permanent res ident. How are vour c lasses?
Hirosl1i: Great! How about vour classes?
Carlos: They're not too bad. The economics department is prettv good. Arc
vou an undergraduate?
Hiroshi: Yes. I a m. I'm a sophomore. And you?
3
4 lllferactions 1: A Communicative Grammar

Carlos: I'm in m y junior year. Is economics your major?

Hiroshi: Yes, it is. I'm interested in business.
Carlos: I am too. Oh, here's the professor. Let's talk later .
Answer true or false to these statements about the conversation.
1. The last names of the people in the dialogue arc Carlos and Hiroshi.
2. The instructor isn't in the class at the beginning of the conversation.
3. Carlos and Hiroshi are foreign students.
4. They're graduate students.

5. Carlos is Japanese and Hiroshi is Mexican.

6. Hiroshi is an economics student.

The Verb Be: Statement Patterns

The verb be has different forms after different subjects.

Examples Notes

Affirmative I am from Japan. Use am for the subject I.

The students are late. Use are for a plural noun and
You are twins! these pronouns: H'e, you, they,
these, or those.
The teacher is over there. Use is for a singular noun and
these singular pronouns: lze, size,
it, this, or that.
Negative I am not late. Use not after the verb be in neg-
She is not in this class. ative sentences.

Contractions are short forms. They are common in speech.

Examples Notes

Affirmative I'm Mexican. Here arc the contractions for

We're permanent residents. subject pronouns + be: I am =
1
She's a student. !'111, \\'e are = \\'e re, you are =
you're, they are = they're, he is =
he's, she is = size's, it is = it's.
 College Life 5

Negative I'm not interested. Here arc the contractions for be

They aren't here. + 110!: are 110! = aren't, is not =
He isn't in this department. isn't.

A. Exercise : Underline the verb be in statements in the conversation betwee n Ca rl os

an d Hiroshi.
Exa111ple: I'm Carlos Torres.
B . Exercise: Complete the sentences with forms of the verb be. Use contractio ns w hen
possible.

'
Da, ·e: Hi. I Pki __ _ _ _ _ Dave.
Marv: Hello. We '/t.£t
.<...=c....___ _ _ _ _ Marv and Ellen Johnson .
Dm•e: Oh, you _ _ _ twins!
Marv: No, we _______ (not) twins. But we _ _ _ _ __ sisters.
Dave: But you _______ exactly alike!
Ellen: No, I _______ nin eteen years old, but Mary _ _ _ _ _ __
(not) even eighteen yet.
Dm·e: Oh. Well, I _______ glad to meet you!
D{m!: Mary and Ellen, this Carlos.
Mary: Hi, Carlos.
Elle11: Hello, Carlos.
Carlos: Hello . (to Dm ·e) They _______ twins!
6 Interactions 1: A Commzmicative Grammar

Dave: (to Carlos) No, you _ _ _ _ _ _ wrong . They _ _ _ _ _ _ (not)

twins. They (not) alike at all-look again!

0 .
.

Dal'e: The instructor _ _ _ _ _ _ (not) here yet.

Elle11: No, it _ _ _ _ _ _ early. It _ _ _ _ _ _ (not) even 9:45. My
friends (not) here yet either.
Da\'e: Well, let's sit down.
Carlos: No. Let's have coffee first.
Dave: No, thanks. I have to do homework. I _ _ _ _ _ _ (not) ready for
class yet.
 Callege Life 7

The Verb Be: Yes/No Questions and Short Answers

In a yes/no question, the verb be comes before the subject.

Examples Notes

Am I early? Herc are short answers for sen-

Are those girls twin s? tences with be: Yes, I am. Yes, n •e
Aren't you early ? (you, th ey) are. Yes, lze (size, it) is.
Isn't that woman the professor? No, I'm not. No, we (you, tlzey)'re
Is it late? 1101. No, we (you, th ey) are11't . No,
lze (size, it) 's 1101. No, lze (size, it)
is11 't.
Don't use contractions in affirm-
ative short answers. Errors: Yes,
I'm. Yes, he's.

C. Exercise: Put two lines under the verb be in yes/no questions and in short answers
in the conversation at the beginning of th e chapter.
Example: Is economics your major?
D. Exercise: Complete these se ntences with affirmative or negative form s of the verb
be. Use contractions when possible.

Tony: Hi. _______ you a new stude nt?

Min g: Yes, I . My name _______ Liu Ming Ren .
Tony: I _______ sorry. Please say that again. _______ your
name Lou or Ron?
Mi11g : (speaks slowly) It _______ Liu Ming Ren .
Tony : Oh. Um . . . Lou your firs t name?
Ming: Nu, it . Mv first name _______ Min g Ren . Just
ca ll me Ming.
To11y: We ll, OK ... um ... _______ thi s your first day here?
Mi11 g: Yes , it _ _ _ _ _ __
Tony : _______ you from Ch ina ?
Min g: Nu, I _______ . I _______ from Vietnam. Wow! Look at
8 I11teractio11s 1: A Co1111111111icatiFe Grammar

that beautiful woman over there! _______ she a student in this

class?
Tony: No, she _______ a student. She _______ the professor!

The Verb Be with Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs

The verb be comes before nouns or noun phrases, adjectives, or adverbs or adverb
phrases.

Examples Notes

Nouns, Noun I'm Tony. A sentence almost always has a subject.

Phrases He's an English Errors: Am Tony. Are bea11tiful. Is hot in here.
teacher.
Adjectives They're beautiful.
It's hot in here.
Adverbs, The teachers An adverb often expresses place or time.
Adverb aren't late.
Phrases They're in the
lab.

E. Exercise: Describe the pictures. Use the words under them.

Examples: Professor Winters is a good teacher. He isn't a boring speaker.
 College Life 9

Professor Winters Doctor Silber these studen ts

• a good teacher • a famous scientist • in my history class
• not a boring speaker • very busy • not always there
• very funny • a hard worker • not awake during
• in the English • friendlv lectures
Department • in the Chemistry • in their senior year
• tall and good-looking Department • not serious students
• from New York • always tired
• not bad-looking

F. Exercise: Write the missing questions. Many different questions arc possib le.
10 I11teractio11s 1: A Co111111unicative Gra111111ar

I
A: _l~)y~~~~?
B: Oh, yes. He's very interesting.
A:
B: Yes, his jokes are very good.
A:
B: No, he isn't. He's in the English Department.
A:
B: Yes, he is.
A:
B: No, she isn't. She's from New York.
A:
B: Ycs, she is.
A:
B: Some of my classmates are lazy.
A:
B: No, they aren't.
A:
B: No, I'm not.

G. Exercise: Complete the conversation with stateme nts and yes /110 questions. Use the
words in parentheses. Comp lete the short a nswers.
 College Life 11

To11v: Ming , ~ ,<.,4.,1 ~ (this , Hiroshi).

Hiroshi, Ming. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (Mi ng, a new student in our hi s torv class).
Hiroslzi:
(I, g lad to meet y'ou).
Mi11g: Happy to meet you, too, Hiroshi. _________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (y'OU, from Japan)?
Hiro shi: Yes , _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (:vour fa mily , here)?
Min g: No, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (I, alone).

Hiroshi: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (your classes, good)?

A1 i11g: Yes, (fantastic)!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (Our history' teac her, beautiful).
Hiro shi: Ms . Stein?
To11y: Yeah , I think _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (I , in love).
Hiroshi: Forget it, Tony . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (She, married).

H . Activity : Introductions. Work in pairs. Turn back to the picture at the beginning of
the chapter. Pretend you arc students in that class. Prepare a conversation with
sentences with the verb be.