Welcome to Lesson 12: Putting It All Together.
You have learned the basic building blocks of English sentences.
Now it is time to put them together and practice using them to make statements, ask questions, and make negative statements.
Use Google Translate if you need help.
What Have You Learned?
In Foundation 0B, you learned that a complete sentence contains at least one subject and one verb and expresses a complete thought.
You learned about:
- subjects
- nouns
- pronouns
- the verb to be
- the verb to have
- the verb to do
- positive statements
- questions
- negative statements
Now you will use these parts together.
Start with the Subject
The subject tells us who or what is doing or being something.
A subject can be a noun:
Bob works.
Maria is a teacher.
The students study English.
A subject can also be a subject pronoun:
He works.
She is a teacher.
They study English.
Add a Verb
A complete sentence needs a verb.
A verb shows an action or a state of being.
State of Being
I am tired.
She is a teacher.
They are ready.
Action
I work every day.
She studies English.
They drive to work.
Review: “To Be”
The present tense forms of to be are:
am – is – are
| Subject | Verb |
|---|---|
| I | am |
| you | are |
| he / she / it | is |
| we / they | are |
Statement → Question → Negative
Statement: She is tired.
Question: Is she tired?
Negative: She isn’t tired.
Review: “To Have”
The present tense forms are:
have – has
I / you / we / they → have
he / she / it → has
Statement → Question → Negative
Statement: She has a car.
Question: Does she have a car?
Negative: She doesn’t have a car.
Remember that after does or doesn’t, we use have, not has.
Review: “To Do”
The present tense forms are:
do – does
I / you / we / they → do
he / she / it → does
When “Do” Is the Main Verb
Statement: She does her homework.
Question: Does she do her homework?
Negative: She doesn’t do her homework.
When “Do” Is a Helping Verb
We also use do and does to make many questions.
Do you work?
Does he study English?
And we use don’t and doesn’t to make many negative statements.
I don’t work on Sunday.
He doesn’t study at night.
Review: Other Verbs
With I, you, we, and they, we usually use the base form of the verb.
I work.
You study.
We live in California.
They speak English.
With he, she, and it, we usually add -s or -es in the simple present.
He works.
She studies.
Bob lives in California.
Maria teaches English.
One Idea – Three Forms
An important skill is being able to express the same idea in different ways.
With “To Be”
Positive: He is tired.
Question: Is he tired?
Negative: He isn’t tired.
With “To Have”
Positive: He has a car.
Question: Does he have a car?
Negative: He doesn’t have a car.
With “To Do”
Positive: He does his homework.
Question: Does he do his homework?
Negative: He doesn’t do his homework.
With Another Verb
Positive: He works every day.
Question: Does he work every day?
Negative: He doesn’t work every day.
Review: Pronouns
Pronouns can take the place of nouns.
Subject Pronouns
I – you – he – she – it – we – they
Maria works. → She works.
Object Pronouns
me – you – him – her – it – us – them
I see Maria. → I see her.
Possessive Pronouns
mine – yours – his – hers – ours – theirs
This book belongs to Maria. → This book is hers.
Different pronouns have different jobs in a sentence.
Build Longer Sentences
A sentence can contain only the information needed to express a complete thought:
Maria works.
But we can add more information:
Maria works every day.
Maria works at a restaurant every day.
Maria works at a restaurant every day with her sister.
The sentence becomes longer, but the basic foundation remains:
Subject + Verb + More Information
Practice: Choose the Correct Verb
- I (am / is) ready.
- She (have / has) a car.
- They (do / does) their homework.
- He (work / works) every day.
- We (is / are) students.
- Maria (study / studies) English.
- My parents (has / have) a house.
- Bob (do / does) a good job.
Practice: Statement → Question → Negative
Change each statement into a question and a negative statement.
1. She is a teacher.
Question: ____________________________________
Negative: ____________________________________
2. He has a car.
Question: ____________________________________
Negative: ____________________________________
3. They study English.
Question: ____________________________________
Negative: ____________________________________
4. Maria does her homework.
Question: ____________________________________
Negative: ____________________________________
Practice: Build Complete Sentences
Put the words in the correct order.
- English / I / study
- teacher / is / She / a
- car / He / a / has
- homework / They / their / do
- every day / Bob / works
- California / We / in / live
Can You Talk About Yourself?
Use what you have learned to answer these questions in complete sentences.
What is your name?
Where do you live?
Do you study English?
Do you have a job?
What do you do every day?
Why do you study English?
Now read your answers aloud.
Remember
You have learned the foundation for building English sentences.
Start with:
Subject + Verb
Then add the information you need.
You can make:
Positive statements
She works every day.
Questions
Does she work every day?
Negative statements
She doesn’t work every day.
The more you practice building and changing sentences, the easier English sentence structure will become.
Goal
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Identify the subject and verb in a basic sentence.
- Use nouns and pronouns as subjects.
- Use to be, to have, and to do correctly in basic present-tense sentences.
- Build positive statements.
- Ask yes/no and information questions.
- Make negative statements.
- Change one idea from a statement to a question or negative statement.
- Use basic English sentence structure to communicate information about yourself and everyday life.