Verb “To Be” – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You just came home after a long, busy day outside. You are talking to your mom or your roommate. You need to tell them exactly how your body feels right now (hungry, tired, cold, etc.) so you can get some food, a drink, or just go to sleep!
Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
1 Mom, I just got home. I ______ very tired.
(a) have
(b) am
(c) is
2 Can I have a big glass of water? I ______ so thirsty!
(a) am
(b) are
(c) have
3 My brother walked all day with me. He ______ really hungry.
(a) has
(b) is
(c) are
4 We walked in the rain without an umbrella. We ______ cold!
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
5 The soup smells great! ______ it ready to eat?
(a) Is
(b) Has
(c) Does
6 “Do you want a sandwich?” “No, thank you. I ______ hungry.”
(a) don’t have
(b) not am
(c) am not
7 Please turn on the heater. It ______ freezing in this house!
(a) is
(b) has
(c) are
8 “______ you tired after the trip?” “Yes, I need to sleep immediately.”
(a) Have
(b) Do
(c) Are
9 My feet hurt, but I ______ sleepy. I want to play video games!
(a) isn’t
(b) am not
(c) don’t be
10 Look at the dog. He ______ very hot. Let’s give him some water.
(a) has
(b) is
(c) does
11 I ate a huge burger for lunch today, so I ______ still full.
(a) am
(b) have
(c) are
12 “Are your friends thirsty?” “Yes, they ______.”
(a) do
(b) have
(c) are
13 Please open the window. My roommate and I ______ very hot.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
14 What is wrong with Sarah? ______ she sick?
(a) Has
(b) Does
(c) Is
15 Everyone in the house ______ so sleepy after that long walk.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) has
16 I need a blanket. My hands and feet ______ completely frozen!
(a) have
(b) are
(c) is
17 Nobody ______ hungry right now because we just ate a big pizza.
(a) are
(b) has
(c) is
18 “______ John and Mike tired?” “No, they have a lot of energy!”
(a) Are
(b) Do
(c) Is
19 I want to take a hot shower. I ______ dirty and my clothes ______ wet.
(a) have / are
(b) am / is
(c) am / are
20 It ______ very cold outside, so we ______ freezing!
(a) is / are
(b) is / have
(c) has / have
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) am
- Why it’s correct: “I” always takes the verb “am”. We use the verb “To Be” to describe physical feelings.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “have” is a very common mistake for learners whose native language translates tired/hungry as “having” a feeling. (c) “is” does not match “I”.
2 (a) am
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am”.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) “have” is incorrect for describing a physical state in English. (b) “are” does not match “I”.
3 (b) is
- Why it’s correct: “He” is a singular subject, taking “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “has” is the common translation error (e.g., thinking “he has hunger”). (c) “are” is for plural subjects.
4 (a) are
- Why it’s correct: “We” is a plural subject, taking “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) “have” is the translation error. (b) “is” is for singular subjects.
5 (a) Is
- Why it’s correct: “It” (the soup) takes “Is” in a Yes/No question.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “Has” and (c) “Does” are not used with adjectives like “ready”.
6 (c) am not
- Why it’s correct: The negative form for “I” is “am not”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “don’t have” is the common translation mistake. (b) “not am” is the wrong word order.
7 (a) is
- Why it’s correct: We use “It is” to describe the temperature or environment.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “has” is a common mistake. (c) “are” does not match “It”.
8 (c) Are
- Why it’s correct: To ask about a feeling with the subject “you”, we use “Are you…?”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “Have you tired?” is incorrect. (b) “Do you tired?” is a common basic error mixing action auxiliary verbs with adjectives.
9 (b) am not
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am not” to show you do not feel a certain way.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) “don’t be” is only used for commands (e.g., Don’t be sad!). (a) “isn’t” is for he/she/it.
10 (b) is
- Why it’s correct: “He” (the dog) takes “is”. We use “to be” for feeling hot.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “has” is the translation trap. (c) “does” is for action verbs.
11 (a) am
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am”. “Full” (not hungry anymore) is a physical state.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “have” is the translation trap. (c) “are” does not match “I”.
12 (c) are
- Why it’s correct: The short answer for “they” is “Yes, they are.”
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “have” and (a) “do” do not match the verb “Are” used in the question.
13 (a) are
- Why it’s correct: “My roommate and I” is a plural subject (we). It takes “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “is” fails to recognize that there are two people. (c) “have” is the translation trap.
14 (c) Is
- Why it’s correct: “Sick” is an adjective. We use “Is she sick?”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “Has” and (b) “Does” are not used with adjectives describing states.
15 (a) is
- Why it’s correct: “Everyone” is grammatically singular. It takes “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “are” is a common mistake for learners who think “everyone” is a plural word. (c) “has” is the translation trap.
16 (b) are
- Why it’s correct: “My hands and feet” is a plural subject (they), so it takes “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) “is” is for singular subjects. (a) “have” is the translation trap.
17 (c) is
- Why it’s correct: Just like “everyone”, the pronoun “Nobody” acts as a singular subject and takes “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “are” is for plural subjects. (b) “has” is the translation trap.
18 (a) Are
- Why it’s correct: “John and Mike” is a plural subject (they). The question must start with “Are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) “Is” fails to recognize the two people. (b) “Do” is for action verbs, not adjectives.
19 (c) am / are
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am” (I am dirty). “My clothes” is plural (they), so it takes “are” (my clothes are wet).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “have” is the translation trap. (b) “is” does not match the plural “clothes”.
20 (a) is / are
- Why it’s correct: “It” takes “is” for the weather (It is cold). “We” takes “are” for our feelings (we are freezing).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) and (c) fall into the “have” translation trap.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Biggest Trap (Have vs. Be): In many languages, you say “I have hunger” or “I have cold.” In English, this is always wrong. You must use the verb To Be (am/is/are) to describe your physical states. You do not possess hunger; you are hungry.
- ❌ I have hungry / She has thirsty / We have cold.
- ✅ I am hungry / She is thirsty / We are cold.
- “To Do” vs. “To Be”: When asking questions about physical states (adjectives), use “Am/Is/Are”, never “Do/Does”.
- ❌ Do you tired?
- ✅ Are you tired?
- Weather vs. Body: We use “It is” to talk about the temperature of the room or the weather (It is hot outside). We use “I am / We are” to talk about how our body feels (I am hot). Both use the verb “To Be”!
- Everyone is Singular: Remember that words like Everyone, Everybody, and Nobody are treated as singular subjects. Always use “is” (e.g., Everyone is tired).