Sentence Structure – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Writing a comprehensive short review for a restaurant (Praising food but criticizing price)
Choose the best answer (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence.
1 The pizza here ______. I really love it!
(a) very delicious
(b) is very delicious
(c) are very delicious
2 The food is great, but the prices ______ too high.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) very
3 The restaurant ______ clean, but the tables are quite small.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) be
4 The waiters ______ very friendly to us today.
(a) are
(b) very
(c) is
5 The flavor is good, but the soup ______ hot enough.
(a) doesn’t
(b) not
(c) isn’t
6 I like the taste of the steak, but the portion ______ very small.
(a) is
(b) very
(c) are
7 “______ the seafood fresh?” – “Yes, but it is expensive.”
(a) Does
(b) Is
(c) Are
8 The desserts are absolutely amazing, but they ______.
(a) aren’t cheap
(b) not cheap
(c) isn’t cheap
9 My friends and I are happy with the meal, but the bill ______ very expensive.
(a) are
(b) very
(c) is
10 “______ the drinks cold?” – “No, they are warm. That’s a minus.”
(a) Do
(b) Is
(c) Are
11 The chicken is tasty, but the fries ______ too salty for me.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) very
12 We love this place because the atmosphere ______.
(a) amazing
(b) does amazing
(c) is amazing
13 I am hungry, but the service ______ very slow tonight.
(a) very
(b) is
(c) are
14 The live music is a nice touch, but it ______ too loud for a conversation.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) does
15 The quality of the dishes ______ fantastic, despite the high cost.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) fantastic
16 The manager and the staff ______ very polite when we complained.
(a) is
(b) very
(c) are
17 The meat ______ very tender, but the vegetables are overcooked.
(a) very
(b) is
(c) are
18 I don’t recommend this place. The location ______ good.
(a) not
(b) doesn’t
(c) isn’t
19 Why ______ the restaurant so crowded tonight? The food is just average.
(a) does
(b) are
(c) is
20 Overall, the experience ______ worth the high price. We won’t come back.
(a) isn’t
(b) aren’t
(c) doesn’t
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. We must use the “to be” verb (is) to connect the singular subject (The pizza) with the adjective (delicious). (a) is a common mistake (translating word-for-word and missing the verb). (c) is a structural error (“are” is for plural subjects).
2 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “The prices” is a plural subject, so we use “are”. (c) is a common mistake (missing “are”). (a) is a structural error (“is” is for singular).
3 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “The restaurant” is singular, so it takes “is”. (b) is a structural error. (c) is a structural error (using the base form “be” instead of the conjugated form).
4 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “The waiters” is plural, so we use “are”. (b) is a common mistake (missing the verb completely). (c) is a structural error.
5 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “The soup” is singular, and the negative form of “to be” is “isn’t”. (b) is a common mistake (using just “not” without the verb). (a) is a structural error (we do not use “doesn’t” with adjectives).
6 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “The portion” is singular. (b) is a common mistake (missing the “to be” verb). (c) is a structural error.
7 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “The seafood” is uncountable (treated as singular), so the question starts with “Is”. (a) is a structural error (using “Does” with an adjective). (c) is a structural error.
8 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “They” (referring to the desserts) takes the negative verb “aren’t”. (b) is a common mistake (missing the “to be” verb). (c) is a structural error.
9 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “The bill” is singular, so we use “is”. (b) is a common mistake (missing the verb). (a) is a structural error.
10 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “The drinks” is plural, so the question must start with “Are”. (b) is a structural error (“Is” is for singular). (a) is a structural error (using “Do” with an adjective).
11 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “The fries” is plural, requiring “are”. (c) is a common mistake (missing the verb). (b) is a structural error.
12 c
Explanation: (c) is correct (Subject + is + Adjective). (a) is a common mistake (missing “is”). (b) is a structural error (using “does” with an adjective).
13 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “The service” is singular. (a) is a common mistake (missing the verb). (c) is a structural error.
14 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “It” (the music) takes “is”. (a) is a structural error. (c) is a structural error.
15 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. The true subject is “The quality” (singular), not “the dishes”. Therefore, we use “is”. (c) is a common mistake (missing the verb). (b) is a structural error.
16 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “The manager and the staff” are two entities (plural), so we use “are”. (b) is a common mistake. (a) is a structural error.
17 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “The meat” is uncountable (singular), taking “is”. (a) is a common mistake (missing the verb). (c) is a structural error.
18 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “The location” is singular, so the negative is “isn’t”. (a) is a common mistake (using only “not”). (b) is a structural error (using “doesn’t” with an adjective).
19 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “The restaurant” is singular, so the question word order is “Why is the restaurant…”. (a) is a structural error (using “does” with the adjective “crowded”). (b) is a structural error.
20 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “The experience” is singular, so it takes “isn’t”. (c) is a structural error (using “doesn’t” with the adjective “worth”). (b) is a structural error.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 The Golden Bridge: In English, you cannot put an adjective directly after a subject to describe it. You must always use a “To Be” verb (am/is/are) as a bridge.
- Correct: The food is very good.
- Incorrect: The food very good.
2 Subject-Verb Agreement: Always check if your subject is singular or plural to choose the right form of “To Be”.
- Singular (The pizza, the service, the bill) ➔ is / isn’t
- Plural (The prices, the waiters, the fries) ➔ are / aren’t
3 Questions and Negatives with Adjectives: When making a sentence negative or asking a question with an adjective, only use “To Be”. Never use do, does, don’t, or doesn’t.
- Question: Is the seafood fresh? (Not: Does the seafood fresh?)
- Negative: The location isn’t good. (Not: The location doesn’t good.)