Sentence Structure – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Texting a new friend about food and drink preferences
Choose the best answer (a, b, or c) to complete each sentence.
1 I like pizza, but I ______ like hamburgers.
(a) don’t
(b) not
(c) doesn’t
2 ______ you like green tea? I have some here.
(a) Are
(b) Do
(c) Does
3 I drink coffee every morning, ______ I don’t drink milk.
(a) but
(b) so
(c) and
4 She ______ apples, but she doesn’t like bananas.
(a) like
(b) is like
(c) likes
5 I eat chicken, but I ______ eat beef.
(a) don’t
(b) doesn’t
(c) am not
6 My brother ______ spicy food, but I love it!
(a) don’t like
(b) doesn’t like
(c) not like
7 ______ your sister like sushi? We can go to a Japanese restaurant.
(a) Do
(b) Is
(c) Does
8 I like sweet things, but I ______ sugar in my tea.
(a) don’t put
(b) doesn’t put
(c) not put
9 We love Italian food, but we ______ to that restaurant often.
(a) doesn’t go
(b) aren’t go
(c) don’t go
10 Does he drink juice? – Yes, he ______ apple juice, but he hates orange juice.
(a) drinks
(b) drink
(c) is drink
11 I ______ cooking, but I don’t like washing the dishes!
(a) enjoys
(b) enjoy
(c) enjoying
12 They eat fish, but they ______ eat seafood like crab or shrimp.
(a) doesn’t
(b) don’t
(c) aren’t
13 ______ you prefer tea or coffee in the morning?
(a) Are
(b) Do
(c) Does
14 I usually have a big breakfast, but my roommate ______ anything until noon.
(a) don’t eat
(b) isn’t eat
(c) doesn’t eat
15 I want to cook dinner tonight. ______ you like pasta, or do you prefer rice?
(a) Do
(b) Are
(c) Have
16 My mom likes baking, but she ______ making bread because it takes too long.
(a) doesn’t enjoy
(b) don’t enjoy
(c) isn’t enjoy
17 ______ you know any good vegan restaurants? I like vegetables, but I don’t eat meat.
(a) Does
(b) Are
(c) Do
18 He ______ to drink soda, but he loves drinking sparkling water.
(a) not likes
(b) doesn’t like
(c) don’t likes
19 We want to get some ice cream. ______ your friend want some too?
(a) Do
(b) Does
(c) Is
20 I ______ spicy curries, but my stomach doesn’t agree with them!
(a) loves
(b) am love
(c) love
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “I don’t like” is the correct negative form for the subject “I”. (b) is a common mistake (missing the auxiliary verb “do”). (c) is a structural error (“doesn’t” is for he/she/it).
2 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. We use “Do you…?” to ask questions about preferences. (a) is a common mistake (mixing the “to be” verb with an action verb). (c) is a structural error (“Does” is for he/she/it).
3 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “But” connects two contrasting ideas (drinking coffee vs. not drinking milk). (b) and (c) are meaning traps that do not show contrast.
4 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. For the subject “She”, the verb needs an “-s” (likes). (a) is a common mistake (forgetting the “-s”). (b) is a structural error (“is like” in this context is grammatically wrong for expressing preference).
5 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “I don’t eat” is the correct negative structure. (b) is a structural error. (c) is a common mistake (using “to be” instead of the auxiliary “do”).
6 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “My brother” is a singular subject (he), so we use “doesn’t”. (a) is a common mistake. (c) is a basic structural error.
7 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “Your sister” is a singular subject (she), so the question starts with “Does”. (a) is a common mistake. (b) is a structural error (using “Is” with the base verb “like”).
8 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “I don’t put” is the correct negative form. (b) is a structural error. (c) is a common mistake (missing “do”).
9 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “We don’t go” is the correct negative form for “we”. (b) is a common mistake (using “aren’t” with a base verb). (a) is a structural error.
10 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “He drinks” needs the “-s” for the third-person singular subject. (b) is a common mistake. (c) is a structural error.
11 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “I enjoy” is the base form for the subject “I”. (a) is a structural error. (c) is a common mistake (using “-ing” without a “to be” verb).
12 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “They don’t” is the correct negative form. (a) is a structural error. (c) is a common mistake (using “aren’t” with a base verb).
13 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “Do you prefer” is the correct question structure. (a) is a common mistake. (c) is a structural error.
14 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “My roommate” is singular, so we use “doesn’t eat”. (a) is a common mistake. (b) is a structural error.
15 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “Do you like” is the standard way to ask about preferences. (b) is a common mistake. (c) is a structural error.
16 a
Explanation: (a) is correct. “She doesn’t enjoy” is the correct negative form. (b) is a common mistake. (c) is a structural error.
17 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “Do you know” is the correct question structure for “you”. (a) is a structural error. (b) is a common mistake.
18 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “He doesn’t like” is the correct negative form. (a) is a common mistake (missing “does”). (c) is a structural error (“don’t” used for “he”, and adding “-s” to the main verb in a negative sentence).
19 b
Explanation: (b) is correct. “Your friend” is a singular subject (he/she), so we use “Does”. (a) is a common mistake. (c) is a structural error.
20 c
Explanation: (c) is correct. “I love” is the correct affirmative form. (a) is a structural error (adding “-s” for “I”). (b) is a common mistake (mixing “am” with an action verb).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 Sentence Structure (S + V + O): To talk about your preferences, use the Subject + Verb + Object structure.
- Affirmative (+): I like pizza. / She likes sushi.
- Negative (-): I don’t like pizza. / She doesn’t like sushi.
2 Asking Questions (?): Use Do or Does at the beginning of the sentence to ask about someone’s preferences. Do NOT use “Are” or “Is” with action verbs like like, love, eat, drink.
- Correct: Do you like tea?
- Incorrect: Are you like tea?
3 Using “But” for Contrast: When texting or talking, it sounds much more natural to connect what you like and what you don’t like in one sentence using the word but (nhưng).
- Example: I eat chicken, but I don’t eat beef.