Verb “To Be” – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You and your friends are planning a fun day out at a museum, a park, or a cinema. However, you just checked Google Maps and found some bad news. You need to tell your friends the truth about the current status of these places (closed, delayed, full) so you can change your plans!
Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
1 I have bad news. The museum ______ closed today because it is a national holiday.
(a) has
(b) is
(c) are
2 Oh no! Look at the website. The main gates of the park ______ locked.
(a) is
(b) have
(c) are
3 The ticket office ______ not open on Monday mornings.
(a) is
(b) does
(c) are
4 We can’t eat here. The restaurants near the museum ______ closed right now.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
5 I ______ so sorry, guys, but we need a new plan for today.
(a) be
(b) is
(c) am
6 “Is the art gallery open today?” “No, it ______.”
(a) isn’t
(b) doesn’t
(c) aren’t
7 We can’t go to that exhibition. The room ______ completely full.
(a) has
(b) is
(c) are
8 ______ the tour guides ready for us?
(a) Do
(b) Is
(c) Are
9 We are going to be late. The trains to the city center ______ delayed today.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) have
10 Let’s wait at the cafe. The museum ______ ready for visitors yet.
(a) isn’t
(b) doesn’t
(c) aren’t
11 We ______ very lucky today. Everything is closed!
(a) don’t
(b) aren’t
(c) isn’t
12 Look at this post! The outdoor cinema ______ open until tomorrow.
(a) isn’t
(b) doesn’t
(c) hasn’t
13 “______ the swimming pool available today?” “No, it is under repair.”
(a) Does
(b) Are
(c) Is
14 Let’s go home. You and I ______ too late for the final show.
(a) are
(b) am
(c) is
15 The museum and the library ______ both closed for the winter season.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) has
16 Everyone ______ ready to go, but the bus is broken!
(a) are
(b) have
(c) is
17 The information on the website ______ very bad. The park is closed.
(a) is
(b) are
(c) has
18 I know you want to see the dinosaur fossils, but the doors ______ shut.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) have
19 Nobody ______ allowed inside the building after 5 PM.
(a) are
(b) is
(c) does
20 “______ the new rules strict about closing times?” “Yes, they are.”
(a) Are
(b) Is
(c) Do
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) is
- Why it’s correct: “The museum” is a singular subject (it), which takes “is”. “Closed” acts as an adjective here to describe its state.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “has” is a common translation trap. A building doesn’t “have” closed; it is closed. (c) “are” is for plural subjects.
2 (c) are
- Why it’s correct: “The main gates” is a plural subject (they), taking “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “is” is for singular subjects. (b) “have” is incorrect for describing a physical state like “locked”.
3 (a) is
- Why it’s correct: “The ticket office” takes “is”. We use “is not” (isn’t) to say a place is currently not open.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “does” is a huge trap! While “open” can be a verb, in the phrase “is open,” it functions as an adjective. (c) “are” is for plural subjects.
4 (a) are
- Why it’s correct: “The restaurants” is plural, taking “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “is” is a common mistake if you look at “the museum” instead of the true subject (“The restaurants”). (c) “have” is the translation trap.
5 (c) am
- Why it’s correct: “I” always takes “am”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “be” is the unconjugated base form. (b) “is” does not match “I”.
6 (a) isn’t
- Why it’s correct: The question asks “Is the gallery…?”, so the short negative answer must match with “No, it isn’t.”
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “doesn’t” is the answer for action verbs (e.g., Does it open at 9?). (c) “aren’t” is for plural subjects.
7 (b) is
- Why it’s correct: “The room” takes “is”. “Full” is an adjective describing its capacity.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “has” is the translation trap. (c) “are” is for plural subjects.
8 (c) Are
- Why it’s correct: “The tour guides” is plural, so the question must start with “Are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “Do” is for action verbs, but “ready” is an adjective. (b) “Is” is for singular subjects.
9 (b) are
- Why it’s correct: “The trains” is plural, taking “are”. “Delayed” is an adjective describing their status.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “is” is a trap if you only look at “the city center.” (c) “have” is incorrect here.
10 (a) isn’t
- Why it’s correct: “The museum” takes the negative “is not” (isn’t) with the adjective “ready”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “doesn’t” is used with action verbs. (c) “aren’t” is for plural subjects.
11 (b) aren’t
- Why it’s correct: “We” takes the negative “are not” (aren’t).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “don’t” is for action verbs. (c) “isn’t” is for singular subjects.
12 (a) isn’t
- Why it’s correct: “The outdoor cinema” takes “isn’t”. “Open” is an adjective here.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “doesn’t” is a major A1 mistake. We say “It doesn’t open” (verb) or “It isn’t open” (adjective). The sentence structure here requires the “To Be” verb. (c) “hasn’t” is incorrect.
13 (c) Is
- Why it’s correct: “The swimming pool” is singular. “Available” is an adjective, requiring “Is” to start the question.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “Does” is for action verbs. (b) “Are” is for plural subjects.
14 (a) are
- Why it’s correct: “You and I” form a plural compound subject (we). Therefore, you must use “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “am” is a common trap because the blank is next to “I”. (c) “is” is for singular subjects.
15 (b) are
- Why it’s correct: “The museum and the library” form a plural subject (they), taking “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “is” fails to recognize there are two places. (c) “has” is the translation trap.
16 (c) is
- Why it’s correct: The pronoun “Everyone” is grammatically singular in English. It takes “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) “are” is a trap for learners who think “everyone” means a plural group. (b) “have” is the translation trap.
17 (a) is
- Why it’s correct: In English, “information” is an uncountable noun. Uncountable nouns are always singular and take “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “are” is a mistake because students often think of “information” as multiple facts. (c) “has” is incorrect.
18 (a) are
- Why it’s correct: “The doors” is plural, taking “are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “is” is for singular subjects. (c) “have” is the translation trap.
19 (b) 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. (c) “does” is for action verbs.
20 (a) Are
- Why it’s correct: “The new rules” is plural, requiring the question to start with “Are”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) “Is” is for singular subjects. (c) “Do” is for action verbs, but “strict” is an adjective.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Open & Closed as Adjectives: Words like open, closed, late, delayed, full, and empty are adjectives that describe the status of a place. Because they are adjectives, you MUST use the verb To Be.
- ✅ The shop is open.
- ❌ The shop has open.
- The “To Be” vs. “To Do” Trap: This is very tricky for A1 learners! The word “open” can be a verb OR an adjective in English.
- Adjective (State): Is the museum open? (Is it currently in an open state?)
- Verb (Action): Does the museum open at 9 AM? (Does the action of opening happen at 9 AM?)
- Note: “Closed” is almost always used as an adjective for status (The shop is closed).
- Uncountable Nouns: The word information (like water, advice, news) is uncountable. It is always treated as singular. Always use “is” (e.g., The information is bad).
- “Everyone” is Singular: Even though “everyone” talks about a group of people, English grammar treats it as a singular word. Always use “is” (e.g., Everyone is ready).