starter unit

it's my life

Lesson objectives

In this lesson students will:

  • revise can / can't

  • revise the affirmative, negative, question forms and short answers of be

  • say what they like and don't like doing

London is the biggest city in the UK. The second biggest is Birmingham. Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool are also big cities in the UK.

Can / can't + verb

We use can / can't to show ability / lack of ability. After can / can't, we use the infinitive without to.

I can speak English.

He can't speak Japanese.

  1. Complete the sentences about you with can or can't.

Language note

In affirmative sentences with can, can is not stressed, eg I can /kan/ swim. In negative sentences with can't, can't is stressed, eg I can't /ka:nt/ swim.

LOOK!

like / love/ hate + verb + -ing

I like playing computer games.

Lisa loves eating chocolate!

They hate getting up early!

  1. What activities do you like doing in English? What don't you like doing? Write sentences.

    • I like reading books.

    • I don't like learning grammar.

      1. learn new words

      2. do grammar exercises

      3. watch DVDs

      4. read magazine articles

      5. listen to music

      6. write essays

Be

Affirmative

I am 15 years old.

He is from Spain.

We are Chinese.

Negative

I am not from Italy.

He is not my best friend.

You are not in London.

4. Are the sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences. Use short forms of be.

Edingburg is the capital of England.

Edingburg isn't the capital of England. It's the capital of Scotland.

  1. Great Britain is an island.

  2. Juan and Pilar are English names.

  3. London and Manchester are small cities.

  4. British people's favourite drink is tea.

Check your answer in the page.

QUESTIONS AND SHORT ANSWERS

Am I a teenager? Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.

Are we friends? Yes, we are. / No, we aren't. (are not)

Is he your teacher? Yes, he is. / No, he isn't. (is not)

5. Answer the questions for you. Use short answers.

Is this your notebook? No, it isn't or Yes, it is.

  1. Is this your first English lesson?

  2. Are your friends in your English class?

  3. Are you on page 15 of this book?

  4. Is English your favourite subject?

LOOK!

There's (There is) / there are

There's a famous bridge in Sydney.

There are some American programmes on TV.

There aren't any beaches in Madrid.

6. Write affirmative and negative sentences with There's and There are.

lakes in Scotland. There are some lakes in Scotland.

  1. a White House in London. (negative)

  2. famous actors from Wales. (affirmative)

  3. kangaroos in the UK. (negative)

  4. a town called Boring in the USA. (affirmative)

The answers of question 4:

  1. Great Britain is an island. (true)

  2. Juan and Pilar are English names. (false) Juan and Pilar aren't English names. They're Spanish names.

  3. London and Manchester are small cities. (false) London Manchester aren't small cities. They're big cities.

  4. British people's favourite drink is tea. (true)

The answers of question 6:

  1. a White House in London.

There isn't a White House in London.

  1. famous actors from Wales.

The are famous actors from Wales.

  1. kangaroos in the UK.

There aren't kangaroos in the UK.

  1. a town called Boring in the USA.

There's a town called Boring in the USA.