It Must Be Correct

Beginner (A1) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Game preview, Beginner A1, sentence building, group work

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar: Sentence Building - Group Work

In this free verb 'to be' game, students practice building short affirmative and negative sentences with 'am', 'is' and 'are'. In groups, players take turns making a sentence with their cards by putting three cards face up in a row on the table...

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar: Sentence Building - Group Work In this free verb 'to be' game, students practice building short affirmative and negative sentences with 'am', 'is' and 'are'. In groups, players take turns making a sentence with their cards by putting three cards face up in a row on the table (subject + verb 'to be' + ending) and reading it aloud, e.g. 'I am a student.' If the sentence is grammatically correct, the player scores one point, puts the three used cards into a discard pile and takes three cards from a draw pile. If a player cannot make a sentence, they take a card from the top of the draw pile, put one of their cards at the bottom and miss a turn. The game continues until players cannot make any more sentences. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Aiko and Richard

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Activity preview, Elementary A1-A2, writing, asking and answering questions, pair work

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Role-Play, Writing, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

In this useful verb 'to be' role-play activity, students take on the role of Aiko or Richard and ask and answer simple personal information questions with the verb 'to be' to complete a profile. Working...

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Role-Play, Writing, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice - Pair Work In this useful verb 'to be' role-play activity, students take on the role of Aiko or Richard and ask and answer simple personal information questions with the verb 'to be' to complete a profile. Working together in two groups, students look at information in a table and write a question for each prompt using the verb 'to be'. Students then pair up with someone from the other group. Next, students take turns asking and answering the questions in character, and completing the table with their partner's answers. Finally, students check their answers by comparing worksheets.

Are you...?

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Game preview, Elementary A1-A2, bingo, asking and answering questions from prompts, controlled practice

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar and Speaking: Bingo, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled Practice

In this engaging verb 'to be' game, students race to complete a bingo card by finding classmates who answer 'Yes, I am.' to 'Are you...?' questions. Students go around the class asking 'Are you...?'...

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar and Speaking: Bingo, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled Practice In this engaging verb 'to be' game, students race to complete a bingo card by finding classmates who answer 'Yes, I am.' to 'Are you...?' questions. Students go around the class asking 'Are you...?' questions from the squares on their bingo cards, e.g. 'Are you good at dancing?' If a classmate answers 'Yes, I am.', the student writes the classmate's name at the beginning of the sentence in the square. Each time a student speaks to a classmate, they are only allowed to ask one question and then must move on to speak to another student. The first student to get five names in a row shouts 'Bingo!' Check the student's answers by confirming the information with the named students. If the answers are right, the student wins the round. If not, the students continue to play. Play several rounds, ensuring that students receive a different bingo card each time. You can also have the students win by completing the entire card with names.

Find Out

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Activity preview, Elementary A1-A2, information gap, asking and answering questions from prompts, group work

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work

In this productive verb 'to be' information gap activity, students find out personal information about four people and practice Wh questions and answers with the verb 'to be'. First, students take on the role of...

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gap, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Controlled Practice - Group Work In this productive verb 'to be' information gap activity, students find out personal information about four people and practice Wh questions and answers with the verb 'to be'. First, students take on the role of the person in their chart and read through their information. Students then go around their group asking and answering questions in character and completing the chart with the corresponding information. When the students have finished, they check their answers by comparing charts. Finally, review the answers as a class by asking students about the four people, e.g. 'What is Jack's last name?'

Park Street

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Activity preview, Elementary A1-A2, forming sentences from prompts, controlled practice, group work

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts - Group Work

In this enjoyable verb 'to be' activity, students practice exchanging information about different people living on a street. First, students take on the role of the person on their card and write their...

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts - Group Work In this enjoyable verb 'to be' activity, students practice exchanging information about different people living on a street. First, students take on the role of the person on their card and write their own details from the card in the matching house box on the worksheet. Students then find out who lives in the other houses on Park Street by asking and answering questions with the other students in their group, using the verb 'to be' and writing all the details on the worksheet. Finally, check the answers by asking students to read information about the people who live on the street.

Snap It Up

Elementary (A1-A2) 20 minutes
ESL Verb to be Game preview, Elementary A1-A2, snap, matching questions and answers, pair work

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar: Snap, Matching - Pair Work

In this fast-paced verb 'to be' game, students race to match yes/no questions with short answers. In pairs, both students turn over a card from their pile at the same time and place them on the table next to each other. If the yes/no question and short...

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar: Snap, Matching - Pair Work In this fast-paced verb 'to be' game, students race to match yes/no questions with short answers. In pairs, both students turn over a card from their pile at the same time and place them on the table next to each other. If the yes/no question and short answer match, the first student to say 'Snap' scores a point. If the question and answer don't match, students continue turning over cards until a matching pair comes up. If a student says 'Snap' when the question and answer don't match, the other student scores a point. After each point, students pick up their own cards, shuffle them and start a new round. The first student to score 15 points wins the game. As an alternative or extension, students can play a pelmanism game with the cards.

Verb To Be Board Game

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Board Game preview, Elementary A1-A2, forming sentences and questions from prompts, controlled and freer practice, group work

ESL Verb to be Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences and Questions - Group Work

This enjoyable verb 'to be' board game helps students practice making present simple affirmative and negative sentences and questions with the verb 'to be'. In groups, players take turns rolling the...

ESL Verb to be Board Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences and Questions from Prompts, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group Work This enjoyable verb 'to be' board game helps students practice making present simple affirmative and negative sentences and questions with the verb 'to be'. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a player lands on a square with a sentence beginning or ending, they use the beginning or ending to make an affirmative or negative sentence with the verb 'to be', e.g. 'I am not at work.' If a player lands on a 'Question' square, they pick up a card and use the prompt to form a question with the verb 'to be'. The player then asks the question to another student, who answers it. If a player forms a sentence or question correctly, they stay on the square. If not, the player moves back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.

Verb To Be Practice

Elementary (A1-A2) 35 minutes
ESL Verb to be Worksheet preview, Elementary A1-A2, reading and grammar exercises, identifying, true or false, gap-fill, error correction, writing sentences from prompts

ESL Verb to be Worksheet - Reading and Grammar Exercises: Identifying, True or False, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity - Asking and Answering Questions

In this free verb 'to be' worksheet, students practice the present simple of the verb 'to be' in sentences, questions and short answers. First, students read a text...

ESL Verb to be Worksheet - Reading and Grammar Exercises: Identifying, True or False, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity - Asking and Answering Questions In this free verb 'to be' worksheet, students practice the present simple of the verb 'to be' in sentences, questions and short answers. First, students read a text about a family and underline all the examples of the verb 'to be'. Students then read sentences about the text and mark them true or false. Next, students complete affirmative and negative sentences with the verb 'to be'. After that, students complete questions and answers with the correct form of the verb 'to be'. Students then complete mini-dialogues using am, am not, is, isn't, are, and aren't. Finally, students take part in a 'Find Someone Who' activity where they go around the class asking classmates yes/no questions with the verb 'to be'. When a classmate answers yes, students write their name in the 'Name' column.

Where are you from?

Elementary (A1-A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Game preview, Elementary A1-A2, forming and writing sentences, memorising, speaking and writing

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar, Speaking and Writing: Forming and Writing Sentence, Memorising

In this rewarding verb 'to be' game, students use the verb 'to be' to talk about cities and nationalities and then test how much information they can remember about their classmates. First, students...

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar, Speaking and Writing: Forming and Writing Sentence, Memorising In this rewarding verb 'to be' game, students use the verb 'to be' to talk about cities and nationalities and then test how much information they can remember about their classmates. First, students imagine that they are from the city and the country on their card. Students then go around the class using the verb 'to be' to tell their classmates the city they are from and their nationality, e.g. 'I am from Tokyo. I am Japanese.' The students' task is to listen and try to remember which city each student is from and their nationality. Next, in pairs, students write down where each person is from and their nationality using the verb 'to be', e.g. 'Max is from Tokyo. He is Japanese.' Afterwards, go through the answers with the class by asking the students to say the city they are from and their nationality. Pairs score one point for every correct sentence. The pair with the most points wins the game.

Past and Present

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Verb to be Worksheet preview, Pre-intermediate A2, gap-fills, writing answers from prompts, binary choice, writing an email

ESL Verb to be Worksheet - Grammar and Writing Exercises: Gap-fills, Writing Answers, Binary Choice, Writing an Email

This insightful verb to be worksheet helps students practice the past and present simple of the verb to be: am, are, is, was and were as well as their negative forms. First, students complete a text with am, is, are...

ESL Verb to be Worksheet - Grammar and Writing Exercises: Gap-fills, Writing Answers from Prompts, Binary Choice, Writing an Email This insightful verb to be worksheet helps students practice the past and present simple of the verb to be: am, are, is, was and were as well as their negative forms. First, students complete a text with am, is, are, isn't or aren't. Students then complete another text with was, were, wasn't or weren't. Students then move on to answer comprehension questions about the two texts using the verb 'to be'. Next, students complete another text with the correct form of the verb 'to be' in brackets. Lastly, students write an email to one of the people from the texts using the verb 'to be' forms from the worksheet.

Secret Identity

Pre-intermediate (A2) 30 minutes
ESL Verb to be Game preview, Pre-intermediate A2, writing, asking and answering questions, pair work

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar and Speaking: Writing, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work

In this entertaining verb to be guessing game, students ask yes/no questions with the verb 'to be' in order to find out a partner's secret identity. First, students circle the questions they would like to ask...

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar and Speaking: Writing, Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work In this entertaining verb to be guessing game, students ask yes/no questions with the verb 'to be' in order to find out a partner's secret identity. First, students circle the questions they would like to ask in questions 1 to 10 on the worksheet and complete questions 11 to 20 with their own ideas. Next, in pairs, each student imagines that they are a famous person or character and answers their partner's questions as if they were that person. One student goes first and asks the questions they have prepared to their partner who responds 'Yes, I am' or 'No, I'm not' accordingly. When the student thinks they know their partner's secret identity, they can make a guess. If the guess is correct, students swap roles. If not, the student continues to ask questions and make guesses until the last question has been asked. Afterwards, there is a class feedback session to find out who asked the most and least questions.

Whose dogs are these?

Pre-intermediate (A2) 25 minutes
ESL Verb to be Activity preview, Pre-intermediate A2, information gaps, completing, asking and answering questions from prompts, matching, pair work

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gaps, Completing, Asking and Answering Questions, Matching - Pair Work

In this comprehensive verb to be information gap activity, students practice asking and answering questions with the verb 'to be'. First, students complete...

ESL Verb to be Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gaps, Completing, Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Matching - Pair Work In this comprehensive verb to be information gap activity, students practice asking and answering questions with the verb 'to be'. First, students complete present simple Wh questions with words from a box on the worksheet. Next, students use the questions and answer structures from the first exercise in an information gap activity about four people who have lost their dogs. The students' task is to complete descriptions of the dogs by asking and answering questions with their partner and completing the missing information in the chart. Students then move on to practice yes/no questions with the verb 'to be' in a second information gap activity where the four people want to find out if their dogs are at an animal shelter. Students use yes/no questions from the worksheet to ask about dogs in six cages in the animal shelter. Students complete the missing information in the chart with the answers. Students then look at the information in the chart and match the people with their dogs.

To be or not to be

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Verb to be Game preview, Intermediate B1, writing questions and answers, guessing, group work

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar and Writing: Writing Questions and Answers, Guessing - Group Work

In this creative verb to be game, students write and respond to questions with the verb 'to be'. First, students think of a personal information question beginning with the word on their question slip and...

ESL Verb to be Game - Grammar and Writing: Writing Questions and Answers, Guessing - Group Work In this creative verb to be game, students write and respond to questions with the verb 'to be'. First, students think of a personal information question beginning with the word on their question slip and write down the next word in the question. Students then pass the slip to the person on their right, who writes the next word and passes it on. The student who writes the last word in the question adds a question mark and hands the question to the next person, who writes an answer underneath, puts the slip in an envelope and takes another slip. This continues until all the slips are complete. Students then take turns taking a slip from the envelope and reading the question and answer to the group members, who each guess which student answered the question. The student who wrote the answer bluffs by guessing another student, but once all the group members have guessed, they reveal it was them. For each correct guess, students score a point. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Understanding the Verb to be

The verb to be is the most fundamental verb in English; it states who someone is, what something is, and what people and things are like. Getting its three present forms right, 'am', 'is', and 'are', matters immediately: a student who writes 'She are happy' or 'They is tired' signals a basic grammatical gap that undermines everything else they write or say.

This page covers the verb to be across A1, A1-A2, A2, and B1 levels, with 13 activities including sentence-building card games, bingo, role-plays, information gaps, a board game, and worksheets, with two activities available as free downloads.

The verb to be has more irregular forms than any other English verb; the table below maps the affirmative and negative forms for each subject across the present and past simple, and questions are formed by inverting the subject and verb, for example 'Is she a doctor?'

SubjectPresent AffirmativePresent NegativePast AffirmativePast NegativeExample
I am am not / I'm not was was not / wasn't 'I am a teacher. I was at home.'
You are are not / aren't were were not / weren't 'You are right. You were wrong.'
He / She / It is is not / isn't was was not / wasn't 'She is kind. He was tired.'
We are are not / aren't were were not / weren't 'We are ready. We were early.'
They are are not / aren't were were not / weren't 'They are here. They were late.'

When to Use the Verb to be

Personal Introduction: Speakers reach for the verb to be first when introducing themselves or describing someone's role in a new setting, because it links a person directly to their identity, job, or nationality, as in 'She is our new project manager and she is originally from Seoul.'

Describing States and Feelings: When a speaker wants to describe a current condition, emotion, or physical state rather than an action, the verb to be is the natural choice, since it presents a fact about a person or thing rather than describing what they do, as in 'He is exhausted and the deadline is tomorrow.'

Locating People and Things: Writers and speakers use the verb to be to place people, objects, or events in a specific location or time frame when no action verb is needed, as in 'The conference is in London next week and all the senior managers are already there.'

3-Step Framework for Teaching the Verb to be

1. Controlled Form Building: Start with a card-based sentence-building activity where students construct short affirmative and negative sentences by placing three cards in a row on the table, one for the subject, one for the verb form, and one for the ending, then read the result aloud. A player who cannot make a sentence takes a card from the top of the draw pile, puts one of their cards at the bottom, and misses a turn, which keeps every student accountable to the form from the very first practice stage.

2. Communicative Question Practice: Move into a mingle activity where students practice 'Are you...?' questions under a bingo format, racing to fill five squares in a row with classmates' names. A strict one-question-per-person rule keeps the language focused: each time a student speaks to a classmate, they are only allowed to ask one question and then must move on, which drives far more repetitions of the target form than a free conversation would.

3. Freer Production with Built-In Feedback: Consolidate with a board game where students produce both sentences and questions from prompts. When a player lands on a 'Question' square, they pick up a card and use the prompt to form a question with the verb 'to be', asking it to another student who must answer it, and landing an incorrect form sends the player back two squares, giving instant error feedback without stopping the game.

Common Mistakes with the Verb to be

Omitting the Verb to Be: Students often drop the verb to be entirely when the meaning seems clear from context, particularly in sentences that link a subject to a noun or adjective, a pattern carried over from languages where the verb can be left out. Wrong: 'She a teacher.' Correct: 'She is a teacher.'

Confusing 'was' and 'were': Students often use 'was' with plural subjects because the present simple distinction between 'is' and 'are' does not map onto past forms in the way learners expect, leading them to treat 'was' as the default past form for every subject. Wrong: 'They was very happy yesterday.' Correct: 'They were very happy yesterday.'

Common Questions About Teaching the Verb to be

What is a useful worksheet for practicing the verb to be?

The worksheet Verb To Be Practice is a free download covering every core form in one lesson. Students read a text about a family, underline all examples of the verb 'to be', then work through gap-fills, true/false sentences, and mini-dialogues using am, am not, is, isn't, are, and aren't, before a 'Find Someone Who' mingle closes the session.

What is a fun game for practicing yes/no questions with the verb to be?

The game Secret Identity gives students a real reason to keep asking questions: they try to uncover a partner's secret identity by asking yes/no questions they have written themselves. The partner responds 'Yes, I am' or 'No, I'm not' to each one, and a class feedback session at the end reveals who asked the most and least questions.

What is a good speaking activity for practicing the verb to be?

Information gap activities push every student to use the verb to be because each person holds details the others need. In the activity Find Out, students take on the role of the person in their chart and go around their group asking and answering questions in character to complete the missing details. The class then checks answers together.

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