Phrasal verbs are a verb + one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs) that create a new meaning.
Example: get over = recover or overcome (not “get” + “over” literally).
They are very common in spoken English and often unpredictable.
Types of Phrasal Verbs
1. Two-Part Verbs
Verb + one particle
Examples:
grow up – The children are growing up.
take after – She takes after her mother. (= She looks like her mother or she behaves like her mother.)
count on – I can count on you. (= I know I can trust you or I know I can believe you.)
a) Inseparable
Verb and particle cannot be split.
She takes after her mother.
b) Separable
With a noun object, you may place the particle before or after the object:
She gave back the money. / She gave the money back.
“To be, or not to be – that is the question.”
It’s from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
The verb to be is one of the most important verbs in English. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to use it to talk about ourselves and other people.
👤 Talking about yourself
I am → I’m
This is the short form, and it’s very common in spoken English.
👉 Example:
Hi, I’m Fred. → Fred is introducing himself.
👥 Talking about others
you are → you’re
You’re Jennifer, right?
she is → she’s
How’s Julia? – She’s good!
he is → he’s
He’s James.
it is → it’s
It’s a bee. 🐝
📌 Use he for a man, she for a woman, and it for an object or an animal (when we don’t know or don’t need to mention gender).
👨👩👧 Talking about groups
we are → we’re
We’re friends.
they are → they’re
They’re teachers.
👉 Tip: We use they when we talk about a group of people, and also when we don’t know someone’s gender.
💡 Extra Tip
We can ask “How are you?” when talking to one person or to many people.
You (singular) → How are you?
You (plural) → How are you all? / How are you guys?
The verb are doesn’t change.
📊 Summary Table
Person
Verb “to be”
Short form
Example
I
am
I’m
I’m happy.
you
are
you’re
You’re my friend.
he
is
he’s
He’s a student.
she
is
she’s
She’s a doctor.
it
is
it’s
It’s cold.
we
are
we’re
We’re ready.
they
are
they’re
They’re here.
🚀 For Extra Practice
👉 Practice saying these aloud:
Introduce yourself: “Hi, I’m …”
Point to a friend: “He’s … / She’s …”
Describe something near you: “It’s …”
Talk about a group: “We’re … / They’re …”
In the next step, you’ll also learn negatives (I’m not, you aren’t, she isn’t…) and questions (Am I…? Is he…? Are they…?).
✏️ Exercises – Verb To Be
1) Complete with the correct form of to be (am / is / are):
a) I ___ a student.
b) She ___ my best friend.
c) They ___ very happy today.
d) We ___ in the classroom.
e) He ___ from Brazil.
2) Rewrite using the short forms:
a) I am tired. → ____________
b) She is at the park. → ____________
c) We are ready. → ____________
d) He is my brother. → ____________
e) They are teachers. → ____________
3) Make the sentences negative:
a) I’m from Canada. → ____________
b) She’s here. → ____________
c) They’re students. → ____________
d) We’re late. → ____________
e) It’s a dog. → ____________
4) Ask questions with to be:
a) you / tired → ____________ ?
b) she / your teacher → ____________ ?
c) they / at school → ____________ ?
d) he / ready → ____________ ?
e) it / your book → ____________ ?
5) Translate into English:
a) Eu sou feliz. b) Ela é minha amiga. c) Nós estamos em casa. d) Eles são médicos. e) Está frio.
✅ Answer Key – Verb To Be
1) Complete with the correct form of to be:
a) I am a student.
b) She is my best friend.
c) They are very happy today.
d) We are in the classroom.
e) He is from Brazil.
2) Rewrite using the short forms:
a) I am tired. → I’m tired.
b) She is at the park. → She’s at the park.
c) We are ready. → We’re ready.
d) He is my brother. → He’s my brother.
e) They are teachers. → They’re teachers.
3) Make the sentences negative:
a) I’m from Canada. → I’m not from Canada.
b) She’s here. → She isn’t here. / She’s not here.
c) They’re students. → They aren’t students. / They’re not students.
d) We’re late. → We aren’t late. / We’re not late.
e) It’s a dog. → It isn’t a dog. / It’s not a dog.
4) Ask questions with to be:
a) you / tired → Are you tired?
b) she / your teacher → Is she your teacher?
c) they / at school → Are they at school?
d) he / ready → Is he ready?
e) it / your book → Is it your book?
5) Translate into English:
a) Eu sou feliz. → I’m happy. b) Ela é minha amiga. → She’s my friend. c) Nós estamos em casa. → We’re at home. d) Eles são médicos. → They’re doctors. e) Está frio. → It’s cold.
Many English learners struggle to pronounce the word “world” — and for good reason! It contains two tricky consonant sounds: R and L, right next to each other.
👂 In American English, the pronunciation can feel especially challenging.
🧠 A Brilliant Tip from a 12-Year-Old
One of my former students, Rodrigo (only 12 years old at the time!), came up with a smart way to break it down:
➡️ wor + óld
Think of it as two parts:
“wor” (as in word)
“óld” (like the word old)
Put them together: wor-óld → world
🎉 Ingenious, right? Way to go, Rodrigo!
🎥 A Similar Tip from a Teacher
While preparing this lesson, I came across a video where another teacher gives a very similar tip. Listen carefully.
🗣️ Pronunciation Practice
Repeat each pair of words slowly, focusing on the R and L sounds. Then say “world” after each one:
word – old – world
were – gold – world
worm – cold – world
war – fold – world
work – hold – world
Now try saying “world” 5 times in a row, slowly and clearly.
Finally, say these full sentences:
I get it — they’re thinking in Portuguese, where we say “mais cinco minutos.”
But in English, the word order is different.
Let’s fix it: ❌ more five minutes → ❌ wrong ✅ five more minutes → ✅ right!
📚 Why?
Because “more” is a modifier — a word that gives additional information about another word. In this case, it modifies the noun (minutes), and it must come after the number.
➡️ In English, the correct structure is:
👉 number + more + noun
I need ten more minutes.
She bought two more books.
We’ll wait five more days.
🆚 “Five more minutes” or “Five minutes more”?
Both are grammatically correct, but there’s a difference in tone. Let’s compare:
✅ Five more minutes (most common, especially in conversation)
– Most common – standard form for everyday English – Natural in everyday conversation – Neutral tone
Example: Can I have five more minutes, please?
✅ Five minutes more (less common, more literary or dramatic)
– Less common – More poetic, dramatic, or old-fashioned – Often used in songs or literature
Example: Just five minutes more — let the world wait while I gather my thoughts.
🎧 Practice Time!
1. Complete with the correct word order:
a) I need ______ to finish this book. (more / five / minutes)
b) She bought ______ for the trip. (bottles / more / two)
c) We waited ______, but he never came. (more / ten / minutes)
d) He asked for ______ to explain. (one / more / chance)
e) And then she whispered: “Give me ______, just to say goodbye.” (more / five / minutes)
2. Identify the correct sentence:
a) ( ) I’ll need more five hours. ( ) I’ll need five more hours.
b) ( ) She read two more pages. ( ) She read more two pages.
c) ( ) We’ll stay more three days. ( ) We’ll stay three more days.
d) ( )Five minutes more, and he would’ve seen the sunrise. ( ) More five minutes, and he would’ve seen the sunrise.
3. Translate to English using the correct structure:
a) Eu preciso de mais cinco minutos.
b) Ele ficou mais três dias no hotel.
c) Podemos esperar mais dois minutos?
d) Ela pediu apenas mais um minuto de silêncio.
e) Mais cinco minutos e tudo teria sido diferente.
4. Fix the sentence (rewrite it correctly):
a) I want more ten minutes.
b) She needs more two books.
c) Can I have more one chance?
d) Just more five seconds and we would have kissed.
5. Creative Writing Prompt ✍️
Complete the sentence using your imagination and the structure “___ more ” or “ minutes more”:
a) Five minutes more and… (Exemplo: Five minutes more and the storm would’ve passed.)
b) One more chance to…
c) He needed just a few more…
d) Ten more steps and…
Answers:
Exercise 1: a. five more minutes; b. two more bottles; c. ten more minutes; d. ten more minutes; e. five more minutes
Exercise 2: a. (✔) I’ll need five more hours./ b. (✔) She read two more pages. / c. (✔) We’ll stay three more days. / d. (✔) Five minutes more, and he would’ve seen the sunrise.
Exercise 3: a. I need five more minutes. / b. He stayed three more days at the hotel. / c. Can we wait two more minutes? / d. She asked for just one more minute of silence. / e. Five minutes more and everything would have been different.
Exercise 4: a.I want ten more minutes. / b. She needs two more books. / c. Can I have one more chance? / 4. Just five more seconds and we would have kissed.
