1. Number/Quantity Example sentence Grammar tip
Singular What’s this? Use this for singular
It’s a dictionary. nouns.
Plural What are these? Use these for plural
They’re dictionaries. nouns
Use a before a consonant sound: a pen, a bus, a book, a
dictionary
Use an before a vowel sound: an apple, an exercise, an
hour

2. Affirmative Negative
I’m I’m not
You’re You aren’t
He’s/She’s/It’s He/She/It isn’t American.
We’re We aren’t
They’re They aren’t
In questions put be before the subject.
Are you Canadian?
Is he German?
Is she Mexican?
Is it Italian?
Are they French?

3. subject pronoun possessive determiner example sentence
I my I’m William.
This is my family.
you your You are a bad student.
Where are your books?
he his These are Charles and his
wife.
He is my father.
she her These are Camilla and her
husband.
She is my friend.
it its It’s a beautiful dog.
What’s its name?
we our We’re the Windsors.
This is our house.
they their They’re William and Harry.
We are their parents.

4. Use the same possessive determiner for singular and plural
Our family / Our friends / My car / My cars / His son / His children
Use his for a man: Bill and his wife = Bill’s wife
Use her for a woman: Hillary and her husband = Hillary’s husband
Use its for a singular noun not a man/not a woman = The dog is
thirsty. Its water bowl is empty.
Use ‘s for one person.
My brother’s school (I have one brother)
Use s’ for more than one person.
My brothers’ school (I have two brothers)

5. An expensive cell phone/mobile
phone
An = singular
Six cheap mobile phones/cell
phones
Six = plural
Use adjectives before nouns: expensive
mobile phone / cheap mobile phones
Adjectives don’t change before singular or
plural nouns: an expensive cell phone / six
cheap cell phones

6. Affirmative Negative
I work/study/finish/go/get up I don’t
work/study/finish/go/get up
You work/study/finish/go/get up You don’t
work/study/finish/go/get up
We work/study/finish/go/get up We don’t
work/study/finish/go/get up
They work/study/finish/go/get They don’t
up work/study/finish/go/get up
He/She / It He/She/It doesn’t
works/studies/finishes/goes/ work/study/finish/go/get up
gets up
Questions: Do + I / you / we / they + verb
Do you work? Do they study?
Questions: Does + he / she / it + verb (not verb+s)
Does he work? Does she study?