Unit topics

• Say hello and introduce yourself
• Use the verb ‘to be’
• Ask and answer about people’s age and country
• Understand ‘wh’ questions and yes/no questions

Movie script

Luke: Hi Tim. What’s up? #What’s up is an informal way of saying hello.
Tim: Hey Luke! How’re you? I’d like to introduce you to Gloria. She’s from China. #A /colleague/ is somebody you work with.
Luke: Hello Gloria. Nice to meet you!
Gloria: Nice to meet you.
Luke: So, you’re Chinese! Are you from Beijing? #Questions that start with the verb to be are yes/no questions.
Gloria: No, I’m from Shanghai. How about you? #Is this an information question or a yes/no question?
Luke: I was born in the UK. I’m English, but I live here in Canada now.
Gloria: Oh, Really? #We use really when we are surprised by someone’s answer to our question.
Luke: What do you do here? #Information questions begin with what, where, when, which, why and how.
Gloria: I’m starting in accounts. #People who work in accounts look after the financial business of a company.
Luke: Oh, cool. I work there too. We should have lunch sometime. #We use cool when we like an idea.
Gloria: OK. good idea.

Key vocabulary

Grammar

The verb ‘to be’

• To talk about nationality and age
• Contracted forms
• Short answers with ‘to be’

He is very lucky; he has two cars, a nice house, and beautiful children.

In this lesson we will learn the difference between the verbs /be/ and /have/.

First let’s look at these three sentences:

1. He is my brother.
2. Sylvia is Italian.
3. They have a black car.

In the first sentence, /be/ is used to equate someone(or something) with something else. Here are some more examples:

1. Jen is secretary.
2. Max is her boos.
3. They are doctors.
4. Cats are animals.
5. English is a language.

We can also use /be/ to describe someone(or something) with an adjective. For example:

1. Sylvia is Italian.
2. Mary is tall.
3. They are angry.
4. My computer is fast.
5. New York is busy.

So when do we use /have/? /Have/ is used to describe what someone(or something) possesses.

1. He has long brown hair.
2. She has a new car.
3. They have 2 children.
4. Paris has many beautiful gardens.
5. The company has 200 employees.

Now let’s practice using our new vocabulary. Imagine you are trying to describe someone using the words or phrases below. Should we use /have/ or /be/?

1. He is 25 years old.
2. He has brown hair.
3. He is an English teacher.
4. He has 2 children.

Information questions and yes/no questions

• Where are you from?
• Are you from China?

Listening

Dialogue

Lucy: Are you from Paris?
Sarah: No, I’m from Nice. How about you?
Lucy: I was born in the U.S., so I’m American. But I’ve lived here in Canada for twelve years now.
Sarah: Really? How old are you?
Lucy: I’m twenty.
Sarah: So am I!
Lucy: What do you do here?
Sarah: I’m starting in accounts.

Speaking

Tim: Hi! I’m Tim. What’s your name?
Lucy: I’m Lucy. Nice to meet you, Tim.
Tim: Nice to meet you too.

When good friends say hello to each other, they will often use a more informal style of English. For example, using ‘Hey!’ instead of ‘Hi!’, or shortening ‘How are you?’ to ‘How’re you?’ Now listen to and read some more ways of saying hello.

Rachel: What’s up?
David: Hey Rachel. How’re you?
Rachel: I’m fine, thanks.

Alison: Alright Jerry? How’s it going?
Jerry: Not bad. And you?
Alison: Pretty good, thanks.

When we introduce someone, we say their name and something about them e.g. where they are from. Now listen to Tim introducing Sarah to Lucy.

Tim: I’d like to introduce you to our new colleague, Sarah. She’s from France.
Lucy: Hello Sarah. Nice to meet you!
Sarah: Nice to meet you too, Lucy.

Here are some other ways of introducing someone:

Tim: This is Sarah. She’s from France.
Lucy: Hi Sarah. Nice to meet you.

Tim: I’d like you to meet Sarah, our new colleague.
Lucy: Hi! Nice to meet you.

A cover letter is a letter that you send with your resume when you apply for a new job.

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Giovanni Esposito and I come from Naples, Italy. I am twenty five years old and I work in Warsaw, Poland. I can speak English, Italian, Polish….

Dear Mr Peterson,

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Il-Sook Choi and I am Korean. I’m nineteen and I’m studying business at University in London….

Dear Ms. Clark,

My name is Ye Shu Tao. I am a forty year old Chinese man and I live in Colorado in the United States. I am an engineer for a Japanese company….