Specla Friends

Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. a ID

They are our friends. We play wíth them. We Pets are great for your health. Contact wíth an

2
talk to them. We spend a lot of money on them. affectionate dog or cat can lower a person's blood

We love them. Who are they? Our pets, of course. pressure. Also, pets are a comfort to lonely people.

About 68 percent of Americans live with one or more

Pets are fun, but they're also work. Animals need
animals. There are about 94 million pet cats and
a lot of attention. Befare you buy a pet, it is important
90 million pet dogs in the United States. There are
to answer these questions:
more pets than children in the United States! The
• Are you patient?
most popular pets are cats and dogs. Other popular
• Are you home a Jot?
pets are fish, birds, and rabbits.
• If you have children, are they responsible?

Pet ownership isn't cheap. Americans spend more • Is this a good animal for children?

than $69 billion a year on their pets. There are schools, • Are pets aJlowed where you live?

3
toys, hotels, clothes, and cemeteries for pets. The • Are you or your family members a1lergic to pets?

1
average dog owner spends over $257 a y e ar o n vet bilis.
``
It's irnportant to understand that a pet is a long-

For many Americans, pets are part of the family. term responsibility-and a long-terrn friend.

Many owners sleep with their dogs or cats. Sorne

people travel wíth their pets. (The average cost to fly vet: short for veterinarian; an a n i m a l doctor

' affectionate: loving

with a pet is $125 each way.) Sorne hotels allow guests
3
allergic: very sensitive to a particular a n i m a l or plant

to bring their pets.

A man and his dog check in

for their flight.

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4 Unit 1
COMPREHENSION Based on the reading, write T for true or F for false.

l. The most popular pets in the U.S. are dogs and cats.

2. Ahout 94 percent of Americans have a pet.

3. Pets are not allowed on airplanes.

T H I N K ABOUT IT Discuss the questions with a partner o r i n a s m a ll group.

l. Do you have a pet? If so, what kind? If not, what kind do you think you would like?

2. In addition. to lmve!ing a person's blood pressure, what other ways can a pet make a person's life better?

1.1 Be S i m p l e Present-Form

EXAMPLES 1 EXPLANATION

1
SUBJECT , BE

1 1

1 am happy with my d o g . We use am with /.

The c h i l d responsible. We use is with he, she, it, this, that, and s i n g u l a r subjects

He intelligent. (the child, the cat, etc.).

She lonely.

The cat is happy. We use there is with a s i n g u l a r n o u n .

lt cute.

That a friendly cat.

There a dog i n the yard.

We hard working. We use are with we, you, they, these, those, a n d p l u r a l subjects

You home a lot. (pets, cats, etc.).

Pets fun.
are
They good friends. We use there are with a p l u r a l n o u n .

Those cute kittens.

There schools for dogs.

1.2 Contractions with Be

EXAMPLES EXPLANATION

1 am l'm responsible. A contraction co m b i n e s two words.

You are You're patient.

Sheis She's happy. We can make a contraction with the subject pronoun a n d

He is He's k i n d . am, is, or are.

lt is lt's necessary.

We are We're busy. We put an apostrophe (') in place of the m i s s i n g letter.

They are They're cute.

There is There's a pet store near my house. We can make a contraction with there is, here is, and that is.

Here is Here's an idea. Let's get a dog.

That is That's a friendly cat.

cat is The cat's hungry. We can make a contraction with most s i n g u l a r n o u n s and is.

dog is Your dog's cute.

A fo� is a relative of a dog. We don't make a contraction with is if the word befare

A mouse is a small a n i m a l. ends i n s, se, ce, ge, ze, sh, ch, or x.

Thi� is a cute cat.

The S i m p l e Present, Frequency Words 5

 EXERCISE 1 Listen to the conversation. F i ll in the b l a n k s with the words you hear. El]l;IJ

A: I want a dog. My friend has a dog with new puppies. There ---�ª�r�e�--- nine puppies, and they
l.

need a home. The puppies two months old. They so cute. I want
2. 3.

one. Look-this a picture of my favorite puppy.

4.

B: Dogs a big responsibility.

5.

A: Mom, I -----��- nine years old now, and I responsible. I love dogs.
6. 7.

They so affectionate. They great friends. And dogs

8. 9.

________ fun.

10.

B: They expensive, too. For example, there the cost of food.

11. 12.

EXERCISE 2 F i l l i n the b l a n k s with the correct form of be to fi n i s h the conversation from Exercise 1 .

Use co n t r a c t i o n s wherever p o s s i b l e .

B: There also vet bills.

l.

A: Vet bills?

B: Yes. A vet an animal doctor. Dogs need doctors just like we do. It _
2. 3.

importan! to think about that, too.

A: But the puppies healthy.

4.

B: You healthy, too. But sometimes you sick and you need a
5. 6.

doctor. Also, your little brother only three years old. He _

7. 8.

afraid of dogs. Here another problem: It summer now, so it

9. 10.

------�- easy to take the dog out. But in winter, it so cold.

ll. 12.

A: Please, Mom.

B: Let me think about it. I have to talk to D ad . We your parents, and we want to make
13.

the right d eci sion.

A: Thanks, Mom.

6 Unit 1
 1.3 Be-Use

EXAMPLES USES

1 am p a t i e n t. With a d e s cr i p t i o n (an adjective)

A vet is an animal doctor. With a cl a s s i fi c a t i o n or d e fi n i t i o n of the subject

My dog is in the yard. With a location

l
This dog is from Alaska. With a place of origin

The dog is co l d . With a reaction fo the temperature (hot, cold, warm) and with

lt is co l d outside.
- weather. The subject for sentences about weather is it.

My dog is three (years old). With age

The cat is hungry. With a physical or emotional state: hungry, thirsty, afraid

1 am a fr a i d of dogs.

There are toys for dogs. With there, to show that something exists

There is an animal hospital near my house.

lt is ten o ' cl o c k now. With time. The subject for sentences about time is it.

lt is important to be responsible with a pet. With certain expressions beginning with it

Note:

S o rn e words that end in -ed are adjectives: tired, married, worried, interested, bored, excited, crowded, /ocated.

The pet shop is /ocated on the comer.

The children are excited about the new puppy.

EXERCISE 3 Fill in the blanks with the co r r e c t fo r m of be. Then write D fo r description, C for

cl a s s i fi c a t i o n , L for location, O fo r origin, W fo r weather, A fo r age, P fo r a physical or emotional state,

TH for there, T fo r time, or I fo r expressions beginning with it. Use co n t r a c t i o n s wherever possible.

l. My dog _'s�------ small. _D

_

2. You home a lot. _

3. This dog friendly. _

4. There a lot of pets in the U.S. _

5. It fun to own a pet. _

6. It hot today. _

7. The dog thirsty. _

8. The puppies three months old. _

9. It 7 a.m. _

10. I from Vietnam. _

11 . Vietnam a country in Asia. _

The S i m p l e Present, Frequency Words 7

 1.4 Negative Statements with Be

EXAMPLES EXPLANATION

The dog owner is not h o m e now. To make a negative statement with be, we put not after a

She isn't home d u r i n g the day. form of be. The negative contractions are isn't and aren't.

You are not ready for a pet.

You aren't patient.

We can make contractions in negative statements with most subject pronouns + a form of be or

with a form of be : not. (E�_ception: / am not)

1 am not l'm not

you are not you're-not OR you aren't

he ísnot he's not OR he isn't

s h e is not she's not OR s h e isn't

it is not it's not OR it isn't

we are not we're not OR we aren't

they are not they're not OR they aren't

Notes:

1. We can make contractions with most n o u n s :

The dog is not friendly. = The dog's not friendly. = The dog isn't friendly.

2. Remember: We cannot make a contraction with certain words + is. (See 1.2.)

This is n o t a good pet. = This isn't a good pet. (not: This's not)

EXERCISE 4 F i ll in the first b l a n k with the correct form of be. Then fill in the second b l a n k with a

negative form. Use contractions wherever p o s sible. I n sorne cases, more t h a n one answer is p o s s i b l e .

Write a l i possible answers.

l. Today �•s�--- my daughter's birthday. It --�=

í s�n�t
' �-- a holiday.
a. b.

2. My daughter and I at the pet shop. We at home.

1

1 a. b.

3. My husband at work now. He with me.

a. b.
1

4. I patíent with dogs. I patient with cats.

a. b.

5. This puppy for my daughter. It for my son.

a. b.

6. My daughter responsible. My son responsible.

a. b.

7. Dogs good for protection. Cats good for protection.

a. b.

8. This a small dog. It a big dog.

a. b.

9. There a lot of puppies here. There a lot of kittens here.

a. b.

8 Unit 1

1
 EXERCISE 5 Circle the correct words to complete the sentences. In sorne cases, both answers are

possible, so circle both options.

l. My dog@are) sick. 10. There ('s/are) many dogs in the waiting room.

2. (She's not/She isn't) young. 11. (They aren't/They're not) all sick.

3. She (is/'s) 15 years old. 12. There (are/is) one cat in the waiting room.
1
4. She (isn't/not) hungry. 13. (It's/It) in a box.

5. This (is/'s) a seríoús problem. 14. The box (is/'s) small.

6. My dog and I (am/are) at the vet. 15. There (are/'re) pet magazines in the waiting room.

7. (I'm not/I amn't) happy. 16. (Is/It's) important to have a healthy pet.

8. We (is/are) worried about the dog. 17. (It's/It) my turn with the vet now.

9. (The uet's/The vet) a good doctor. 18. (I'm/1) next.

A father and his sons

wait to see their dog's

veterinarian.

I
 1.5 Yes/No Q u e s t i o n s a n d S h o r t Answers with Be

Compare statement word order with yes/no question word order.

STATEMENT WORD O R D E R YES/NO QUESTION SHORT ANSWER

1 am patient. Am I patient with pets? Yes, you are.

You are happy. Are you h a p p y with the new dog? Yes, 1 a m .

The vet is kind. Is the vet patient? Yes, she is.

lt is i mp o rt a n t to take the dog to the vet. Is it i mportant to give the dog exercise? Yes, it is.

We are at the vet. Are we in h e r office? No, we're not.

Pets are fu n . Are pets interesting? Yes, they are.

They are interested in a pet. Are they interested in a bird? No, they aren't.

Those are cute p u p p i e s . Are those your p u p p i e s ? Yes, they are.

That is a friendJy d o g . Is that your dog? No, it's not.

There are dogs at the vet. Are there birds at the vet? No, there aren't.

Notes:

1. I n a q u e s t i o n , we put am, is, or are befare the subject.

2. We use a contraction far a short no answer. We don't use a contraction far a s h o r t yes answer.

Is your son responsib/e? No, he isn't. OR No, he's not.

Is your daughter responsible? Yes, she is. (uor: Yes, she's.)

3. We use a pronoun (he, we, you, etc.) in a short answer.

4. W h e n the question co n t a i n s this ar that, the answer uses it, even far p e o p l e .

Is that the vet? Yes, it is.

P r o n u n ci a t i o n Note: We u s u a ll y end a yes/no question with rising intonation.

,,
___,,
Is that your dog?

EXERCISE 6 Fill in the b l a n k s to complete each ítem. Use contractions wherever p o ssib le.

l. A: -�-
l s_a_b__,_,�
i �d�- a good pet?

B: Yes, it is. A bird is a very good pet.

2. A: happy with your new kitten?

B: Yes, I am. My new kitten is fun.

3. A: interested in birds?

B: No, he . My son's interested in fish.

4. A: a vet near here?

B: Yes, . There's a vet on the next block.

10 Unit 1
5. A: in the yard?

B: No, she . The dog is in the house.

6. A: ready for a dog?

B: No, I'm not. not home enough.

7. A: good with pets?

B: No, you --�-----· You're not patient enough.

EXERCISE 7 Fill in the b l a n k s to complete this c o n v e r s a t í o n . Use contractJons wherever p o s s i b l e .

In 'sorne cases, more than one answer is possible.

A: Is this your dog?

l.

B: Yes, it is

2.

A: He beautiful.
3.

B: Thanks. But ít's a "she,"

A: friendly?
4.

B: Yes, she
5.

A: She's so small. a puppy?

6.

B: No, she four years old.

7. 8.

A: hard to take care of a dog?

9.

B: No, it
10.

A: home a lot?
11.

B: No, a student. But my parents ________ home a

·-12. 13. 14.

lot.

A: I love dogs, but I ________ home very much, and I live alone. So that a
15. 16.

problem.

B: Cats ________ good pets, too. With a cat, it necessary to be home a lot. I
17. 18.

think a cat ________ the perfect pet for you. right?

19. 20.

A: No, you ________ . I'm allergic to cats.

21.

The S i m p l e Present, Frequency Words 11

 1.6 Wh- Questions with Be

Compare statement word order with wh- question word order.

1 A F F I R M A T I V E WH- Q U E S T I O N S
AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS

1 am lost.
Where am I?

Why are you lonely?

You are lonely.

What kind of dog is that?

That is a nice dog.

How old is the cat?

The cat is old.

Why is it important to choose the right pet?

lt is important to choose the right pet.

When is she at home?

She is at work.

How many dogs are there in your neighborhood?

1
There are a lot of dogs in my neighborhood.

NEGATIVE STATEMENTS NEGATIVE WH- Q U E S T I O N S

Why aren't the dogs fr i e n d l y ?

The dogs aren't fr i e n d l y .

You aren't happy with the dog.

Why aren't you happy with the dog?

Notes:

1 . Most question words can co n t r a c t with is. The exceptions are which is and how much is.

What's a vet?

Where's your cat?

Which is bigger, my dog or your dog?

2. After what, we can use a noun:

what kind, what color, what country, what time

3. After how, we can use an adjective or adverb:

how long, how hard, how old, how big, how much, how many

4. After which, we can use a noun:

which dog, which vet, which animal

G R A M M A R IN USE

We ask d i ff e r e n t wh- questions to get i n fo r m a t i o n about s p e c i fi c tapies.

Where fo r a place A: Where is your school? B: tt's on Maple Street.

Why fo r a reason A: Why are you here? B: Because I am a student.

What kind · for a description A: What kind of book is that? B: lt's an English book.

Howold for age A: How old is Miguel? B: He's 18.

;
I

When fo r time A: When is the concert? B: At 7 p.m./Tomorrow.

Howmany fo r number A: How many students are here? B: 75.

Howmuch fo r amount A: How much time is there? B: About ten minutes.

Howlong fo r length of time A: How long is the flight? B: Two hours.

12 Unitl
EXERCISE 8 F i l l i n the b l a n k s with the words you hear. lflll

A: --�
sl �t�h=a�t__ your dog?
l.

B: No. It's my neíghbor's dog.

A: ------�--------? It's so cute.

2.

B: I think ít's a mutt.

A: --------'---,- a mutt?
3. '

B: It's a mixed breed dog.

A: My daughter wants a dog. But dogs are so expensive.

B: A mutt isn't so expensive.

A: _______________ expensive?
4.

B: Because you can get a mutt at an animal shelter. Dogs aren't expensive there.

A: ________ an animal shelter?

5.

B: It's a place for unwanted pets. Those animals need a loving family.

A: _______________ healthy?

6.

B: Yes, they . The vets check the anímals' health.

7.

A: Why so many unwanted pets?

8.

B: There are a lot of unwanted pets because sorne people aren't responsible. They get a pet and then realize

it's too much trouble to take care of it. What about your daughter? _
9.

responsible?

A: Yes, _
·10.

_______________ ?
B:
1 1.

A: She's almost 10 years old.

B: I love dogs , but it's not a good idea for our family.

A: _______________ a good idea?

12.

B: We're all too busy.

The S i m p l e Present, Frequency Words 13

 EXERCISE 9 F i l l i n the b l a n k s to complete the p h o n e conversation.

A: Hello?

B: Hi, Betty. This is Lara. How __�a

= r
� e
"-----cl
y �o
� u
�__ ?
l.

A: I'm fine. I'm not home now.

B: Where ?
2.

A: I'm at the animal hospital with the cat.

B: You have two cats. Whith cat sick?

3.

A: �luffy.

B: ------�-wrong with Fluffy?

4.

A: He isn't hungry or thirsty.

B: ________ ?

5.

A: He's only four years old.

B: ________ alone?
6.

A: No, I'm not.

B: ________ with you?

7.

A: My daughter's with me.

B: Why at school?
8.

A: She's on spring break now. She's very worried.

B: Why worried?
9.

A: Fluffy is tired all the time. Oh, I have to go. The vet is ready to see us now.

B: OK. Call me later.

A B O U T YOU F i n d a partner. Ask each other these q u e s t i o n s and share your answers.

l. Are pets popular in your native country? What kind?

2. What's a popular name for dogs in your native culture?

3. What's a better pet in your opinion-a dog or a cat?

Race your classmates. Form two or three teams. Your teacher will write a statement on the board. Each team writes

a yes/no question and a wh- question for the statement. The team to write two correct questions first w i n s a point.

Statement: 5am is in Prague. Yes/No q u e s t i o n : Is 5am in Prague?

Wh- q u e s t i o n s : Where is Sam?/Who is in Prague?

14 Unit 1