English Proficiency Test - Level One

1.- Present Simple of to be: Affirmative, negative

and questions.

Personal Pronouns Affirmative Negative

I (singular) am am not
He/she/it (singular) is is not
You/we/they (Plural) are are not

Present Simple of to be: Affirmative and Negative

Using Contractions.

Personal Pronouns Affirmative Negative

I (singular) ‘m ‘m not
He/she/it (singular) ‘s isn’t
You/we/they(plural) ‘re aren’t

Examples:

Affirmative Sentences Negative sentences Yes / No Questions Short Answers

Yes, you are
I am happy I’m not happy Am I happy?
No, you aren’t
Yes, I am
You aren’t a nervous Are you a nervous
You are a nervous boy.
boy. boy?
No, I’m not
Yes, he is
He is from Ecuador He isn’t from Ecuador Is he from Ecuador?
No, he isn’t
 Yes, she is
She is a teacher She isn’t a teacher Is she a teacher?
No, she isn’t
Yes, it is
It is a beautiful dog. It isn’t a beautiful dog. Is it a beautiful dog?
No, it isn’t
Yes, you are
We are in the park. We aren’t in the park Are we in the park?
No, you aren’t
Yes, we are
You aren’t good Are you good
You are good students.
students. students?
No, we aren’t
Yes, they are
They are doctors. They aren’t doctors. Are they doctors?
No, they aren’t
o The pronoun YOU is either for singular and plural.
o The pronouns HE-SHE-IT can replace the singular nouns. E.g.: Juan (He) /
Lourdes (She)
o The pronoun( I) is always written in Capital Letter. E.g. I am a responsible
student.
o A personal pronoun goes at the beginning (comienzo) of the
sentence. E.g.: You are my parents.
o The pronoun It is used for things, animals or objects. (personas, animales o
cosas). E.g.: We have an English book. It is interesting.
o The personal pronouns (I, you, we, they) agree with the main verb. E.g.: I (you,
we, they) eat apples, bananas and oranges. Except the third person in singular.
E.g.: He (She, it) drinks water.

2. Possessive Adjectives
What’s your name?

My name is Anny.

Subject Possessive

pronoun adjective
I my

You your

She her

He his

It its
 We our

they their
Singular
I am Rosita. My name is Rosita.

You are Felipe Your name is Felipe

He is Rafael. His name is Rafael.

She is Gladys. Her name is Gladys.

It is Lukas (the dog) Its name is Lukas (the dog).

Plural
We are Sofìa y Andrea Our names are Sofìa y Andrea.

You are Francisco y Marcelo. Your names are Francisco y Marcelo.

They are Juan and Marìa. Their names are Juan and Marìa.

 Where are you from?

I’m from Ecuador.

Exercise: (Review Vocabulary at the end of this Unit)

Name Country Nationality Age

Paulo Brazil Brazilian 20 years old
Irune Spain Spanish 25 years old.
Fiona and James Britain British 18 and 17 years old
Mònica Canada Canadian 30 years old
Sandra and Alfredo Italy Italian 40 and 50 years old

 His name is Paulo. He’s from Brazil. He’s Brazilian. He’s twenty years old.
 Her name is Irune. She’s from Spain. She’s Spanish. She’s twenty five years old.
 Their names are Fiona and James. They’re from Britain. They’re British. They’re
eighteen and seventeen years old.
 Her name is Mónica. She’s from Canada. She’s Canadian. She’s thirty
years old.
 Their names are Sandra and Alfredo. They’re from Italy. They’re Italian.
They’re 40 and 50 years old.

3.Questions
 Questions with How, Where, Who and What
Question word + be + subject
Questions Possible Answers
How are you? Fine, thank you.

How old is he? Twenty

Where are you from? I’m from Ecuador.

Where are you? I’m in Loja.

Who is your sister? My sister is Lourdes.

Who’s your classmate? Luis.

What do you do? I study English.

What is this? It’s a board.

Examples:

1. How are you? 5. Who is your friend?

I’m fine, thanks, but I’m a little homesick. My friend is Juan Carlos.
2. Where are you from? 6. Where is he from?

I’m from Loja-Ecuador. He’s from Loja, too.

3. How old are you? 7. Where is he right now?

I’m twenty-four. He’s at home right now.

4. What do you eat in the morning?

I eat some bread and cheese.

4. Plural Nouns
In general the plural of a noun is formed by adding -S to the noun.

Singular Plural
car cars
house houses
book books
bird birds
pencil pencils
Si embargo, However:

1. When the noun ends in SS, SH, CH or X, we add -ES to the noun.

Singular Plural
kiss kisses
wish wishes
match matches
box boxes
fox foxes

 I have a box in my bedroom.

 I have three boxes in my bedroom.

2. When the noun ends in a VOWEL + Y, we add -S to the noun.

Singular Plural
boy boys
holiday holidays
key keys
guy guys

3. When the noun ends in a CONSONANT + Y, we remove Y and add -IES to the noun.

Singular Plural
party parties
lady ladies
story stories
nanny nannies
city cities

4. If the noun ends in F or FE, we remove the F/FE and add -VES to the noun.

Singular Plural
life lives
leaf leaves
thief thieves
wife wives

5. If the noun ends in IS, we change it to ES.

Singular Plural
analysis analyses
basis bases
crisis crises
6. There are a number of nouns that don't follow these rules. They are irregular and you need to
learn them individually because they don't normally have an S on the end.

Singular Plural
man men
woman women
child children
foot feet
tooth teeth
goose geese
mouse mice

 There is a child in the park.

 There are many children in the park.

7. There are some nouns in English that are the same in the singular and the plural.

Singular Plural
fish fish
sheep sheep
deer deer
moose moose
aircraft aircraft

 I can see a sheep in the field.

 I can see ten sheep in the field.

5. SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE: AFFIRMATIVE, NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE WAY

Affirmative Interrogative Negative

st
1 person I wake up at 7 every Do I wake up at 7 every I do not wake up at
Singular day. day? 7 every day.
2nd person You do not
You like apples. Do you like apples?
Singular like apples.
He does not
Does he play football on play football on
He plays football on
Tuesdays? Tuesdays.
3rd person Tuesdays.
Does she travel in She does not travel in
Singular She travels in summer.
summer? summer.
It takes off at 9.
Does it take off at 9? It does not take off at
9.
1st person We pay our Do we pay our We do not pay our
Plural bills monthly. bills monthly? bills monthly.
2nd person You do not eat twice a
You eat twice a day. Do you eat twice a day?
Plural day.
 They do
3rd person They usually ski in Do they usually ski in
not usually ski in
Plural December. December?
December.

How do I form Present Simple?

Affirmative

Subject + Verb I + (...)

e.g.: I (subject) wake up (verb) at 7 every day.

1st person, sg. → I read daily. 1st person, sg. → I often watch TV.
3rd person, sg. → He reads daily. 3rd person, sg. → He often watches TV.

Remember that:

 For the 1st person (sg. and pl.), the 2nd person (sg. and pl.) and the 3rd person pl., the
verb has the same form. Only the 3rd person sg. functions differently.
 The verb is used in its first form, e.g.: I read. The first form is the infinitive form
without to. At the 3rd person sg., we add an s at the end of the verb, e.g.: He reads.
 Some verbs take an es (instead of an s) at the end for the 3rd person sg., e.g.: He
watches TV.
 The verbs to be and to have behave differently: a) See how to use the verb to be; b)
The verb to have has an irregular form for the 3rd person sg. → He has an apple.

Interrogative

Do / Does + Subject + Verb I + (...) + ?

e.g.: Do I (subject) wake up (verb) at 7 every day?

1st person, sg. → Do I read daily? 1st person, sg. → Do I often watch TV?
3rd person, sg. → Does he read daily? 3rd person, sg. → Does he often watch TV?

Remember that:

 In interrogative sentences, we use the auxiliary verbs do or does.

 We use do for the 1st and 2nd persons (sg. and pl.) and for the 3rd person pl.. We
use does for the 3rd person sg..
 In interrogative sentences, we do NOT add s or es at the end of the verb for the
3rd person sg..
 The short answer for a Present Simple question is:
o Affirmative: Yes, I do (for I, you, we, you, they) or Yes, he does (for he, she, it)
o Negative: No, I don't = No, I do not (for I, you, we, you, they) or No, he doesn't
= No, he does not (for he, she, it)

Negative
Subject + Do Not / Does Not + Verb I + (...)
e.g.: I (subject) do not wake up (verb) at 7 every day.

1st person, sg. → I do

not read daily. 1st person, sg. → I do not watch TV often.
3rd person, sg. → 3rd person, sg. → He does not watch TV often.
He does not read daily.

Remember that:

 In negative sentences, we use the auxiliary verbs do or does and the adverb not.
 We use do not for the 1st and 2nd persons (sg. and pl.) and for the 3rd person pl.. We
use does not for the 3rdperson sg..
 In negative sentences, we do NOT add s or es at the end of the verb for the 3rd person
sg..
 The short form of do not is don't. The short form of does not is doesn't. e.g.: I don't
like horror movies. He doesn't like action movies.

7. Prepositions of Place

1. The ball is behind the 3. The ball is in the

2. The ball is above the box.
box. box.
4. The ball is next to the 6. The ball is below the
5. The ball is on the box
box. box.
7. The ball is near to the 8. The ball is between the box and
box. the bear.

Look at this map of the mall and read the statements.

1. Max Mart store is next to Discount Dru

2. The Music Center store is between Discount Drugs store and Fast Food Burger.

3. Max Mart store is on the second floor.

It’s above Grandma’s cookies store.

4. Grandma’s cookies store and Famous Fashions store are on the first floor.

They are below Max- Mart Store.

5. The stores are in the mall

Book

notebook

pen

pencil

eraser

board

calculator

scissors

markers

map

Calendar

Crayons

heavy

big
small
little

tall

short

fat

thin

enormous

huge

great

square

quick

fast

slow

rapid

young

old

adolescent

modern

one
Uno
two
Dos
Three
Tres
Four
Cuatro
Five
Cinco
Six
Seis
Seven
Siete
Eight
Ocho
Nine
Nueve
Ten
Diez
Eleven
Once
Twelve
Doce
Thirteen
Trece
Fourteen
Catorce
Fifteen
Quince
Sixteen
Dieciséis
Seventeen
Diecisiete
Eighteen
Dieciocho
Nineteen
Diecinueve
Twenty
Veinte
ECUADOR
Ecuador

SPAIN
España
AUSTRALIA
Australia
SCOTLAND
Escocia
FRANCE
Francia
IRELAND
Irlanda
PERU
Peru
VENEZUELA
Venezuela
COLOMBIA
Colombia
UNITED STATES
Estados Unidos
DENTIST
Dentista
DOCTOR
Doctor
NURSE
Enfermera
SCIENTIST
científico
POLICEMAN
Policia
TEACHER
Profesor
COOK
Cocinar
PILOT
Piloto
MECHANIC
Mecanico
ARCHITECT
Aquitecto
AUNT
Tìa
BROTHER
Hermano
COUSIN
Prima
DAUGHTER
Hija
FATHER
Padre
MOTHER
Madre
NEPHEW
Sobrino
NIECE
Sobrina
SISTER
Hermana
SON
Hijo
UNCLE
Tìo
RED

GREEN

BLACK

WHITE

YELLOW

PINK

BLUE

ORANGE

BROWN

HAVE
Tener
DO
Hacer
SAY
Decir
GET
Obtener
MAKE
Hacer
GO
Ir
KNOW
Saber
TAKE
Llevar
SEE
Ver
COME
Ven
THINK
pensar
LOOK
Mirar
WANT
Desear
GIVE
Dar
USE
Usar
FIND
Encontrar
TELL
Contar
ASK
Pedir
WORK
Trabajo
SEEM
Parecer
FEEL
Sentir
TRY
Probar
ATTRACIVE
Atractivo
BEAUTIFUL
Hermosa
THIN
Delgada
FIT
Ajuste
HANDSOME
Guapo
PRETTY
Bella
SHORT
Corto
SMART
Listo
TALL
Alto
INTELIGENT
Inteligente
ARMCHAIR
Butaca
BATHROOM
Cuarto deBaño
BED
Cama
BOOKCASE
LIbreìa
CARPET
Alfombra
CUPBOARD
Alacena
HOME
Hogar
HOUSE
Casa
KITCHEN
Cocina
LIVING ROOM
Sala
MONDAY
Lunes
TUESDAY
Martes
WEDNESDAY
Miercoles
THURSDAY
Jueves
FRIDAY
Viernes
SATURDAY
Sabado
SUNDAY
Domingo
JANUARY
Enero
FEBRUARY
Febrero
MARCH
Marzo
APRIL
Abril
MAY
Mayo
JUNE
Junio
JULY
Julio
AUGUST
Agosto
SEPTEMBER
Septiembre
OCTOBER
Octubre
NOVEMBER
Noviembre
DECEMBER
Diciembre
SWIMMING
Nadando
PLAYING FOOTBAL
Jugando futbol
WATCHING TV
Viendo televiciòn
SURFING
Navegaciòn
FISHING
Pesca
KAYAKING
Kayaking
GO SHOPPING
Ir de compras
EATING
Comiendo
SLEEPING
Durmiendo

1. Modal Auxiliaries: Can and Can’t

The modal auxiliaries can and can’t are special verb forms in English. They don’t change
forms;

they don’t add –s or –ed. They change meaning. They have different meanings.
 Examples: Make sentences with can or can’t.

 I can’t run a mile but I can run 100 meters.

 You can play soccer very well.
 He can’t do aerobics.
 They can swim but they can’t skate.
 We can play tennis and volleyball.
 It can walk but it can’t crawl.

· María and Pedro can climb a tree and hike in the mountains.

2. Adverbs of Frequency with the Verb “Be”

Examples: Write about your friend, husband, wife or parents. Use an adverb of frequency in
each sentence.

1. My husband is always late. 2. My friend is usually happy.

3. My wife is often busy. 4. My parent is never lonely.
5. My classmate is hardly ever nervous. 6. My uncle is rarely thirsty.

3. Information Questions with How often

Examples: Make questions and answers with How often.

A: How often does she study? B: She studies every night.

1. A: How often does he sweep the floor? B: He sweeps the floor every day.

2. A. How often does she play with her toys? B: She plays with her toys once a day.

3. A: How often does he cook the lunch? B: He cooks the lunch twice a week.

4. A: How often does she wash the dishes? B: She washes the dishes on
weekend.

5. A: How often does she water the plants? B: She waters the plants once a day.
6. A: How often does he go to work? B: He goes to work every day.

4. EXPRESSIONS OF TIME

Past Present Future

yesterday today tomorrow
last week this week next week
an hour ago now in an hour
recently as we speak soon
a little while ago at this moment in the near future
a long time ago these days way off in the future
in the past nowadays eventually
this morning at this time later this evening

Time expressions usually go at the end or at the beginning of a sentence:

Yesterday I went to school.

I went to school yesterday.

This week I'm going to New York.

I'm going to New York this week.

Other popular time expressions:

Using time expressions with the correct verb tense will
improve your English:
- Last week I went to the movies. (past tense. )

- This week I'm working early in the morning. (present

continuous tense to describe the entire week)

- Next week I'm going to take a trip to California. (the

"going to" future)

5. THERE IS / THERE ARE

Affirmative Statements

There + be (is-are) + subject

Long Form Contractions
With a singular noun There is a museum downtown There’s a museum downtown.
With plural nouns There are some banks in the downtown There’re many banks downtown.

Negative Statements

There + be + not (isn’t-aren’t) + subject

Long Form Contractions
With a singular There is not a hotel in this
There isn’t a hotel in this town.
noun town.
There are not any stores There aren’t any stores in the
With plural nouns
downtown. downtown.

Questions and Short Answers

Be (Is-Are) + there + subject

Questions Possible Answers
Affirmative Negative
Singular Is there a big park in this city? Yes, there is No, there isn’t
Plural Are there any any restaurants near? Yes, there are No, there aren’t
 Examples: Look at the
picture and review the sentences.

1. There are some teenagers girls listening to music.

2. There is a young man.

3. There are two women talking.

4. There is a woman sitting on the bench.

5. There is an old man, who is reading the newspaper.

6. There are two little boys playing.

7. There is a big tree.

8. There aren’t any houses around this mall.

9. There aren’t any police officers in the mall.

10. There isn’t a store in the mall.

6. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
The present continuous (sometimes called the present progressive) tense in English is really
easy to make and is the same for all verbs. We make it using the:

PRESENT SIMPLE OF 'BE' + VERB-ING:

Afirmativa
+ raíz
Sujeto + to be
+ ing
She is talking.
Negativa
 + raíz
Sujeto + to be + not
+ ing
She is not (isn't) talking
Interrogativa
+ raíz
to be + sujeto
+ ing
Is she talking?
Positive Positive Short Form
I am sleeping I'm sleeping
you are sleeping you're sleeping
he is sleeping he's sleeping
she is sleeping she's sleeping
it is sleeping it's sleeping
we are sleeping we're sleeping
they are sleeping they're sleeping

We can make the negative by adding 'not':

Negative Negative Short Form

I am not sleeping I'm not sleeping
you are not playing you aren't playing
he is not reading he isn't reading
she is not working she isn't working
it is not raining it isn't raining
we are not cooking we aren't cooking
they are not listening they aren't listening

Practise making the positive and the negative forms (exercise 1)

Practise making the positive and the negative forms (exercise 2)

Questions are also really, really easy. Just like we made the question with 'be' in the present
simple, here we also put 'am', 'is', or 'are' before the subject to make a 'yes / no' question:

Yes / No Questions
am I eating chocolate ?
are you studying now ?
is he working ?
is she doing her homework ?
is it raining ?
are we meeting at six ?
are they coming ?
7. THE PAST TENSE OF TO BE: WAS and WERE

To Be - Affirmative

Subject To Be Examples
I was I was tired this morning.
You were You were very good.
He was He was the best in his class.
She was She was late for work.
It was It was a sunny day.
We were We were at home.
You were You were on holiday.
They were They were happy with their test results.

To Be - Negative Sentences

The negative of To Be can be made by adding not after the verb (was or were).

Subject To Be Examples
I was not I was not tired this morning.
You were not You were not crazy.
He was not He was not married.
She was not She was not famous.
It was not It was not hot yesterday.
We were not We were not invited.
You were not You were not at the party.
They were not They were not friends.

To Be - Negative Contractions

The can make negative contractions of the verb To Be in the Past tense by joining
the verb (was or were) and n't (e.g. were not = weren't). We don't make a contraction of
the subject and the verb (e.g. I was).

I was not tired this morning. OR I wasn't tired this morning.

You were not crazy. OR You weren't crazy.
He was not married. OR He wasn't married.
She was not famous. OR She wasn't famous.
It was not hot yesterday. OR It wasn't hot yesterday.
We were not invited. OR We weren't invited.
You were not at the party. OR You weren't at the party.
They were not friends. OR They weren't friends.
To Be - Questions

To create questions with To Be, you put the Verb before the Subject.

Affirmative You were happy.

Subject Verb

Question Were you happy?

Verb Subject

Affirmative Question
I was late Was I late?
You were sick. Were you sick?
He was surprised. Was he surprised?
She was from Italy. Was she from Italy?
It was a big house. Was it a big house?
We were ready. Were we ready?
You were early. Were you early?
They were busy. Were they busy?

Before the verb you can also have a WH- Question word (Why, Who, What, Where etc.)

Were you happy? Yes, I was.

Why were you happy? Because I was promoted at work.

To Be - Short Answers

In spoken English, we usually give short answers in response to questions.

Was he from Japan? - Yes, he was (from Japan). The last part (from Japan) is not necessary.
We use shorts answers to avoid repetition, when the meaning is clear.

Question Short Answers** Short Answers

Was I late? Yes, you were. No, you weren't.
Were you sick? Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Was he surprised? Yes, he was. No, he wasn't.
Was she from Italy? Yes, she was. No, she wasn't.
Was it a big house? Yes, it was. No, it wasn't.
Were we ready? Yes, we were. No, we weren't.
Were you early? Yes, we were. No, we weren't.
 Were they busy? Yes, they were. No, they weren't.

** With To Be, We don't use contractions in affirmative short answers.

TO BE in the Past Tense - Summary Chart

8. SIMPLE PAST WITH OTHER VERBS

The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can
also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.

Positive Negative Question

Look at I spoke. I did not speak. Did I speak?

For irregular verbs, use the past form (see list of irregular verbs, 2nd column). For regular verbs,
just add “ed”.

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed Example

after a final e only add d love – loved
final consonant after a short, stressed vowel admit – admitted
or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled travel – travelled
final y after a consonant becomes i hurry – hurried

Use of Simple Past

 action in the past taking place once, never or several times

Example: He visited his parents every weekend.

 actions in the past taking place one after the other

Example: He came in, took off his coat and sat down.

 action in the past taking place in the middle of another action

Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

 if sentences type II (If I talked, …)

Example: If I had a lot of money, I would share it with you.

EXERCISE:

Have a look at James's last week's diary and answer the questions in complete sentences. Put
the time expression at the end of the sentence.

JAMES'S LAST WEEK'S DIARY

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

football shopping meeting ring Jane buy flowers concert sailing
cinema tennis English Italian sailing English test
restaurant
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
ring Jane

1. When was his English test? It was on Sunday

2. When did he go shopping? -------------------------------------------------
3. When did he buy flowers? ---------------------------------------------------
4. When was his meeting? --------------------------------------------------
5. When did he play football? ----------------------------------------------------
6. When did he go to the Italian restaurant? -----------------------------------
7. When did he ring Jane? ---------------------------------------------------
8. When did he go to the cinema? ------------------------------------------------
9. When did he play tennis? ---------------------------------------------------
10. When was the concert? -----------------------------------------------------
11. When did he go sailing? ---------------------------------------------------
12. WAKE UP
13. Despertarce
14. STAY IN BED
15. Quedate en la cama
16. GET UP
17. Levàntate
18. WASH
19. Lavar
20. TAKE A SHOWER.
21. Tomar una ducha
22. I DRY
23. Me seco
24. COMB MY HAIR.
25. Peinarme
26. I HAVE A BREAKFAST
27. Tengo un desayuno
28. BRUSH
29. Cepillo
30. I GET DRESSED
31. Me visto
32. I TAKE A BUS
33. Yo tomo un autobùs
34. CHECK MY EMAILS
35. Reviso mis correos electrónicos
36. MAKE SOME TELEPHONE CALLS
37. Haz algunas llamadas
38. WORK ON THE COMPUTER
39. Trabajo en el ordenador
40. SCHOOL
41. Escuela

42.
43. SUPERMARKET
44. Super Mercado

45.
46. CINEMA
47. Cine

48.
49. HOTEL
50. Hotel

51.
52. SWIMMING POOL
53. Piscina

54.
55. STADIUM
56. Estadio

57.
58. MUSEUM
59. Museo

60.
61. AIRPORT
62. Aeropuerto

63.
64. BANK
65. Banco

66.
67. RESTAURANT
68. Restaurante

69.
70. HOSPITAL
71. Hospital

72.
73. CHURCH
74. Iglecia

75.
76. COOKING
77. Cocinar
78. TRAVELLING
79. Viajar
80. SHOPPING
81. Compras
82. WATCHING TV
83. Viendo la televiciòn.
84. PLAYING SPORTS
85. Hacer deporte
86. WALKING
87. Caminando
88. GO TO CINEMA
89. Ir al cine
90. Cap
91. Gorra

92.
93. DRESS
94. Vestido

95.
96. JEAN
97. Jean

98.
99. GLOVES
100. Guantes

101.
102. JACKET
103. Chaqueta

104.
105. HAT
106. Sombrero

107.
108. Bear
109. Oso

110.
111. CAT
112. Gato

113.
114. DOG
115. Perro

116.
117. ELEPHANT
118. Elefante

119.
120. PARROT
121. Loro

122.
123. BIRDS
124. Aves

125.
126. BULL
127. Toro

128.
129. Cow
130. Vaca

131.
132. DONKEY
133. Burro

134.
135. LION
136. León

137.
138. GIRAFFE
139. Jirafa