Building Simple Sentences for Everyday Life.

In this lesson you focus on the building blocks of English sentences so that you can talk about your own life more clearly. Through short texts, simple conversations and guided practice you notice how English normally follows a subject verb object pattern. You work with very common verbs such as live, work, like and have to build positive sentences, negatives and questions about who you are, what you do and what you enjoy. You practise asking and answering basic questions with classmates or course characters, and you see how small changes in word order change the meaning of a sentence. You also pay attention to capital letters, full stops and question marks so your writing looks neat and correct. By the end of the lesson you can write and say a short personal profile made of clear, complete sentences rather than isolated words.

1. Meeting your new online classmates.

Imagine it is your first day in this online English course. You open the platform and you see short profiles from your new classmates. These profiles are not long texts. They are just simple sentences, but they already give you a clear picture of each person. In this lesson we want you to build sentences like that about your own life. To do this, we will focus on a very important pattern in English: subject, verb, object. For example: I live in London. I is the subject, live is the verb, and in London is the object, or extra information. In a moment, you will read two class profiles on the screen, from Ana and Ben. Then, at the bottom of the page, you will see a short task. Your job is to read their sentences, choose a few of them, and identify the subject, the verb and the object. This will help you see the structure clearly before you start writing about your own life.

The course platform: meeting Ana and Ben.

When you join a new course, you often see short profiles of other students. These are usually made of clear, simple sentences.

Below are two example classmates: Ana and Ben. You will see their full profiles again in the activity at the bottom, so here we will just look at some example sentences from them.

• I live in Barcelona.
• I work as a nurse.
• I like dancing and reading.
• I have a small flat near the centre.

All of these sentences follow the same basic pattern:

> Subject + Verb + Object

Let us look at one sentence:

• I (subject) live (verb) in Barcelona (object / extra information)

The subject is the person or thing. Here it is I.

The verb is the action or state. Here it is live.

The object is the thing we talk about, or extra information. Here it is in Barcelona.

This pattern is very common in English. If you can see it and use it, your sentences become much clearer.

Here are a few more simple examples:

• Ben (subject) likes (verb) football (object).
• We (subject) study (verb) English (object).
• They (subject) have (verb) two children (object).

In this lesson we use very common verbs like live, work, like, have, study. You will first notice how classmates use them. Then you will use the same verbs to talk about yourself.

At the bottom, you will read short profiles for Ana and Ben. Then you will choose three sentences and show which word is the subject, which word is the verb and which part is the object.

Practice & Feedback

Scroll down and read the full profiles of Ana and Ben carefully. Do not hurry. First, just understand who they are and what their lives look like. Then choose three different sentences from their profiles that you like or find easy to see the pattern in.

In the answer box, do this for each sentence you choose:

1. Write the full sentence.
2. On the next line, write: Subject = ...; Verb = ...; Object = ...

For example: I live in Barcelona. then Subject = I; Verb = live; Object = in Barcelona.

Try to be very clear. This activity is about seeing the structure, not about writing new ideas. Use only sentences from Ana and Ben. I will then check if you are identifying the parts correctly and help you if anything is confusing.

2. Writing clear sentences about your life.

Now that you have looked at Ana and Ben, it is time to focus on you. In this block, we will build simple positive sentences about your life using the same structure: subject, verb, object. For now, we will mostly use the subject I, because you are talking about yourself. So we get sentences like: I live in Cairo. I work as a chef. I study at university. I like music. I have a big family. Notice that in all of these sentences, the verb comes directly after the subject. We do not put other words in the middle. I live, I work, I study. In a moment, you will see some example patterns on the screen and a short model profile. Then, at the bottom, you will listen to me read a short profile and you will write four sentences about your own life. Try to copy the structure of the examples. Do not worry if your spelling is not perfect yet. The most important thing is to have a clear subject, verb and object in each sentence.

Building your own simple sentences.

You are now going to write about your life, like Ana and Ben.

For this, we use the subject I and some very common verbs:

• live
• work
• study
• like
• have

Here are some useful patterns. Read them slowly and say them aloud if you can.

• I live in Paris.
• I work as a driver.
• I study at college.
• I like films and music.
• I have a small family.

All of these follow the pattern:

> I (subject) + verb + object / extra information

When you write about yourself, you can combine sentences to make a short profile.

Example mini profile.

My name is Sara. I live in Milan. I work in a shop. I study English online. I like cooking and watching films. I have one sister.

Notice:

• Every sentence starts with a capital letter.
• The word I is always a capital letter.
• Each sentence has a full stop at the end.

You do not need long, difficult words. Simple, correct sentences are perfect at this level.

In the activity below, you will listen to a short spoken profile. Then you will write four sentences about your own life. Try to use at least three of these chunks:

• I live in ...
• I work as ... / I work in ...
• I study at ...
• I like ...
• I have ...

Keep each sentence short and clear.

Practice & Feedback

First, listen carefully to the short spoken profile. Do not write yet. Just try to understand the general idea and notice the sentence pattern.

Then, in the answer box, write four simple sentences about your own life. Use the model you heard and the patterns on the screen.

Please:

• Start every sentence with a capital letter.
• Use I as the subject in every sentence.
• Use at least three of the common verbs: live, work, study, like, have.
• Add clear information after each verb, for example a city, a job, a place or a hobby.

Example structure: I live in ..., I work as ..., I study at ..., I like ..., I have ....

Do not write a long story. Four separate sentences are enough. I will then check your sentence order, your verbs and basic punctuation, and give you some small corrections and ideas to make your profile even clearer.

3. Saying what is not true about your life.

In real life, it is important not only to say what is true, but also to say what is not true. For example, maybe people think you live in London, but you do not. Or maybe someone offers you coffee, but you do not like coffee. To do this, we need negative sentences. The good news is that negatives still follow the same subject, verb, object pattern, but we add do not, or its short form, do not. For example: I do not live in London. I do not work in an office. I do not like coffee. I do not have a car. At beginner level, we usually write this as I do not, but in everyday English you will often see the short form: I do not. In this block, you will see how we build negative sentences and you will practise changing positive sentences into negatives. This will help you make your profile clear and honest, and it will prepare you for more complex grammar later.

Making simple negative sentences.

Sometimes you need to say that something is not true.

To make a negative sentence with I, we use this pattern:

> I + do not / do not + verb + object

Here are some examples with both long and short forms:

• I do not live in London. / I do not live in London.
• I do not work in an office. / I do not work in an office.
• I do not study at university. / I do not study at university.
• I do not like tea. / I do not like tea.
• I do not have a car. / I do not have a car.

The meaning is the same. The short form is more common in everyday English, especially in speech and informal writing.

Look at these pairs of sentences:

• I like coffee. → I do not like coffee.
• I live in a big city. → I do not live in a big city.
• I have a dog. → I do not have a dog.

The subject and the object stay the same. Only the verb part changes: we add do not or do not.

You can use negatives in your profile to give a more complete picture of your life and preferences. For example:

• I like football, but I do not like basketball.
• I live in the city, but I do not work in the city centre.

In the activity below, you will see some positive sentences. Your job is to write the negative form of each one. This will help you control the word order and the small extra word do not / do not.

Practice & Feedback

Read the list of positive sentences carefully. They are all written with I and a very common verb, so they are similar to the sentences you wrote before.

Your task is to rewrite every sentence in the negative form using do not or do not. Keep the subject and the rest of the sentence the same.

For example, if the sentence is I like milk., your negative sentence is I do not like milk.

In the answer box, number your sentences 1 to 5 so it is clear which negative matches which positive. Check that:

• You always have I do not or I do not before the verb.
• You keep the same object or extra information.
• You start each sentence with a capital letter and end with a full stop.

I will then check your word order and help you correct any small mistakes.

4. Asking and answering simple questions in chat.

So far, you have written positive and negative sentences about yourself. But conversations do not happen with only statements. To talk with new classmates, you also need to ask questions. In English, questions about daily life often start with do, or with a question word like where, what or when plus do. For example: Do you work or study? What do you do? Where do you live? Notice that the word order changes in questions. We say do you live, not you live do. In this block, we will move into a chat style situation. Imagine that Ana sends you some messages in the class chat. She asks you simple questions about your life. Your job is to answer her questions in complete sentences, and then ask her one or two new questions. This will help you feel more natural in real online conversations, where you both ask and answer.

Turning your sentences into questions.

When you first meet someone, you often have a short chat like this:

> Ana: Hi! Where do you live?

>

> You: I live in Warsaw.

>

> Ana: Do you work or study?

>

> You: I work in a shop.

To ask about daily life, we use patterns like:

• Do you work or study?
• Where do you live?
• What do you do?
• What do you do in your free time?

Notice the word order in these questions:

> Question word (if needed) + do + you + verb + object / extra information

Examples:

• Where do you live?
• What do you study?
• Do you like football?

To answer, we can use simple sentences like the ones you already know:

• I live in Cairo.
• I study at college.
• I like tennis and films.

In a chat, we often write short messages, but it is still good to use full, clear sentences, especially when you practise.

In the activity below, you will see three chat messages from Ana to you. She asks you about where you live, your work or study, and your free time. You will answer her, and then you will write one or two new questions to continue the conversation.

Practice & Feedback

Read Ana's chat messages below. Imagine this is a real class chat on your phone or computer. Ana is friendly and really wants to know more about you.

In the answer box, write your replies in a simple chat style. Follow these steps:

1. Copy each of Ana's questions in your head, then write your answer starting with You:.
2. Answer in full sentences, not only with one word.
3. After you answer all of Ana's questions, write one or two new questions for Ana, starting with You: as well. Use patterns like Where do you ...?, Do you like ...?, What do you do ...?.

Your chat might look like:

You: I live in ...

You: I work / I study ...

You: I like ... in my free time.

You: Do you ...?

I will reply as Ana, correct any mistakes, and show you even more natural ways to ask and answer.

5. Making your sentences look correct on the page.

You now have many of the building blocks: you can make positive sentences, negative sentences and simple questions. The next step is to make your writing look correct and easy to read. This means using capital letters, full stops and question marks in the right places, and keeping the usual English word order. Many beginners forget these small details, but they are very important for a good first impression. In this block, you will see the difference between a messy profile and a clear one. You will learn some simple rules: always write I with a capital letter, always start a sentence with a capital, and end it with a full stop or a question mark. Then, in the activity, you will read a messy profile from another student and rewrite it correctly. This will help you prepare for the final task where you write your own profile.

Cleaning up punctuation and word order.

Look at this messy profile. It is understandable, but it does not look good.

> my name is luca i live in rome i work in a restaurant i like music do you like music

What are the problems?

• No capital letters for names or I.
• No full stops between sentences.
• One question, but no question mark.

Here is a clear version:

> My name is Luca. I live in Rome. I work in a restaurant. I like music. Do you like music?

Notice these simple rules:

Capital letters

• Always write I with a capital letter: I live, I work, I like.
• Start every sentence with a capital letter.
• Use capital letters for names of people and places: Luca, Rome, Spain, London.

Full stops and question marks

• Put a full stop at the end of normal sentences.
• Put a question mark at the end of questions.

Word order

• Positive sentences: Subject + verb + object.
• I live in Rome.
• Questions with do: Do + you + verb + object.
• Do you like music?

These small details make your writing look much more professional, even when your sentences are simple.

In the activity, you will see another profile that needs help. Your job is to rewrite it with correct capital letters, full stops, question marks and basic word order.

Practice & Feedback

Read Mina's profile carefully. It has good ideas, but the punctuation and capital letters are not correct. There are also one or two places where the word order is not natural.

Your task is to rewrite the whole profile in the answer box so that it looks clean and correct.

When you rewrite it:

• Start every sentence with a capital letter.
• Write I with a capital every time.
• Use capital letters for names of people and places.
• Add full stops at the end of normal sentences.
• Add question marks at the end of questions.
• If you see a strange word order, fix it to follow the normal patterns from this lesson.

You can write it as one paragraph with several sentences, like in the corrected Luca example above. I will then compare your version with Mina's original and show you what you did well and what you can still improve.

6. Writing your complete personal profile.

You are ready for the final step of this lesson. You have seen model profiles, built positive sentences, made negatives, asked and answered questions, and cleaned up punctuation. Now you will put everything together and write a short personal profile for the course platform. Imagine that new classmates will read this profile to get to know you. It does not need to be long, but it should be clear, friendly and correct. Try to include information about where you live, what you do, what you like, and maybe something you do not like. You can finish with a simple question to invite a reply, just like Mina and Luca did. On the screen, you will see a model profile and a small checklist. Read them first. Then, in the activity at the bottom, you will write your own profile in one short paragraph. This is your mini performance for the lesson.

A model profile and your final task.

Here is a complete profile from Ana, written in clear, simple sentences.

> My name is Ana. I am from Spain and I live in Barcelona. I work as a nurse in a big hospital. I study English online in the evening. I like dancing and reading, but I do not like cold weather. I have one brother and one sister. Do you like dancing?

Why is this a good profile?

• It uses simple subject, verb, object sentences.
• It has one negative sentence: I do not like cold weather.
• It gives basic personal information: country, city, job, study.
• It talks about likes and dislikes.
• It ends with a friendly question.
• It uses capital letters, full stops and a question mark correctly.

Your checklist.

When you write your own profile, try to include:

• Your name.
• Where you are from and where you live.
• What you do: work, study, or both.
• At least one sentence with like and one with do not like.
• One sentence with have, for example about your family.
• A friendly question at the end to invite conversation.

Keep your sentences short and clear. Think about the patterns from this lesson:

• I live in ...
• I work as ... / I work in ...
• I study at ...
• I like ...
• I do not like ...
• I have ...
• Do you ...?

In the activity now, you will write your own profile using these ideas.

Practice & Feedback

Now it is your turn to write a complete personal profile for the course platform. Imagine other students will read this to know a little about you.

In the answer box, write one short paragraph of about 5 to 7 sentences. Use the checklist above to help you. Try to include:

• Your name, country and city.
• What you do (work, study or both).
• At least one positive sentence with like.
• At least one negative sentence with do not like.
• One sentence with have, for example about your family or free time.
• A friendly question at the end, such as Do you like ...? or What do you do in your free time?.

Focus on clear subject, verb, object order, and good punctuation. Start each sentence with a capital letter and end with a full stop or question mark. I will read your profile, give you feedback, and write a short friendly reply as if I am another student in the class.