Unit 1 Grammar Masterclass • قواعد وتراكيب الوحدة الأولى
Master foundational English sentence architecture: Present Simple of "be", Subject & Object Pronouns, Possessives, and Question Formation Mastery.
⚡ Topic 1.1: Present Simple of be (am / is / are)
We use the verb to be to identify people, nationalities, professions, ages, and states.
| Subject |
Positive (+) |
Negative (-) |
Yes/No Question (?) |
Short Answers |
| I |
I am ('m) Saudi. |
I am not ('m not) Spanish. |
Am I on time? |
Yes, you are. / No, you aren't. |
| He / She / It |
She is ('s) an engineer. |
He is not (isn't) late. |
Is he from Tokyo? |
Yes, he is. / No, he isn't. |
| We / You / They |
They are ('re) students. |
We are not (aren't) tired. |
Are they ready? |
Yes, they are. / No, they aren't. |
⚠️ Critical Arabic L1 Interference Alert • تنبيه هام لمتحدثي العربية:
In Arabic, nominal sentences have no present tense copula (zero-copula: «هو مهندس» / «أنا طالب»). In English, you MUST ALWAYS include the verb be: say “He is an engineer”, NEVER *“He engineer”*. In positive short answers, never use contractions: say “Yes, I am” (NOT *“Yes, I’m”*).
⚡ Topic 1.2: Subject Pronouns vs. Object Pronouns
Subject pronouns perform the action (placed before verbs). Object pronouns receive the action (placed after verbs or prepositions).
| Subject Pronoun |
Object Pronoun |
Example Sentence |
Arabic Translation • المعنى |
| I | me | Khalid called me yesterday. | اتصل خالد بي أمس |
| You | you | I will send you the schedule. | سأرسل لك الجدول |
| He | him | We met him at the airport. | التقينا به في المطار |
| She | her | Tell her the good news. | أخبرها بالخبر السار |
| It | it | I bought a laptop and I like it. | اشتريت حاسوباً وأعجبني |
| We | us | The teacher gave us the books. | أعطانا المعلم الكتب |
| They | them | We invited them to dinner. | دعونَاهم لتناول العشاء |
⚡ Topic 1.3: Possessive Adjectives vs. Possessive Pronouns & Possessive 's
| Possessive Adjective (+ Noun) |
Possessive Pronoun (Standalone) |
Possessive 's |
| This is my backpack. | This backpack is mine. | This is Tariq's backpack. |
| Is that your passport? | Is that passport yours? | That is the teacher's desk. |
| That is his umbrella. | That umbrella is his. | Those are the students' bags. |
| These are her keys. | These keys are hers. | It belongs to Mona's sister. |
| That is our car. | That car is ours. | We parked near Ahmed's villa. |
| Those are their seats. | Those seats are theirs. | These are Faisal's notes. |
⚡ Topic 1.4: Question Formation Mastery • نظام تكوين الأسئلة (Q-U-A-S-M)
Master the universal word-order formula for forming accurate English questions:
| Question Word (Q) |
Auxiliary / Be (A) |
Subject (S) |
Main Verb / Complement (M) |
Complete Question |
| Where | are | you | from? | Where are you from? |
| What | is | your name | — | What is your name? |
| What | do | you | do for a living? | What do you do for a living? |
| Where | does | he | work? | Where does he work? |
| Why | are | they | late? | Why are they late? |
⚠️ Critical Arabic L1 Fossilization Trap in Questions:
1. Do NOT drop the auxiliary verb: In Arabic, auxiliary verbs like do/does do not exist. In English, you cannot say *“Where you live?”* — you must say “Where do you live?”.
2. Do NOT confuse What vs How: When asking for names or calling objects, English uses What (e.g. “What do you call this?”), NOT *“How do you call this?”*.