1. Possessive Pronouns
A pronoun replaces a noun in a sentence. Possessive pronouns are pronouns that indicate a relationship. Review the pronouns and their possessive versions below.
I (pronoun) → My (possessive pronoun) You → Your
He → His She → Her
They → Their We → Our
Example 1: I am Matt. My name is Matt.
Possessive pronouns can also be used with hobbies, or things you like to do.
Example 2: She likes to play baseball. Her favorite sport is baseball.
2. Present Progressive vs Present Simple
These are two common Present Tenses. Present Simple is used for facts, repeated actions, habits or hobbies. Present Progressive is used for current actions, or if something is happening now or if something may change. In self-introductions, you can use both, especially with an auxiliary verb (review lesson: Greetings; verbs that help other verbs, like “to be” or “to have” or “to like”). See the examples below.
Example 1
Present simple: I like to play baseball. Present progressive: I like playing baseball.
Example 2
Question: Where do you live?
Simple Answer: I live in Tokyo.
Progressive Answer: I am living in Tokyo (use this if it is not your hometown!).
3. Negative Contractions Introduction
Remember, contractions combine two words into one (review lesson: Greetings). One common contraction is combining a verb with the word “not.” See examples below.
Do not → Don’t Does not → Doesn’t
Is not → Isn’t Are not → Aren’t
Have not → Haven’t Has not → Hasn’t
4. Making Lists
When writing lists, use commas (,) and the word “and.” You do not need a comma (,) before “and” when making a list.
Example: I like playing baseball, hanging out with my friends, and watching movies.
