Biwang Institute of Islamic Knowledge

Empowering Minds through Knowledge

General English A1
Elementary English Course

Prepared by:
Dr. Imran B. Ibrahim
Founder & Director, Biwang Institute of Islamic Knowledge

2024
 The A1 Course is an excellent introduction to English for Beginners or
for students with very limited English. This is an essential starting point for
anyone interested in IELTS or preparing for Cambridge English exams
such as Cambridge Key (KET).

In this course you will:

 Learn how to form important verbs.
 Talk about daily routine.
 Describe people you know and things that you have.
 Understand how to give personal information.
 Study everyday expressions and understand when they are used by
other people.
 Communicate things you might need in simple day-to-day situations.

This course is suitable for:

 Beginner level students.
 Students preparing for Cambridge English: Key (KET).
 Students preparing for IELTS Life Skills Speaking and Listening.

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Level A1: Lesson 1

8 parts of speech in English, each with examples:

1. Noun
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
o Examples:
 Person: doctor, teacher
 Place: school, city
 Thing: book, car
 Idea: happiness, freedom
Sentence Example:
o The teacher is explaining the lesson.

2. Pronoun
A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition.
o Examples:
 he, she, it, they, we
Sentence Example:
o She is reading a book.

3. Verb
A verb expresses an action or state of being.
o Examples:
 Action: run, write, eat
 State of being: is, seem, appear

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Sentence Example:
o He runs every morning.
4. Adjective
An adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.
o Examples:
 happy, blue, fast, beautiful
Sentence Example:
o The beautiful flower is blooming.

5. Adverb
An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It often tells
how, when, where, or to what extent.
o Examples:
 quickly, yesterday, outside, very
Sentence Example:
o He runs quickly.

6. Preposition
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun)
and other words in a sentence.
o Examples:
 in, on, under, beside, with
Sentence Example:
o The book is on the table.

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 7. Conjunction
A conjunction connects words, phrases, or clauses.
o Examples:
 and, but, or, so, because
Sentence Example:
o I like tea and coffee.

8. Interjection
An interjection expresses emotion or surprise and is often followed by
an exclamation mark.
o Examples:
 Oh!, Wow!, Oops!, Hey!
Sentence Example:
o Wow! That was an amazing performance!

Here are five examples for each part of speech, along with explanations:

1. Noun
 The dog is barking loudly.
o Dog is a noun because it names an animal.
 She lives in a small village.
o Village is a noun because it refers to a place.
 He bought a new computer.
o Computer is a noun, representing an object.

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  Honesty is the best policy.
o Policy is an abstract noun, representing an idea or principle.
 The students are preparing for their exams.
o Students is a plural noun, referring to people.

2. Pronoun
 She loves reading novels.
o She replaces a noun (a person's name), making it a pronoun.
 They went to the park together.
o They replaces a group of people.
 He is a very kind person.
o He is a pronoun replacing the name of a male person.
 We are planning a vacation next month.
o We is a pronoun referring to the speaker and others.
 It is raining outside.
o It is used here to refer to the weather, a common use for
pronouns.

3. Verb
 I write in my journal every day.
o Write is an action verb that shows what the subject is doing.
 She sings beautifully.
o Sings is an action verb, showing the activity of singing.
 He drives a sports car.
o Drives is an action verb, indicating movement.

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  The baby sleeps peacefully.
o Sleeps describes the state of rest of the subject.
 We traveled to Japan last year.
o Traveled is an action verb showing past movement.

4. Adjective
 The red car is parked outside.
o Red describes the color of the noun car.
 She wore a beautiful dress to the party.
o Beautiful describes the appearance of the noun dress.
 The angry customer complained to the manager.
o Angry expresses the emotion of the noun customer.
 He gave me an expensive gift.
o Expensive describes the cost or value of the noun gift.
 The tall man helped me carry my bags.
o Tall describes the height of the noun man.

5. Adverb
 She speaks fluently in three languages.
o Fluently modifies the verb speaks, describing how she speaks.
 They arrived early for the meeting.
o Early modifies the verb arrived, indicating when they arrived.
 The children played happily in the garden.
o Happily modifies the verb played, showing how they played.

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  He ran quickly to catch the bus.
o Quickly modifies the verb ran, describing how fast he ran.
 The stars shone brightly in the night sky.
o Brightly modifies the verb shone, describing how the stars
shined.

6. Preposition
 The book is on the table.
o On shows the relationship between the book and the table.
 She walked across the street.
o Across shows the direction of movement in relation to the
street.
 He is hiding under the bed.
o Under shows the location of the subject in relation to the bed.
 We are going to the mall.
o To shows direction or destination.
 She sat beside me during the movie.
o Beside indicates the position relative to the speaker.

7. Conjunction
 I wanted to go, but I was too tired.
o But connects two contrasting ideas.
 She likes tea and coffee.
o And connects two similar ideas (tea and coffee).
 You can have cake or ice cream for dessert.
o Or offers a choice between two options.

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  He studied hard, so he passed the exam.
o So shows the result of an action.

 I didn’t go to the party because I was sick.

o Because shows the reason or cause for not going to the party.

8. Interjection
 Wow! That was an incredible performance!
o Wow! expresses surprise or amazement.
 Oh no! I forgot my keys at home.
o Oh no! Expresses worry or realization of a mistake.
 Oops! I spilled the coffee.
o Oops! Expresses a small mistake or accident.
 Hey! Watch where you’re going!
o Hey! Is used to get someone's attention.
 Yay! We won the game!
o Yay! Expresses excitement or joy.

Here are the branches or subcategories of each part of speech, along with
explanations and examples:

1. Noun Branches
 Common Noun: Refers to general items or people.
o Examples: dog, car, teacher.
o Sentence: The dog is barking.

pg. 8
  Proper Noun: Refers to specific names of people, places, or things.
o Examples: London, John, Microsoft.
o Sentence: John is visiting London.

 Abstract Noun: Refers to ideas, qualities, or concepts that cannot be

seen or touched.
o Examples: love, freedom, happiness.
o Sentence: Happiness is a choice.

 Concrete Noun: Refers to physical things that can be touched or

seen.
o Examples: book, table, apple.
o Sentence: The apple is on the table.

 Collective Noun: Refers to a group of people, animals, or things.

o Examples: team, herd, family.
o Sentence: The team won the match.

2. Pronoun Branches
 Personal Pronoun: Refers to specific people or things.
o Examples: I, you, he, they.
o Sentence: He is my friend.

 Possessive Pronoun: Shows ownership.

o Examples: mine, yours, his, theirs.
o Sentence: That book is mine.

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  Reflexive Pronoun: Refers back to the subject of the sentence.
o Examples: myself, yourself, himself.
o Sentence: She did it herself.

 Demonstrative Pronoun: Points to specific things.

o Examples: this, that, these, those.
o Sentence: This is my favorite movie.

 Relative Pronoun: Introduces a relative clause.

o Examples: who, whom, which, that.
o Sentence: The boy who won the race is my friend.

 Indefinite Pronoun: Refers to non-specific people or things.

o Examples: someone, anyone, nobody, everything.
o Sentence: Someone left the door open.

3. Verb Branches
 Action Verb: Describes an action.
o Examples: run, write, and jump.
o Sentence: She runs every morning.

 Linking Verb: Connects the subject with a noun or adjective.

o Examples: is, seem, appear.
o Sentence: He is a doctor.

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  Auxiliary (Helping) Verb: Helps the main verb show tense or mood.
o Examples: is, have, will, can.
o Sentence: She is going to the market.

 Modal Verb: Expresses possibility, necessity, or ability.

o Examples: can, should, might, must.
o Sentence: You should study for the exam.

 Transitive Verb: Requires a direct object to complete its meaning.

o Examples: throw, read, buy.
o Sentence: She threw the ball.

 Intransitive Verb: Does not require a direct object.

o Examples: sleep, go, and arrive.
o Sentence: He slept all day.

4. Adjective Branches
 Descriptive Adjective: Describes a noun’s qualities.
o Examples: tall, blue, fast.
o Sentence: The tall man is my friend.

 Quantitative Adjective: Describes the quantity of something.

o Examples: some, many, few.
o Sentence: She has many books.

pg. 11
  Demonstrative Adjective: Points to specific things.
o Examples: this, that, these, those.
o Sentence: This car is mine.

 Possessive Adjective: Shows ownership or possession.

o Examples: my, your, his, her.
o Sentence: That is my house.

 Interrogative Adjective: Used in questions.

o Examples: which, what, whose.
o Sentence: Which dress do you like?

 Comparative Adjective: Compares two things.

o Examples: bigger, faster, and more intelligent.
o Sentence: She is taller than me.

 Superlative Adjective: Compares more than two things, indicating

the highest degree.
o Examples: tallest, fastest, and most intelligent.
o Sentence: He is the tallest in the class.

5. Adverb Branches
 Adverb of Manner: Describes how an action is done.
o Examples: quickly, carefully, and slowly.
o Sentence: She works quickly.

pg. 12
  Adverb of Time: Tells when an action happens.
o Examples: today, yesterday, now.
o Sentence: We will meet tomorrow.

 Adverb of Place: Tells where an action happens.

o Examples: here, there, outside.
o Sentence: They are waiting outside.

 Adverb of Degree: Tells to what extent something happens.

o Examples: very, too, enough.
o Sentence: He is very tall.

 Adverb of Frequency: Tells how often something happens.

o Examples: always, often, never.
o Sentence: She always arrives on time.

6. Preposition Branches
 Preposition of Time: Shows time relationships.
o Examples: at, on, in, during.
o Sentence: The meeting is at 3 p.m.

 Preposition of Place: Shows location relationships.

o Examples: on, under, beside.
o Sentence: The book is on the table.

pg. 13
  Preposition of Direction: Shows movement or direction.
o Examples: to, towards, into.
o Sentence: He walked towards the park.

 Preposition of Agent: Indicates an agent performing an action.

o Examples: by, with.
o Sentence: The novel was written by him.

 Preposition of Instrument: Shows the tool or instrument used.

o Examples: with, by.
o Sentence: She cut the cake with a knife.

7. Conjunction Branches
 Coordinating Conjunction: Connects words, phrases, or clauses of
equal importance.
o Examples: and, but, or, so.
o Sentence: I like tea and coffee.

 Subordinating Conjunction: Connects dependent and independent

clauses.
o Examples: because, although, if, when.
o Sentence: She went to bed because she was tired.

 Correlative Conjunction: Pairs of conjunctions that work together.

o Examples: either/or, neither/nor, both/and.
o Sentence: Neither he nor I am responsible.

pg. 14
8. Interjection Branches
 Mild Interjection: Expresses mild emotion or hesitation.
o Examples: oh, well, um.
o Sentence: Oh, I see what you mean.

 Strong Interjection: Expresses strong emotion, often followed by an

exclamation mark.
o Examples: wow, ouch, hooray!
o Sentence: Wow! That was an amazing show!

Greetings
Give personal information
Ask for personal information

Formal Greetings Listen and repeat

 Hello
 Nice to meet you
 Pleased to meet you
 Good morning/ Good Afternoon/ Good Evening

pg. 15
Informal Greetings Listen and repeat

 Hi / hey / how are you?

 (Good) Morning / Afternoon / Evening
 How’s it going? (How is it going?)
 What’s up? (What is up)
 How’re you doing? (How are you doing?)
 How are things?

Giving personal information

 My name’s Ahmad. (name’s = name is)
 I’m Ahmad (I’m = I am)
 I’m British. I’m from Cambridge
 I live in London and Cambridge
 I’m a teacher. I’m an English teacher

Practice: Complete the sentence

 My name’s……..
 I’m………
 I’m………(Tribe, nationality) I’m from……..( city/country)
 I live in………
 I’m a/an………(job)

pg. 16
Ask for personal information
 What’s your name? (What your name?)
 Where are you from? (Where you from?)
 Where do you live? (Where you live?)
 What do you do? / What’s your job?

Practice: Complete the questions

 What’s…..?
 Where are…..?
 Where do……?
 What do……? / What’s……?

Ask me
 ……………?
 My Name’s Ahmad
 ………………?
 I’am from Cambridge. I’m British
 ………………..?
 I lived in London
 ………………..?.......................?
 I’m a teacher. I’m an English teacher

pg. 17
Level A1: Lesson 2

Alphabet
Spelling

English Alphabet: 7 sounds

eɪ i e aɪ əʊ u a
A B F I O Q R
H C L Y U
J D M W
K E N
G S
P X
T Z
V

Practice:
 What’s your first name?
 Fatimah
 How do you spell that?
 F.A.T.I.M.A.H
 What’s your last name? What’s your surname?
 Abdullah
 Can you spell that please?
 A.B.D.U.L.L.A.H
 Have you got a middle name?
 Yes I have. Ahmad. A.H.M.A.D

pg. 18
Now you answer the questions
 What’s your first name?
 How do you spell that?
 What’s your last name? What’s your surname
 Can you spell that please?
 Have you got a middle name?

Now ask the questions

 Wh…………………?
 Fatimah
 Ho…………………….?
 F.A.T.I.M.A.H
 Wh……………..name? / Wh……….?
 Mahmod
 Ca………………….please?
 M.A.H.M.O.D
 Have…………..name?
 Yes I have. Muhammad. M.U.H.A.M.M.A.D

pg. 19
Level A1: Lesson 3
Countries and Nationalities
Verb “To Be”
Jobs

Questions and answers

 He’s (He is) from China. He’s Chiness
 She’s (She is) from the Philippines. She’s Filipino

 Where’s he from? (Where is he from?)

 Where’s she from? (where is she from?)

 Is he from China? Yes, he is

 Is she from the Philippines? Yes, She is
 Is he from the Philippines? No, he isn’t /iznt / No he is not)
 Is she from China? No, she isn’t.

Verb “To Be”

Singular Plural
I’m (I am) We’re (we are)
You’re (You are) You’re (You are)
He’s (He is) They’re (They are)
She’s (She is)
It’s (It is)

pg. 20
Verb “To Be” Negative forms
Singular Plural
I’m not (I am not) We aren’t /a:nt/ (You are not)
You aren’t /a:nt/ (You are not) You aren’t /a:nt/ (You are not)
He isn’t /iznt/ (He is not) They aren’t /a:nt/ (They are not)
She isn’t (She is not)
It isn’t (It is not)

What’s her job?

What’s her job? (What is her job?)
What does she do?
She’s a police officer (She is)

What’s his job?

What’s his job? (what is his job?)
What does he do?
He’s a Footballer

What are their jobs?

What are their jobs
What do they do
They are actors

pg. 21
Practice. Task 1
W………….b?
W…………..Do?
……………………doctor
She works in a hospital

Practice. Task 2
………….job?
…………..do?
……………………nurse
……………………. hospital

Practice. Task 3
1 Job?
2 Do?
3 A/an
4 office

Practice. Task 4 Answers

What’s her job?
What does she do?
She’s a secretary/ She’s an
She works in an office

pg. 22
What’s his job?
What does he do?
He’s a secretary/ He’s an office worker
He works in an office

Plural:
What are their jobs?

What _____________Jobs?
What _____________Do?

They _______office workers

They________in an office

Answers:
What are their jobs?

Wha are their jobs?

What do they do?

They are office workers

They work in an office

pg. 23
Level A1 : Lesson

 Numbers
 Telling the Time

Numbers Pronunciation
/ti:n /ti:/
13 thirteen 30 thirty
14 fourteen 40 forty
15 fifteen 50 fifty
16 sixteen 60 sixty
17 seventeen 70 seventy
18 eighteen 80 eighty
19 nineteen 90 ninety

EXCHANGING PHONE NUMBERS

Numbers 0-10
(0) Zero
(1) One
(2) Two
(3) Three
(4) Four
(5) Five
(6) Six
(7) Seven
(8) Eight
(9) Nine
(10) Ten

pg. 24
Language note: In a sequence of numbers, you will sometimes
hear zero said as oh.
My phone number is 503-1431.

TALKING ABOUT SCHEDULES

Asking for the time

There are several ways to ask for the time:

1. What time is it?

2. What's the time?
3. Do you have the time?

If you are asking the time from someone you don't know well, it is polite to
say Excuse me before your question.

- Excuse me. What time is it?

Telling time
Use o'clock for times that are on the hour. The term o'clock is both
spoken and written. Times on the hour are sometimes written as numbers
(5:00) but still spoken as o'clock.
A: What time is it?
B: It's 5 o'clock.

pg. 25
A: What's the time?
B: It's 11 o'clock.

Use half-past or thirty to say 30 minutes past the hour.

A: What time is it?
B: It's ten thirty.

A: Do you have the time?

B: It's half-past 10.

For all other times, say the number of minutes after the hour.
It's two thirty-five.
It's nine fifteen.
It's eight forty-five.

Daily activities:
1. get to work
2. get up
3. take the train
4. have a cup of coffee
5. eat breakfast

Talking about routines:

1. What time's the meeting?
2. When do you usually get to work?

pg. 26
 3. What time do you get up?
4. I get up at 6.
5. I take the train at 7:15.
6. I get to work at 8.

Talking about routines:

To ask someone about their daily routines, use the question word when.
Use the preposition at to state the time of the event.
A: When do you get up?
B: I get up at 6:30.
A: When is the meeting?
B: It's at 3 o'clock.

You can also ask about daily routines using the expression what time.
A: What time do you get up?
B: I get up at 6:30.
A: What time is the meeting?
B: It's at 3 o'clock.

'a.m.' and 'p.m.'

To make clear what time you do something, use a.m. after times from
midnight to noon, and use p.m. after times from noon to midnight.
I go running at 7 a.m.
I eat lunch at 1 p.m.

pg. 27
'Usually' and 'sometimes'
Use the word usually to talk about something you do most of the time. Use
the word sometimes to talk about something you do some of the time.
I usually get to work at 8 o'clock.
I sometimes get home at 8 p.m.

'Morning,' 'afternoon,' 'evening' and 'night'

Another way to make the time clear is to use the phrases in the
morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night.
A: When do you go running in the park?
B: I go at 7 in the morning.

Culture note: Most countries use the 24-hour clock, the international
standard. The time 8:30 p.m., for example, is 20:30. The US and a few
other countries commonly use the 12-hour clock.
'Midnight' and 'noon'

There are two words for 12 o'clock. For 12 o'clock at night, use midnight.
For 12 o'clock in the day, use noon. Use the preposition at with these two
words.
A: When's the meeting?
B: It's at noon.
A: What time do you go to bed?
B: I go to bed at midnight.

pg. 28
Fill in the blanks by typing at or in.
I get up at 7 in the morning.
I go running at night.
The meeting is at noon.
I play ball with my son in the evening.
He comes to work every day at 7.
I have a meeting every day at 9 o'clock.

Talking about routines:

My name is Maria. I live in the Philippines. I'm a manager in an office. I
have a very busy life. I get up at 6 a.m. I take a train at 6:30. I get to work at
7:15. I check my emails. I always have a lot of meetings. I usually have
lunch at noon. I leave the office at 7 p.m. I get home at 7:30.

pg. 29