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Best in show! Have got, possessive 's and pets

This A1 ESL lesson plan teaches have got and possessive 's to describe pets and say whose they are.

Grammar
Have got and has got for every person, the American question Do you have…? with Yes, I do, and the possessive 's (Emma's dog), told apart from 's for is and has.
Topic
Pets and colors at New York's Westminster Dog Show, held since 1877, with words such as owner, fur, collar and leash.
Activities
A dog show poster to read, a dialogue about the dogs on TV, self-checking drills from a have got table to a quiz on 's, a chat about pets, open-the-box questions and a recording about a pet.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, pets!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the dog show wordsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the colorChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: the dog show

    • Look at the photo: a dog showPictureUnlock
    • Read the posterReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: dogs on TV

    • Look at the photo: the dog show on TVPictureUnlock
    • Listen to Emma and KofiListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: I've got, Emma's dog

    • Study the scheme: have got and 'sGrammar schemeTry it
    • Fill in the table with have gotFill in the tableTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the word with 'sFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the right answer: 's = is, has or whose?QuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: Do you have a pet?

    • Choose the right repliesChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the colors and the thingsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the dog show wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Record yourself: a pet you knowSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

23 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Pets vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • owner
  • fur
  • spots
  • poodle
  • collar
  • leash
  • ribbon

Grammar: have got and the possessive 's

The dog show poster reads like a list of what each dog has got: white fur, black spots, a red leash, an owner from Ohio. That makes the Westminster Dog Show a natural place for have got and the possessive 's. Learners describe the show dogs, ask about each other's pets and learn to tell the three meanings of 's apart.

have got and 's

Say what people and pets have got, ask "Do you have…?" and say whose it is.

Have got or has got? It depends on the person

I, you, we and they take have got, short 've got; he, she and it take has got, short 's got. The negatives are haven't got and hasn't got: She hasn't got a leash.

WhoYes ✓No ✗
II've got a dog. (= I have got)I haven't got a dog.
youYou've got a cat. (= you have got)You haven't got a cat.
he, she, itHe's got spots. She's got white fur. It's got brown ears. (= has got)She hasn't got a leash.
weWe've got a pet. (= we have got)We haven't got a pet.
theyThey've got blue collars. (= they have got)They haven't got collars.

Do you have…? Questions the American way

American English asks with do: Do you have a pet? The short answer repeats it, so it's Yes, I do, not Yes, I have. In statements, I've got a dog and I have a dog mean the same.

Questions: Do you have…?

  • Do you have a pet? – Yes, I do. I've got a dog.
  • Do you have a cat? – No, I don't. I haven't got a pet.

American English

I've got a dog = I have a dog. Both are OK. In questions, say Do you have a pet? The answer is Yes, I do. or No, I don't.

Whose is it? A name + 's

To say whose something is, add 's to a name and put the person or thing after it: Emma's dog, Max's owner, the dog's name. The name always comes first, so it's never the dog of Emma.

name + 'sthing

Emma's dog

Max's owner

the dog's name

's: is, has or whose?

One 's can do three jobs. Right before got, it means has: Pickle's got brown ears. If the sentence has another verb, it says whose: Emma's dog is brown. Otherwise, it means is: Her name's Peaches.

's = is

  • Pickle's in the kitchen.
  • Her name's Peaches.

's = has (with got)

  • Pickle's got brown ears.
  • She's got a blue collar.

's = whose

  • Emma's dog is brown.
  • Ruby's owner is Dana.

Common mistakes

  • She have got a dog.

    She has got a dog.

    he, she, it → has got ('s got)

  • Pickle got brown ears.

    Pickle's got brown ears.

    Don't forget 's (= has).

  • Do you have a pet? – Yes, I have.

    Do you have a pet? – Yes, I do.

    Do you have…? → Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

  • the dog of Emma

    Emma's dog

    name + 's + thing

More lessons on this grammar: Possessive adjectives and pronouns lessons and exercises

Try the have got and possessive 's exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 10 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 teacher-checked task
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 1 audio clip
  • 3 pictures
  • 1 transcript

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say what people and pets have got, with every person: I've got a cat. She's got white fur. We haven't got a pet.
  • ask Do you have a pet? and answer the American way: Yes, I do. No, I don't.
  • say whose something is with a name and 's: Emma's dog, Max's owner, the dog's name
  • tell whether 's means is, has or whose: Pickle's in the kitchen. Pickle's got brown ears.
  • describe a pet's fur, spots, collar and leash with color words like gray, brown and yellow

Lesson 6 of English A1.1 · Hello, World comes second in the unit My people. It builds on lesson 5, where my, your, his and her say whose, and adds a name with 's: Emma's dog. Lesson 8 reviews have got and 's with the rest of the unit. A dog show poster lists what each show dog has got and who its owner is, so She's got white fur and Max's owner come up naturally.

A spin wheel of questions about colors and pets opens the lesson, followed by ten dog show words with pictures and audio and a picture exercise on colors. Students read the show's poster about Ruby the poodle, Max the Dalmatian and Coco the Labrador, answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions, and listen to Emma and Kofi (an AI-voiced dialogue). After the scheme, the grammar chapter has four exercises: a have got table, a choice of the right word, names with 's and a quiz on what each 's means, all checked as students answer. In the speaking chapter, students text Emma about pets and open boxes of questions.

For homework, students put sentences in the right order, match colors with things like grass and snow, and unscramble dog show words, and all three check themselves. Last comes a short recording about a pet they know, for the teacher to listen to and review.

Grammar:
have got · Do you have…? · possessive 's
Topic:
pets · colors · dog shows · New York

Teaching tips

  • Start with the class's own pets. Ask who has got a dog or a cat, and write each answer on the board with the student's name: Ana's got a cat. Students see 's at work before they meet the scheme.
  • Cover the poster after the first reading and ask from memory: What color is Ruby's collar? Whose leash is red? Students answer with she's got and Max's.
  • Pause the listening at Ruby's owner has got a blue jacket, too! and ask what the 's means there. The line has has got in it, but this 's means whose, and the grammar quiz asks the same.
  • After the chat, let pairs interview each other with Do you have a pet?, then report back with have got: Maria hasn't got a pet, but her sister's got a dog.

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The whole course: English A1.1 · Hello, World

32 lessons for complete beginners in simple American English, from the verb to be to can and can't. Eight units cover greetings, family, numbers, home, food, daily routines, the town and free time, and each ends with a review lesson. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Hello!

    greetings, the verb to be, countries and nationalities, yes/no questions

    1. Lesson 1Hi, hey, howdy or aloha?The verb to be with I and you
    2. Lesson 2Ellis Island: where are they from?He's, she's, they're: the verb to be
    3. Lesson 3Six languages at the UNYes/no questions with be and short answers
    4. Lesson 4Review: hello from the Statue of LibertyThe verb to be and yes/no questions, reviewed

  2. Unit 2 My people

    family members, possessive adjectives, have got, describing people

    1. Lesson 5Why is Mother's Day in May?Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her
    2. Lesson 6 · you're hereBest in show!Have got and the possessive 's
    3. Lesson 7National Best Friends DaySubject pronouns, possessives and describing people
    4. Lesson 8Review: Bobbie the Wonder DogPossessives, have got and 's, reviewed

  3. Unit 3 Numbers all around

    numbers and dates, a/an and plurals, phone numbers and prices

    1. Lesson 9Why is March 14 Pi Day?Numbers 0 to 100, decimals and US dates
    2. Lesson 10How old is the General Sherman tree?A, an and plurals, with big numbers and How old…?
    3. Lesson 119-1-1 and other numbers to knowSaying phone numbers, emails and prices
    4. Lesson 12Review: 102 floors and 1,860 stepsNumbers, dates, ages and prices, reviewed

  4. Unit 4 Home sweet home

    rooms in a house, this, that, these and those, furniture, opposites

    1. Lesson 13A house with 132 roomsThis is, these are and plurals
    2. Lesson 14Boston's skinny house: where's the bed?This, that, these, those and Where's…?
    3. Lesson 15Can a dorm room be cozy?Opposite adjectives and have got
    4. Lesson 16Review: homes for everyoneShowing and describing a home, reviewed

  5. Unit 5 Food I love

    likes and dislikes, present simple questions, ordering food

    1. Lesson 17Pancakes for breakfast?I like, I don't like and plural nouns
    2. Lesson 18New York pizza or Chicago deep-dish?Present simple questions and short answers
    3. Lesson 19A coffee to go, please!Ordering food with I'd like and Can I have…?
    4. Lesson 20Review: lunch from a food truckI like, Do you like and I'd like, reviewed

  6. Unit 6 My day

    telling the time, daily routines, days of the week, prepositions of time

    1. Lesson 21What time is it in Times Square?Telling the time and daily routines
    2. Lesson 22Who brings the mail?The present simple with we and they
    3. Lesson 23Is it morning in Hawaii?Prepositions of time with parts of the day
    4. Lesson 24Review: a New York morningTime, routines and days, reviewed

  7. Unit 7 My town

    places in town, prepositions of place, giving directions

    1. Lesson 25Main Street, USAPrepositions of place: near and next to
    2. Lesson 26Meet me at Union SquarePresent simple questions and negatives with we and they
    3. Lesson 27Turn left on 42nd StreetImperatives for giving directions
    4. Lesson 28Review: streets for peoplePlaces, the present simple and directions, reviewed

  8. Unit 8 Free time

    hobbies, can and can't, sports, making plans

    1. Lesson 29Can you play Scrabble?Can and can't for ability
    2. Lesson 30Can you surf?Can for ability and how well
    3. Lesson 31Saturday morning: Little LeagueFree time and making plans
    4. Lesson 32Review: a book for every childCan, can't and free time, reviewed

Questions about this lesson

What does "have got" mean?
Have got means have when you talk about things you own, your family or how someone looks: We've got a cat is the same as We have a cat. In speech it's usually short, 've got or 's got: They've got blue collars. It's got brown ears. The A1 lesson Best in show! on edio.ai teaches it with three show dogs on a poster from New York's Westminster Dog Show.
When do you use "have got" and "has got"?
Use has got for one person, animal or thing: he, she, it or a name, as in My sister has got a rabbit. Everyone else takes have got: I, you, we, they and plural nouns, as in My parents have got two cats. So it's she has got, or she's got, never she have got. The negatives split the same way: haven't got and hasn't got.
How do you use the possessive 's?
Add 's to the owner, then name what they have: my friend's cat, the dog's name, my mom's dog. Learners often build it the other way around, as in the cat of my friend, which sounds unnatural in English. To ask about the owner, use whose: Whose leash is this? It's my friend's. The same 's can also be short for is or has: Her name's Peaches.
Is it "she's got" or "she got"?
In the present, it's she's got, short for she has got: She's got a blue collar. Without the 's, she got is the past of get, as in She got a dog last year. So keep the 's or 've when you describe what someone has now: My dog's got brown ears, not My dog got brown ears.
Is it "Yes, I have" or "Yes, I do"?
Yes, I do, when the question starts with do: Do you have a dog? Yes, I do. A short answer repeats the question's first verb, so Do you have…? gets do or don't: Do you have a cat? No, I don't. That's the American way to ask, and Yes, I have is a common slip. Give the details in a second sentence: Yes, I do. I've got a cat.
What are the basic colors in English?
Black, white, brown, gray, red, blue, green and yellow are the colors beginners need first. To ask, say What color is your cat?, and answer with be: She's gray and white. Before a noun, the color comes first and never takes -s: a red leash, two blue collars. In American spelling, it's color and gray.
What vocabulary do you need to describe a pet?
You need words for what a pet has and wears: fur, spots, ears, a collar and a leash, plus pet and owner. Put them together with have got and a color: He's got black spots and a red leash. Then add the kind of animal, from cat and rabbit to breeds like poodle or Labrador: She's a chocolate Labrador.
How do I teach have got to beginners?
Teach it as a way to describe pets, friends and classmates: Our cat has got green eyes. Put has got beside have got early, since choosing between them is the main slip. In Best in show! on edio.ai, students first read the forms on a dog show poster and hear them in a dialogue about dogs on TV, then write them in a table and pick the right word in eight sentences.
What's a good game for practicing have got?
A describe-and-guess round works well: one student says what a classmate has got, like She's got a blue bag, and the others guess who it is. In the A1 lesson Best in show! on edio.ai, that's one of seven open-the-box prompts, next to a dream pet (It's a…, It's got…) and whose pet is whose (It's my sister's cat), and a spin-the-wheel warm-up on pets and colors opens it.
How do you practice have got one-to-one?
Describe things you can both see, taking turns: the student's phone, your bag, a pet photo on the screen. You've got a black phone. My cat's got white ears. Then ask Do you have…? questions, which need Yes, I do or No, I don't. In Best in show! on edio.ai, the student also texts a friend about pets in the chat, and you can read the open-the-box prompts aloud as your questions.
What's good homework for practicing have got?
A short recorded talk about a real pet makes learners use It's got… and 's for whose pet it is: It's my friend's cat. It's got gray fur. In Best in show! on edio.ai, three tasks check themselves before that recording, which the teacher reviews: sentences like We haven't got a cat to put in order, colors to match with things, and dog show words to unscramble.
Are there interactive have got exercises?
Yes: have got works well in drills that check every answer straight away. Without an account, you can try a table of its yes and no forms, from You've got a red leash to They haven't got yellow fur, and a chat about pets on the page of Best in show!, an A1 lesson on edio.ai. The dog show poster and the dialogue about dogs on TV are open as well; everything else is locked.
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