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National Best Friends Day: subject pronouns and describing people

This A1 ESL lesson plan covers subject pronouns and describing people in English, for talking about friends.

Grammar
Subject pronouns such as he, she, it and they, each with its possessive (his, her, its, their), be plus very or really and an adjective (She's really funny.), and it's or its.
Topic
Best friends on June 8, National Best Friends Day in the US, with adjectives to describe people such as kind, funny, chatty and shy.
Activities
A Best Friends Day post to read, a dialogue and a voice message to follow, self-checking drills, a chat as Jack, open-the-box questions and a recorded message about a friend.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, friends!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the new wordsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the right wordChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: Happy Best Friends Day!

    • Look at the photo: Olivia and HannahPictureUnlock
    • Read Olivia's postReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: best friends back home

    • Listen to Priya and JackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Priya's voice messageListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: his dog, our house

    • Study the scheme: my, your, his, her…Grammar schemeTry it
    • Fill in the tableFill in the tableTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps. Use the word after the gap.Fill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: my best friend

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

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Record a voice message: introduce a friendSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

24 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.

Adjectives to describe people

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

  • friendly
  • quiet
  • chatty
  • smart
  • shy
  • talk
  • laugh

Grammar: subject pronouns, possessives and describing people

On Best Friends Day, everyone talks about someone else: who the friend is, where he or she is now, and what the friend is like. So the lesson pairs every subject pronoun with its possessive, adds adjectives to describe people, and sorts out the look-alikes learners mix up in writing: it's and its, they're and their.

I → my, he → his, they → their

Talk about people and their things. Say what people are like.

I and my, they and their: the seven pairs

Each subject pronoun has its own possessive: I and my, you and your, he and his, she and her, it and its, we and our, they and their. The pronoun stands for a person or thing; the possessive goes before a noun: We're roommates. Our house is in Brooklyn.

I, you, he…my, your, his…Example
ImyI'm Olivia. My best friend is Hannah.
youyourYou're Jack. Your best friend is Danny.
hehisHe's Danny. His dog is Taco.
sheherShe's Priya. Her best friend is Nina.
ititsIt's a dog. Its ears are big.
weourWe're roommates. Our house is in Brooklyn.
theytheirThey're BFFs. Their photo is cute.

Describing people: be, very or really, adjective

To say what someone is like, use be and an adjective: She's kind. Very or really makes it stronger: He's really funny. The question is What's she like?

Describe people

I'm / he's / they're…(very / really)kind / funny / shy…

She's very kind.

He's really funny.

They're very friendly.

very and really

Use very or really to make a word stronger: kind → very kind, really kind. Ask: What's she like? Answer: She's really funny.

It's or its?

It's is short for it is: It's a small dog. Its has no apostrophe and goes before a noun, like his and her: Its name is Taco.

it's = it is

  • It's a small dog.
  • It's very friendly.

its + name, ears…

  • Its name is Taco.
  • Its ears are really big.

They're, their or there?

Three words share one sound. They're means they are, their goes before a person or thing, and there is a place: Their photo is cute. San Diego? Danny is there.

they're = they are

  • They're really funny.

their + person or thing

  • Their photo is cute.

there = a place

  • San Diego? Danny is there.

Common mistakes

  • Our friends is funny.

    Our friends are funny.

    friends = they → are

  • She's a friend kind.

    She's a kind friend.

    kind + friend, not friend + kind

  • They're kinds friends.

    They're kind friends.

    no -s on kind, funny, shy…

  • He name is Danny.

    His name is Danny.

    his + name

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

Try the subject pronouns and possessives exercises

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

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 11 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 1 teacher-checked task
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • pair each subject pronoun with its possessive: he and his, it and its, we and our, they and their
  • say what people are like with be and an adjective, made stronger with very or really: He's really funny.
  • choose between it's and its, and between they're, their and there
  • put an adjective before its noun, with no -s: She's a kind friend. They're kind friends.
  • introduce a friend, saying who and where the friend is and what he or she is like: My best friend is Danny. He's in San Diego.

Lesson 7 of English A1.1 · Hello, World is the third lesson in the unit My people. It builds on lesson 5, which taught my, your, his and her with family words, and adds its, our and their to complete the seven pairs; lesson 8 reviews pronouns, possessives and describing people with the rest of the unit. Friends back home in Chicago and San Diego give students someone to describe in the third person: He's in San Diego. He's really funny.

A spin wheel of questions about friends opens the lesson, then ten words for friends and what they're like, with pictures and audio, and a picture exercise. Students read Olivia's Best Friends Day post about an old photo of her and Hannah at sixteen, with comments from the roommates, and answer true-or-false and quiz questions. They listen to Jack and Priya (an AI-voiced dialogue) and to Priya's voice message for Nina. The grammar chapter has the scheme and four exercises, from a table of pronouns and possessives to choosing the correct sentence, each checked as students answer. In the speaking chapter, students play Jack in a chat with Olivia, then open boxes of questions about friends.

Homework is a drag-and-drop where students choose between look-alikes such as he's and his or they're and their, and an anagram of the lesson's words, from kind to laugh; both check themselves. It ends with a voice message introducing a friend, modeled on Priya's, which goes to the teacher for review.

Grammar:
subject pronouns · possessive adjectives · be + adjective
Topic:
friends · National Best Friends Day · describing people

Teaching tips

  • Describe your own best friend first, in three sentences: name, city and what he or she is like. Students hear the pattern before they see it in Olivia's post.
  • Read the chat's wrong replies aloud, like It's name is Taco and Their really friendly, and let students explain each mistake before they choose.
  • Run a quick class survey with the new adjectives: Are you chatty or quiet? Students answer with a little, very or really, as Olivia does: I'm quiet and a little shy.
  • Play Priya's voice message again before the homework, and let pairs plan their own with the same points: the friend's name, where he or she is, what he or she is like, and a family member or pet.

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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 6Best in show!Have got and the possessive 's
    3. Lesson 7 · you're hereNational 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 are subject pronouns in English?
Subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we and they, the words that stand for who or what a sentence is about, before the verb. With be, they usually shorten: I'm, he's, we're, they're, as in She's my new roommate. Each also has a possessive partner for saying whose, such as they and their: Their house is big.
How do you describe people in English?
The basic pattern for describing people is be plus an adjective: He's funny. They're very friendly. To ask, use What's he like?, and to make an answer stronger or softer, put really, very or a little before the adjective: She's a little shy. Before a noun, the adjective comes first and has no plural: a funny friend, funny friends.
When do you use he, she, it and they?
He is for a man or boy, she for a woman or girl, it for a thing or an animal, and they for two or more people or things. My brother is in Texas. He's my best friend. Pet owners often call their own pet he or she, but it is always fine for an animal: It's very friendly. Plural subjects take are, like they: Our friends are funny, not Our friends is funny.
Is it "its" or "it's"?
It's is short for it is or it has; its says whose, the way my or our does. It's a new bike. Its color is blue. To check, try it is or it has in its place: if one fits, write it's. The apostrophe confuses people because a name with 's has one, but possessives like its, his and their never do.
What's the difference between "they're", "their" and "there"?
They're is short for they are; their says whose, and there points to a place. All three sound the same, so choose by meaning: They're really friendly. Their house is big. Look, our dog is over there! If they are fits, write they're; if a person or thing follows and you mean whose, write their.
What adjectives can you use to describe people?
Seven everyday adjectives make a good start: kind, funny, friendly, smart, quiet, chatty and shy. Some make opposites, like quiet and chatty, or shy and friendly with new people, and all of them take very or really: She's very smart. In National Best Friends Day on edio.ai, each one has a word card with a picture and audio, and learners match six of them to photos.
How do you introduce a friend in English?
Start with This is my friend… or My best friend is…, then say where the friend is and what he or she is like: My best friend is in Chicago. She's really funny, and she's very kind. Bring in family or pets with his or her: Her cat is very shy. In texts and posts, friends often say BFF, short for best friends forever: She's my BFF.
How do I teach subject pronouns to beginners?
Give every pronoun a real person to point at, and teach it with its possessive: he and his for a friend, it and its for the friend's dog. In National Best Friends Day on edio.ai, students meet the pairs in a post about an old photo and a dialogue about friends back home, then complete a table, choose between look-alikes such as it's and its, and pick the correct sentence.
What's a good game for practicing describing people?
Try a three-words round: each player describes a friend or family member in three adjectives, like kind, funny and chatty, and the others ask one question back, such as Is she shy? National Best Friends Day, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, has this task among eight open-the-box prompts, next to Are you shy or friendly with new people? and Who is really funny in your family?
How do you practice describing people one-to-one?
Talk about people the student really knows: a best friend, a sister, a roommate. Ask What's she like? and follow up with Is she chatty, like you?, so the answers need adjectives and very or really. On their own, students can use the chat in National Best Friends Day on edio.ai, telling a friend about a best friend in San Diego and skipping wrong replies such as He's really funnys and very kinds.
What's good homework for practicing subject pronouns and possessives?
A voice message introducing a real friend works well, because it needs he or she, his or her and a few adjectives at once: He's in Texas. His dog is really funny. In National Best Friends Day on edio.ai, students first drag words like they're, their and its into eight sentences and unscramble words such as chatty, both self-checking, then record their message for the teacher.
Are there interactive exercises for subject pronouns?
Yes: subject pronouns and possessives suit tables and chats that check each answer. Without an account, anyone can try two on the page of National Best Friends Day, an A1 lesson on edio.ai: a table that gives each person both forms, such as She's smart and Her friend is Priya, and a chat about a best friend. A post and a dialogue about friends come with them; the other exercises are locked.
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