【明報專訊】Pat and Bill are going through the photo album. Is there anything they find interesting?

Pat: Look! (1) There is a picture of my grandma and me in the album! I have lost it for quite a while!

Bill: Sweet! You look so small here. Do you remember when you took this?

Pat: Yes, (2) it was my first day in kindergarten and I cried very hard. Nana held my hand all the way to kindergarten and told me stories to cheer me up.

Bill: (3) It is fortunate of you to have had the chance to spend time with her. My grandma passed away before I was born.

Pat: Well, (4) there are still many people who love you.

Bill: You're right, and I'm grateful to have you all with me.

◆''It + be''

˙to introduce something abstract, like time and weather.

e.g. It is 7:30 pm now.

It is sunny today.

˙to bring out a topic later in the sentence.

e.g. It is John who helped us with the cleaning. → John helped us with the cleaning.

It is kind of you to give me a hand. → To give me a hand is kind.

◆''There + be''

˙describes the existence of a certain subject, or the location of a subject.

e.g. There is a problem that we need to solve right now.

There are many teenagers in the party.

■Gear up

Rewrite the sentence below with ''it + be'' or ''there + be''. Use the correct form.

(1) We have a cake and some soda in the fridge.

______________________________________

(2) The girl in the picture is my sister Lily.

______________________________________

(3) The weather will probably be hot tomorrow.

______________________________________

(Answers on next text)

■Glossary

go through (phr v) 細看

fortunate (adj) 幸運的

grateful (adj) 感恩的

existence (n) 存在

[Smarties' Power English 第271期]