Negative form of the Simple Present - the verb "to be"
Negative sentences and questions using the form of the simple present verb "to be" formed differently from other questions. To make a negative sentence we simply add "not" before the verb "to be".
- Sentence: You are a doctor
- Negative: Your are not a doctor
- Sentence: They are cats
- Negative: They are not cats
Here is the negative form of the verb "to be" in the form of the Simple Present (simple present tense):
Single
I am not
You are not
He is not
She is not
It is not
|
Plural
We are not
You are not
They are not
|
2 Present Simple Question
To make us question simply reverse the position of the subject and "to be".
- Sentence: You are a doctor
- Question: Are you a doctor?
- Sentence: They are cats
- Question: Are they cats?
"To be" as a question in the form of the Simple Present is as follows:
Single
Am I (a teacher)?
Are you ...?
Is he ...?
Is she ...?
Is it ...?
|
Plural
Are we ...?
Are you ...?
Are they ...?
|
3 short answers
We can be answering these questions with short answers using the verb "to be". For example:
- Are you a teacher?
- Yes, I am / No, I am not
- Is he a Student?
- Yes, he is. / No, he is not.
It should be noted that in spoken English we usually use the abbreviation (contraction) to form a negative. Example:
No, I am not, can be shortened to No, I'm not.
Abbreviations will be focused on the next unit.
Examples of the use of the dialogue:
(1) Sylvia, are you a teacher?
No, I'm not. I'm a doctor.
That is great!
(2) So Tyler, what do you do?
I'm a businessman. How about you?
I'm a singer.
Wow, that's great!
(3) What does your friend look like, Sylvia?
Oh, he's tall, handsome, and he has brown hair.
Is he kind?
Yes, he's very kind. He's really nice!
(4) Hi, my name is Tyler. I'm tall, I'm funny, and I'm really happy. I'm a teacher and a web designer. My friend's name is Sylvia, she's very cute, tall, and kind. She's a teacher, too.She's also really smart. It's nice to meet you!
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