Yes/No questions and short answers with the verb be
Yes/No questions – be (am, are, is)
Subject and verb change their position in statement and question.
- Sentence: You are from England.
- Question: Are you from England?
We always use the short answer, not only Yes or No, as Yes or No sounds rude on its own.
NOTE:
If the answer is Yes, we always use the long form. → Example: Yes, I am.
If the answer is No, we either use the long or the contracted form (short form). → Example: No, I am not → No, I‘m not.
Verb | Subject | Rest | Yes/No | Subject | Verb |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Are | you | from England? | Yes, | I | am. |
Are | you | from England? | No, | I | am not ‘m not. |
Is | she | your friend? | Yes, | she | is. |
Is | she | your friend? | No, | she | is not. isn’t. |
Are | they | Italian? | Yes, | they | are. |
Are | they | Italian? | No, | they | are not. aren’t. |
Explanations
- Word Order in English questions (Summary)
- Questions in the Passive
- Questions in the Past Simple
- Questions in the Present Simple
- Questions with Questions Words and the verb BE
- Questions with CAN
- Questions with HAVE and HAVE GOT
- Questions with WHO and WHAT – Subject – Object
- Short Answers in English
- Yes/No questions and short answers and the verb BE