BEGINNER ENGLISH Lesson 07
for English Language Learners (ELL) – those learning to speak English as a Second Language (ESL), or English as an Additional Language (EAL)
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The Verb BE – Answering Yes/No Questions
You can answer Yes/No Questions with either a:
1. Long answer – Long answers are typically used for special emphasis.
2. Short answer – Short answers are the most common.
Lesson 7 – Answering Yes/No Questions
All the forms for correctly answering a Yes/No Question are shown below.
BEGINNER ENGLISH students should focus on using short answers.
For negative answers, use the contracted form.
The best choices for BEGINNERS are shown in bold font in the tables below.
FIRST (1st) PERSON SINGULAR QUESTIONS
QUESTION: Am I late?
SHORT ANSWERS
– Yes, you are.
– No, you’re not. | No, you aren’t.
LONG ANSWERS
– Yes, you are late.
– Yes, you’re late. (contracted)
– No, you are not late.
– No, you’re not late. | No, you aren’t late. (contracted)
FIRST (1st) PERSON PLURAL QUESTIONS
QUESTION: Are we early?
SHORT ANSWERS
– Yes, you are.
– No, you’re not. | No, you aren’t.
LONG ANSWERS
– Yes, you are early.
– Yes, you’re early. (contracted)
– No, you are not early.
– No, you’re not early. | No, you aren’t early. (contracted)
SECOND (2nd) PERSON SINGULAR or PLURAL QUESTIONS
QUESTION: Are you Canadian?
SHORT ANSWERS
– Yes, I am. (singular)
– Yes, we are. (plural)
– No, I’m not. (singular – contracted)
– No, we’re not. | No, we aren’t. (plural – contracted)
LONG ANSWERS
– Yes, I am Canadian. (singular)
– Yes, I’m Canadian. (singular – contracted)
– Yes, we are Canadian. (plural)
– Yes, we’re Canadian. (plural – contracted)
– No, I am not Canadian. (singular)
– No, I’m not Canadian. (singular – contracted)
– No, we are not Canadian. (plural)
– No, we’re not Canadian. | No, we aren’t Canadian. (plural – contracted)
THIRD (3rd) PERSON SINGULAR QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: Is he nice?
QUESTION 2: Is she kind?
QUESTION 3: Is it new?
SHORT ANSWERS
Q1: Yes, he is.
Q2: Yes, she is.
Q3: Yes, it is.
Q1: No, he’s not. | No, he isn’t.
Q2: No, she’s not.
| No, she isn’t.
Q3: No, it’s not. | No, it isn’t.
LONG ANSWERS
Q1: Yes, he is nice. | Yes, he’s nice. (contracted)
Q2: Yes, she is kind. | Yes, she’s kind. (contracted)
Q3: Yes, it is new. | Yes, it’s new. (contracted)
Q1,2,3: No, he is not nice. | No, she is not kind. | No, it is not new.
Q1: No, he’s not nice. | No, he isn’t nice. (contracted)
Q2: No, she’s not kind. | No, she isn’t kind. (contracted)
Q3: No, it’s not new. | No, it isn’t new. (contracted)
THIRD (3rd) PERSON PLURAL QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: Are they ready?
SHORT ANSWERS
– Yes, they are.
– No, they’re not.
– No, they aren’t.
LONG ANSWERS
– Yes, they are ready.
– Yes, they’re ready. (contracted)
– No, they are not ready.
– No, they’re not ready. | No, they aren’t ready. (contracted)
TEST YOURSELF
Choose ALL the correct answers. Some questions have more than one correct answer.
PRONUNCIATION TIP
In spoken English:
- for a YES/NO question the voice goes UP in pitch (rises) at the end of the question
- for an INFORMATION question the voice goes DOWN in pitch (drops) at the end of the question