1. Yes/No Questions & Short Answers
Universidad Metropolitana Título V Campus
Yes/No Questions & Short Answers
Learning Zone - English

2. Index Purpose How to use them – Yes/No Questions
3. Statements & Questions - Examples
4. How to use them – Short Answers
5. Affirmative and Negative Answers
6. Important
7. How to use them (Yes/No Questions with other verbs)
8. Explanation
9. Yes/No Questions with other verbs
10. How to use them (Short Answers)
11. Affirmative & Negative Answers with other verbs
12. Practice
13. More Practice

3. Purpose
The purpose to ask a 'Yes/No' question is to have a short answer and in English is more polite than just saying ‘Yes. / No.’ That is why short answers are very commonly used. Be careful, there can be more than one verb. Sometimes, when using other verbs such as do, have, go, etc., we formulate the questions and answers in a different way.
Index

4. How to use them Yes/No questions with verb Be Statement
Subject and verb change their position in statement and
question.
Explanation: In the statement, the verb goes after the subject. On the
other hand, when asking a question, the verb goes before the subject
Statement
You are from England.
Question
Are you from England?
Index

5. Statements & Questions with verb Be
Statement: I am happy.
Subject + verb “be” + complement
Question: Am I happy?
Verb “be” + subject + complement+?
Statement: It is big.
Subject + verb “be” + complement
Question: Is it big?
Verb “be” + subject + complement+?
Statement: We are good friends.
Subject + verb “be” + complement
Question: Are we good friends?
Verb “be” + subject + complement+?
Index 5

6. How to use them Short Answers Affirmative Negative
To form short answers, choose if you want to answer in the affirmative (“yes”) or the negative (“no”) voice.
Then, write the subject or subject pronoun. Finally, write the correct form of the verb “be”.
If you choose “no” as an answer, write “not” after the verb.
Affirmative Negative
Question: Are we funny?
Answer: No, we are not.
Question: Are we funny?
Answer: Yes, we are.
Index

7. Affirmative and Negative Answers with verb Be
Examples
Question
Affirmative answer
Negative answer
Are they teachers?
Yes, they are.
No, they are not.
Are we funny?
Yes, we are.
No, we are not.
Is she smart?
Yes, she is.
No, she is not.
Is it amazing?
Yes, it is.
No, it is not.
Am I beautiful?
Yes, you are.
No, you are not.
Index

8. If “you” is the subject of the question, “you”
Important
If “you” is the subject of the question, “you”
must be replaced by “I”.
Question
Affirmative Answer
Negative Answer
Are you working?
Yes, I am.
No, I am not.
Are you busy?
Are you cold?
Index

9. How to use them Yes/No questions with other verbs Statement
Subject and verb change their position in statement and
question.
Explanation: In the statement, the verb goes after the subject. On the
other hand, when asking a question, we put an auxiliary verb first,
then the subject and the main verb changes to its basic form.
Statement
Carlos has a dog named Fido.
Question
Does Carlos have a dog named Fido?
Index

10. Explanation Statement Question
When you have the pronouns “I, you, we they”, you can substitute the noun for a pronoun by following the rules. Then, you will use the verb in its basic form; have, do, go, speak, walk, etc.
We add the auxiliary verb “Do” at the beginning of the question and close with a question mark.
The main verb will remain the same even when you change the statement into a question.
Statement
You have a Chihuahua.
Question
Do you have a Chihuahua?
Index

11. Explanation Statement Question
When dealing with the pronouns “he, she, it” (if there is a noun, follow the rules to substitute the noun for a pronoun), the verb (in an affirmative voice) will be written differently even though it means the same; such as has, does, goes, speaks, walks, etc. You have to add –es or –s at the end of the main verb.
Add the verb “Does” at the beginning of the question and close with a question mark.
Then, when changing the statement into a question, change the verb to its basic form; such as have, do, go, speak, walk, etc.
Statement
She goes to the park to jog.
Question
Does she go to the park to jog?
Index

12. Yes/No Questions with other verbs
Statement: She has a flower shop.
Subject + other verb + complement
Question: Does she have a flower shop?
Do/Does + subject + main verb + complement + ?
Statement: We do yoga.
Subject + other verb + complement
Question: Do we do yoga?
Do/Does + subject + main verb + complement + ?
Statement: He goes to the beach every Sunday.
Subject + other verb + complement
Question: Does he go to the beach every Sunday?
Do/Does + subject + main verb + complement+? 12

13. How to use them Short Answers Affirmative Negative
To form short answers, choose if you want to answer in the affirmative (“yes”) or the negative (“no”).
Then, write the subject or subject pronoun. Then, write “yes” or “no” depending on if your answer is affirmative or negative.
If you choose “no” as an answer, write “not” after the verb.
Affirmative Negative
Question: Do you have money?
Answer: Yes, I do.
Question: Do you?
Answer: Yes, she is.
Question: Do you have money?
Answer: No, I do not.
Question: Do you?
Answer: Yes, she is.
Index

14. Affirmative and Negative Answers with other verbs
Examples
Question
Affirmative answer
Negative answer
Do you need help?
Yes, I do.
No, I do not.
Does he speak French?
Yes, he does.
No, he does not.
Does Sara do yoga?
Yes, she does.
No, she does not.
Does he go to the park?
Do you have a boyfriend?
Index

15. Practice
Instructions: Choose the correct short answer depending on what says inside the parenthesis.
Jaqueline is my French teacher. (negative)
Yes, she is.
No, she is not.
They are taking Tango lessons. (affirmative)
Yes, they are.
No, they are not.
Are we funny? (affirmative)
Yes, we are.
No, we are not.
Continue 15

16. Great work !!!

17. Wrong answer…

18. Practice Sandra lives in Bayamón. (negative) Yes, she does.
No, she does not.
They have a baby boy. (affirmative)
Yes, they do.
No, they do not.
She has blond hair. (affirmative)
Continue 18

19. Great work !!!

20. Wrong answer…

21. Practice They speak Italian fluently. (negative) Yes, they do.
No, they do not.
It is beautiful. (affirmative)
Yes, it is.
No, it is not.
He goes to the gym from Monday through Friday. (negative)
Yes, he does.
No, he does not.
London is the capital city of England. (affirmative)
Continue 21

22. Great work !!!

23. Wrong answer…

24. More practice Instructions: Choose the correct form of question.
You are eating sushi.
Are you eating sushi?
You are eating sushi?
My mother is an amazing person.
My mother amazing person is an?
Is my mother an amazing person?
They do Pilates with the instructor.
Do Pilates with they do instructor the?
Do they do Pilates with the instructor?
Continue 24

25. Great work !!!

26. Wrong answer…

27. Practice Sandra lives in Bayamón. Does Sandra live in Bayamón?
Sandra does lives in Bayamón?
Mr. Jones has a farm.
Does Mr. Jones haves a farm?
Does Mr. Jones have a farm?
Mary is an excellent student.
Is Mary an excellent student?
Is Mary is an excellent student?
Continue 27

28. Great work !!!

29. Wrong answer…

30. Practice Julie goes to school every day.
Does Julie goes to school every day?
Does Julie go to school every day?
He has green eyes.
Haves he has green eyes?
Does he have green eyes?
She goes out every weekend.
Does she go out every weekend?
She does goes out every weekend?
Mary and George have a duplex house.
Mary and George haves a duplex house?
Do Mary and George have a duplex house?
Continue 30

31. Great work !!!

32. Wrong answer…

33. Bibliography
N. Elbaum, Sandra. (2006). Grammar in Context 1

34. Revised by Prof. María Isaac – English Coordinator
Cristabel R. Ocasio Ilarraza – English Tutor
October 2009