Negatives, questions and contractions

To make a negative with be, put not after am, is, or are: I am not tired. She is not at home. They are not busy.

Contractions are the natural choice in everyday American English. Is not becomes isn’t, and are not becomes aren’t. With pronouns, you can also contract the subject and verb: I’m not, she’s not, and we’re not.

To make a yes/no question, move am, is, or are before the subject: Are you ready? Is he your brother? Are they at school? This change is called subject–verb inversion.

Short answers repeat the form of be, not the whole sentence: Yes, I am. No, he isn’t. Yes, they are. Avoid answers such as Yes, I’m because affirmative contractions are not normally used at the end of a short answer.

Keep the word order clear: question word if needed + be + subject + information. Where are they? Why is she late? The same small system creates statements, negatives, and questions.