The Present Simple of ‘BE’

Here is the positive form (positive refers to a regular sentence, not a negative or a question).

Positive Positive Short Form (contracted form)
I am I’m
you are you’re
he is he’s
she is she’s
it is it’s
we are we’re
you areyou’re
they are they’re

Next, here’s the negative form: You include the word ‘not‘.

NegativeNegative short form (contracted form)
I am notI’m not
you are notyou aren’t (you’re not)
he is nothe isn’t (he’s not)
she is notshe isn’t (she’s not)
it is notit isn’t (it’s not)
we are notwe aren’t (we’re not)
you are notyou aren’t (you’re not
they are notthey aren’t (they’re not)

Lastly, here’s the question form of the present simple with ‘be‘. There are two types of questions: ‘yes / no’ questions, and ‘wh’ questions.

Firstly, here’s the ‘yes / no’ question form:

Yes / No Questions

am I ?

are you ?

is he ?

is she ?

is it ?

are we ?

are they ?

To form a ‘wh’ question, simply place the question word at the beginning.

Wh Questions
where am I ?
what are you ?
why is he ?
who is she ?
where is it?
when are we ?
what are you ?
how are they ?

PRACTICE EXERCISE

TO BE (positive, negative, and questions)

Form sentences using the words given. Remember to include punctuation!

1 / 20

where / be / David?

2 / 20

they / be / from Italy

3 / 20

you / be / a nurse?

4 / 20

we / not / be / singers

5 / 20

he / not / be / a journalist

6 / 20

we / be / German

7 / 20

where / be / John?

8 / 20

he / be / a football player?

9 / 20

we / not / be / cold

10 / 20

he / be / French

11 / 20

he / be / handsome

12 / 20

how often / be / you in town?

13 / 20

how long / be / the movie?

14 / 20

we / be / thirsty

15 / 20

how / be / your mother?

16 / 20

you / not / be / Egyptian

17 / 20

he / be / my brother

18 / 20

she / not / be / Italian

19 / 20

you / not / be / a doctor

20 / 20

I / not / be / English

Your score is

The average score is 70%

0%

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