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July 10, 2026
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📐 CHAPTER 1: THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF THE VERB TO BE

English Grammar | By Mary Ansell

📖 1. GRAMMAR

Grammar

The grammar of a language is an analysis of the various functions performed by the words of the language, as they are used by native speakers and writers.

💡 Key Point: Many English words can perform more than one function.

Example

As Nouns (naming things):

  • I have lost my comb.
  • Water is one of the necessities of life.

As Verbs (expressing actions):

  • I comb my hair every morning.
  • Do you water your plants once a week?

📝 2. VERB FORMS

Verb Forms

English verbs may have different forms, depending on:

  • The subject of the verb
  • When the action expressed by the verb takes place

Example

We live in the city.

He lives on Queen Street.

In the first example, the subject is we, and the form of the verb is live. In the second example, the subject is he, and the form of the verb is lives.

🔹 Tenses

Tense

The different verb forms which indicate when the action expressed by a verb takes place are usually referred to as tenses.

Example

We always walk to work. (Simple Present)

We walked to work yesterday. (Simple Past)

Infinitive

The infinitive form of a verb begins with the word to.

Example: to walk

📊 3. USES OF THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

The Simple Present is used in various ways:

🔹 Actions at Regular Intervals

Examples

  • We visit our friends every Sunday.
  • They take a holiday once a year.
  • Geese fly south every fall.

🔹 General Truths

Examples

  • Gas expands when heated.
  • The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.
  • Canada lies north of the United States.

🔹 Printed Material & Works of Art

Examples

  • The report presents the information clearly.
  • At the end of the film, the hero finds the hidden treasure.

🔹 Future or Past Actions

Examples

  • Our plane leaves at eight o'clock tomorrow night. (Future)
  • Burglar steals Valuable Paintings. (Past — newspaper headline)

📋 4. THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF THE VERB TO BE

Conjugation

A conjugation of a verb is a list showing the different forms a verb may take.

🔹 Personal Pronouns

The English personal pronouns which may be used as subjects of verbs are:

I, you, he, she, it, we, they

💡 Note: In modern English, the same verb forms are used with the subject you, whether you refers to one or more than one person or thing.

🔹 Conjugation of "To Be"

Without Contractions

SubjectVerb
Iam
youare
heis
sheis
itis
weare
theyare

With Contractions

SubjectContraction
II'm
youyou're
hehe's
sheshe's
itit's
wewe're
theythey're

💡 Note: An apostrophe (') is used in a contraction to indicate that one or more letters have been omitted.

✅ 4a. AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENTS

Affirmative Statement

An affirmative statement states that something is true.

Examples

  • I am awake.
  • They are ready.

💡 Rules:

  • The verb follows the subject.
  • Statements must begin with a capital letter.
  • Statements are followed by a period (.).

❓ 4b. QUESTIONS

Questions

For the Simple Present of the verb to be, questions are formed by reversing the order of the subject and the verb.

Examples

  • Am I awake?
  • Are they ready?

💡 Rules:

  • The verb precedes the subject.
  • Questions are followed by a question mark (?).

❌ 4c. NEGATIVE STATEMENTS

Negative Statements

Negative statements are formed by adding the word not after the verb.

Examples

  • I am not awake.
  • They are not ready.

🔹 Contractions

Without ContractionsWith Contractions
is notisn't
are notaren't

❓ 4d. NEGATIVE QUESTIONS

Negative Questions

Negative questions are formed by reversing the order of the subject and verb, and adding not after the subject.

Examples

  • Am I not awake?
  • Are they not ready?

🔹 With Contractions

Without ContractionsWith Contractions
Are you not awake?Aren't you awake?
Is he not awake?Isn't he awake?
Are we not awake?Aren't we awake?
Are they not awake?Aren't they awake?

💡 Important Note:

  • There is no universally accepted contraction for am not.
  • In spoken English, aren't I? is often used but is not considered grammatically correct in formal English.
  • In formal English, use am I not?

🏷️ 4e. TAG QUESTIONS

Tag Question

A tag question is a question added at the end of a sentence.

Examples

Affirmative StatementWith Tag Question
I am awake.I am awake, am I not?
You are awake.You are awake, aren't you?
She is awake.She is awake, isn't she?
We are awake.We are awake, aren't we?
They are awake.They are awake, aren't they?

💡 Rules:

  • A tag question following an affirmative statement generally has the form of a negative question.
  • The meaning is: "Isn't that true?"
  • The subjects and verbs of the preceding statements are repeated in tag questions.
  • Contractions are usually used in negative tag questions.

📝 EXERCISES FOR CHAPTER 1

Exercise 1. Change the following pairs of words into sentences, using the correct forms of the Simple Present of the verb to be.

Example: I, cautious → I am cautious.   they, friendly → They are friendly.

  1. you, careful
  2. it, warm
  3. he, here
  4. we, bold
  5. they, careless
  6. she, clever
  7. we, ready
  8. you, reckless
  9. I, shy
  10. they, polite

Answers to Exercise 1:

  1. You are careful.
  2. It is warm.
  3. He is here.
  4. We are bold.
  5. They are careless.
  6. She is clever.
  7. We are ready.
  8. You are reckless.
  9. I am shy.
  10. They are polite.

Exercise 2. Change the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1 into questions.

Example: I am cautious. → Am I cautious?
They are friendly. → Are they friendly?

Answers to Exercise 2:

  1. Are you careful?
  2. Is it warm?
  3. Is he here?
  4. Are we bold?
  5. Are they careless?
  6. Is she clever?
  7. Are we ready?
  8. Are you reckless?
  9. Am I shy?
  10. Are they polite?

Exercise 3. Change the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1 into negative statements.

Example: I am cautious. → I am not cautious.
They are friendly. → They are not friendly.

Answers to Exercise 3:

  1. You are not careful.
  2. It is not warm.
  3. He is not here.
  4. We are not bold.
  5. They are not careless.
  6. She is not clever.
  7. We are not ready.
  8. You are not reckless.
  9. I am not shy.
  10. They are not polite.

Exercise 4. Change the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1 into negative questions. Except where the subject of the verb is I, write both the form without contractions and the form with contractions.

Example: I am cautious. → Am I not cautious?
They are friendly. → Are they not friendly? Aren't they friendly?

Answers to Exercise 4:

  1. Are you not careful? Aren't you careful?
  2. Is it not warm? Isn't it warm?
  3. Is he not here? Isn't he here?
  4. Are we not bold? Aren't we bold?
  5. Are they not careless? Aren't they careless?
  6. Is she not clever? Isn't she clever?
  7. Are we not ready? Aren't we ready?
  8. Are you not reckless? Aren't you reckless?
  9. Am I not shy?
  10. Are they not polite? Aren't they polite?

Exercise 5. Add negative tag questions to the ends of the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1. Except where the subject of the verb is I, use contractions for the tag questions.

Example: I am cautious. → I am cautious, am I not?
They are friendly. → They are friendly, aren't they?

Answers to Exercise 5:

  1. You are careful, aren't you?
  2. It is warm, isn't it?
  3. He is here, isn't he?
  4. We are bold, aren't we?
  5. They are careless, aren't they?
  6. She is clever, isn't she?
  7. We are ready, aren't we?
  8. You are reckless, aren't you?
  9. I am shy, am I not?
  10. They are polite, aren't they?

Exercise 6. Using the Simple Present of the verb to be, and making sure that the word order is correct, form the following groups of words into grammatically correct statements or questions.

If the symbol ? is present, form the words into a question. If the word not is present, form the words into a negative statement or negative question. Do not use contractions in this exercise.

Example: it, brown → It is brown.
you, ?, excited → Are you excited?
I, satisfied, not → I am not satisfied.
not, ?, they, ready → Are they not ready?

  1. you, ?, hungry
  2. we, ?, not, correct
  3. he, ?, happy
  4. not, ?, it, cold
  5. she, here
  6. I, early, ?
  7. they, wrong, not
  8. you, ?, comfortable
  9. they, ?, not, strong
  10. not, ?, I, fortunate
  11. it, slippery, ?
  12. not, you, late
  13. it, not, ?, important
  14. we, famous
  15. they, present, ?

Answers to Exercise 6:

  1. Are you hungry?
  2. Are we not correct?
  3. Is he happy?
  4. Is it not cold?
  5. She is here.
  6. Am I early?
  7. They are not wrong.
  8. Are you comfortable?
  9. Are they not strong?
  10. Am I not fortunate?
  11. Is it slippery?
  12. You are not late.
  13. Is it not important?
  14. We are famous.
  15. Are they present?

📌 KEY SUMMARY

Structure Form Example
Affirmative Statement Subject + Verb I am happy.
Question Verb + Subject + ? Are you happy?
Negative Statement Subject + Verb + not She is not happy.
Negative Question Verb + Subject + not + ? Is she not happy?
Tag Question Statement + , + Verb + Subject + ? They are happy, aren't they?

🔹 Conjugation of "To Be" - Simple Present

SubjectWithout ContractionsWith Contractions
IamI'm
youareyou're
heishe's
sheisshe's
itisit's
wearewe're
theyarethey're

📚 English Grammar | By Mary Ansell
Chapter 1: The Simple Present of the Verb To Be

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