'Be' Verbs
A verb shows action or a state of being.
I go home. Home is my place to rest. I like the smell of my house. I feel totally relaxed. Home refreshes me. At home, I get ready for a new day.
"Be" verbs indicate a state of being.
Verbs must match subjects.
- I am a doctor.
- He is sleepy.
- We are here.
Negative sentences need ‘not' after the verb.
- I am not a doctor.
- He is not sleepy.
- We are not there.
The verb comes first in interrogative sentences.
- Am I a doctor?
- Is he sleepy?
- Are we there?
"Are not" (is not) can be shortened to "aren't" (isn't).
- He isn't sleepy.
- We aren't there.
Remember the variations of "be" verbs:
Present |
Negative |
Interrogative |
I am |
I am not |
Am I? |
You are |
You are not (aren't) |
Are you? |
He is |
He is not (isn't) |
Is he? |
She is |
She is not (isn't) |
Is she? |
It is |
It is not (isn't) |
Isn't it? |
We are |
We are not (aren't) |
Are we? |
You are |
You are not (aren't) |
Are you? |
They are |
They are not (aren't) |
Are they? |
Action Verbs
Action verbs express action and are the most common verbs.
Action verbs need s at the end with third-person, singular subjects.
- He eats bread.
- She walks to the station.
- It floats on the sea.
Negative sentences need do not, does not, or did not.
- I do not eat bread.
- He does not eat bread.
- You did not walk to the station.
- It does not float on the sea.
Interrogative sentences begin with do, does, or did.
- Do you eat bread?
- Does he eat bread?
- Does she walk to the station?
- Did they finish it?
Do not can be shortened to don't, does not to doesn't, and did not to didn't.
- I don't eat bread.
- She doesn't walk to the station.
- It doesn't float on the sea.
- They didn't finish it.
Remember the variations of action verbs:
Affirmative Sentence |
Negative Sentence |
Interrogative Sentence |
I sing a song. |
I do not (don't) sing a song. |
Do I sing a song? |
You sing a song. |
You do not (don't) sing a song. |
Do you sing a song? |
He (she) sings a song. |
He (she) does not (doesn't) sing a song. |
Does he (she) sing a song? |
We sing a song. |
We do not (don't) sing a song. |
Do we sing a song? |
They sang a song. |
They did not (didn't) sing a song. |
Did they sing a song? |