2. 1.5 Yes/No Questions and Short Answers with Be
Compare statement word order with yes/no question word order.
Statement Word Order Yes/No Question Short Answer
I am patient. Am I patient with pets? Yes, you are
You are happy. Are you happy with the new dog? Yes, I am.
The vet is kind. Is the vet patient? Yes, she is.
It is important to take the dog to the vet. Is it important to give the dog exercise? Yes, it is.
We are at the vet. Are we in her office? No, we’re not.
Pets are fun. Are pets interesting? Yes, they are.
They are interested in a pet. Are they interested in a bird? No, they aren’t.
Those are cute puppies. Are those your puppies? Yes, they are.
That is a friendly dog. Is that your dog? No, it’s not.
There are dogs at the vet. Are there birds at the vet? No, there aren’t.
3. 1.5 Yes/No Questions and Short Answers with Be
Language Notes:
1. In a question, we put am, is or are before the subject.
2. We use a contraction for a short no answer. We don’t use a contraction for a
short yes answer.
• Is your son responsible? No, he isn’t. OR No, he’s not/
• Is your daughter responsible? Yes, she is. (NOT **Yes, she’s.)
3. We use a pronoun (he, we, you, etc.) in a short answer.
4. When the question contains this or that, the answer uses it, even for people.
• Is that the vet? Yes, it is.
Pronunciation note: We usually end a yes/no question with a rising intonation.
