The verb to be is one of the most important in the English language. It means to be or to be, depending on the context.
In the singular, we use am with I, is with he, she and it. In the plural, we use are with we, you and they.
Examples:
- I am a teacher.
- She is happy.
- They are at school.
Negative Form:
To negate, we add not after the verb. We can use the full form or the contracted form:
- I am not a doctor.
- He is not tired. or He isn’t tired.
- They are not here. or They aren’t here.
Interrogative Form:
To make questions, we put the verb before the subject:
- Are you a student?
- Is she at home?
Now practice! Try forming affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences with to be.
Did you know?