Elementary · Grammar Reference
Unit 1 — Verb to be
am/are/is · possessive adjectives · possessive 's
1.1 Verb to be
Positive
| Subject | | | Full form |
|---|
| I | 'm | | I'm = I am |
| He / She / It | 's | from Italy. | He's = He is · She's = She is · It's = It is |
| We / You / They | 're | | We're = We are · You're = You are · They're = They are |
Negative
| Subject | | | Full form |
|---|
| I | 'm not | from Italy. | I'm not = I am not · NOT I amn't |
| He / She / It | isn't | | He isn't = He is not · She isn't = She is not · It isn't = It is not |
| We / You / They | aren't | married? | We aren't = We are not · You aren't = You are not · They aren't = They are not |
Questions with question words & Answers
| Q. word | To be | Subject | Answer |
|---|
| What | 's | your name? / 's her surname? / 's his phone number? | Alicia Johnson. / 07773 321456 (What's = What is) |
| Where | | are you from? / 's she from? | London. (Where's = Where is) |
| Who | | 's Lara? / 's she? | She's my sister. (Who's = Who is) |
| How | | | Fine, thanks. |
| How old | | are you? | I'm 22. |
Yes / No questions and short answers
| To be | Subject | | Yes | No |
|---|
| Is | he / she / it | nice? | Yes, he is. NOT Yes, he's. | No, she isn't. NOT No, she's not. |
| Are | you | married? | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | |
| they | | Yes, we are. / No, we aren't. | Yes, they are. / No, they aren't. |
1.2 Possessive adjectives
| Subject | Possessive adj. |
|---|
| What's | my / your / his / her / its name? |
| This is | our / your / their house. |
1.3 Possessive 's
my wife's name = her name = the name of my wifeAndy's dictionary = his dictionarymy parents' house = their house