Short Answers to The Questions in English
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Short Answers to The Questions in English :
Look at the three types of answers to the question.
Are you going to the park?
A: Yes / No.
B : Yes. I am. / No. I'm not.
C : Yes. I'm going to the park. / No. I’m not going to the park.
Type A would not be polite enough in many contexts.
Type B is more usual.
Type C (a full sentence) would sound unnatural in most situations.
The following is the most usual form of short answers to YES / NO questions.
Yes + pronoun + auxiliary
No + pronoun - auxiliary + n't
The ordinary verb be (am / is / are / was / were) behaves like an auxiliary.
Examples :
Have you phoned her?
Yes. I have.
No. I haven't.
Is he honest?
Yes. He is.
No. He isn’t.
Was the train late?
Yes. It was.
No. It wasn't.
Do you know Urdu?
Yes. I do.
No. I don't.
Did Tom come again?
Yes. He did.
No. He didn't.
Will Rupa pass the exam?
Yes. She will.
No. She won’t.
You must have noticed that the auxiliary verb which is used in the short answer is the same verb with which the question begins. If the subject of the question is a noun, its pronoun form is used in short answers. Short answers can also be used to express agreement or disagreement.
Statement : Tom is lazy.
Agreement : Yes. He is.
Statement : We can win the match.
Agreement : Yes. We can.
Statement : Gita sang well.
Agreement : Yes. She did.
Statement : Tom is lazy.
Disagreement : No. He isn’t.
Statement : You are joking.
Disagreement : No. I am not.
Statement : She likes him.
Disagreement : No. She doesn’t.
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