Short Answers

A short answer is a quick way to reply to a Yes/No question. Instead of repeating the whole sentence, you use a short form with "yes" or "no" and a helping word.

What You'll Learn

How to give short answers using am, is, and are
How to give short answers using has and have
How to form both positive (yes) and negative (no) short answers correctly

When to Use

When someone asks a yes/no question with "is": "Is she your sister?" — "Yes, she is."
When someone asks a yes/no question with "are": "Are you ready?" — "Yes, I am."
When someone asks a yes/no question with "has": "Has he got a pet?" — "No, he has not."
When someone asks a yes/no question with "have": "Have they finished their food?" — "Yes, they have."

How to Form

Short Answers with am / is / are

Match the helping word in the question to the helping word in your answer.

Question	Yes (Positive)	No (Negative)
Am I late?	Yes, you are.	No, you are not.
Is he your brother?	Yes, he is.	No, he is not.
Is she at home?	Yes, she is.	No, she is not.
Is it raining?	Yes, it is.	No, it is not.
Are you hungry?	Yes, I am.	No, I am not.
Are we going to school?	Yes, we are.	No, we are not.
Are they playing?	Yes, they are.	No, they are not.

Notice: When someone asks "Are you...?", you answer with "I am" or "I am not" — not "you are". You switch the pronoun because you are talking about yourself.

Short Answers with has / have

Question	Yes (Positive)	No (Negative)
Has he got a pencil?	Yes, he has.	No, he has not.
Has she finished her work?	Yes, she has.	No, she has not.
Has it stopped raining?	Yes, it has.	No, it has not.
Have you got a rubber?	Yes, I have.	No, I have not.
Have they eaten their lunch?	Yes, they have.	No, they have not.
Have we got enough chairs?	Yes, we have.	No, we have not.

Key Rules

Always start with "Yes" or "No": Put a comma after "Yes" or "No", then add the pronoun and the helping word. "Yes, she is." or "No, they have not."
Use the same helping word as the question: If the question uses "is", your answer must also use "is". If the question uses "have", your answer must also use "have".
Switch the pronoun when answering about yourself: If someone asks "Are you happy?", answer with "Yes, I am." — not "Yes, you am."
Never use a main verb in a short answer: Say "Yes, he is." — not "Yes, he is running." The short answer only needs the helping word.

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Yes, I is.	Yes, I am.	Always use am with I, not "is"
Yes, she is happy.	Yes, she is.	A short answer does not repeat the rest of the sentence
No, I amn't.	No, I am not.	There is no short form "amn't" — say "am not" or "I'm not"
Are you ready? Yes, you are.	Are you ready? Yes, I am.	Switch the pronoun — answer about yourself with "I", not "you"

Clue Words

Helping words in Yes/No questions:

am, is, are, has, have

Pronouns in short answers:

I, you, he, she, it, we, they

The pattern:

Yes/No + comma + pronoun + helping word (+ not).

Tip: Listen to the helping word in the question. That same helping word goes in your answer. "Is she kind?" — "Yes, she is." "Have you eaten?" — "Yes, I have."

Practice Tips

Find the helping word: Look at the question and spot the helping word (am, is, are, has, have). Use that same word in your answer.
Check who is being asked: If the question says "you", remember to switch to "I" in your answer. If it says "your sister", switch to "she".
Say it out loud: Read the question and then say the short answer. Does it sound right? "Is it hot? Yes, it is." sounds correct. "Is it hot? Yes, it are." sounds wrong.

Quick Reference

Question Helping Word	Positive Answer	Negative Answer
Am I...?	Yes, you are.	No, you are not.
Is he/she/it...?	Yes, he/she/it is.	No, he/she/it is not.
Are you...?	Yes, I am.	No, I am not.
Are we/they...?	Yes, we/they are.	No, we/they are not.
Has he/she/it...?	Yes, he/she/it has.	No, he/she/it has not.
Have you/we/they...?	Yes, I/we/they have.	No, I/we/they have not.

Short Answers (P2) (Primary 2)