Short Answers

A short answer is a brief response to a Yes/No question. Instead of repeating the whole sentence, you use only the subject and the helping verb to reply quickly and naturally.

What You'll Learn

How to form short answers using do, does, and did
How to form short answers using the modals can, could, will, and would
When to use the full form ("cannot") and when to use the short form ("can't") in negative short answers
How to match the helping verb in the answer to the helping verb in the question

When to Use

Answering questions with "do": "Do you play football?" -- "Yes, I do." / "No, I do not."
Answering questions with "does": "Does she like durian?" -- "Yes, she does." / "No, she does not."
Answering questions with "did": "Did they visit the zoo?" -- "Yes, they did." / "No, they did not."
Answering questions with "can" or "could": "Can he swim?" -- "Yes, he can." / "No, he cannot."
Answering questions with "will" or "would": "Will you come to my party?" -- "Yes, I will." / "No, I will not."

How to Form

In P2, you learnt how to give short answers using am, is, are, has, and have. Now you will learn short answers with a wider range of helping verbs: do/does/did and the modals can/could/will/would.

Step-by-Step

Listen to (or read) the Yes/No question.
Find the helping verb at the start of the question.
Use the same helping verb in your short answer.
Choose the correct subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
For a "Yes" answer, write: Yes, + subject + helping verb.
For a "No" answer, write: No, + subject + helping verb + not.

Short Answers with Do / Does / Did

Question	Yes Answer	No Answer
Do you like reading?	Yes, I do.	No, I do not.
Do they play tennis?	Yes, they do.	No, they do not.
Does she walk to school?	Yes, she does.	No, she does not.
Does it rain often here?	Yes, it does.	No, it does not.
Did he finish his homework?	Yes, he did.	No, he did not.
Did we win the game?	Yes, we did.	No, we did not.

Short Answers with Can / Could

Question	Yes Answer	No Answer
Can you ride a bicycle?	Yes, I can.	No, I cannot.
Can she speak Mandarin?	Yes, she can.	No, she cannot.
Could he run faster last year?	Yes, he could.	No, he could not.
Could they hear the music?	Yes, they could.	No, they could not.

Short Answers with Will / Would

Question	Yes Answer	No Answer
Will you help me carry this?	Yes, I will.	No, I will not.
Will she join the science club?	Yes, she will.	No, she will not.
Would you like some water?	Yes, I would.	No, I would not.
Would they come if we asked?	Yes, they would.	No, they would not.

Key Rules

Match the helping verb: The helping verb in the answer must be the same as the one in the question. "Does she swim?" -- "Yes, she does." (not "Yes, she is.")
Never add the main verb in a short answer: Say "Yes, I do." -- not "Yes, I do like." The main verb is left out.
Use the correct subject pronoun: Replace nouns with pronouns. "Does your brother like football?" -- "Yes, he does." (not "Yes, your brother does.")
"Cannot" is one word: In formal short answers, write cannot as one word, not "can not". "No, I cannot."
"Will not" becomes "won't": The short form of "will not" is won't, not "willn't". Both "will not" and "won't" are correct in short answers.
Do not use "do/does/did" with modals: If the question uses can, answer with can -- not "do". "Can you swim?" -- "Yes, I can." (not "Yes, I do.")

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Does she like cats? -- Yes, she likes.	Does she like cats? -- Yes, she does.	Do not include the main verb in a short answer; use only the helping verb
Did you eat? -- Yes, I ate.	Did you eat? -- Yes, I did.	The short answer uses did, not the past tense of the main verb
Can he swim? -- Yes, he does.	Can he swim? -- Yes, he can.	Match the helping verb in the question -- use can, not do/does
Do they play? -- Yes, they are.	Do they play? -- Yes, they do.	The question uses do, so the answer must also use do
Will she come? -- No, she will't.	Will she come? -- No, she will not (or won't).	There is no short form "will't"; use will not or won't
Can you help? -- No, I can not.	Can you help? -- No, I cannot.	"Cannot" is written as one word

Clue Words

Helping verbs that start Yes/No questions

do, does, did, can, could, will, would

Subject pronouns used in short answers

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

Negative forms for short answers

do not (don't), does not (doesn't), did not (didn't), cannot (can't), could not (couldn't), will not (won't), would not (wouldn't)

Tip: Look at the first word of the question -- that is the helping verb you need in your short answer. Copy it, add the right pronoun, and you are done!

Practice Tips

Echo the question: Read the question aloud. The very first word tells you which helping verb to use. Echo that word in your answer.
Yes or No, then stop: After "Yes, she does" or "No, he cannot", stop. Do not add the main verb -- that is what makes it a short answer.
Pronoun swap drill: Practise replacing nouns with pronouns. "Does Mei Ling like art?" becomes "Yes, she does." "Did the boys finish?" becomes "Yes, they did."
Negative form check: For negative answers, make sure you are using the correct negative form. Remember: cannot (one word), will not or won't, could not or couldn't.

Quick Reference

Question Starts With	Yes Answer	No Answer
Do ...?	Yes, + subject + do.	No, + subject + do not.
Does ...?	Yes, + subject + does.	No, + subject + does not.
Did ...?	Yes, + subject + did.	No, + subject + did not.
Can ...?	Yes, + subject + can.	No, + subject + cannot.
Could ...?	Yes, + subject + could.	No, + subject + could not.
Will ...?	Yes, + subject + will.	No, + subject + will not.
Would ...?	Yes, + subject + would.	No, + subject + would not.

Short Answers (P4) (Primary 4)