Test it, Fix it. English grammar - Kenna Bourke 2003

Short answers

Test it

1 Choose the best option, A or В

a Do you drive a Citroen?

A Yes, I don't.

В No, I don't.

b Have you finished the report?

A No, I haven't.

В No, I didn't.

c Is Katy going out tonight?

A No, Katy isn't.

В No, she isn't.

d No one listens to a word I say.

A No, they do!

В Yes, they do!

e Do you live in a city?

A Yes, I live in a city.

В Yes, I do.

f Who's coming to dinner?

A Guy and Ann are coming to dinner.

В Guy and Ann are.

g Is Neil taking his driving test next week?

A Yes, he is.

В Yes, he's.

h Which horse won the race?

A The white horse did.

В The white horse won the race.

i Is Elizabeth a teacher?

A Yes, Elizabeth is a teacher.

В Yes, she is.

j Everyone laughs at Jonathan.

A No, they don't.

В No, they do.

2 Choose the best option.

a Who wants more coffee?

Patrick does/Patrick wants.

b Are you going to the office?

No, I’m not/l don't.

c Can you help me? 

Yes, I am/l can.

d Does Isabelle live in Brussels?

No, she doesn't/she isn't.

e Who broke the window? 

We did/We broke.

f Hasn't this computer got speakers?

No, it hasn't/it has.

g No one likes me!

Yes, they do/they like.

h Will it be warm in the Canaries?

Yes, it wilJ/it is.

i Is Jean-Luc Swiss?

No, he isn't/Jean-Luc isn't.

j Are you happy? 

Yes, I am/l'm.

Test it again

1 Match the questions to the answers.

a Do you like tea, Sarah?

1 No, they didn't.

b Would you marry Simon?

2 Yes, I can.

c Who's on the phone?

3 Yes, I did.

d Haven't you been to India?

4 No, I don't.

e Will Karl come for lunch?

5 She did.

f Can you swim?

6 Yes, we do.

g Do you sell stamps?

7 Nick is.

h Did you see the film last night?

8 Yes, he will.

I Who said that?

9 No, I haven't.

j Did they visit Sri Lanka?

10 No, I wouldn't.

2 Find and correct the mistakes in the short answers.

Fix it

Answers to Test it

Check your answers. Wrong answer?

Read the right Fix it note to find out why.F

1 a B → E f B → D

 b A → A g A → A

 c B → B h A → D

 d B → E i B → C

 e B → C j A → E

2 a Patrick does. → D

 b I'm not. → A

 c I can. → A

 d she doesn't → A

 e We did. → D

 f it hasn't → E

 g they do. → F

 h it will. → A

 i he isn't. → B

 j I am. → A

Now go to page 83. Test yourself again.

Answers to Test it again

1 a 4 f 2

 b 10 g 6

 c 7 h 3

 d 9 i 5

 e 8 j 1

Fix it notes

A

Use the same auxiliary in a short answer as the auxiliary in the question. Don't contract the auxiliary in a positive short answer.

В

Use a suitable pronoun in short answers. Don't repeat the noun from the question.

C

Don't repeat all the words in a question when you give an answer unless there’s a very good reason to.

D

If the subject of a question is a question word, e.g. which, who, etc, use subject + auxiliary in the short answer.

E

If the short answer starts with Yes, use a positive auxiliary or form of do. If the short answer starts with No, use a negative auxiliary or form of do.

F

If the short answer comes after a statement without an auxiliary verb, use the correct form of do (not the main verb in the statement) in the short answer.

Review

Short answers

It's natural to use short answers to reply to questions. A short answer to a yes/no question can sound more polite or stronger than just 'Yes' or 'No'.

• You use the same auxiliary in a short answer as the auxiliary in the question.

'Have you got a pen?' 'Yes, I have.'

'Will he go?' 'Yes, he will.'

'Would it matter?’ 'No, it wouldn't.'

'Can you help me?’ 'No, I can't.’

• You can repeat all the words in the question if you want to give your answer extra strength. This is common when you're disagreeing with someone.

'You didn’t tell the truth, did you?' 'Yes, I did tell the truth!'

• If the subject of a question is a question word, e.g. who, which, you use subject + auxiliary for the short answer.

'Who said that?' 'I did.'

Which suits me best?' 'The red one does.'

• If the short answer starts with Yes, you use a positive auxiliary or form of do. If the short answer starts with No, you use a negative auxiliary or form of do.

Yes, I can. Yes, we have. Yes, they do.

No, you won't. No, they can't. No, they don't.

You can also use a short answer to agree or disagree with what someone says. You use the same auxiliary in the short answer as in the statement.

'Lisa's married to Jake.' 'No, she isn't.'