Negatives and Questions in the Simple Present Tense



NEGATIVES AND QUESTIONS IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

INTRODUCTION

In the simple present tense, negative and question forms are made using the auxiliary verb "do". This page explains the rules.

Forming a negative

Negatives in the simple present are formed by adding don't or doesn't before the simple form of the verb:

|Subject |Auxiliary |Example |

|I |don't |I don't sing |

|You |don't |You don't sing |

|He |doesn't |He doesn't sing |

|She |doesn't |She doesn't sing |

|It |doesn't |It doesn't sing |

|We |don't |We don't sing |

|They |don't |They don't sing |

In other words, only THIRD PERSON SINGULAR subjects (he, she and it) have DOESN'T -- the rest have DON'T.

Forming a yes/no question

Yes/no questions are also created using the auxiliary do. This time, the auxiliary is placed before the subject. Here are the rules:

|Subject |Auxiliary |Example |

|I |do |Do I sing? |

|You |do |Do you sing? |

|He |does |Does he sing? |

|She |does |Does she sing? |

|It |does |Does it sing? |

|We |do |Do we sing? |

|They |Do |Do they sing? |

Forming a WH- question

WH- questions (using words such as "what", "when", "where" etc.) are also created by putting the auxiliary do before the subject. Then, you add the WH- word at the beginning. Here are some examples:

|Statement |Yes/no question |WH- question |

|I sing |Do I sing? |What do I sing? |

|You fight. |Do you fight? |Why do you fight? |

|He lives |Does he live? |Where does he live? |

EXERCISES

Negatives in the Simple Present Tense

Change each sentence into a negative

Change each sentence into a negative. For example: John has red hair: "John doesn't have red hair".

1. I like eggs. _____________________________

2. Mary has an expensive car. ________________________

3. The Olympic champion comes from Victoria. _______________________________________

4. Some insects carry serious diseases. ________________________________________

5. This wine costs a lot of money. ____________________________________________

EXERCISES

Yes/No Questions in the Simple Present Tense

Change each sentence into a yes/no question

Change each sentence into a yes/no question. For example: John has red hair: "Does John have red hair?".

1. He plays in goal. _____________________________

2. We get wool from sheep. ________________________

3. They live in teepees. _________________________________

4. He teaches physics. _______________________________________

5. She drinks coffee every day. ______________________________________________

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