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--BeVerb-- --ESL-- --Grammar-- --Negative-- --ShortForms-- --SimplePresent-- --ToBeNegative--

Negative “To Be”

By Brandon Giampa in Be (Verb), Featured, Grammar, Short Forms, Simple Present.

Introduction

We now know the basics of “To Be.” We also learned its short forms. Now, it’s time to learn negative “To Be.”

Obviously, when you have a conversation, you need to express more than just what things are; you need to express what they are not. Thus, it’s time to learn the opposite of “To be”: not to be.

To negative sentences with “to be,” it is very easy: add “not” after the verb, i.e. He is not my friend, She is not here, etc.

Because this is so easy, I am adding more to the lesson: We will learn the negative short forms as well. Fortunately, in this lesson, they are the same as the previous lesson.

The Grammar

Here is the table for the long forms:

SubjectTo BeNegativePredicate
Iamnotshort.
Youarenota doctor.
Heisnotsmall.
Sheisnotmy neighbor.
Itisnotsunny.
Wearenotfriends.
Theyarenotlemons.

Here is the table for the short forms:

To Be Short FormNegativePredicate
I’m (I + am)notshort.
You’re (You + are)nota doctor.
He’s (He + is)notsmall.
She’s (She + is)notmy neighbor.
It’s (It + is)notsunny.
We’re (We + are)notfriends.
They’re (They + are)notlemons.

Negative “To Be” Sentences!

  1. It is not very nice weather today.
  2. They are young. They are not old.
  3. We are old. We’re not young.
  4. My brother is nice, but he’s not very smart.
  5. She’s your teacher, but she’s not your mother.
  6. John and Debra are angry, so they’re not here today.
  7. We are not in building 2 day; we’re in building 1.
  8. I’m not always late to class.
  9. Tom and John are not bad students.

Take Note!

You can use the long forms with nouns, i.e. Tom and Andy are not good students. However, you cannot use the short forms, i.e. Tom and Andy’re not good students.

Negative “To Be” in Pictures

  • Blue Sky
    The weather is nice. It is not rainy.
  • Women in water
    They are not at home. They are outside.
  • "Be Happy" Coffee Mug
    It is a mug. It’s not a glass.
  • “He’s my boyfriend. We’re not married.”
  • She’s not a singer. She’s a guitarist.
  • “You’re not a good person!”

Famous Quotes

“I’m not a woman. I’m not a man. I am something that you’ll never comprehend.”

Prince Musician (Song: “I Would Die 4U”)

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Abraham Lincoln Former US President

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Dorothy Character from “The Wizard of Oz”

Quiz

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“To Be” – Negative

This is a quiz about negative “To Be,” or “Be-Verb,” for novice learners.

1 / 6

The woman is angry. __________ happy.

2 / 6

The man and woman __________ at school. They are outside.

3 / 6

Today is Tuesday. __________ Monday.

4 / 6

Blue Sky
The clouds are white. _________ gray.

5 / 6

Tiny men digging into
They’re on the apple.

Question Image

6 / 6

Women in water
They are women. __________ men.

Your score is

The average score is 16%

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Conclusion

That’s a lot of work, so I hope it’s not too hard. If you think you understand negative “to be,” go to the next lesson to learn more short forms! However, if you’re not ready, please review this lesson a little bit.