Page 305 - Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Basic_2015

short answers Yes, I have. No, they didn't.

To answer just Yes'or'/Vo'can be impolite.
We often prefer answers with pronoun {I, yo u etc) + be or auxiliary verb {have, can etc).
The auxiliary verb in the answer is usually the same as the one in the question.

'Are you ready?' 'Yes, I am .' 'Have you phoned hom e?' 'Yes, I have.'
'Can Ellie speak Spanish?' 'No, she can't.' 'D id you watch the m atch?' 'No, I didn't.'
Note that the negative of / am is I'm not.

'Areyou happy?' 'No, I'm not. (NOT No, I am n't.)
Negative ( Q ) short answers are usually contracted (see page 301): can't, d id n 't etc.
Affirmative (Q ) short answers are not contracted: we don't say Yes, I'm or Yes, she's, for example.

Write short answers to these questions.
! ' Do yo u 1 i ke jazz?' ... Y??/..'. ft?.-.'....................... ..... 5 'Does your brother like sport?''No,
! 'Are you coming home?' . . . l . ^ . ..... ..... 6 'Do you want tickets?''Yes,
1 'Is it raining?' 'No, 7 'Would your mother like coffee?'

2 'Has Joe phoned?' 'No, 'No thanks,
3 'Do the children understand?' 'Yes, 8 'Was the film interesting?' 'No,
4 'Is this your coat?' 'No, 9 'Are you ready?' 'No, I'm afraid

Give your own personal short answers to these questions.

! 'Do you like coffee?' . . }?!?.'. 5 'Is your English getting better?'
1 'Are you thinking in English now?' ...................... 6 'Have you been to New York?'

2 'Do you live in a town?' ........................................ 7 'Did you watch TV yesterday?'
3 'Do you speak French?' ......................................... 8 'Can you swim?' ......................
4 'Is it raining now?' ................................................. 9 'Are you tired?' ........................

We can use short answers to agree or disagree with things that people say.

'It's h o t today.' 'Yes, it is.' 'You d idn't buy bread.' 'Yes, I d id .' 'The train's late.' No, it isn't.'
If there is no auxiliary verb, we use do/d o e s/d id in the short answer.

'Her hair looks nice.' 'Yes, it does.'

6 Write short answers to agree or disagree.

1 'You're early.' 'No, 4 'The lesson starts at 5.00.' 'No,
2 'It's cold.' 'Yes, 5 'Simon didn't phone.' 'Yes,
3 'She sings really well.' 'Yes, 6 'He made a mistake.' 'Yes,

Q GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY: things that people can do

Give true answers with Yes, I can or No, I can't.
1 Can you knit? ........................................................ 5 Can you dive? .........

2 Can you cook? ....................................................... 6 Can you draw? ........
3 Can you skate? ...................................................... 7 Can you sing? .........
4 Can you repair cars? ............................................. 8 Can you ride a horse?

knit cook skate repair cars dive sing

290 SPOKEN GRAMMAR