Questions with am, is and are: checking rather than stating

1. One question: one fact to check

Compare the statement “The room is free” with the question “Is the room free?” In the question, you do not yet assert the fact; you leave the listener the opportunity to confirm or deny it.

This is called a yes/no question. The answer can be longer than yes or no; the name describes the kind of fact being checked. Here we practise questions about present states, possession, roles and simple locations.

The room is free.

This is a statement: the speaker presents the room being free as a fact.

Is the room free?

The speaker checks the same fact. Is moves before the room.

Are you cold?

We ask about the listener’s state, rather than the name or location of something.

2. The form of be first, then the subject

The subject answers “Who or what is this sentence about?” I needs am; he, she and it need is; you, we and they need are. Changing the order does not remove this agreement.

Move the existing form of be to the beginning. Do not leave a second copy after the subject. Use is for the name of one person, and are for two people. You takes are even when addressing one person.

How to build it

Am + I + …? / Is + he, she, it or one item + …? / Are + you, we, they or several items + …?

Am I early?

I keeps am, although the verb now comes first.

Is Marta your teacher?

Marta names one person, so use is.

Are we ready?

The speaker includes themselves in the group we, so use are.

3. Keep the person or thing’s name together

The subject can contain several words: your new phone, the two chairs. This small group stays together in a question. Be goes before the whole group, rather than inside it.

Keep the description after the subject: an adjective, a role or a simple location expression. Do not lose a/an in a profession phrase, or at, in or from in a place expression. We do not study their separate grammar here, but these words do not disappear when the word order changes.

Is your new phone expensive?

Your new phone is one complete subject; expensive describes the phone.

Are the two chairs free?

Two chairs is plural; two stays within the subject group.

Is your sister at home?

Move is and keep at home after your sister.

4. Do not add do to this be

In our sentences, be itself expresses a state or relationship: busy, a driver, at work. It forms a question without do/does. Do not add either do or another be.

This is not a rule for every English verb. Questions about the activity work have another structure. Learn to keep the two patterns separate.

Are you at work?

We check someone’s location with are, without do.

Do you work here?

This is a correct question with a different verb, work. It shows the boundary of the topic, rather than another target of this lesson.

5. Keep the person and the intended question

English needs the appropriate form of be in a question such as Are you free? Do not omit are just because the meaning seems clear. First identify who you are asking about, then build the whole question.

If you are simply transforming a supplied sentence, do not change I to you without a reason. If you are addressing the person who said “I am new”, your question needs you instead. The situation must justify this change of roles.

Are you free now?

This directly addresses the listener. Now keeps the meaning of “at this moment”.

Am I in the right room?

You are asking about yourself, so the subject is I and the form is am.

Are they your neighbours?

Do not replace they with you: we ask about other people while addressing the listener.

6. A neutral question and a conversational check

She is a teacher? is possible in conversation when checking what you heard or expressing surprise. It does not meet our target of forming a neutral question with be before the subject. Not every question with statement word order is ungrammatical: its purpose and situation matter.

A neutral question often has rising intonation at the end, but that is not the only possible intonation. A rising voice is a useful starting point, rather than a ban on every other melody. Written exercises do not assess pronunciation.

Check open answers against the meaning and criteria; the model is only one way to express what is required. Questions with not, question words such as where/who, past forms was/were and the system of short answers belong to related topics.

Is she a teacher?

The usual question structure practised in this lesson.

She is a teacher?

A possible conversational check. If the task requests neutral inversion, this is not that form, but it is not automatically a grammatical error.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:Are she busy?

Correct:Is she busy?

The order is already a question, but she needs is. Correct only the form.

Incorrect:Do you are tired?

Correct:Are you tired?

The state tired is expressed with be. Do is unnecessary; are already forms the question.

Incorrect:Is your brother is a driver?

Correct:Is your brother a driver?

The moved is is not repeated after the subject. The article a remains.

Incorrect:Your is phone new?

Correct:Is your phone new?

Your phone is a complete subject. Is must come before both words.

Incorrect:Am you in this class?

Correct:Are you in this class?

Use am with I; you needs are, even for one person.

Sources