Essential English Grammar: Verbs, Modals, and Structures
Posted on Dec 24, 2025 in English
The Verb “To Be” in the Past Simple: Was / Were
Affirmative and Negative Forms
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|
| I | was | wasn’t |
| You | were | weren’t |
| He/She/It | was | wasn’t |
| We/You/They | were | weren’t |
Questions
Structure: Was/Were + Subject
- Was I?
- Were You?
- Was He/She/It?
- Were We/You/They?
Existential Sentences: There Was / There Were
| Form | Singular Example | Plural Example |
|---|
| Affirmative | There was a concert. | There were ten people. |
| Negative | There wasn’t a concert. | There weren’t any people. |
The Imperative Form
Affirmative Commands
Negative Commands
- Don’t eat mush…!
- Don’t move!
Modal Verb: Can / Can’t
The verb can is used with all subjects. The base form of the main verb follows can.
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Example |
|---|
| I / You / We / They | can | can’t | swim |
| He / She / It | can | can’t |
Past Simple Tense: Regular Verbs
| Verb | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|
| play | He played … | He didn’t play… |
| watch | I watched TV | I didn’t watch TV |
Present Continuous Tense
Questions (Structure: To Be + Subject + Verb-ing)
- Am I eating?
- Are You swimming?
- Is He/She/It playing?
- Are We/You/They working?
Affirmative and Negative Forms
| Subject | Affirmative Contraction | Negative Contraction |
|---|
| I | I’m | I’m not |
| You | You’re | You aren’t |
| He/She/It | He’s / She’s / It’s | He/She/It isn’t |
| We/You/They | We’re / You’re / They’re | We/You/They aren’t |
Present Simple Tense
Questions and Short Answers
Questions (Structure: Do/Does + Subject + Base Verb)
- Do I/You…?
- Does He/She/It…?
- Do We/You/They…?
Short Answers
| Response | Subject | Auxiliary Verb |
|---|
| Yes | I/You/We/They | do |
| He/She/It | does |
| No | I/You/We/They | don’t |
| He/She/It | doesn’t |
Affirmative and Negative Conjugation
| Subject | Affirmative Example | Negative Example |
|---|
| I/You | speak English | don’t speak English |
| He/She/It | speaks Spanish | doesn’t speak Spanish |
| We/You/They | speak Italian | don’t speak Italian |
Possession: Have Got
Affirmative Form
- I/You have got a CD
- He/She/It has got some CD
- We/You/They have got 30 euros
Negative Form
- I/You haven’t got a CD
- He/She/It hasn’t got any CDs
- We/You/They haven’t got 30 euros
Questions (Structure: Have/Has + Subject + Got)
- Have I/You got a CD?
- Has He/She/It got any CDs?
- Have We/You/They got 30 euros?
Existential Sentences: There Is / There Are
Affirmative Form
- Singular: There’s a park. There’s an Internet café.
- Plural: There are some shops.
Negative Form
- Singular: There isn’t a park.
- Plural: There aren’t any shops.
Questions and Short Answers
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|
| Is there a park here? | Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t. |
| Are there any shops? | Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t. |
| How many hotels are there? | Five. |
The Verb “To Be” (Present Simple)
Questions
- Am I?
- Are You?
- Is He/She/It from Morocco?
- Are We good at music?
- Are You?
- Are They?
Affirmative Form (Contractions)
- I’m
- You’re
- He’s Spanish
- She’s from Spain
- It’s ten years old
- We’re
- You’re
- They’re
Negative Form (Contractions)
- I’m not
- You aren’t
- He isn’t Italian
- She isn’t from Italy
- It isn’t ten years old
- We aren’t
- You aren’t
- They aren’t
