Grammar › Present Simple with to be

Am not, isn't, aren't: negative sentences

450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten

Add not straight after am, is or are. Do and does never appear here.

The pattern

Put not immediately after the verb:

I am not sure. She is not sure. They are not sure.

No auxiliary is borrowed, because be can carry the negative itself.

Two ways to shorten, one gap

For is and are there are two contractions and both are correct:

• he isn’t or he*’s not***
• they aren’t or they*’re not***

The difference is emphasis: he’s not ready stresses not a little more.

For am there is only one option. Amn’t does not exist in standard English, so the contraction moves to the subject: I’m not.

In questions the negative splits

In a negative question the contraction stays with the verb, but the full form breaks apart:

• Isn’t she coming?
• Is she not coming? — more formal, and a little sharper.

no instead of not

A negative can also be built on the noun:

• There isn’t any milk.
• There is no milk.

Both are correct. The second is firmer and more common in writing.

All forms

Examples

Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.

• He isn't the smartest student in the class.
• The windows aren't clean enough for the guests.
• I am not proud of that answer.
• The sound quality of this speaker isn't excellent.
• The flowers in the garden aren't beautiful.
• I am not an expert in cooking.
• The teacher isn't happy with the students' performance.
• The seats aren't comfortable on this train.
• I am not late for the meeting.
• The room isn't spacious enough for all the furniture.
• You aren't my favorite person in the world.
• I am not ready for the interview yet.

Mistakes to avoid

Quick choices from this form

Other forms of Present Simple with to be