iCALL Suite

Unit 7: Short Answers

Learning Objectives

  • Form correct positive and negative short answers to yes/no questions
  • Select the correct auxiliary verb to match the question
  • Respond appropriately to questions with 'shall', 'be', and other auxiliaries
1

What Are Short Answers?

A short answer responds to a yes/no question using only the auxiliary verb — not the full verb phrase. They sound natural and avoid unnecessary repetition.

Question: "Do you speak English?"

Positive: "Yes, I do."

Negative: "No, I do not."

The auxiliary in the short answer must always match the auxiliary in the question. Short answers never use the main verb.

2

Short Answer Patterns

Expand each auxiliary type to see examples.

QuestionPositiveNegative
Do you like coffee?Yes, I do.No, I do not.
Does she play tennis?Yes, she does.No, she does not.
Did they arrive on time?Yes, they did.No, they did not.

QuestionPositiveNegative
Are you ready?Yes, I am.No, I am not.
Is he a student?Yes, he is.No, he is not.
Were they there?Yes, they were.No, they were not.

QuestionPositiveNegative
Have you finished?Yes, I have.No, I have not.
Has she called?Yes, she has.No, she has not.

QuestionPositiveNegative
Shall I open the window?Yes, please.No, thank you.
Can you swim?Yes, I can.No, I cannot.
Will you be there?Yes, I will.No, I will not.

Tool: Short Answer Generator

Enter a yes/no question. Click Positive or Negative to see the correct short answer.

Try: "Do you enjoy learning English?"  or  "Has she submitted her report?"

Short Answer
The short answer will appear here…
4

Check Your Understanding

'Has she received the package?' — What is the correct positive short answer?

Correct! 'Yes, she has.' — the auxiliary 'has' from the question is carried over directly into the short answer.
Not quite — review the material and try again. 'Yes, she has.' — the auxiliary 'has' from the question is carried over directly into the short answer.

Why do short answers not repeat the main verb?

Correct! Short answers use only the auxiliary to avoid repetition. This makes spoken and written English more concise and natural.
Not quite — review the material and try again. Short answers use only the auxiliary to avoid repetition. This makes spoken and written English more concise and natural.

'Shall we begin?' — What is the correct positive response?

Correct! 'Yes, please.' is the conventional positive response to a 'Shall I/we…?' offer or suggestion.
Not quite — review the material and try again. 'Yes, please.' is the conventional positive response to a 'Shall I/we…?' offer or suggestion.
5

Watch

Video coming soon

Review

Question auxiliaryShort answer uses
Do / Does / Diddo / does / did
Am / Is / Are / Was / Weream / is / are / was / were
Have / Has / Hadhave / has / had
Can / Could / Will / Would / Should / May / Mightsame modal
Shall I / Shall weYes, please. / No, thank you.

The tool handles the most common yes/no question types using standard auxiliaries. Highly unusual or ambiguous phrasings may return "Sorry, I don't understand the question." — this is expected. Try rephrasing with a clear auxiliary at the start.

Proceed to Unit 8: Tense Parser when ready.

iCALL Suite
Overview 01 Adjective Order 02 Modal Verbs 03 Participle Clauses 04 Formal Language 05 Polite Requests 06 So & Neither 07 Short Answers 08 Tense Parser 09 Articles 10 Reported Speech
Course Tools
Adjective Order Modal Verbs Participle Clauses Formal Language Polite Requests So & Neither Short Answers Tense Parser Articles Reported Speech