Subject Pronouns

The subject of a sentence is a person or thing that performs the action of the verb.

Subject pronouns are used to replace the subject (person or thing) of a verb.

We do NOT normally say:

• John is tall and John is intelligent.

Saying the word "John" twice is repetitive and does not sound natural.

We replace the Subject (John) that appears the second time with a subject pronoun to avoid repetition (and in this case to avoid saying the name John again.)

So we would say:

• John is tall and he is intelligent.

We replace the second "John" with the Subject Pronoun "He".

What are the subject pronouns in English?

These are the subject pronouns we use in English

Subject Pronoun	Singular or Plural - Who?	Masculine or Feminine
I	Singular - first person	masculine or feminine
You	Singular - second person	masculine or feminine
He	Singular - third person	only masculine
She	Singular - third person	only feminine
It	Singular - third person	object / thing / animal
We	Plural - first person	masculine or feminine
You	Plural - second person	masculine or feminine
They	Plural - third person	masculine or feminine

When do you use IT?

IT is normally used when we refer to objects, things, animals or ideas (and not normally people).

• The dog is big. It is also hairy. (It = the dog)
• My bed is small but it is comfortable. (It = my bed)

Sometimes when we don't know the sex of a baby (we don't know if it is a boy or girl), then we can use IT.

• Their baby is very small. It only weighs 2 kilos. (It = the baby.)

We use IT we when talk about the time, weather or temperature.

• It is five o'clock (= the time is five o'clock)
• It is cold today. (= the weather is cold today.)
• It is 30º outside right now. (= the temperature is 30º outside right now)

Spelling Rules -ING

The following is a guide to the correct spelling of –ing forms of verbs and gerunds.

The general rule when changing a verb into its -ING form is just to add -ING to the end of the verb.

Infinitive	ING form
to feel	feeling
to go	going
to work	working
to sleep	sleeping

• She wasn't feeling very well.
• He is working on a new project.
• The children are sleeping so be quiet.

Spelling exceptions

The following exceptions exist when spelling words ending in ING:

1). If the verb ends in an E we remove the E and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to live	living
to have	having
to make	making
to take	taking

• People are living longer now than they were 100 years ago.
• We are making a chocolate cake.
• He was taking his time to get ready.

2). If the verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to stop	stopping
to sit	sitting
to plan	planning
to get	getting
to swim	swimming

• The policeman is stopping the traffic.
• We are planning a surprise party for our teacher.
• I think I am getting a cold.

3). If a two-syllable verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, we do not double the final consonant when the stress is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form
to happen	happening
to enter	entering
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering

• What is happening?
• They are offering a discount.
• Many people are suffering from a lack of food and water.

4). But, we do not double the final consonant when the verb ends in W, X or Y or when the final syllable is not emphasized.

Infinitive	ING form
to fix	fixing
to enjoy	enjoying
to snow	snowing

• He fixing his bike.
• We are enjoying this great weather.
• It's snowing outside.

5). If the verb ends in IE we change it to YING.

Infinitive	ING form
to lie	lying
to die	dying
to tie	tying

• I know you are lying to me!
• You should water your plant more because I think it is dying.
• The little boy is tying his shoelaces.

6). If the verb ends in consonant + vowel + L, we normally double the final L and add ING.

Note: In the United States (US) they do not double the L when the accent is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form (UK)	ING form (US)
to travel	travelling	traveling
to marvel	marvelling	marveling

• I have been travelling around South America for 6 months.
• He was marvelling at her beauty.

7). If the verb ends in a stressed vowel + R, we double the final R and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
refer	referring
defer	deferring

• Are you referring to this one or that one?
• They are thinking of deferring payment of their mortgage.

8). If the verb ends in an unstressed vowel + R, we do not double the final R and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering
to whisper	whispering

• I am offering you a special deal.
• He is now suffering the consequences of his actions.
• I wonder what he is whispering in her ear.

Spelling -ED Ending Rules

The following is a guide to the correct spelling of words ending -ED.

Remember: Not all words that end in -ED are verbs in the past tense. Sometimes they are Past Participlesor they could even be Adjectives ending in -ED. For now we will mostly use verbs in the Past Tense as examples though the same rules apply to all words ending in -ED

The general rule when changing a word (or verb) into its -ED form is just to add -ED to the end of it.

Infinitive	ED form
to play	played
to wait	waited
to work	worked
to rain	rained

• He played with his dog in the backyard.
• I waited for them to invite me.
• She worked until late last night.
• It rained all day.

Spelling Exceptions

The following exceptions exist when spelling words ending in ED:

1). If a word ends in an E we just add the D to the end.

Infinitive	ING form
to live	lived
to love	loved
to smile	smiled
to dance	danced

• I lived in Japan for two years and then moved to Thailand.
• I loved the surprise you had for me.
• He smiled when he saw his wife come through the door.
• They danced until their feet hurt.

2). If the word ends in a Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we double the final consonant and add ED.

Infinitive	ING form
to stop	stopped
to admit	admitted
to plan	planned
to refer	referred
to commit	committed

• The policeman stopped the thief from escaping.
• He admitted that he was wrong.
• We planned a surprise birthday party for our friend.
• I referred the students to the website where they could practice some more.
• They committed a serious crime and will end up in jail.

3). If a two-syllable verb ends in a Consonant + Vowel + Consonant, we DO NOT double the final consonant when the stress is on the FIRST syllable.

Infinitive	ING form
to happen	happened
to enter	entered
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering

• What happened?
• I entered through the back door.
• She was offered a new position with a higher salary.
• Many people are suffered from a lack of food and water.

4). BUT, we DO NOT double the final consonant when the word ends in W, X or Y or when the final syllable is not stressed.

Infinitive	ING form
to fix	fixed
to enjoy	enjoyed
to snow	snowed

• He fixed his bike.
• We enjoyed our time in the North of Chile.
• It snowed yesterday.

5). If the verb ends in consonant + vowel + L, we normally double the final L and add ED.

Note: In the United States (US) they DO NOT double the L when the accent is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form (UK)	ING form (US)
to travel	travelled	traveled
to marvel	marveled	marveled

• I traveled around South America in 2012.
• Her beauty marveled us. 

Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense in English is used to describe an action that is regular, true or normal.

We use the present tense:

1. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.

• I take the train to the office.
• The train to Berlin leaves every hour.
• John sleeps eight hours every night during the week.

2. For facts.

• The President of The USA lives in The White House.
• A dog has four legs.
• We come from Switzerland.

3. For habits.

• I get up early every day.
• Carol brushes her teeth twice a day.
• They travel to their country house every weekend.

4. For things that are always / generally true.

• It rains a lot in winter.
• The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
• They speak English at work.

Verb Conjugation & Spelling

We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).

In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.

Subject	Verb	The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they	speak / learn	English at home
he / she / it	speaks / learns	English at home

The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:

1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.

• go – goes
• catch – catches
• wash – washes
• kiss – kisses
• fix – fixes
• buzz – buzzes

2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.

• marry – marries
• study – studies
• carry – carries
• worry – worries

NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.

• play – plays
• enjoy – enjoys
• say – says

Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense

To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs EXCEPT To Beand Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).

• Affirmative: You speak French.
  Negative: You don't speak French.

You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't when the subject is I, you,we or they.

• Affirmative: He speaks German.
  Negative: He doesn't speak German.

When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence. We will see the reason why below.

Negative Contractions

Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does not

I don't like meat = I do not like meat.

There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken English.

Word Order of Negative Sentences

The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.

Subject	don't/doesn't	Verb*	The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they	don't	have / buy eat / like etc.	cereal for breakfast
he / she / it	doesn't

* Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.

Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

• You don't speak Arabic.
• John doesn't speak Italian.
• We don't have time for a rest.
• It doesn't move.
• They don't want to go to the party.
• She doesn't like fish.

Questions in the Simple Present Tense

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.

• Affirmative: You speak English.
  Question: Do you speak English?

You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question. We use Dowhen the subject is I, you, we or they.

• Affirmative: He speaks French.
  Question: Does he speak French?

When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below.

We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does

The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.

Do/Does	Subject	Verb*	The Rest of the sentence
Do	I / you / we / they	have / need want etc.	a new bike?
Does	he / she / it

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.

Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

• Do you need a dictionary?
• Does Mary need a dictionary?
• Do we have a meeting now?
• Does it rain a lot in winter?
• Do they want to go to the party?
• Does he like pizza?

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:

Sample Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Do you like chocolate?	Yes, I do.	No, I don't.
Do I need a pencil?	Yes, you do.	No, you don't.
Do you both like chocolate?	Yes, we do.	No, we don't.
Do they like chocolate?	Yes, they do.	No, they don't.
Does he like chocolate?	Yes, he does.	No, he doesn't.
Does she like chocolate?	Yes, she does.	No, she doesn't.
Does it have four wheels?	Yes, it does.	No, it doesn't.

However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is used in the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.

Short Answers - To Be

Short Answers with To Be

With To Be it is possible to give a short answer or a long answer to a question in English though in casual conversation, short answers are much more common than long answers. Long answers are for more formal conversations or if you want to give more information in your response.

In questions that use Is or Are it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Am I late?	Yes, you are.	No, you aren't.
Are you tired?	Yes, I am.	No, I'm not.
Are you both happy?	Yes, we are.	No, we aren't.
Are they thirsty?	Yes, they are.	No, they aren't.
Is he sick again?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn't.
Is she a good teacher?	Yes, she is.	No, she isn't.
Is it available?	Yes, it is.	No, it isn't.

Examples

Are you from Chile?
- Yes, I am. (= Yes, I am from Chile)
- No, I'm not. (= No, I am not from Chile)

Is he an engineer?
- Yes, he is. (= Yes, he is an engineer)
- No, he isn't. (= No, he isn't an engineer)

Present Tense - Short Answers

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers, to direct questions as follows:

Sample Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Do I need a ticket?	Yes, you do.	No, you don't.
Do you need a dictionary?	Yes, I do.	No, I don't.
Do you both speak English?	Yes, we do.	No, we don't.
Do they need help?	Yes, they do.	No, they don't.
Does he like chocolate?	Yes, he does.	No, he doesn't.
Does she want to come?	Yes, she does.	No, she doesn't.
Does it have four legs?	Yes, it does.	No, it doesn't.

Short Answers with To Be

In questions that use Is or Are it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Am I early?	Yes, you are.	No, you aren't.
Are you busy now?	Yes, I am.	No, I'm not.
Are you both surprised?	Yes, we are.	No, we aren't.
Are they hungry?	Yes, they are.	No, they aren't.
Is he late again?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn't.
Is she a good student?	Yes, she is.	No, she isn't.
Is it ready?	Yes, it is.	No, it isn't.

In most cases, it is possible to give a short answer or a long answer to a question in English. In casual conversation, short answers are much more common than long answers. Long answers are for more formal conversations or if you want to give more information in your response.

Examples

• Do you like seafood?
  - Yes, I do
  - No, I don't.
• Can you speak German?
  - Yes, I can
  - No, I can't.
• Is there a hotel in this street?
  - Yes, there is
  - No, there isn't.
• Are they coming to the movies?
  - Yes, they are
  - No, they aren't.

If you look at the examples above you will notice that the answer uses the first verb in the question (even if it is an auxiliary verb). This is a common characteristic of short answers in English. Contrast that to long answers to each of those questions:

• Do you like seafood?
  - Yes, I like seafood.
  - No, I don't like seafood.
• Can you speak German?
  - Yes, I can speak German.
  - No, I can't speak German.
• Is there a hotel in this street?
  - Yes, there is a hotel at the end of this street.
  - No, there isn't a hotel in this street.
• Are they coming to the movies?
  - Yes, they are coming to the movies.
  - No, they are not coming to the movies.

You will notice that long answers often sound repetitive. A long answer to one of these questions would be considered very formal in English, and in most cases, unnecessary.

Remember, when you are accepting or refusing something to say 'yes, please' or 'no, thank you'. It is much more common to give short answers to questions like these:

• Would you like a beer?
  Yes, please.
• Do you need any help?
  No, thank you.

Past Tense - Short Answers

As is the case with any verb tense in English, it is generally possible to give short answers to a question. This is certainly the case for questions in the past tense.

If the question commences with one of the traditional question words such as WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, WHAT, WHICH or HOW, it requires a more detailed answer and it is not possible to give a short answer.

Examples of long answers

What did you do on the weekend?
- I went to a party with my friends.
(It is not possible to give a short answer to this question like 'Yes, I did').

Why did you call him?
- Because I needed to borrow his computer.

However, if the question is more direct, and commences with a verb or Did, then it is generally possible to give a short or a long answer to the question.

Examples

Was Chris at the party last night?
- Yes, he was. (short answer)
- Yes, Chris was at the party last night. (long answer)

Did you see Julie on the weekend?
- No, I didn't. (short answer)
- No, I didn't see Julie on the weekend. (long answer) 

Could they speak Japanese?
- Yes, they could. (short answer)
- Yes, they could speak Japanese. (long answer)

As you can see, long answers usually sound repetitive and are not commonly used.

Short Answers with DID

Remember that if the question starts with DID, you can give a short answer using DID. It is not necessary to use the main verb in the answer.

Examples

Did you sleep well last night?
Yes, I did / No, I didn't.

Did the airplane arrive on time?
Yes, it did / No, it didn't.

Did they remember your birthday?
Yes, they did / No, they did not.

Did your parents ring you last week?
Yes, they did / No, they didn't.

Did you lose your dog?
Yes, I did / No, I did not.

In questions that use DID it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Did I pass the test?	Yes, you did.	No, you didn't.
Did you need a dictionary?	Yes, I did.	No, I didn't.
Did you both like the movie?	Yes, we did.	No, we didn't.
Did they finish their homework?	Yes, they did.	No, they didn't.
Did he have a good time?	Yes, he did.	No, he didn't.
Did she want to leave early?	Yes, she did.	No, she didn't.
Did it have blue buttons?	Yes, it did.	No, it didn't.

Short Answers with Was / Were

In questions that use Was or Were it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions	Short Answer (Affirmative)	Short Answer (Negative)
Was I correct?	Yes, you were.	No, you weren't.
Were you busy yesterday?	Yes, I was.	No, I wasn't.
Were you both embarrassed?	Yes, we were.	No, we weren't.
Were they hungry?	Yes, they were.	No, they weren't.
Was he late again?	Yes, he was.	No, he wasn't.
Was she a good student?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn't.
Was it ready?	Yes, it was.	No, it wasn't.