Yes/No Questions – ESLnote Grammar

Yes/No questions can be answered with yes or no. To form them, move the auxiliary (helping) verb or modal in front of the subject. With the verb be, simply invert be and the subject.

1) Basic Word Order

Type	Structure	Example	Short Answers
Be as main verb	Be + subject + complement?	Are you ready?	Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.
Have (possession; AmE)	Do/Does/Did + subject + have + object?	Do you have a ticket?	Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Other verbs	Do/Does/Did + subject + base verb?	Does she work here? Did they eat?	Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t. Yes, they did. / No, they didn’t.
Modal verbs	Can/Will/Should/May + subject + base verb?	Can you drive?	Yes, I can. / No, I can’t.

2) The Verb “Be”

When be is the main verb, put it before the subject.

Statement	Question	Short Answer
She is a doctor.	Is she a doctor?	Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.
They are at school.	Are they at school?	Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.
I am late.	Am I late?	Yes, you are. / No, you’re not.

3) “Have” for Possession

In American English, questions with have usually use do/does/did. British English may use inversion (Have you a car?) in formal style.

Statement	Question (common)	Short Answer
You have a car.	Do you have a car?	Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
She has a ticket.	Does she have a ticket?	Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.

4) Other Verbs: Do/Does/Did

For most verbs, use do/does (present) or did (past). The main verb stays in the base form.

Do you like coffee? — Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Does he play tennis? — Yes, he does. / No, he doesn’t.
Did they go home? — Yes, they did. / No, they didn’t.

5) Modal Verbs

Put the modal before the subject.

Modal	Question	Short Answers
can	Can she swim?	Yes, she can. / No, she can’t.
will	Will it rain?	Yes, it will. / No, it won’t.
should	Should we leave?	Yes, we should. / No, we shouldn’t.
may	May I come in?	Yes, you may. / No, you may not.

6) Short Answers

Repeat the helping verb or modal in your answer. Don’t repeat the main verb.

Question	Positive	Negative
Do you like coffee?	Yes, I do.	No, I don’t.
Is he ready?	Yes, he is.	No, he isn’t.
Did they finish?	Yes, they did.	No, they didn’t.
Can she drive?	Yes, she can.	No, she can’t.

7) Word Order Summary

Type	Word Order	Example
Be-verb	Be + subject + complement	Are they at work?
Do/Does/Did	Aux + subject + base verb	Does he play tennis?
Modal	Modal + subject + base verb	Can you help me?
Have (possession)	Do/Does/Did + subject + have	Do you have time?

8) Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	Why
You are happy?	Are you happy?	Be-verb goes before the subject.
He do like pizza?	Does he like pizza?	Use does for he/she/it; main verb in base form.
Did you went there?	Did you go there?	After did, use base verb (go).
You can drive?	Can you drive?	Modal comes first.

Form of Yes/No Questions