1.1 Basic Statements, Questions, Negatives & Pronouns

Build a Complete Statement

Basic grammar supports every written topic in this guide. Before interpreting an advanced conditional or a long email, identify the subject: the person or thing being discussed. Then identify the verb, which states an action or condition. In The receptionist checks the list, the receptionist is the subject, checks is the verb, and the list is its object. A phrase such as before the meeting adds time information without replacing those core parts.

Compare The new assistant is helpful with The new assistant helps customers. The first sentence uses be to connect the subject with a description. The second uses the ordinary verb help and an object. Do not combine them as is helps. You need is helping if the intended meaning is an activity in progress.

The third-person singular ending belongs to the main verb in an affirmative present simple sentence: Maya works here. When does carries the grammar in a question or negative, the main verb returns to its base form: Does Maya work here? and Maya does not work here. The same principle applies to did in the past: Did Maya arrive?, not Did Maya arrived?

Questions and Negatives

With be, reverse the subject and verb to ask a direct question: The office is open becomes Is the office open? Place not after the verb to make a negative: The office is not open. With an existing auxiliary or modal, move that word: They have received it becomes Have they received it?; She can help becomes Can she help?

With an ordinary verb in the present or past simple, use do, does, or did. They need a receipt becomes Do they need a receipt? A negative uses do not need. Contractions such as don’t, doesn’t, didn’t, isn’t, and can’t are ordinary English; recognizing them is particularly useful in speech.

• Who asks about a person: Who signed the form?
• What asks about a thing or information: What does the notice say?
• Where asks about a place: Where is reception?
• When asks about time: When does the course start?
• Why asks about a reason: Why was the meeting canceled?
• How asks about method or condition: How do I print this?

Notice the subject question Who signed the form? Here who itself is the subject, so an ordinary affirmative question does not need did. Compare Who did you call?: you is the subject and who asks about the object. Finding the subject prevents unnecessary auxiliary verbs.

In There is a printer upstairs, there is introduces the existence of one thing. Use There are two printers for a plural. Questions follow the same reversal: Is there a printer upstairs? Do not confuse this introductory there with their, which expresses possession.

Personal and Possessive Forms

Pronoun choice depends on grammatical role, not politeness or how many names appear nearby. Use I, he, she, we, they as subjects and me, him, her, us, them as objects. Maya and I prepared the order has a compound subject. The manager thanked Maya and me has a compound object. Removing the other name provides a useful check: I prepared and thanked me.

A possessive determiner such as my, your, his, her, its, our, or their normally needs a following noun. A possessive pronoun such as mine, yours, hers, ours, or theirs replaces that noun phrase: This report is mine. Do not add an apostrophe to yours or theirs. It’s means it is or it has; its marks possession: The company changed its address.

Reflexives such as myself and themselves can show that an action returns to its subject: She introduced herself. They can also add emphasis: I checked it myself. They do not replace an ordinary object simply to sound formal: write Please contact me, rather than automatically choosing myself.

Reference and Meaning in a Short Message

Read this original practice message: Maya gave Alex the key because he was opening the office. She asked him to return it at noon. The context suggests he/him refers to Alex, she to Maya, and it to the key. Track the noun behind each pronoun before answering a detail question.

Some messages remain ambiguous: Maya told Priya that she would call the supplier. Either person could be she. Do not pretend grammar resolves a reference that the text leaves open. A clear rewrite names the caller: Maya told Priya, “I will call the supplier.” In comprehension practice, select only a conclusion supported by the available wording.

For revision, change one short statement into a question, a negative, and a past statement. Then replace one noun phrase with a pronoun and check the result. This combines form with meaning and reveals errors that isolated word lists can hide.