Free English Grammar Course

MODULE 01 · LESSON 4 OF 11

Statements, negatives and agreement

Your goal: Make present statements, and present and past negatives, with the right verb form for the subject.

Level: FoundationAbout 10 to 15 minutes6 questions

Grammar words in this lesson

agreement: the verb form matches the subject: I work, but she works
consonant: a letter that is not a, e, i, o or u

Add -s for he, she and it

In the present, most verbs have two forms. Use the base form with I, you, we and they: I work. They work. Add -s with he, she, it or one person or thing: She works. The shop opens at nine. When the verb matches the subject like this, we call it agreement.

Spelling	Examples
most verbs: add -s	works, opens, reads
after -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o: add -es	watches, finishes, goes, does
consonant + y: change y to -ies	studies, tries
have	has

Make a negative with do not or does not

Put do not or does not before the base form: I do not work on Sundays. The shop does not open on Sundays. The short forms are don’t and doesn’t.

The -s moves to does. The main verb loses it. Say It does not open, not It does not opens.

For the past, use did not (didn’t) and the base form for every subject: She did not go. They did not see the sign.

One negative is enough

Standard English uses one negative word in a simple sentence. After not, use anything, anyone or anywhere: We did not see anyone. You can also say We saw no one. Do not use both together: We did not see no one is not standard English.

Find the real subject

Sometimes other words come between the subject and the verb. The verb still agrees with the main noun: The label on these jars is old. The subject is the label, not the jars, so the verb is is.

Common mistakes

Not this	Say this
She work in a bank.	She works in a bank.
He doesn’t likes coffee.	He doesn’t like coffee.
They didn’t saw the sign.	They didn’t see the sign.
I don’t know nothing.	I don’t know anything.

Practice: answer first, then check

Say or write your answer before you open it. Your answers are not sent or saved.

Choose: My brother (live / lives) in Toronto.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: lives
Why: My brother is one person (he), so the present verb takes -s. Use live with I, you, we and they.
Choose: The box of old photographs (is / are) upstairs.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: is
Why: The subject is the box, which is one thing. Of old photographs only describes the box, so it does not change the verb.
Complete: Elena ___ (study) English every evening.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: studies
Why: With he, she or it, a verb that ends in a consonant + y changes y to -ies: study becomes studies.
Make negative: The bus stops here.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: The bus does not stop here.or The bus doesn’t stop here.
Why: Use does not for he, she and it. The -s is on does, so the main verb goes back to the base form stop.
Correct the mistake: She didn’t went to the meeting.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: She didn’t go to the meeting.
Why: Did already shows the past. After did or didn’t, the main verb is always the base form: go, not went.
Make negative: We saw something useful.
Show the answer and the reason
Answer: We did not see anything useful.or We didn’t see anything useful.or We saw nothing useful.
Why: After did not, saw goes back to see, and something becomes anything. Do not use nothing after not, because one negative word is enough. Nothing with a positive verb is also correct.

Make it yours

Write three sentences about a friend’s daily life. Then write two things your friend does not do.

More practice

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