AT A BUS STATION

GRAMMAR LOG 

Short answers

We often use short forms to answer questions. Usually we repeat the first word of the verb phrase. Saying ‘Yes, I do./No, I don’t’ in English is more polite than just saying ‘Yes./No.’ That’s why short answers are very commonly used.
To form the short answer, we use the first word from the question at the end of the short answer.

Yes, + personal pronoun + auxiliary verb.
No, + personal pronoun + auxiliary verb in negative form.
(auxiliary verb = pomožni glagol)

We use the long form (he does) in affirmative answers.
We use the short form (he doesn't) in negative answers.

Mind: If ‘you’ is the subject of the question, ‘you’ must be replaced by ‘I’ or ‘we’. 

If the question starts with ‘are you,’ ‘are’ must sometimes be replaced by ‘am.’

We often use verbs like think, suppose, expect, and hope, to answer questions.
When we answer ‘yes’ we add ‘so’ (I expect so, I hope so, etc.).
If the answer is ‘no’ we say ‘I don’t think so,’ etc. but with hope we say ‘I hope not.’

A: Are they on holiday?
B: I think so./I don't think so./I hope not.

We often use adverbials of probability like perhaps, probably, possibly, maybe, definitely, and certainly as short answers:

A: Do you think it’s going to rain?
B: Yes, possibly./Probably not.

EXAMPLE

What are the three students doing?
A girl is eating an apple, a boy is drinking water. They are chatting.

What are the children and the woman doing?
The woman is checking the timetable and her children are laughung.

What is the older man doing?
He is sitting on a bench and reading.

What is the younger man doing?
He is smoking and texting.