ESL Helpful Handouts Page 1 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

I’m happy.
You’re happy.
He’s happy.
She’s happy.
We’re happy.
They’re happy.

They’re happy.

She’s happy.

He’s happy.

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 2 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

I’m not happy.

You’re not happy.
He’s not happy.
She’s not happy.
We’re not happy.
They’re not happy.

She’s not happy.

I’m not happy.

You aren’t happy.
He isn’t happy.
She isn’t happy.
We aren’t happy.
They aren’t happy.

He isn’t happy.

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 3 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

It’s Winter. It’s cold. It’s Summer. It’s not cold.

It’s cold.

It’s not cold.

It isn’t cold.

It isn’t cold.

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 4 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

A contraction is 2 Make an affirmative Put together the Use a contraction

words that are put contraction with a pronoun and be (am, when speaking.
together with an pronoun and be ( am, is, are) .
apostrophe. is, are). Use a contraction
I am = Iam with informal
writing.
Take out the first
letter of be (am, is, I’m young.
are).

Iam = Im

Put in an apostrophe.

Im = I’m

I’m young
You’re young.
He’s young.
She’s young.
It’s young.
We’re young.
They’re young.

I’m young.

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 5 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

One way to make a Put together the Put not behind be

negative contraction is pronoun and be (am, is, are).
to put together the (am, is, are).
pronoun and be (am, She’s = She’s not
is, are). Then put not She is = Sheis
behind be (am, is, are). Not makes the She’s not young.
Take out the first sentence negative.
letter of be (am,
is, are).

Sheis = Shes

Put in an
apostrophe.

Shes = She’s

I’m not young.

You’re not young.
He’s not young.
She’s not young.
It’s not young.
We’re not young.
They’re not young.

She’s not young.

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 6 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

Another way to make Put together be (am, Take out the o in

a negative contraction is, are) and not . not.
is to put together
be (am, is, are) is not = isnot isnot = isnt He isn’t young.
and not.
Do this with every Put in the
pronoun except I . apostrophe.

isn’t

I’m not young

You aren’t young.
He isn’t young.
She isn’t young.
It isn’t young.
We aren’t young.
They aren’t young.

He isn’t young.

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 7 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

Practice.

Vocabulary

happy sad cold hot young old short tall big small easy difficult

Change the sentence to make a sentence with an affirmative contraction.

Example: I am happy. I’m happy._

I am young. __________________________________________________________________________

He is short. __________________________________________________________________________

It is easy. __________________________________________________________________________

We are cold. __________________________________________________________________________

She is sad. ___________________________________________________________________________

They are tall. ___________________________________________________________________________

You are old. ___________________________________________________________________________

Change the sentence to make a sentence with a contraction and not.

Example: It is not small. __It’s not small.__

You are not short. _______________________________________________________________________

We are not happy. _______________________________________________________________________

They are not sad. _______________________________________________________________________

It is not easy. ___________________________________________________________________________

She is not tall. ____________________________________________________________________________

He is not big. ___________________________________________________________________________

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.
ESL Helpful Handouts Page 8 of 8

Be - Affirmative And Negative Contractions

Vocabulary

happy sad cold hot young old short tall big small easy difficult

Change the sentence to make a sentence with a negative contraction.

Example: She is not old . __She isn’t old.__

We are not happy. _______________________________________________________________________

They are not cold. _______________________________________________________________________

She is not tall. ____________________________________________________________________________

I am not young. ____________________________________________________________________________

It is not hot. ______________________________________________________________________________

I am not happy. ____________________________________________________________________________

You are not sad. ____________________________________________________________________________

It is not difficult. ____________________________________________________________________________

Unscramble the words and write the sentence.

Example: isn’t/ happy/She __She isn’t happy.__

easy/isn’t/It _____________________________________________________________________________

cold/We’re ______________________________________________________________________________

They’re/sad/not _________________________________________________________________________

aren’t/happy/You _________________________________________________________________________

Free handout from http://sites.google.com/site/eslhelpfulhandouts. Written by S Watson. Photos: Bob Watson; www.morguefile.com.