Negative Form of To Be And Questions

Untuk membuat bentuk negative kata kerja to be cukup dengan menambahkan NOT setelah to be nya.

IS NOT, ARE NOT, AM NOT, WAS NOT, WERE NOT.

Dalam percakapan:

is not disingkat menjadi isn't
am not menjadi  m not
are not menjadi aren't
was not menjadi wasn't
were not menjadi weren't

Perhatikan contoh-contoh kalimat berikut:

• John isn't here.
• We aren't at school now.
• They aren't tired.
• Mary and Susan aren't doctors.
• We aren't in the garden.
• It isn't real.
• The house wasn't very big last year.
• They weren't in London last night.

Dalam conversation kata kerja to be negative ditekan dalam pengucapannya, sedangkan to be positif tidak mendapat penekanan kata..

Rubahlah kalimat-kalimat berikut menjadi kalimat negatif.

1. Susan is a bank employee.
2. We are happy to be in Bali.
3. It is 10 o'clock in the morning.
4. They are all very tired.
5. These books are yours.
6. It's time to go home.
7. I'm alone here.

Sempurnakan lah kalimat-kalimat berikut:

1. Fitri a government employee. She married and has 3 children. Her friend, Lutfi, in Kaltim. He also a government employee. 
2. Jakarta not good because it polluted.
3. Bandung better because there not much pollution. On weekends,  there many visitors in Bandung.
4. I cannot buy it now; I still broke.
5. We not happy here. We want to go back to Jakarta.
6. This book not mine. It John's.
7. Jakarta beautiful at night. It very warm in the day time.

Untuk membuat kalimat tanya dengan kata kerja to be baik positif maupun negatif, yaitu cukup memindahkan kata kerja to be tersebut di posisi paling depan kalimat.

Perhatikan contoh:

Statement  :  She is very beautiful.

Question :  Is she very beautiful?

Statement  : You aren't teachers.

Question : Aren't you teachers?

Latihlah kalimat-kalimat tanya berikut dengan mengucapkannya. Untuk pronunciation gunakan google translate atau kamus lain yang bisa mengeluarkan suara. Mengapa Anda harus melatihnya? Karena toh Anda akan menggunakan kalimat-kalimat tersebut dalam percakapan sehari-hari.

• Isn't it good for me?
• Aren't you interested in music?
• Isn't she in Jakarta now?
• Are you a doctor?
• Am I handsome?
• Was he out last night?
• Weren't they tired?

Dalam prakteknya nanti mungkin Anda masih salah dalam penggunaan to be. Kesalahan ini wajar saja karena kita masih dipengaruhi oleh bahasa ibu (bahasa pertama). Seringkali to be tidak diucapkan, seperti contoh berikut:

You not student.
We not in Jakarta now.
He not employee,
She very beautiful.

Dan masih banyak lagi kesalahan-kesalahan grammar. Untuk itu Anda harus banyak berlatih mengucapkannya.

Latihan menggunakan to be dalam kalimat negatif dan pertanyaan:
Rubah lah kalimat-kalimat berikut menjadi kalimat tanya.

1. John and Lutfi were good friends last year.
2. Mira is married.
3. Jakarta and Surabaya are big cities in Indonesia.
4. You are not happy here.
5. Lufi is very tired. He looks pale.

Rubahlah kalimat-kalimat berikut menjadi kalimat negatif.

1. You are stupid.
2. Merry and Fitri were in Bali last week.
3. There are big book stores in this city.
4. My TV is black and white.
5. These are your books and pencils.