5 Uses of Am: How to Use ‘Am’ in a Sentence

‘Am’ is a form of ‘to be’. We use it with the pronoun ‘I’ in the first person, a singular number in the present tense. We cannot use ‘am’ with any subject other than ‘I’.
‘Am’ is a verb, and we use it in a sentence. We use it in various places in a sentence.

Uses of Am and How to Use It in a Sentence

In this topic, we shall discuss the uses of ‘am’ and how to use it in a sentence.

Then, we’ll talk about the uses of am with examples one by one.

Here are five uses of am.
1. Describe a person or a thing in the present: the present state of being
2. Tell what a person does for a living: profession
3. Tell what a person is doing right now: continuous action
4. Get an answer from a person: ask a question
5. Describe an asked question: answer a question positively and negatively

1. The use of am to describe a person or a thing in the present: the present state of being

We can use ‘am’ to describe a person or a thing in the present.

Let’s see how to use ‘am’ to describe a person or a thing in the present.

However, first, we shall see how to form the sentence with am.

Formation of a sentence with am

Here is a sentence structure with “am” to describe a state.

           Subject (I) + am + other words + full stop (.)

Sentences with am

Here are some examples of sentences that use ‘am’ to describe a state.

Let’s have a look.

1. I am a lovely girl.
2. I am a sportsperson.
3. I am eighteen years old.
4. I am very excited to see my results.
5. I am a person too old to climb a hill.
6. I am very particular at work.
7. I am a joyful lady.
8. I am the CEO of the company where you work.
9. I am satisfied seeing your work.
10. I am a caricaturist.
11. I am too weak to pull that log.
12. I am frustrated with you.
13. I am exhausted.
14. I am present at the society meeting.
15. I am surprised to see him in front of me.

2. The use of am to tell about a profession

In this sentence, we describe a person’s profession, which indicates what they do for a living.

Formation of a sentence

This sentence form is the same as above.

Here is the formation of a sentence using am to tell about a profession.

        I + am + other words + full stop (.)

Sentences with am

Here are some examples of sentences with ‘am’ describing a profession.

Have a look.
1. I am a doctor at a government hospital.
2. I am an English professor.
3. I am an architectural visualiser.
4. I am a bank manager.
5. I am a well-known author.
6. I am a criminal lawyer.
7. I am a designer.
8. I am a news reporter.
10. I am a fashion photographer.
11. I am a dentist.
12. I am a cricket player.
13. I am a poet.
14. I am a taxi driver
15. I am an accountant.

3. Use of am to tell about continuous action

In these sentences, we talk about continuous action in the present tense. We tell what a person is doing right now.
In this sentence, am is used with another verb to describe the self.
In these sentences, ‘am’ functions as a helping verb that accompanies the main verb.

Formation of a sentence

In the formation of this sentence, we use ‘am’ with the present participle of another verb. For this, you should learn the forms of a verb.
The sentence will be in the form given below.

       I + am + present participle of verb + other words + full stop (.)

Example sentences with am

Here are some examples of sentences with ‘am’ describing a continuous action.

Have a look.

1. I am going to meet my friend at a station. (main verb – go + ing)
2. I am waiting for you. (main verb – wait + ing)
3. I am sleeping in my room. (main verb – sleep + ing)
4. I am coming to you to collect my letter. (main verb – come + ing)
5. I am making fish curry for my friends. (main verb – cook + ing)
6. I am teaching mathematics in a classroom. (main verb – teach + ing)
7. I am learning English literature. (main verb – learn + ing)
8. I am asking you a question. (main verb – ask + ing)
9. I am telling a story to my students. (main verb – tell + ing)
10. I am watching my favourite movie in a theatre. (main verb – watch + ing)
11. I am observing the English lessons of the students in a class. (main verb – observe + ing)
12. I am writing a book about wildlife sanctuaries. (main verb – write + ing)
13. I am distributing books among the students. (main verb – distribute + ing)
14. I am reading reviews of a newly released movie. (main verb – read + ing)
15. I am frying potatoes for breakfast. (main verb – fry + ing)

Here are some listening lessons where you can listen to the sentences and learn from them.

1. Use of ‘am’: state of being
2.  Use of ‘are’ in negative sentences
3.  Use of  ‘is’ to tell about the profession
4.  Use of was: questions about the profession
5. Use of do as the main verb
6. Use of ‘shall be’ in the questions
7. Use of ‘have’ to explain the possession
8. Use of ‘has to’ in a sentence

4. The use of am to ask a question

We can use am to ask a question and get an answer from a person: ask a question. In these sentences, we expect some information from others about something.

Formation of a sentence to ask a question

The structure of this sentence differs from the one mentioned above. In forming the above sentences, we used am after the pronoun ‘I’. But in this sentence, we should use ‘am’ at the start of a sentence.
Below is a sentence formation using ‘am’ to ask a question.

       Am + I + other words + question mark (?)

Example sentences using am to ask a question

Here are some examples. Have a look.

1. Am I seventeen?
2. Am I an older person?
3. Am I a joyful person?
4. Am I a doctor?
5. I need to be corrected.
6. Am I anxious about the result?
7. Am I an English professor?
8. Am I seeing a crowd in front of the office?
9. Am I a civil engineer?
10. Am I learning English?
11. Am I crying at you?
12. Am I screaming?
13. Am I telling a story to her kid?
14. Am I watching TV?
15. Am I giving you a book for the competitive exam?

5. Use of am to answer a question positively and negatively

In these sentences, we use ‘am’ to answer the question.
We shall learn how to answer the above questions in affirmative and negative sentences.

Formation of affirmative answers using am

In affirmative answers, we use the word ‘yes’.
Here is a formation of affirmative answers using am.

            Yes, + I + am + other words + full stop (.)

Example sentences of affirmative answers using am

Here are some examples. Have a look.

1. Yes, I am seventeen.
2. Yes, I am an older person.
3. Yes, I am a cheerful person.
4. Yes, I am a doctor at a government hospital.
5. Yes, I am an English professor.
6. Yes, I am a civil engineer.
7. Yes, I am always ready to work.
8. Yes, I am learning to cook fast.
9. Yes, I am cooking for both of us.
10. Yes, I am crying.
11. Yes, I am feeling freezing today.
12. Yes, I am telling a story to her kid.
13. Yes, I am watching a movie.
14. Yes, I am attending a meeting.
15. Yes, I am resting on a sofa.

Formation of negative answers

In negative answers, we use the words ‘no’ and ‘not’. Below is the formation of a negative answer using ‘am’. Have a look.

   No, + I + am + not + other words + full stop (.)

Example negative answers using am

Here are some examples. Have a look.
1. No, I am not seventeen.
2. No, I am not an older person.
3. No, I am not a happy person.
4. No, I am not a doctor.
5. No, I am not an English professor.
6. No, I am not a civil engineer.
7. No, I am not always ready to work.
8. No, I am not studying at that college.
9. No, I am not cooking for them.
10. No, I am not crying.
11. No, I am not feeling cold today.
12. No, I am not telling a story to her kid.
13. No, I am not watching a movie.
14. No, I am not attending a meeting.
15. No, I am not resting in my room.

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