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

We know that the word- ‘is‘ is a form of ‘to be.’ So, it is a verb. We use it with pronouns of the third person – he, she, it, and any singular noun in the present tense. We use ‘is’ in various places in a sentence.

Uses of Is and How to Use it in a Sentence

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

Then, we shall discuss the uses of ‘is’ with examples one by one.

Here, we shall discuss five uses of is.

 Like the use of am in a sentence, we can use ‘is to

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 is to describe a person or a thing in the present: the present state of being.

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

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

But first, we shall see how to form the sentence with ‘is.

Formation of a Sentence

The formation of a sentence with ‘am’ is as follows:

• Subject: He/she/it/singular noun + is + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some examples.

Let’s have a look:

1. She is a lovely girl.
2. He is polite.
3. Neela is eighteen years old.
4. She is seventeen.
5. My neighbour is an old person.
6. Her boss is very particular at work.
7. She is a happy lady.
8. My brother is the tallest among the company workers.
9. She is a caring mother.
10. He is a famous artist.
11. It is too tall to see.
12. She is an intelligent lady.
13. It is exhausting now.
14. He is present for the society meeting.
15. She is surprised to see him in front of her.

2. The use of is to tell about a profession.

In this sentence, we describe what a person does for a living: a profession.

Formation of a sentence

This sentence form is the same as above.

So, the formation of this sentence is as follows:

• Subject: He/she/it/singular noun + is + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some examples.

 Have a look-

1. He is a doctor at the government hospital.
2. She is an English professor.
3. Sameer is an architectural visualizer.
4. Chetan is a bank manager.
5. She is a well-known author.
6. Fidel is a criminal lawyer.
7. Her mother is a designer.
8. Wasanti is a news reporter.
9. She is a fashion photographer.
10. Our landlord is a dentist.
11. He is a cricket player.
12. My partner is a poet.
13. She is a taxi driver.
14. My sister is an accountant.

Also read: 5 Uses of Am

3. Use of is 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, we use ‘is’ with another verb to describe the action of a person.

In these sentences, we use ‘is’ as a helping verb with the main verb.

Formation of a sentence

In forming this sentence, we use ‘is with the present participle of another verb. For this, you should learn the forms of a verb.

 The sentence will be in the form-

• He/ she/ it/ singular noun + is + present participle of verb + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some examples.

 Have a look-

1. It is going in its kennel. (main verb go+ ing)
2. She is waiting for you. (main verb wait+ ing)
3. A dog is sleeping in his lap. (main verb sleep+ ing)
4. She is coming to me to collect her letter. (main verb come + ing)
5. My mother is making fish curry for my friends. (main verb cook+ ing)
6. He is teaching mathematics in a classroom. (main verb teach+ ing)
7. A student is learning English literature. (main verb learn + ing)
8. A baby is crying very loudly. (main verb cry+ ing)
9. The mother is telling a story to her kid. (main verb tell+ ing)
10. She is watching a movie in a theatre. (main verb watch + ing)
11. The teacher is teaching the English language in a class. (main verb teach+ ing)
12. He is writing a book about wildlife sanctuaries. (main verb write+ ing)
13. Now, the librarian is distributing books among the students. (main verb distribute+ ing)
14. The reader is reading reviews of a newly released movie. (main verb read+ ing)
15. She is frying potatoes for breakfast. (main verb fry+ ing)

4. The use of is to ask a question.

We can use ‘is to ask a question to get an answer from a person. In these sentences, we expect some information about something.

Formation of a sentence

The formation of this sentence is unlike that above. In forming the above sentences, we used ‘is after the pronoun; he, she, it, or a singular noun. But in this sentence, we should use ‘is at the start.

 The formation is as follows;

• Is + He/ she/ it/ singular noun + other words + question mark (?)

Examples

Here are some examples.

 Have a look-

  The use of ‘is to ask a question.

. Have a look-

1. Is she seventeen?
2. Is he an older person?
3. Is your mother a happy person?
4. Is she a doctor?
5. Is it raining heavily?
6. Is he anxious about the result?
7. Is Saurabh an English professor? 
8. Is there a crowd in front of the office?
9. Is he a civil engineer?
10. Is a student learning?
11. Is it crying?
12. Is a boy screaming?
13. Is she telling a story to her kid?
14. Is it watching a movie with you?
15. Is it a book for the competitive exam?

Also read:  Verb

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

In these sentences, we use ‘is to answer the question.

We shall learn to answer the above questions in affirmative and negative sentences.

Formation of affirmative answers

In affirmative answers, we use the word ‘yes.’

 So, the formation is as follows:

• Yes, + He/ she/ it/ singular noun + is + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some examples.

Have a look-

1. Yes, she is seventeen.
2. Yes, he is an older person.
3. Yes, your mother is a happy person.
4. Yes, she is a doctor at a government hospital.
5. Yes, Saurabh is an English professor. 
6. Yes, he is a civil engineer.
7. Yes, she is always ready to work.
8. Yes, a student is learning.
9. Yes, a mother is cooking for us.
10. Yes, it is crying.
11. Yes, it is freezing today.
12. Yes, she is telling a story to her kid.
13. Yes, it is watching a movie.
14. Yes, he is attending a meeting.
15. Yes, it is resting in its owner’s lap.

Formation of negative answers

In negative answers, we use the words ‘no’ and ‘not.’

So, the formation is as follows:

•  No, + He/ she/ it/ singular noun + is + not + other words + full stop (.)

Examples

Here are some examples.

Have a look-

1. No, she is not seventeen.
2. No, he is not an older person.
3. No, your mother is not a happy person.
4. No, she is not a doctor.
5. No, Saurabh is not an English professor. 
6. No, he is not a civil engineer.
7. No, she is not always ready to work.
8. No, a student is not learning.
9. No, a mother is not cooking for us.
10. No, it is not crying.
11. No, it is not very cold today.
12. No, she is not telling a story to her kid.
13. No, it is not watching a movie.
14. No, he is not attending a meeting.
15. No, it is not resting in its owner’s lap.

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