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

We know that the word ‘is’ is a form of ‘to be’. Therefore, it is a verb. We use it with pronouns in 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.

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

Here are five uses of ‘is’.

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 with is

Here is the formation of a sentence with ‘is’ to describe a state.

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

Sentences with is

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

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 at 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, indicating their profession.

Formation of a sentence

This sentence form is the same as above.

Here is the formation of this sentence using ‘is’ to tell about a profession.

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

Sentences with is

Below are some examples of sentences with ‘is’ describing a profession.

 Have a look.

1. He is a doctor at the government hospital.
2. She is an English professor.
3. Sameer is an architectural visualiser.
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. The use of is to tell about continuous action

In these sentences, we talk about continuous action in the present tense. We explain what a person is currently doing.

In this sentence, we use ‘is’ with another verb to describe the action of a person.

In these sentences, ‘is’ works as a helping verb that accompanies the main verb.

Formation of a sentence

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

 The sentence will be in the form given below.

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

Example sentences with is

Here are some examples describing a continuous action.

 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)

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 is to ask a question

We can use the verb ‘is’ to form a question and get an answer from a person. In these sentences, we expect the person to provide specific information about a particular topic.

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 ‘is’ after the pronoun: he, she, it, and a singular noun. But in this sentence, we should use ‘is’ at the start of a sentence.

 Here is the formation of a question using is.

 Is + subject (he/she/it/singular noun) + other words + question mark (?)

Example sentences with is

Here are some examples using ‘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 in affirmative and negative

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 using is

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

 Take a look at the formation of an affirmative answer using is.

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

Example  sentences using is

Here are some examples of affirmative answers using is.

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’. Below is the formation of an affirmative answer using is.

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

Example negative answers using is

Here are some examples of negative answers using ‘is’ and negation words.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions about Using Is

1. When to use is in a sentence?

We use ‘is’ with the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ or any third-person, singular noun in the present tense. In short, we use ‘is’ when we talk about a third person.

2. Where to use is in a sentence?

‘Is’ is a form of ‘to be’. Always place ‘is’ after ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ or the name of any third person in simple and continuous sentences in the present tense.

The structure of a sentence is easy.

Subject (‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’) + is + other words + full stop (.)

When you have to ask someone a question, place ‘is’ at the start of a sentence as below.

Is + he/she/it + other words + question mark (?)

3. Can we start a sentence with is?

Yes, we can start a sentence with ‘is’ when we have to ask a question.

4. Can we end a sentence with is?

Yes, we can end a sentence with ‘is’ depending on the context; this depends on your point and the type of sentence, particularly whether it serves as the main verb or completes a thought.

We can see so many sentences in which the verb ‘is’ is the last word in a sentence.

Examples of ending a sentence with ‘is’

• It is what it is.
• She doesn’t know what it is.
• I told you what it is.
• He thinks this is where she is.
• Who told you where she is?
• It didn’t used to be crucial, but now it is.
• She has no idea where the river is!
• I’m not attending the meeting, but Sonam is.
• We all know how important this book is.

Grammar rules for using is

There are no rules as to what words can begin or end sentences in English. Any word that makes sense can start or end any sentence.

There are quite a few cases where a sentence ends with ‘is’ and is grammatically correct.

1. We use ‘is’ at the end of a sentence when we answer a question in brief.

Examples

• Is your mother a professor?

We answer the above question in brief as: Yes, she is.

• Are you sure it’s raining?

The answer to the above question is: Yes, it is.

2. We can also use ‘is’ at the end of a sentence to construct an exclamatory sentence.

Examples

• What a beautiful girl she is!
• How clever he is!

However, there are some things to keep in mind when doing so.

First, if ‘is’ is part of a verb phrase, then it is acting as a present tense verb.

For example, the sentence ‘She is arranging her cupboard’ is correct because ‘is’ is a part of the verb phrase ‘is arranging’.

In informal writing, using sentences ending with ‘is’ is common, but in formal writing, it is better to rephrase for clarity depending on context.

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