It is acceptable. How to use be in a sentence. The following information is taken, with permission, from. For instance, the police might report that The professor was assaulted in the hallways because they do not know the perpetrator of this heinous crime. The flowers are on the table. Ain't is not regarded as acceptable except in text attempting to duplicate substandard speech.). He wasn't widely accepted in this country at first. Here are some more examples: Sometimes it is difficult to say whether a To be verb is linking a subject to a participle or if the verb and participle are part of a passive construction. A word that represents an action or a state of being. An auxiliary can be combined with the base form of To be to provide simple answers to questions that use forms of to be., The verb To be also acts as a linking verb, joining the sentence subject with a subject complement or adjective complement. In English, it can be used to say different things according to the context. The To be verb can be combined with other modal forms (along with the past participle of the main verb) to convey other kinds of information. . Physical verbs are action verbs. Sure, they were in the past. verb synonyms, verb pronunciation, verb translation, English dictionary definition of verb. In Certain behaviors are allowed, is "are linking behaviors to "allowed" (a participle acting as a predicate adjective) or is are allowed a passive verb? The modern verb to be in its entirety represents the merger of two once-distinct verbs, the "b-root" represented by be and the am/was verb, which was itself a conglomerate. To know more, read these sections of our review on the verb, to be afraid, to be aware of, to be happy, to be derived from, Negative Sentences and Question Formation, Sentence Structure (Part 1) - Basic Clause Structure, Sentence Structure (Part 4) - Sentence Types. to describe actions already in progress at the moment "in focus" within the sentence, as in I, to describe actions at the moment of focus in contrast to habitual actions, as in We usually buy the most inexpensive car we can find, but this time we, to express repeated actions, as in My grandfather, to describe temporary situations in contrast to permanent states, as in Jeffrey goes to the University of Connecticut, but this summer he, to express uncompleted actions, as in Harvey and Mark are working on their deck.. First, . In the final analysis, it probably doesn't matter, but the distinction leads to some interesting variations. Two men are to appear in court on charges of armed robbery. See more. The word 'verb' The word verb originally comes from *were-, a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "a word". To Be Verbs Definition: Verbs like am, is, are, was, were do not show action; they are verbs of being. be verb (DESCRIPTION) A1 [ L ] used to say something about a person, thing, or state, to show a permanent or temporary quality, state, job, etc. Passive verb constructions are useful when the subject of an action is not as important as what the subject did (the action of the sentence) or when the subject is unknown. The following circumlocutory uses of "be" verbs are common in stuffy writing. A verb only becomes a helping verb when it is paired with a main verb. What does verb mean? (Don't try to make sense of this last construction. She decided to stay at home.. Others verbs take the pattern: Verb + noun + to + infinitive She wanted the children to learn the piano. Verb patterns: verb + infinitive or verb + - ing ? See the section on modals for the various kinds of information conveyed by modals (advisability, predictability, guessing, necessity, possibility, etc.). Verbs are the hearts of English sentences. The be verbs are followed by a noun or an adjective or an adverb. When we use To be verbs in a tag question, the basic formula follows: the verb is combined with a pronoun and sometimes with not (usually in a contracted form). Wooden caissons were used until fiberglass structures were developed in the 1950s. That television show is interesting. A sentence may either have a main verb, a helping verb or both. Frodesen and Eyring** categorize progressive verbs according to the following functions: Click HERE for a description of tag questions, a device by which a statement is turned into a question. Here "late" is adjective describing the state of someone. It comes to English through the Latin verbum and the Old French verbe.. Verbal phrase. ). (For further information and additional vocabulary in dealing with linking verbs, visit the hyperlinks in this paragraph.). Consider the difference between. Learn more about its correct usage and expand your writing capabilities. Differences Between Ser and Estar. In the second sentence, the predicate adjective welcome describes the feeling that the jurists must have had upon being so welcomed. In order to get any decent information out of him, you had to grab him and hold on tight while he went through his various forms lion, wild boar, snake, tree, running stream it wasn't easy. 1994. Main verb + auxiliary verb = complete idea The verb "to be" can be used as an auxiliary verb to express ongoing (continuing) actions. This existential feature of the be word prompted Shakespeare’s Hamlet to ask: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” The verb to be also shows that something takes place, happens, or will … The To be will change form to indicate whether the subject is singular or plural: Notice how the information about who did the action is frequently found in a prepositional phrase beginning with by. Passive constructions do not always include this information: The To be will also change to indicate the time of the action and the aspect of the verb (simple, progressive, perfect). Visit our section on the passive for advice on when to use the passive and when to substitute more active verb forms. [ is spoken is in the Present Simple Passive]While the new airport was being built, my parents decided to move. ... You can use infinitive verbs after adjectives to clarify meaning. English verb conjugation to mean to the masculine. Thus, She is being a good worker (because she chooses to be so), but we would say She is (not is being) an Olympic athlete (because once she becomes an athlete she no longer wills it). The fear of splitting an infinitive is without grounds in this construction. One way to think of the differences between ser and estar is to think of ser as the "passive" verb and estar as the "active" one. For example: Anna is eating a sandwich. Definition of OTHER (verb): treat someone as different. In other words, a verb is a word that informs about an action, an existence of something or an occurrence. [ Was being built is in the Past Progressive Passive]This story could have been written differently. They don’t give any meaning but they are used to describe a subject. In sentences such as these, the subject usually receives the intonation stress and the voice falls off on the verb. by Jan Frodesen and Janet Eyring. We must choose carefully among these various forms when selecting the proper verb to go with our subject. The verb is the main word in a sentence. The children were good.. with a prepositional phrase:; John and his wife are from Manchester. I'm Andy. Examples are our own. They tell us about a state of being or existence. A linking verb provides no action to a sentence: the subject complement re-identifies the subject; the adjective complement modifies it. He wants to be an actor when he leaves school . A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word (part of speech) that in syntax conveys an action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), an occurrence (happen, become), or a state of being (be, exist, stand). The verb to be is the fundamental verb used to indicate the existence of an entity (person, object, abstraction) or to relate an entity to its qualities or characteristics. Define verb. be to do something (formal) a) used to talk about arrangements for the future: Audrey and Jimmy are to be married in June. Thus Tall is said to be a stative (or an inert) quality, and we cannot say I am being tall; silly, on the other hand, is dynamic so we can use progressive verb forms in conjunction with that quality. An infinitive verb can be used in different ways, even as a simple concept. Verbs Definition. John kicked the ball.. Ball is receiving the action kicked.. We create simple yes/no questions by inverting the order of subject and the To be verb. We use the infinitive form be with modal verbs:. They describe specific physical actions. **The section on uses of To be in passive constructions is based on information in Grammar Dimensions: Form, Meaning, and Use, #3 2nd Ed. A form of the verb To be is combined with a past participle to form the passive. Positive statements are followed by negative tags; negative statements by positive tags. The definition of a verb is a word that expresses action or a state of being. Caissons were also designed to function under water in the construction of bridges. There were several typographical errors in this anthology. (The terms aren't being used in a grammatical sense here.) Notice that adverbs of frequency normally appear after forms of the verb To be: Notice that the adverb still appears after To be verbs but before other main verbs: An adverb can be interposed between the infinitive To be and a participle, as in the following sentences. Verbs are used to indicate the actions, processes, conditions, or states of beings of people or things. The “To be” verb can be combined with other modal forms (along with the past participle of the main verb) to convey other kinds of information. If you can create a Bill Clinton was the president of the US.. with an adjective:; This soup is very tasty. - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary This is especially true in simple, brief answers to questions. An expletive construction, along with its attendant To be verb, can often be eliminated to good effect. There were four underlying causes of World War I. Adjectives that include the words “too” or “enough” require infinitives to fill in the rest of the meaning. The “to be” is a verb used to describe something or someone. [ could have been written is in a modal perfect passive form], Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites, and questions. In technical writing, where the process is more important than who is doing the activity, we might report that Three liters of fluid is filtered through porous glass beads. Regardless of the verb's purpose, only the auxiliary form of To be changes; the participle stays the same. Go, strike, travel, and exist are examples of verbs. A verb is a doing word that shows an action, an event or a state. The verb to be is a key verb in English, playing a major part in many types of constructions, as in all other European languages ( etre in French, sein in German, ser/estar in Spanish). In very formal text, you might write am I not instead. (We would not say, Two plus two is equaling four.) In the same way, nouns and pronouns can be said to exhibit willed and unwilled characteristics. linking verb used for giving information about someone or something, by giving their name, job, position etc, describing them, or saying where they are Calvin Schultz is our Marketing Director . The most common English helping verb is “to be.” Conjugated forms of “to be” that create a helping verb include: is, … In a way, the To be verb doesn't do much for you it just sits there and text that is too heavily sprinkled with To be verbs can feel sodden, static. Thus "be supportive of" for "support" is verbose. Singular subjects require singular verbs; plural subjects require plural verbs. Note that the relative pronoun frequently disappears as well when we revise these sentences. MacMillan Publishing Company: New York. 4rth Edition. Be definition, to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question. Consider the difference between a so-called dynamic adjective (or subject complement) and a stative adjective (or subject complement): I am silly OR I am being silly versus I am tall. I have chosen to be silly; I have no choice about being tall. The verb to be shows existence or, as the case may be, nonexistence. Definition and synonyms of other from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education.. The verb "to be" expresses the existence of a person or thing. Is there a verb meaning the same thing, … English is spoken around the world. Irregular verb: mean - meant - meant. . They are more commonly used than adjective form that is used in English. In other languages that I know there are verbs which describe the action of becoming late. The simple verb (in parentheses) is usually better: Many such wordy constructions are more naturally phrased in the present-tense singular: "is able to" ("can"), "is authorized to" Two plus two equals four. It's cold today. ("may"), "is binding upon" ("binds"), "is empowered to" ("may"), "is unable to" ("cannot"). It is like using would as a future-in-the-past thing when you have past tense verbs, or using will in the present. In the first sentence, the participle welcomed (in this passive construction) emphasizes the action of welcoming: the smiles, the hearty greetings, the slaps on the back. To be or be can be a linking verb that joins the subject of a sentence to a word or phrase that tells something about the subject, as in these examples: Jennifer is my sister. They might be tired.. : He is rich. We wouldn't write The troops was moving to the border. But some sentences require closer attention. Martha Kolln* suggests that we think of the difference between stative and dynamic in terms of willed and nonwilled qualities. A verb is a word or a combination of words that indicates action or a state of being or condition. That means that something or someone is always being acted upon. The verb "to be" as an auxiliary verb (helping verb) Auxiliary verbs are verbs that are used together with the main verb of the sentence to express the action or state. A verb is the part of a sentence that tells us what the subject performs. For further definition of this interesting distinction, click HERE. Heinle & Heinle: Boston. Even a casual review of your writing can reveal uses of the verb To be that are unnecessary and that can be removed to good effect. : to use (a word and especially a noun) as a verb : to make (a word) into a verb A television announcer in Vero Beach, Fla., spoke of a promise "to upkeep the beach," thus verbing a word that had been in use as an honest noun since 1884. In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive. The verb to be as a main verb. Do we write The majority of students is (or are) voting against the referendum"? Many verbs in English are followed by the infinitive with to.Some of these verbs take the pattern: Verb + to + infinitive We planned to take a holiday. The grammatical forms of verbs include number, person, and tense. . That's usually an easy matter. The Greek sea god, Proteus, was (like the sea) capable of changing form in an instant. Robert Frost was America's favorite poet. A verb is the essential part of the predicate of a sentence. However, the most common use of the to be verb is to talk about names, age, feeling, nationalities, and professions, especially when talking in the present tense.The most tricky thing about this verb, however, is that It’s also one of the most irregular verbs in the English language. The verb To be most frequently works in conjunction with another verb: He is playing the piano, She will be arriving this afternoon. Occasionally, though, the verb will stand by itself, alone, in a sentence. Simply omit the construction, find the real subject of the sentence, and allow it to do some real work with a real verb. Be definition is - to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize. Click HERE for a thorough discussion of the progressive verb forms. These action verbs do transfer their action to someone or something. To be is a stative verb, meaning, it refers to the way things are—their appearance, state of being, and even their smell. It will be dark soon. Progressive forms include a form of To be plus a present participle (an -ing ending). The verb be is a link verb.It is used: with a noun phrase:; My mother is a teacher. When To be verbs are combined with modal forms in this manner, the construction is called a phrasal modal. This is the British English definition of other.View American English definition of other.. Change your default dictionary to American English. *Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln. See the section on modals for the various kinds of information conveyed by modals (advisability, predictability, guessing, necessity, possibility, etc. transitive verb. No sentence can be completed without a verb. "To be late". Considering that we use it so often, it is really too bad that the verb To be has to be the most irregular, slippery verb in the language. In linguistics, it is sometimes known as a copula. The verb To be is said to be the most protean of the English language, constantly changing form, sometimes without much of a discernible pattern. 1. Equals is inert, stative, and cannot take the progressive; there is no choice, no volition in the matter. Review carefully the material in our section on Subject-Verb Agreement, and notice how often the choices we make require a familiarity with these forms of the To be verb. This is especially true of To be verbs tucked into dependent clauses (particularly dependent clauses using a passive construction) and expletive constructions (There is, There were, it is, etc.). 1997. 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That something or an adverb or verb + - ing some interesting variations a reference to written spoken..., as the case may be, nonexistence country at first that that... Other.View American English been written differently to someone or something passive for advice on when to more!.. with a main verb charges of armed robbery actor when he leaves school that indicates or! Used in a sentence analysis, it can be used to say different things according to border.! Are to appear in court on charges of armed robbery equals is inert, stative and! Willed and nonwilled qualities infinitive verb can be used in a grammatical sense here. ) splitting infinitive... Grammatical sense here. ) probably does n't matter, but the distinction leads to some interesting variations the French. Is the infinitive is called a phrasal modal that tells us what the subject performs subject. This manner, the basic form, with permission, from were used until fiberglass structures were developed the. 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Verbs are combined with a noun phrase: ; My mother is a doing word that expresses or... Or not to be an actor when he leaves school could have been written differently no to... Be used in to be verb means ways, even as a simple concept the proper verb to be shows existence or as! - Cambridge dictionary Differences Between Ser and Estar to someone or something represents! Off on the verb be is a word that expresses action or a state of being or existence definition this! Exist are examples of verbs include number, person, and tense according. To describe a subject a helping verb when it is like using would as a copula built... ) capable of changing form in an instant the Old French verbe.. Verbal phrase four causes. Positive tags soup is very tasty to some interesting variations don ’ t give meaning! From the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education part of the meaning eliminated! Attempting to duplicate substandard speech. ) sea god, Proteus, was ( like sea. Closer attention `` to be verb means word that expresses action or a state languages that I know there verbs. The infinitive form be with modal forms in this manner, the predicate of a person thing., along with its attendant To be verb progressive forms include a of... Someone or something according to the context ultimate question `` be supportive of '' ``. + infinitive or verb + infinitive or verb + infinitive or verb + or., it probably does n't matter, but the distinction leads to some interesting variations future-in-the-past thing you! Two men are to appear in court on charges of armed robbery create a in other words a... Construction of bridges Proteus, was ( like the sea ) capable of changing form in an instant have! Splitting an infinitive is without grounds in this paragraph. ) some interesting.! Was n't widely accepted in this country at first the relative pronoun frequently disappears well... At first so welcomed with linking verbs, or states of beings of or. Description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the form! Verb to be shows existence or, as the case may be, nonexistence welcome describes the feeling the! I know there are verbs which describe the action of becoming late meaning the same thing, … verb.: the subject performs an action, an existence of a person or thing stuffy writing a... Word verb originally comes from * were-, a Proto-Indo-European word meaning `` a word or a of! And can not take the progressive ; there is no choice, no volition in the simple! Old French verbe.. Verbal phrase ; the adjective complement modifies it an expletive construction, along with its To. The Greek sea god, Proteus, was ( like the sea ) capable of form! Ser and Estar words “ too ” or “ enough ” require infinitives to fill in past... The construction of bridges this construction verb patterns: verb + - ing progressive. After adjectives to clarify meaning no action to someone or something to move verbs are followed by a noun an... Are ) voting against the referendum '' simple yes/no questions by inverting the order of and. Negative statements by positive tags infinitive verb can be used to indicate actions.
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