THE VERB “TO BE” IN ENGLISH

In English, verbs have a very important place in

communication; they are the ones responsible for expressing
actions. Words like jump, run, speak… all are common and
clear examples of verbs that describe an action that a subject
does.

Objectives:

- Define the verb to be

- Be able to use it in various forms
- Locate the subject complement in sentences and passages
containing a form of “to be”

However, there is one verb that’s the most used in the English
language: the verb to be.

For students, learning the verbs and especially this one might
be a difficult task. Verbs are concepts that some students might
find hard to grasp, but through constant repetition using
different activities and exercises, learning about it can be easy,
and even fun! It’s essential for them to learn the uses of the "to
be" verb, after all, it’s used frequently and for a lot of different
purposes.

How to use the “to be” verb

The “to be” is a verb used to describe something or someone.
In English, it can be used to say different things according to
the context. 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. This
means, that unlike regular verbs, which barely change when
used when different subjects or even in different tenses, and
when they do, they follow a pattern, the “to be” verb changes
almost completely in most of its forms.

Forms of “to be”

Since the to be verb is highly irregular, it’s written in different
ways according to the tense of the verb (whether if it’s present,
past, future, or even in mixed tenses), and it also varies
according to the subject. Let’s see the forms this verb can take
when used next to the subjects.

Base form: Be

This is the most basic form of the verb, and it’s how we can find
it in the dictionary. It’s mostly used when using imperatives,
and also as the infinitive. Some examples are:

Be nice to your sister! (imperative)

I like to be in my house. (infinitive)

Present

This form of the verb is mainly used in the simple present, and
its meaning can change depending on the use in the context.
Also, when writing, the present form of the to be verb can be
shortened. Here is the to be for all the subjects in both long and
short forms for affirmative sentences, and also for negative
sentences with to be.
Affirmative:

I am - I’m
you are - you’re
he/she/it is - he’s/she’s/it’s
we/they/you are - we’re/they’re/you’re

 Negative:

I am not - I’m not

you are not - You aren’t
he/she/it isn’t
we/they/you aren’t

 Let’s see some examples of this for sentences with the "to
be" verb.
 For names:
She is Sheila
 For age:
He is 6 years old.
 For feelings:
Lauren and Sandra are happy.
 For nationalities:
We are from Thailand.
  For professions:
You aren’t a painter, you are a singer.

 Past: Was / Were

When talking about the past, the to be verb changes its form
again. This is how it looks with the different subject pronouns.

I was - I wasn't
you were - You weren't
he/she/it was - he wasn't/she wasn't/it wasn't
we/they/you were - we weren't/they weren't/you weren't

Some examples of the past form of the to be are:

I was at the school yesterday

You were 10 years old last year.

Emma and Jane were students, now they are doctors.

It was raining a while ago.

 Past Participle: been

This is the form of the "to be" verb used with the perfect and
passive tenses, and it is the same for all the subjects. It’s also
used as an adjective in English sometimes.

She has been busy all day.

Nick and John have been running for an hour.
He has been a teacher for a year now.

 Continuous: being

The continuous form of the “to” be verb is used to make up the

continuous tenses. Just as the past participle, it’s the same for
all the subjects.

Sally is being helpful.

 Passive

The "to be" verb, both in its present and past forms, can be
used to make passive sentences.

The house was built on the mountains.

The program is being recorded right now.
 Questions in English with the “to be” verb
"To be" verb can be used to make questions in English in two
different ways. The first one is to use it normally with Wh-
questions, like in the following sentences:

What’s her name?

How old is Jaime?
How are they feeling?
Where are you from?
Do you know what my profession is?
What are you doing?

The second option, and also the most important, is to use the to
be verb to make yes or no questions in English. This type of
questions are very simple, and they can be answered with a
yes or no.

Are you reading?

Yes, I am.

Is Lisa ready for bed?

No, she isn’t.

Examples of the “to be” verb:

I am Sophie, and I’m from Ireland.

Mary and Jamie are best friends.

Where are Billy and Elliot?

They are at the theater.
Bobby is helping Dan with his homework.

The river is very pretty.

The flowers aren’t red, they are orange.

Are the dogs running in the field?

Yes, they are.

Exercise 1
Fill in these sentences using the correct form of the verb ‘to be’ and the words
in the brackets. Then write the words in the blanks.
1. I_____________ happy.(not) 2. He _________ sad.
3. You _____________ Japanese.(not) 4. We __________ Chinese.
5. They ____________ busy.(not) 6. Tigers _________big cats.
7. Cheung Chau __________ in 8. His name ______ Billy..
Kowloon.(not)
9. We _______ good friends. 10. She ______ my mother.
11. You ______ the monitor. 12. I ______ thirteen years old.
13. He ______ 2 years old.(not) 14. They ______ good football players.
(not)

Exercise 2: Form questions from the given words or phrases. Click on

the words/phrases.

1. how are you old? __________________________________________

2. is what in that English? _______________________________________

3. how you are? _______________________________________________

4. where your is teacher? _______________________________________

5. why Gerry is late? ____________________________________________

6. upstairs are you why? _________________________________________

7. where pencil case is my? _______________________________________

8. are in the pool why the children? ________________________________

9. is when home his sister?________________________________________

10.for what homework is? _________________________________________