The Verb to be

                                                                 The Verb to be

      I.            A. Definition

v Verb to be is one of the basic verbs of English. It has various uses according to the context.

v To be is called a linking verb which is used to describe something or someone( Nouns or Pronoun)

v To be is conjugated into am/is/are in present, was/were in the past and been in past participle

v It is derived according to the subjects and tenses

   II.            B. Uses of Verb to be

To be is be used

-       To say who we are

-       To tell us our jobs

-       Describe the weather

-       To talk about place, time, people’ age/height or tall

-       To describe how we feel

-       To say hello or to apologize

III.            C. Form of verb to be

Form
Positive	Subject + to be + noun/adjective/ adverb phrase.
Negative	Subject + to be + not + Noun/Adjective/ Adverb phrase.
Question	To be + Subject + Noun/Adjective/ Adverb phrase?
Answer	Yes, Subject + to be. No, Subject + to be + not.
Info-Question	Wh-question words+ to be + Subject  + Noun/Adjective/ Adverb phrase?

IV.            Examples

1        I am Steve and this is my friend, Bill. We are from Brazil.

2        I am Janet and these are my sisters. This is Sandra and this is Patricia. They are doctors.

3        It is a sunny day today in Cambodia. The weather is usually beautiful in here. However, it is a bit hot today. It is probably warm tomorrow.

4        We are late for school today. Look! It is 7.30 a.m. We are 30 minutes late.

5        Banteaymeanchey is in the west of Cambodia. Sereisophoan is a town in Banteaymeanchey. People in Banteaymeanchey are usually in their house during winter.

6        There are six people in my family. My father is 50 years old and my mother is 45 years old. My older brother is 30 years old and my older sister is 25. My younger sister is 12 year old and I am 18 years old.

7        I am always happy and I am not often bored. But sometimes I am angry when I am hungry or thirsty. My sister is often afraid of spider but I am not scared of it.

8        This car is not expensive. It is really cheap.

9        It is an old film and it isn’t very good.

10   These photos are bad!

   V. T    D. The contracted forms of the verb to be

                                The contraction form is usually used in speaking (Speech)

Long forms	Contraction forms	Negative form
I am	I’m	I’m not
You are	You’re	You’re not/You aren’t
We are	We’re	We’re not/We aren’t
They are	They’re	They’re not/They aren’t
He is	He’s	He’s not/ He isn’t
She is	She’s	She’s not/She isn’t
It is	It’s	It’s not/ It isn’t

                                    The special forms of verbs to be

   1. When an infinitive is the subject of a sentence, we usually begin the sentence with it

        and put the infinitive later.

-It is easy to criticize. (To criticize is easy.

-It is better to be early. (To be early is better.)

-It seems a pity to give up now. (To give up now seems a pity.) 

  2. If it + be is preceded by find/think (that), the be and the that can often be omitted

-He thought (that) it (would be) better to say nothing.

-We found it impossible to get visas.

 3. It can be used similarly when the subject of a sentence is a clause. It would be                   possible to say

-That he hasn't phoned is odd.=It's odd that he hasn't phoned.

-That prices will go up is certain.=It's certain that prices will go up.

-It never occurred to me that perhaps he was lying.

-It struck me that everyone was unusually silent.

4.Subject + to be + about to  

                                                   Structure

Introductory Clause (that)	It + be + adjective + infinitive
I think/ I believed/ I found/

          Examples

-I found that it is impossible to study at home.(= I found it was impossible to study at home.)

-She thought that it was important to revise the lessons before an exam.(=She thought it was important to revise the lessons before an exam.)

-I believe that it is my attitude to win this election.(=I believe it is my attitude to win this election.)

                                                            Structure

It + be + adjective (+ of + object) + infinitive	(a) character: brave, careless, cowardly, cruel, generous, good/ nice (= kind), mean, rude, selfish, wicked, wrong (morally), etc., and fair*/just*/right* with negative or interrogative verbs, or (b)sense: clever, foolish, idiotic*, intelligent, sensible, silly, stupid. absurd*, ludicrous*, ridiculous* and unreasonable*
Pronoun + be + adjective + noun + infinitive	astonishing*,curious*,extraordinary*, funny* (= strange*), odd*, queer*, surprising* etc. and pointless, useful, useless
It + be + adjective + infinitive is possible with advisable	inadvisable*,better*, best, desirable*, essential*,good(=advisable),important*, necessary*,unnecessary*,vital*and with only + fair*/just*/right*:
It + be + adjective (+ for + object) + infinitive	convenient*, dangerous, difficult, easy, hard*, possible*, impossible, safe, unsafe.
It + be + adjective/participle + infinitive	show the feelings or reactions of the person: agreeable dreadful* lovely* terrible*awful*good*/nice*marvellous* wonderful*delightful* (= pleasant) splendid* etc. disagreeable horrible * strange *and with the present participles of: alarm* bewilder discourage* excite* surprise* amaze* bore disgust* frighten terrify amuse* depress* embarrass horrify* upset annoy* disappoint* encourage* interest* etc. astonish * fun (= an exciting experience) and a relief

Examples

-It was kind of you to help him. (You helped him. This was kind.)

-It was stupid (of them) to leave their bicycles outside. 

-It was a sensible precaution to take.

-That was a wicked thing to say (It can sometimes be expressed as exclamations:               What a funny way to park a car! What an odd time to choose!)

-Wouldn't it be better to wait? ~ No, it's essential to book in advance

-It won't be necessary for him to report to the police.

-It is only fair for him to have a chance. (Note: inessential and unimportant are not             normally used, but not essential is possible.)

  -Would it be convenient (for you) to see Mr X now?

-It was dangerous (for women) to go out alone after dark.

-This cake is easy (for me) to make.

-This car isn't safe (for me) to drive.

-It's awful to be alone in such a place.

-It's boring to do the same thing every day.

-It was depressing to find the house empty.

-It would be fun/exciting/interesting to canoe down the river.

-It was a relief to take off our wet boots.

-It's interesting (for children) to see a house being built.

-It was marvelous (for the boys) to have a garden to play in. (Note that for + object placed after good restricts the meaning of good to heal thy/beneficial: It's good for you to take regular exercise. (good + infinitive can have this meaning but can also mean pleasant/kind/advisable)

-It was an exciting ceremony to watch.

-It was a horrible place to live (in).

• Somewhat similar meanings can be expressed by subject + adjective + infinitive with angry*, delighted*, dismayed*, glad*, happy*, pleased*, relieved*, sad*, sorry* and the past participles of the verbs.

-I'm delighted to see you. 

(The most useful infinitives here are to find/learn/hear/see, but glad/happy/sad/sorry are also often followed by to say/tell/inform and sometimes by other infinitives: 

-He was glad to leave school.

-She was dismayed to find the door locked.

• Subject + be + adjective/participle + infinitive with: able/unable; apt, inclined, liable, prone; prepared, not prepared ( = ready/willing/unwilling), reluctant; prompt, quick, slow:

We are all apt to make mistakes when we try to hurry.

I am inclined to believe him. I am prepared/ready to help him.

He was most reluctant to lend us the money.

He was slow to realize that times had changed =He realized only slowly that times had changed.

Note:

·        of + object can be omitted after group (b) adjectives, and sometimes after group (a) adjectives, except good and nice. (Omission of "of" + object would change the meaning of good and nice.

·        The adjective is sometimes omitted in expressions of disapproval:

What a (silly) way to bring up a child!

What a time to choose!

·        Example with a that-clause:

It is strange/odd/surprising that he hasn't answered.

27 Adjectives + infinitive /that-clause/preposition constructions

• I)  due, due to, owing to, certain, sure, bound, confident due, used of time, can take an infinitive:

-The race is due to start in ten minutes. But it can also be used alone:

-The plane was due (in) at six. It is an hour overdue. due to (preposition) means 'a result of:

-The accident was due to carelessness. owing to means 'because of:

-Owing to his carelessness we had an accident.

• due to should be preceded by subject + verb, but English people are careless about this and often begin a sentence with due to instead of owing to.
• Certain and sure take infinitives to express the speaker's opinion. bound is also possible here:

-Tom is certain/sure/bound to win. (The speaker is confident of this.)

• But subject + certain/sure + that-clause expresses the subject's opinion:

-Tom is sure that he will win. (Tom is confident of victory.) confident that could replace certain/sure that above, but confident cannot be followed by an infinitive. sure, certain, confident can be followed by of + noun/pronoun or gerund:

Unless you're early you can't be sure of getting a seat. bound can take an infinitive, as shown above, but not that clause. bound + infinitive can also mean 'under an obligation':

According to the contract we are bound to supply the materials.

II) afraid (of), ashamed (of), sorry (for or about) afraid of, ashamed of, sorry for/about + noun/pronoun or gerund:

-She is afraid of heights/of falling.

-He was ashamed of himself (for behaving so badly)/ashamed of behaving so badly.

-I'm sorry for breaking your window, (apology)

-I'm sorry about your window, (apology/regret)

-I'm sorry for Peter, (pity) afraid, ashamed, sorry can be followed by an infinitive:

-She was afraid to speak. (She didn't speak.)

-I'd be ashamed to take his money. (I don't/won't take it.)

-I'm sorry to say that we have no news. or by a that-clause:

-I'm ashamed that I've nothing better to offer you.

-She's afraid (that) he won't believe her. (fear)

-I'm afraid (that) we have no news, (regret)

-I'm sorry (that) you can't come.

III) anxious (about), anxious + infinitive, anxious that, anxious (+ about + noun/pronoun) means ''worried''

-I'm anxious (about Tom). His plane is overdue. 

be anxious (+ for + noun/pronoun) + infinitive = 'to desire/to wish'

-I'm very anxious (for him) to see the Carnival. anxious + that . . . + should is possible in very formal English:

-The committee is anxious that this matter should be kept secret.

IV) fortunate and lucky can take either a that-clause or an infinitive, but there is usually a difference in meaning. It is fortunate/lucky that usually means 'It's a good thing that'

-It's lucky that Tom has a car.

-It's lucky that he passed his test. (Now he can drive himself to the station/take the children to the seaside etc.)

-It's lucky for us that he has a car. (He can give us a lift etc.)

Subject + be + fortunate/lucky + infinitive, however, emphasizes the subject's good fortune:

-He's lucky to have a car. (Many people haven't got one.)

-He was lucky to pass his test. (He wasn't really up to the standard.)

 

is/are + fortunate/lucky + present infinitive is used mainly with static verbs. With was/were or the continuous or perfect infinitive there is a wider choice:

-You were fortunate to escape unharmed.

-You are lucky to be going by air.

-He is lucky to have sold his house before they decided to build the new airport.

-It is lucky/unlucky can, however, be followed by the infinitive of any verb:

-It is unlucky to break a -mirror. (It brings misfortune.) fortunate and unfortunate are not used here but can be

used in the other constructions. They are chiefly found in more formal English.

These adjectives can also be used alone or with a noun: / wasn't lucky. He's fortunate.

Thirteen's my lucky number. He's a fortunate man.

V) possible, probable, and likely can take a that-clause introduced by it. likely can also be used with subject + Infinitive

(a) It's possible that he'll come today. = (b) Perhaps he'll come/He may come today.

(a) It's probable that he'll come today. = (b) He'll probably come today.

In each case, the (b) form is more usual than the (a) but the that-clause is convenient when we want to modify the adjectives:

-It's just/quite possible that. . .

-It's not very probable that. . . With likely both forms are equally useful:

-It's quite likely that he'll come today =He's quite likely to come today.

• is/are + subject + likely + infinitive is very useful as it supplies an interrogative form for may (= be possible):

Is he likely to ring today?

• possible, probable, and likely can be used without a that-clause when it is quite clear what this would be:

-Do you think he'll sell his house? ~ It's quite possible/probable/likely that he'll sell it.

VI) aware and conscious take a that-clause or of + noun/pronoun or gerund:

-It'll be dangerous. ~ I'm aware that it'll be dangerous/I'm aware of that.

-I was conscious of being watched = I felt that someone was watching me. conscious used by itself has a physical meaning: had only a local anesthetic. I was conscious the whole time.