Every month on The Grammar Page, language expert Robert Parr uses notes on a short dialogue to explain a key point of grammar. This month, Robert explains just how useful the verb to be is.
In the table below, you can see the present and past forms of be:
|
present |
past
|
|---|
| I |
am |
was |
| you |
are
|
were |
| he / she / it |
is
|
was |
| we |
are
|
were |
| you |
are
|
were |
| they |
are
|
were |
Robert explains that be is a full verb as well as an auxiliary verb — and that as an auxiliary verb it is used to make continuous forms:• I'm (I am) making dinner at the moment.
• It was raining when I got here.
...and to make passive forms:• Passengers are well taken care of.• I couldn't go because the flight was cancelled.
...and it's used in various modal forms:• That must be George. Nobody else walks like that.• It might be OK, but I'll have to check.
There are some special rules to remember when using be in negative sentences. Robert Parr writes:
When you use not in sentences with is and are, there are two possibilities in spoken English.
Not can stand alone...
• We're not late....or it can be shortened to n't and combined with is or are to form isn't or aren't.
• We aren't late.Both forms are possible and correct. The normal, unstressed forms are isn't and aren't. If you use not in its full form, you give it more emphasis.
Read more about this topic in the January issue of Spotlight. It goes on sale this Wednesday, 14 December.
See how much you already know in the exercise on the next page.
Dagmar Taylor
Hilfsverb
English für Germans