That Crazy Little Thing Called the “Be” Verb (Part I)

(I wrote this blog entry almost a year ago, and then life got in the way.  I have since left California and moved my family back to Hawaii.  Now I'm just a few weeks away from going to Saudi Arabia to start a new job.  This is proof of the old saying: "Life is what happens while you are making plans.")

For years in my writing class, I would tell my students two things that they never believed. First, when you know how to do it, writing is easy. Second, after you learn the fundamentals of writing, writing is actually fun. I would also tell them that, while I would never sit down on a Friday night and write and essay for fun, when I need to write something for work, I look forward to it. Well. I was wrong on that one. I actually do sit down on a Friday night and write for fun. It has become a hobby, and with a little luck, maybe a second job someday.

This past year, when I moved to California and began teaching at a new school, has been full of interesting challenges and opportunities to expand as a teacher. But it has also been insanely busy. Therefore, writing for fun had to be sacrificed. I can’t believe it’s been nine months since my last blog posting. However, with summer finally here and a less crazy schedule in the fall*, I can look forward to more time to do the things I love. I will have more time to spend with my family. I will be able to take Skyler to the pool every morning and train our new puppy. I will watch every Yankees game and read, read, read. But what is the one that keeps coming up in my mind? I get to write again.

I have a list of blog topics as long as my arm, but I thought I would relaunch my online ramblings from the beginning. That tiny little word that causes so many gigantic problems for second language learners: the "be" verb.

The "be" verb is one of the most common words in English, and even though it is the most irregular verb in English, most students learn how to use it correctly very quickly.
 
Forms of the Be Verb
 Every verb in English has five forms*: the base form, simple past, past participle, gerund and infinitive. Regular verbs are very simple and although irregular verbs are frustrating, with a little time and effort, they are fairly simple as well.

•                              Regular                 Irregular
• Base                     study                      take
• Simple Past          studied                   took
• Past Participle      studied                   taken
• Gerund                 studying                 taking
• Infinitive              to study                  to take

The only time you have to worry about the subject is with the 3^rd person singular in the simple present tense. If the subject is he, she or it, you need to add ~s to the base form of the verb.

The "be" verb, on the other hand, has three forms in the simple present (am, is and are) and two in the simple past (was and were). Which form you use depends on the subject.

•                          Present Singular          Present Plural
• 1^st person          I am                               We are
• 2^nd person         You are                         You are
• 3^rd person          He/She/It is                  They are　

 

•                           Past Singular               Past Plural
• 1^st person           I was                            We were
• 2^nd person          You were                     You were
• 3^rd person           He/She/It was              They were

However, as I said earlier, with a few weeks of solid practice, this becomes very natural.
 
Questions and Negatives 
Now for the good news. The "be" verb is the easiest verb to use in questions and negative statements. To make a negative statement, all you have to do is put not after the verb. All of the negative forms, except I am, have a shorter form, which is called a contraction.

•                            Present Singular                        Present Plural
• 1^st person            I am not                                      We are not (aren’t)
• 2^nd person           You are not (aren’t)                   You are not (aren’t)
• 3^rd person            He/She/It is not (isn’t)              They are not (aren’t)

 

•                             Past Singular                           Past Plural
• 1^st person             I was not (wasn’t)                    We were not (weren’t)
• 2^nd person            You were not (weren’t)           You were not (weren’t)
• 3^rd person             He/She/It was not (wasn’t)      They were not (weren’t)

To make a question, all you have to do is switch the subject and the "be" verb. (Put the "be" verb in front of the subject.)

•                              John is here.                              Is John here?
•                              I am hungry.                             Are you hungry?
•                              Everything was ready.              Was everything ready?
•                              They are playing...                    Are they playing...?

The only weird thing related to the "be" verb is with imperatives***. For example, if someone were being noisy, you could say to them "Be quiet." However, a negative imperative is made by putting don’t in front of the main verb, like "Don’t drop that!" The correct negative form with the "be" verb is Don’t be...

• Don’t be shy.
• Don’t be so noisy.

These are the basics of how to use the "be" verb.  Now, it is even more important to know WHEN to use the "be" verb.

-- Go on to Part II -- 

-- Click here for "be" verb exercises online. --

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*I finally have my dream schedule. I am going to be a full-time grammar teacher. While this might be hell for many teachers, it’s heaven for me.

**I would argue that there is a sixth form in English, the present 3^rd person singular, which is formed by adding ~s or ~es to the base form.

***Imperatives are like orders. The subject is always you, so it’s not necessary to say or write. Therefore, the first word of an imperative sentence is the verb.

• Stand up!
• Open your books.
• Don’t do that!