Facts about the Verb To Be

Check only the boxes that explain what the Verb To Be is all about. Only one box is incorrect. You have 60 seconds.

• It is a verb that in any of its forms, it conveys the idea of existence, or a temporary condition at some specific point of time, or a permanent state that will never change.

• It is a verb that describes actions.

• It is a linking and passive verb that communicates the idea of living or non-living states of being and connects the subject with its complement or additional information.

• Its basic forms are as follows: am, is, are, was, were, being, have been, has been, had been, etc.

• It is a verb that in any of its forms, it conveys the idea of existence, or a temporary condition at some specific point of time, or a permanent state that will never change.

In-detailed functions of the Verb To Be. Read carefully, and click on the options that are correct.

• We can talk about existence, identity, age, and nationality.

• We can talk about a location or tell where someone or something is.

• We can talk about mood, mental, emotional, and physical states.

• We can talk about origin, size, and color.

• We can talk about occupation, relationships, abstract senses. permanent states or temporary conditions.

To have or To be? The sentence: I have 22 years old is

• Correct.

• Incorrect.

The sentence: I am a human being is

• A temporary condition.

• A permanent state.

The sentences: I am Christian Cruzata. I'm a teacher. I'm from Guatemala.

• Tells about actions done by the subject.

• Tells about the existence, identity, and origin of the subject.

The sentence: They were with their friends in Munich while she was at home.

• Tells about the origin of the subjects.

• Tells about locations of the subjects.

The sentence: I'm very well, thanks.

• Tells about mood.

• Tells about existence and identity.

To tell one's age in English, we use the verb HAVE.

• TRUE, because in Spanish HAVE means TENER.

• FALSE, because the age is told with the Verb To Be and people's age is a temporary condition.

The sentence: She is 15 years old is

• Correct.

• Incorrect.

Read the following information about the Verb To Be, then write about what you learned about it. You have 3 minutes: "The Forms of “To Be” The Greek sea god, Proteus, was (like the sea) capable of changing form in an instant. 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. 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. 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. We must choose carefully among these various forms when selecting the proper verb to go with our subject. Singular subjects require singular verbs; plural subjects require plural verbs. That's usually an easy matter. We wouldn't write “The troops was moving to the border.” But some sentences require closer attention. Do we write “The majority of students is (or are) voting against the referendum"? 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." The Verb 'To Be' (guidetogrammar.org)