Questions tagged [be]
For questions relating to the verb to be.
146
questions
0
votes
1answer
23 views
How do I say that one thing is another using active voice?
I've tried typing this question or variations of this question into Google to no avail, so I apologize if it has already been answered elsewhere. I'm trying to edit a paper for a class in which the ...
0
votes
1answer
38 views
Is this sentence correct or comprehensible? “They actually had more soldiers than was shown on TV”
I would like to know if the following sentence is correct:
They actually had more soldiers than was shown on TV.
Here I use "was" because I think the full sentence should be "They actually had more ...
-1
votes
1answer
15 views
'What I have presented is the first steps' or 'What I have presented are the first steps'
Which is correct:
'What I have presented is the first steps'
or
'What I have presented are the first steps'?
The issues is what counts as the subject of the verb: the relative 'What' (= is), or ...
0
votes
0answers
12 views
Why “were” needs to be added in this sentence? If he were smarter he would do this [duplicate]
If he were smarter he would do this
When we use he, she, it in the past tense we need to use was and I, we, you and they we need to use were. right?
But why we are using were in the above sentence?
0
votes
1answer
30 views
Questions about “get” and “be”
Is it good English to write the following passive sentences, considering that it should describe what a system is doing in general (but maybe not necessarily at the moment)? I am interested in the ...
1
vote
1answer
281 views
Who are or who is?
I have a sentence:
They are planning to have holidays soon.
What will be the question?
Who IS planning to have their holidays soon?
or
Who ARE planning to have their holidays soon?
2
votes
3answers
119 views
Third person singular or plural form of “to be” with plural noun in question
A disagreement with a colleague: I say "What measures are your company currently implementing?"; she says "what measures is your company currently implementing?". It seems obvious to me I am right! ...
0
votes
0answers
52 views
'Would' vs 'Will' at the start of the sentence [duplicate]
I was updating my WhatsApp status today. While writing caption of a photo I couldn't decide whether to use 'Will' here or 'Would':
Would/will your reaction be any different if you miss the bus on ...
1
vote
1answer
40 views
“To be” as a state
In Catalan and in Spanish we have two verbs: "ser" and "estar" . Both translate into English as "to be". One of the uses of "estar" is to say that something is in a certain state or place. So, for ...
0
votes
3answers
129 views
The form of the verb to be in the questions with “and” and “or”
Should I use was or were in sentences like this:
Who was/were the bride and groom?
In my opinion, both are possible, but I don't know why. What to use if there is or instead of and?
3
votes
2answers
522 views
Is “you are yourself” grammatically correct?
I know what "be yourself" means. I usually see people using it in some sentences like "You have to be yourself", "You must be yourself" etc., but I barely see anyone saying "You are yourself".
Is ...
1
vote
1answer
212 views
What tense is this? “to be + to verb”
For example, "If we are to achieve our objectives..." or "What is to be done?"
What tense is this? In my understanding, we're talking about the future, but it's a weird sort of "tense" I haven't ...
1
vote
2answers
31 views
Proper tense for 'to be' in non-if conditional clauses [closed]
You will receive your money back under the condition that the product (is / be / will be / ?) returned in the original packaging.
This method removes the constraint that the batteries (are / be / ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
“would” as an auxiliary for present tense conditionals
Both of these sentences feel wrong to me:
if I am alone, I will go today
if I would be alone, I will go today
By looking up some rules, it seems that using would in the protasis is a common mistake,...
0
votes
1answer
419 views
“Are to” and “Have to”
There's a question in an exam paper to which there's only one answer:
Students ______ to make tough decisions after the final exams are out.
Between 'have' and 'are', which most suitably fills ...
3
votes
1answer
79 views
Be we all here?
The passage below is taken from Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy. My question concerns "Now be we all here?". I understand that it means "Now are we all here?". The writer might have left the ...
1
vote
1answer
430 views
Is “I be”, grammatically correct?
Bishop Robert a prominent Hebraist and theologian, with fixed and eccentric opinions about language, wrote "A short introduction to English grammar(1762).
Many schoolroom grammars in use to this day ...
2
votes
1answer
88 views
How to identify subjects and verbs in a sentence? [closed]
"Just as expert carpenters must be thoroughly acquainted with the tools of their craft and artists must have expert knowledge of colors, so good writers must have a thorough understanding of the basic ...
-2
votes
1answer
41 views
Using Be or Being for initial word [closed]
I don't know which word is right for this sentence:
Be at the airport by 4 o'clock to meet him when his flight lands.
or
Being at the airport by 4 o'clock to meet him when his flight lands.
...
1
vote
1answer
10k views
how to answer would you be able to come in for an interview on {date} at {time}? [closed]
how to answer would you be able to come in for an interview on ***date*** at
***time***?
is it okay to use :
I will be available at aforementioned date and time.
or
yes i would.
0
votes
1answer
47 views
to be in present progressive
Sometimes in songs I see sentences in present progressive without verb to be, like - she getting down. Is it right?
1
vote
0answers
61 views
Can I end a sentence with “is”? [duplicate]
I am writing a research paper and intend to write this sentence :
Even a cursory reading of the news reveals how grossly inaccurate that assumption is.
Is that an accurate and appropriate ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
What is the verb 'to be' for the phrase “The mechanics of the mind”?
Should one use "the mechanics of the mind are" or "the mechanics of the mind is?
The term "mechanics", used in this sense, seems to be an uncountable noun.
0
votes
2answers
1k views
“I have been thinking” vs “I am thinking” [closed]
What is the difference between these two
I have been thinking about you.
I am thinking about you.
0
votes
1answer
47 views
Repetition of the verb “to be” after let [duplicate]
If one has multiple sentences all of the form "Let x be y" written successively. Is it grammatically correct to write "and god said "let apples be red, oranges be orange, etc""?. Is it possible to not ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Pronunciation of ‘been’
As a non-native speaker, I often hear the word ‘been’ pronounced as /bɪn/ instead /biːn/ as I expect from the double ‘ee’.
The phonetic transcritpion in the MacMillan dictionary is /biːn/ for the ...
-1
votes
1answer
93 views
URGENT: Can you please help decide the correct verb to be?
Please leave the construction the same way - unless there is something seriously wrong with it - and please help decide the verb:
There IS much information to be reviewed and processed, and more ...
0
votes
1answer
216 views
Can “Made” be used as adjective also? [closed]
Sentence:
1.Sweets are made from milk.
2.This building is made of stone and brick.
In above "made" is adjective or "verb"?
Since "made" is followed by "be verb form" in above sentences.
2
votes
0answers
61 views
Second “To Be” with Irrealis/Past Subjunctive
Assuming that I'm a person who uses irrealis subjunctive, and every part of the example situation is hypothetical, which of the following is more correct?
Option 1: If I were ever in a store where I ...
18
votes
2answers
1k views
Construction of “woe is me”
The expression “woe is me” (meaning) looks strange. On the surface, it seems to mean “an unhappy event is me”. Sure, it's an old idiom, undoubtedly reflecting vocabulary or grammar that is no longer ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
use of “be -ed verb” structure [duplicate]
Could someone explain the grammar to me - use of "be changed" in The report recommends that radar screens be changed. Why it is used like this? What does this usage should express? Where (under what ...
1
vote
1answer
126 views
The usage of “To be”
In this sentence "After 2 years of contribution, the staff held an internal meeting with the director to request that his salary be increased to 2000$ monthly"
I wonder why we use "be" but not "to be"...
1
vote
1answer
228 views
Is “is” in this sentence necessary?
I'm a Chinese student, and in my recent writing exercise, I wrote a sentence as follows:
Maybe he is not capable of conquering the sea now, for his flesh too
weak, his strength so poor and his ...
1
vote
2answers
3k views
Verb do + verb to be + ing form
What are the correct tenses to use in the following sentence between gerund and infinitive?
What I do at this point is ____ home and _____ dinner.
Should I write:
What I do at this point is ...
3
votes
6answers
299 views
“Electricity has a velocity (that is) as high as light’s (is)”
Electricity has a velocity (that is) as high as light’s.
Electricity has a velocity (that is) as high as light’s is.
These two sentences both seem to be correct to me, but I am in doubt about ...
3
votes
1answer
3k views
When to use “not to” or “to not” [duplicate]
Which of these two sets of examples are more correct?
Finally, I decided to not go to the party.
Finally, I decided not to go to the party.
Tell your sister not to worry about the exam.
...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Can passive voice exist without “to be”?
A torpedo sunk the ship.
The ship was sunk.
The ship sunk.
The first is active, the second is passive.
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/quickreference/dash/dashactive.cfm contains the frequently-...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
“Who's been waiting” vs “Who've been waiting”
Which form of this phrase is correct?
for everyone who's been waiting
or
for everyone who've been waiting
I've heard "who's" used more often in this context but "who have" sounds more correct ...
1
vote
1answer
8k views
Is it considered correct usage to end sentences with “is” or "are?
Sometimes, we need to end sentences with "is" or "are" to avoid repetition, but is it correct in formal language?
For example:
Only error-free documents are taken seriously. I will make sure yours ...
-1
votes
1answer
266 views
“to resolve that sth be done” or “to resolve that sth shall be done”?
The Board of Directors of the company has resolved that the capital be raised from 1,000,000 € to 9,000,000 €.
The Board of Directors of the company has resolved that the capital shall be raised from ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
“Should have been us” or “Should have been we”?
I understand that "have been" is a form of the linking verb "to be", so it can only take a predicate nominative. But saying "It should've been us" sounds better.
2
votes
1answer
158 views
Overlapping grammatical interpretations with the verb “to be”
Consider these sentences
The table is clean.
The table is cleaned.
The table is painted.
As I understand, there are two types of sentences here. From the first example, we have a subject the table, ...
0
votes
1answer
401 views
Why is “you was” used in these song lyrics? [closed]
I was listening to a piece of music from Joan Jett called "I hate myself for loving you" and she sang:
"Hey, man, bet you can treat me right.
You just don't know what you was missin' last night."...
1
vote
0answers
88 views
Be + Infinitive Passive Construction
I was wondering if given the formal construction 'be + infinitive' I may do it passive like these:
The president is to be visited by…
or past meaning
He was to be visited (… and he was)
or
...
-2
votes
3answers
134 views
Inverse of 'be'? [closed]
## Context
(I apologize for the technical programmery context. The root of the question is English though)
I have a static class method is that takes in some object and returns whether that object ...
0
votes
2answers
363 views
Being followed by a noun
We are arguing about the following phrase:
"Being the density of the graph a common requirement, both for the regularity lemma and for meaningful metric estimators in large graphs, our experiments ...
1
vote
0answers
2k views
Should it be “is” or “are” in this construction?
One could say:
The audience is cheering.
However, it sounds strange saying:
The audience is the people who are cheering.
Should it be this instead?
The audience are the people who are ...
3
votes
1answer
344 views
Be or Is? That is the question
Whether it 'be' or 'is'?
Whether it be comedy, action, or pure narrative, he surgically hones pictures and sound to that perfect place.
1
vote
4answers
6k views
Plural of 'performance'
I wrote the following sentence in my journal article:
The performance of the new and existing methods are compared.
Then MS Word indicated that I had used 'are' in the aforementioned sentence ...
4
votes
1answer
65 views
What is the difference between “mean” and “be” in regards to mentioning words?
To be specific, a student of mine wrote the sentence "便所 means stool in Japanese" and that didn't seem right to me. "便所 is stool in Japanese" seemed - again, intuitively - right to me. We had a ...
