Questions tagged [be]
For questions relating to the verb to be.
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0answers
80 views
What are the naunces of the placement of 'be' in the following two sentences?
I'm translating a bit of dialogue (from Japanese to English, in case anyone was wondering) in which Character A is speaking to character B. The possible translations I came up with are:
"There’s no ...
0
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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?
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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
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1answer
138 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?
0
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1answer
35 views
Is it correct to say “the origins of {X} was…”?
In the following sentence, is it correct the use of the verb was?
As both Engines of Privilege and another new book on the top tier of private schools, Gilded Youth by James Brooke-Smith, explain, ...
2
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3answers
103 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
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0answers
51 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
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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 ...
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3answers
122 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
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2answers
329 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
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1answer
193 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 ...
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2answers
29 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
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1answer
70 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,...
-1
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1answer
254 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
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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
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1answer
216 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
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1answer
81 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 ...
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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
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1answer
8k 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.
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1answer
45 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
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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
54 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.
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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
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1answer
46 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
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1answer
1k 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 ...
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1answer
85 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 ...
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0answers
43 views
Be verb v.s. Represent
I am writing a formal paper (science journal) that contains a lot of mathematical equations.
People use the word 'represents' and 'is' to describe the variable. For example,
We define a set by A = ...
0
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1answer
191 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
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0answers
60 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
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1answer
92 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"...
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1answer
220 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 ...
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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
298 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
2k 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
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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-...
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2answers
2k 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
7k 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 ...
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votes
1answer
256 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
78 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
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1answer
152 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
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1answer
379 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
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0answers
86 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
...
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3answers
133 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
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2answers
347 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 ...
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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
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1answer
315 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
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4answers
5k 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
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1answer
60 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 ...
