The Verb "Be"

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The verb be takes on different forms in the present and past.

I He She It You They we

Present am is is is are are are

Contraction 'm 's 's 's 're 're 're

Past was was was was were were were

The verb be indicates existence, temporary condition or permanent status.

It is really hot today.
Grady's not here right now.
Greg and Tim are engineers.
Trudy was sick yesterday.
Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean.

The base form is be, the past participle is been, and the -ing form is being.

I'll be back tomorrow.
He has been a doctor since 1998.
She is being nice today.

The verb be is also used in progressive tenses, passives and prepositional collocations:

Progressive tenses:

He is writing a letter to his brother.
Jeff was cleaning the house this morning.
The Holleys have been living there since April.

Passive voice:

The people were surprised by the news.
Craig was stopped by the policeman.

Prepositional collocations:

Tracy is fond of chocolates.
Cassie is not afraid of snakes.
I'm interested in making money.

For Practice: See

The Verb "To Be" (from The Internet TESL Journal)

See also: Vocabulary: Be Verbs

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