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Questions tagged [be]

For questions relating to the verb to be.

187 questions
3
votes
2 answers

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 that sentence correct? I used it in this below…
Tam
  • 51
2
votes
1 answer

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.
vyllek
  • 29
0
votes
2 answers

Need help distinguishing auxiliary 'be' vs main verb phrase 'be'

"The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad." Is the 'be' in the sentence above an auxiliary 'be' or is it serving a main phrase verb? From my textbook, the auxiliary 'be' occurs before the present participle of…
user396883
0
votes
1 answer

Use of is/are in sentences where you talk about two things - one singular and other plural

This recently came up when chatting with a colleague who moved companies. I asked "How is your manager and teammates?" Later I thought if I should've used "How are your manager and teammates?" Which one is correct?
harun_a
  • 109
0
votes
3 answers

Term for the different uses of "are": one which applies an adjective independently, and one which denotes a relationship

There are definitely at least two ways in which the word "are" is used. Consider the following: Book A and Book B are red. vs Book A and Book B are similar. In the first use, it is applying an adjective independently to multiple objects. You…
extremeaxe5
  • 344
0
votes
1 answer

Repetition of the verb "to be" after let

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 repeat the verb "to be" and to simply write "let…
omar
  • 111
0
votes
1 answer

What is basic use of "be to"

I would like to know what is the basic use of "be to" mainly in reference to the present or future. Any suggestion is highly appreciated. like: How is this to be avoided? You are to come tomorrow.
user166746
0
votes
1 answer

"it seems incorrect for me" vs "it seems to be incorrect for me"

Would it be correct if I said "it seems incorrect for me"? Should I prefer the following form "it seems to be incorrect for me".
BergP
  • 127
0
votes
2 answers

cleft sentence + to be verb

It's in London that he met his wife - I've got this sentence in my grammar book under cleft sentences. It's just one of many. I was wondering if it's possible to use to be verb (I've got no single example). It's from London that I am. Would that be…
Dunno
  • 639
-1
votes
1 answer

When should I use the verb to be in this way?

Sentence: WOW, an Icelandic budget airline, is to start fares from US to Ireland for less than $350 return, including all taxes. Source. So, why did the writer use the infinitive form of the verb TO BE in that sentence? What's the meaning? Also, for…
iatowks
  • 101
-1
votes
1 answer

Purpose of "being"

What is the grammatical reason for the following use of the word being? Thank you for willing to come : (wrong, I know) Thank you for being willing to come : (right) But what is the grammatical reason for inserting being here?
alphadev
  • 127