be
be — verb
1. to give someone's or something's name, kind, quality, owner, price, or value
to give someone's or something's name, kind, quality, owner, price, or value
Noa is our new science teacher this year.
be + noun phrase for identity or job
The soup is too hot for the children now.
be + adjective for temporary state
That red bike by the gate is Nina's, not mine.
be + possessive for ownership
Two balcony tickets are sixty dollars tonight after tax.
be + number for price
The hardest part is saying goodbye at the station.
be + -ing clause
- be a teacher
- be happy
- be mine
- be sixty dollars
- be the hardest part
Grammar Patterns
be + noun phrase
be + adjective
be + possessive
be + number/price
be + -ing clause
Usage Note
This is the broad linking sense of be. Use it for names, jobs, qualities, prices, ownership, and similar descriptions; use sense 2 when the main idea is location or time, and sense 3 when the main idea is material.
Common Mistakes
2. to show where someone or something is, where they come from, or when an event ha
to show where someone or something is, where they come from, or when an event happens
Our car is in the school parking lot.
be + prepositional phrase for location
Mei is from Tainan, but her parents are from Hualien.
be from + place
The concert is on Friday at the city park.
be + time and place
Most of the family was at the wedding in Taichung.
The keys are still on the kitchen shelf.
collocation: still be + place
- be at home
- be in the car
- be from Taipei
- be on Friday
- be at the wedding
- leave
describes going away from a place instead of being there
Grammar Patterns
be + adverb/prepositional phrase
be from + place
be at + event
be + time expression
Usage Note
The verb is usually followed by a place phrase such as 'in the bag' or 'at school'. For origin, English normally uses 'be from'.
Common Mistakes
3. to show the material or parts that make something up
to show the material or parts that make something up
The ring is made of silver from my grandfather's shop.
be made of + material
Most school desks here are made of wood and steel.
The toy dinosaur is plastic, so Ben can wash it easily.
be + material adjective/noun
This soup is mostly beans, tomatoes, and garlic.
- be made of wood
- be made from milk
- be plastic
- be stone
- consist of
works well for listed parts or ingredients, not for simple material labels
- be made from
closer when the source material is changed by a process
Grammar Patterns
be made of + material
be made from + material
be + material
Usage Note
Common with 'made of' when the material stays recognizable, and with 'made from' when the original material changes form. Distinguish from sense 1, where be gives a general description rather than naming the material.
Common Mistakes
4. to show that a rule, an order, or a person in charge says someone must or must n
to show that a rule, an order, or a person in charge says someone must or must not do something
Students are to leave their phones in the blue box.
be to + infinitive for official instructions
The driver was not to stop near the bridge at night.
negative order: be not to + infinitive
What are we to do with the wet tents now?
question form with be to
Each visitor is to show a photo ID at the gate.
The twins were to stay inside until their father returned.
- be to leave
- be not to touch
- what are we to do
- be to show ID
- must
the direct everyday way to express obligation
- have to
common in speech for outside rules or necessity
- be supposed to
often softer and less official than this pattern
- may
gives permission instead of an order
Grammar Patterns
be to + infinitive
be not to + infinitive
what am/is/are + subject + to + infinitive?
Usage Note
Common in rules, instructions, and firm statements from parents, teachers, officials, or written notices. Unlike sense 5, this sense gives an obligation rather than just announcing a plan.
Common Mistakes
5. to announce or report an official plan or expected future event
to announce or report an official plan or expected future event
The mayor is to open the new library on Monday.
announcement: be to + infinitive
Three rescue boats are to arrive before sunrise.
Lena was to meet the buyer at noon, but the train was late.
was to + infinitive for a planned event
The two teams are to play again next weekend.
Dr. Wu is to speak at the school hall tomorrow.
- be to open
- be to arrive
- be to speak
- be to play
- be going to
neutral everyday future form, less formal than this pattern
- be due to
often used when a time is expected or scheduled
- be scheduled to
more explicit about timetables and formal arrangements
Grammar Patterns
be to + infinitive for scheduled future
was/were to + infinitive
Usage Note
This pattern is common in news reports, public notices, and formal schedules. Distinguish it from sense 4: here the speaker reports an arrangement, not an order.
Common Mistakes
6. to talk about a possible future situation, especially one you are only imagining
to talk about a possible future situation, especially one you are only imagining
If the old dam were to break, the lower farms would flood.
if + were to for hypothetical future
If I were to refuse, Aunt Helen would ask many questions.
Were the bus to leave now, half the class would miss it.
formal inversion: were + subject + to
If the lights were to fail again, the show would stop.
If Nora were to win, she would give the money away.
- if I were to
- if the bridge were to collapse
- were she to refuse
- if ... should
another formal way to mention a possible future case
- might
shows possibility, but it does not create the same if-clause pattern
Grammar Patterns
if + subject + were to + infinitive
were + subject + to + infinitive
Usage Note
Most common in careful or formal writing, especially with 'if ... were to'. It usually suggests a future case that is imagined rather than expected.
Common Mistakes
7. to say that something can be seen, found, heard, or done
to say that something can be seen, found, heard, or done
Fresh bread is to be found at the market after six.
formal be to be found
The full report is to be seen on the hospital website.
Rare winter birds are to be heard near the river at dawn.
be to be heard for possibility
The answer is to be found in the last line.
- be to be found
- be to be seen
- be to be heard
- cannot
shows that something is impossible instead of possible
Grammar Patterns
be to be + past participle
Usage Note
Most common in formal writing and museum, travel, or report style. Unlike sense 5, it means 'can' rather than 'will'.
Common Mistakes
8. to have real existence, or in formal style to remain alive
to have real existence, or in formal style to remain alive
Two of the camp's oldest trees were no more after the storm.
formal expression: be no more
After the fire, the old pier was no more by morning.
expression: be no more
By the time the letter arrived, Uncle Ken had ceased to be.
expression: cease to be
Without rain, this grassland would soon cease to be.
- should never be
- cease to be
- be no more
Grammar Patterns
should never be
cease to be
be no more
Usage Note
This use is limited and formal. In ordinary speech, people usually say 'exist', 'be alive', 'die', or 'disappear' instead.
Common Mistakes
as/that was
idiomUsed to refer to a previous name or status of someone or something.
Anna Smith, as was, now goes by her married name.
The country, that was, no longer exists on the map.
The most important or essential part of something.
Winning the championship is not the be-all and end-all of his career.
For many, money is the be-all and end-all of happiness.
Used to express surprise or annoyance about someone's action.
Tom has been and broken my favorite vase!
She's been and eaten all the cake before the party.
Used to say that someone or something prevented something from happening.
If it weren't for the rain, we would have gone hiking.
If it wasn't for your help, I would have failed the exam.
Used to accept a negative situation that cannot be changed.
The project failed, but it is what it is.
We lost the game, but it is what it is.
To stop bothering or interfering with someone or something.
Leave the cat be; it's sleeping peacefully.
Let the issue be for now; we can discuss it later.
-to-be
idiomThis suffix describes someone who will become something in the future.
Mia congratulated her sister, the bride-to-be, at the party.
The doctor gave advice to all the mothers-to-be in the class.
be — auxiliary verb
1. used with another verb in the -ing form to mark an action or situation as contin
used with another verb in the -ing form to mark an action or situation as continuing around a time
The children are playing cards on the kitchen floor.
be + present participle
At eight o'clock, Mr. Ruiz was driving home through heavy rain.
past continuous with was
I will be waiting outside the station at noon.
future continuous with will be
We have been painting the back wall since breakfast.
present perfect continuous
- be working
- be waiting
- be raining
- have been painting
- stop
shows an action ending instead of continuing
Grammar Patterns
be + present participle
have been + present participle
will be + present participle
Usage Note
This is the be that forms continuous tenses. It combines with the -ing form of the main verb and is different from sense 1 of the main verb, where be itself carries the meaning.
Common Mistakes
2. used with a past participle to build a sentence that focuses on the receiver of
used with a past participle to build a sentence that focuses on the receiver of an action
The front gate was locked before the last bus arrived.
passive: be + past participle
Our class photo is printed at school every June.
The missing dog was found near the river yesterday.
passive with past event
Lunch will be served in the garden at one.
future passive
Several windows had been broken during the storm.
past perfect passive
- be called
- be built
- be served
- be found
- active voice
puts the doer in subject position instead of the receiver
Grammar Patterns
be + past participle
will be + past participle
have been + past participle
Usage Note
Use this pattern when the result or receiver matters more than the doer, or when the doer is unknown. The main verb must be in its past participle form.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- beingnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
'Be' is the basic linking verb. It simply states a fact, identity, or condition: 'Mina is tired.' 'Seem' is weaker because it reports appearance or impression, not certainty: 'Mina seems tired' may only be your guess. 'Become' adds change over time: 'Mina became tired after the trip' means the state started later. 'Remain' adds no change: 'Mina remained tired' means the state continued. All four can stand before adjectives, and some can stand before noun phrases, but only 'be' works as the neutral default in almost every situation. Compare: 'Ken is a doctor', 'Ken seems calm', 'Ken became a doctor', and 'Ken remained calm after the crash.'
Common collocations
Adverbs
- still be
- already be
- never be
Phrases
- be made of
- be no more
- cease to be
Prepositions
- be at
- be for
- be from
- be in
- be to
Etymology
Modern English 'be' is a mixed verb built from more than one very old source. Old English used forms from verbs like 'beon' and 'wesan', and later English kept that blend instead of leveling it into one regular pattern. That is why the verb still has very different forms such as 'am', 'is', 'are', 'was', and 'were'. One ancient root originally meant 'grow' or 'come into being', while another meant simply 'exist'. Those old stems merged early in the history of English and produced the unusual family of forms we use today.