Time Forms Place Somebody/Something She's Great I Important

• today is monday.
• ‘who is that?’ ‘it's my brother.’
• she's a great beauty.
• susan is a doctor.

be

Verb Forms

1. used when you are naming people or things, describing them or giving more information about them
• Today is Monday.
• ‘Who is that?’ ‘It's my brother.’
• She's a great beauty.
• Susan is a doctor.
• He wants to be (= become) a pilot when he grows up.
• It's beautiful!
• Life is unfair.
• He is ten years old.
• ‘How are you?’ ‘I'm very well, thanks.’
• Be quick!
• The fact is (that) we don’t have enough money.
• The problem is getting it all done in the time available.
• The problem is to get it all done in the time available.
2. used when you are describing a situation or saying what you think about it
• It was really hot in the sauna.
• It's strange how she never comes to see us any more.
• He thinks it's clever to make fun of people.
• It would be a shame if you lost it.
• It's going to be a great match.
3. to exist; to be present
• Is there a God?
• Once upon a time there was a princess…
• I tried phoning but there was no answer.
• There's a bank down the road.
• Was there a pool at the hotel?
4. to be located; to be in a place
• The town is three miles away.
• If you're looking for your file, it's on the table.
• Mary's upstairs.
5. used to say where somebody was born or where their home is
• She's from Italy.
6. to happen at a time or in a place
• The party is on Friday evening.
• The meetings are always in the main conference room.
7. to remain in a place
• She has been in her room for hours.
• They're here till Christmas.
8. to attend an event; to be present in a place
• I'll be at the party.
• He'll be here soon (= will arrive soon).
9. used to talk about time
• It's two thirty.
• It was late at night when we finally arrived.
10. to cost
• ‘How much is that dress?’ ‘Eighty dollars.’
11. to be equal to
• Three and three is six.
• How much is a thousand pounds in euros?
• Let x be the sum of a and b.
• London is not England (= do not think that all of England is like London).
12. to visit or call
• I've never been to Spain.
• He had been abroad many times.
• Has the postman been yet?
13. used to say what something is made of
• Is your jacket real leather?
14. used to say who something belongs to or who it is intended for
• The money's not yours, it's John's.
• This package is for you.
15. used to say how important something is to somebody
• Money isn't everything (= it is not the only important thing).
• A thousand dollars is nothing to somebody as rich as he is.
16. as somebody/something used to be called
• Jill Davis that was (= before her marriage)
• the Soviet Union, as was
17. the most important part; all that matters
• Her career is the be-all and end-all of her existence.
18. used to show that you are surprised and annoyed by something that somebody has done
• SEE ALSO go and do something
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/go_1
• Someone's been and parked in front of the entrance!
19. used to say that somebody/something stopped somebody/something from happening
• If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive today.
20. used to show that you accept that something negative cannot be changed
• I never imagined that our company share prices would fall so low, but it is what it is.
21. to leave somebody/something alone without bothering them/it
• Leave her be, she obviously doesn't want to talk about it.
• Let the poor dog be (= don't annoy it).
22. future
• his bride-to-be
• mothers-to-be (= pregnant women)

Word Origin

• Old English bēon, an irregular and defective verb, whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs. The forms am and is are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sum and est. The forms was and were are from an Indo-European root meaning ‘remain’. The forms be and been are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin fui ‘I was’, fio ‘I become’, and Greek phuein ‘bring forth, cause to grow’. The origin of are is uncertain.