Difference between revisions of "Be"
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*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' AdjP:</span> ''The cat's paws are muddy.'' | *<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' AdjP:</span> ''The cat's paws are muddy.'' | ||
*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' PP:</span> ''Your keys are on the table.'' | *<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' PP:</span> ''Your keys are on the table.'' | ||
− | *<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' | + | *<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' Particle:</span> ''The sun is up. The network was down. The doctor may be in.'' |
*introduces present & past participles | *introduces present & past participles |
Revision as of 11:49, 23 December 2019
Avertissement: cette page est destiné à un analyse grammatical du mot "be" :P
Forms
- dictionary form (bare infinitive): be
- present tense: am (1s), is (3s), are (1p, 2s/p, 3p)
- past tense: was (1s, 3s), were (1p, 2s/p, 3p)
- present participle: being
- past participle: been
Major Uses
Most fundamentally be is a copula.
- Subject is NP: She is the boss.
- Subject is AdjP: The cat's paws are muddy.
- Subject is PP: Your keys are on the table.
- Subject is Particle: The sun is up. The network was down. The doctor may be in.
- introduces present & past participles
- present participle (-ing)
- The present participle can be interpreted as a verb, a noun (usually called a gerund), or an adjective.
- He was writing. (V)
- This is (his) writing. (N)
- It is interesting. (Adj)
- Only the first is considered verbal.
- The use of be + ing usually implies that the speaker is putting the listener in the middle of the action (in medias res): the speaker or writer is like a filmmaker recording an action. Alternately, it can indicate a series of occurrences.
- be + -ing derives historically from be + on + -ing
- past participle (-en / -ed)
- The past participle is more like a photograph than a movie.
- Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated.
- Everything was frozen.
- It was golden. (cf. adjectives like wooden, rotten)
- introduces various modal structures with (to)
- be unable to -- être capable de, pouvoir
- be about to -- être sur le point de
- be easy to -- être facile (de / à)
- be difficult to -- être difficile (de / à)
- be unlikely to -- être probable que
- be supposed to -- être censé
- be unwilling to -- vouloir bien