Difference between revisions of "Be"

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(→‎continuative (be + -ing))
(→‎Forms)
 
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Avertissement:  cette page est destiné à un analyse grammatical du mot "be" :P
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Avertissement:  cette page est destiné à un analyse grammatical du mot "be" 🔌
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=Forms=
  
  
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=Forms=
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*present tense:  <span style="color:#4D0000;">am</span> (1s), <span style="color:#4D0000;">is</span> (3s), <span style="color:#4D0000;">are</span> (1p, 2s/p, 3p)
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*past tense: <span style="color:#4D0000;">was</span> (1s, 3s), <span style="color:#4D0000;">were</span> (1p, 2s/p, 3p)
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*present participle: <span style="color:#4D0000;">being</span>
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*past participle: <span style="color:#4D0000;">been</span>
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*''present'' infinitive / imperative / subjunctive: <span style="color:#4D0000;">be</span>
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*''past'' infinitive: <span style="color:#4D0000;">have been</span>
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*''past'' subjunctive <sup style="font-size:xx-small;">1</sup>: <span style="color:#4D0000;">were</span>
  
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<ul>
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<sup style="font-size:xx-small;">1</sup> <span style="font-size:small;"><span style="color:#4D0000;">be</span> is the only verb in English that has a distinctive subjunctive form, and this is only in the past tense.  Cf.  "If I were a rich man... " [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc| 🎻 ]</span>
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<li>dictionary form (bare infinitive): <span style="color:#4D0000;">be</span></li>
 
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<li>present tense:  <span style="color:#4D0000;">are</span> (1p, 2s/p, 3p), <span style="color:#4D0000;">is</span> (3s), <span style="color:#4D0000;">am</span> (1s)</li>
 
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<li>past tense: <span style="color:#4D0000;">was</span> (1s, 3s), <span style="color:#4D0000;">were</span> (1p, 2s/p, 3p)</li>
 
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</ul>
 
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<br>
 
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<ul>
 
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<li>present participle: <span style="color:#4D0000;">being</span></li>
 
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<li>past participle: <span style="color:#4D0000;">been</span></li>
 
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</ul>
 
  
 
=Major Uses=
 
=Major Uses=
  
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Most fundamentally <i>be</i> is a coupler.  It connects two ideas.  Let's start with this basic understanding and look at what it couples:
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Most fundamentally ''be'' is a copula.  (NP = noun phrase (''syntagme nominal''))
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=copula: syntax=
 
  
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En semantique on parlerait plutôt de l'attribution on parlerait de sa fonction, qui est souvent de lié un sujet à un attribut, un ensemble (ou l'invers)...
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*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">NP '''is''' NP:</span>  ''She is the boss.''
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<ol>
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*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">NP '''is''' AdjP:</span>  ''The cat's paws are muddy.''
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*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">NP '''is''' PP:</span>  ''Your keys are on the table.''
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*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">NP '''is''' Particle:</span> ''The sun is up.  The network was down.  The doctor may be in.''
  
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<li>It's a worktool. (NP)</li>
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*introduces present & past <span style="color:darkgreen;font-weight:bold;font-variant:small-caps;">participles</span>
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<li>A worktool, is it?</li><br>
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:*present participle (<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">-ing</span>)
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:::The present participle can be interpreted as a verb, a noun (usually called a gerund), or an adjective.
  
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<li>The door is open. (Adj)</li>
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:::*He was writing.  (V)
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<li>They're sick.</li><br>
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:::*This is (his) writing. (N)
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:::*It is interesting. (Adj)
  
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<li>The machine is breaking. (You can hear it.)  (Present Participle)
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:::Only the first is considered ''verbal''.
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<li>The machine is broken.  (Past participle)</li><br>
 
  
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<li>Is Raymond in?  (Particle)</li>
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:::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. 
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<li>Mark isn't. (negation) (VP ellipsis)</li><br>
 
  
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<li>These ideas aren't mine.  (sujet parlant est bizarrement attribut du sujet grammatical)</li><br>
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:::<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be + -ing</span> derives historically from <span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be + on + <i>-ing</i></span></span>
  
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<li>Were they <u>to lose the lawsuit</u>, they would probably go bankrupt. (Infintival expressing a condition)<br>
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:*past participle (<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">-en / -ed</span>)
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<li>They were to lose in the end. (infinitival expressing a historical fact known to the storyteller)
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:::The past participle is more like a photograph than a movie. Together with <span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be</span>, it forms the passive voice.  
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</ol>
 
  
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=introduces partiples and participials=
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:::*Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated.
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:::*Everything was frozen.
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:::*It was golden.  (cf. adjectives like ''wooden, rotten'')
  
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==continuative (be + -<i>ing</i>)==
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:::The mediopassive can be formed with <span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">get</span>.
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:::*My parents <span style="color:darkgreen;font-variant:small-caps;">got</span> <s><span style="font-size:x-small;color:gray;">(already)</span></s> married in 1968.
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:::*My parents <span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">were</span> <span style="font-size:x-small;color:gray;">(already)</span> married in 1980..
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:::*My parents <span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">are</span> <span style="font-size:x-small;color:gray;">(still)</span> married in 2019.
  
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Much has been said about this active voice tense. Present tense participles following the copula are common.  The participle can be interpreted as a verb, a noun (usually called a gerund), or an adjective.
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*introduces various modal structures with (<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">to</span>)
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="font-size:x-small;color:gray;">un</span><span style="color:indigo;">'''able'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} -- ''être capable de'', ''pouvoir''
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="color:indigo;">'''about'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} -- ''être sur le point de''
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="color:indigo;">'''easy'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} -- ''être facile (de / à)''
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="color:indigo;">'''difficult'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} --  ''être difficile (de / à)''
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="font-size:x-small;color:gray;">un</span><span style="color:indigo;">'''likely'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} -- ''être probable que''
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="color:indigo;">'''supposed'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} -- ''être censé''
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:*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">be <span style="font-size:x-small;color:gray;">un</span><span style="color:indigo;">'''willing'''</span> to</span> {<span style="color:darkgrey;font-variant:small-caps;">verb</span>} -- ''vouloir bien''
  
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*He was writing.  (V)
 
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*This is (his) writing. (N)
 
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*It is interesting. (Adj)
 
  
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Only the first is considered verbal.
 
  
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The term "continuative" is inappropriate in some ways:  <i>(keep) (on)</i> would perhaps be better candidates.  In other ways, it is very apt historically because <i>be + -ing</i> derives etymologically from <span style="color:goldenrod;">be + on + <i>-ing</i></span>
 
  
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==passive voice marker (be + -<i>en</i>)==
 
  
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*Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated.
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[[Category:100-en]]
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*Everything was frozen.
 
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*It was golden.  (ADJ, (predicate adjective))
 

Latest revision as of 22:08, 23 December 2019

Avertissement: cette page est destiné à un analyse grammatical du mot "be" 🔌

Forms

  • 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
  • present infinitive / imperative / subjunctive: be
  • past infinitive: have been
  • past subjunctive 1: were

1 be is the only verb in English that has a distinctive subjunctive form, and this is only in the past tense. Cf. "If I were a rich man... " 🎻

Major Uses

Most fundamentally be is a copula. (NP = noun phrase (syntagme nominal))

  • NP is NP: She is the boss.
  • NP is AdjP: The cat's paws are muddy.
  • NP is PP: Your keys are on the table.
  • NP 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. Together with be, it forms the passive voice.
  • Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated.
  • Everything was frozen.
  • It was golden. (cf. adjectives like wooden, rotten)
The mediopassive can be formed with get.
  • My parents got (already) married in 1968.
  • My parents were (already) married in 1980..
  • My parents are (still) married in 2019.
  • introduces various modal structures with (to)
  • be unable to {verb} -- être capable de, pouvoir
  • be about to {verb} -- être sur le point de
  • be easy to {verb} -- être facile (de / à)
  • be difficult to {verb} -- être difficile (de / à)
  • be unlikely to {verb} -- être probable que
  • be supposed to {verb} -- être censé
  • be unwilling to {verb} -- vouloir bien
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