Difference between revisions of "Be"
From Creolista!
(→introduces present & past participles) |
(→Major Uses) |
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*<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' P:</span> ''The sun is up. The network is down. The story is out.'' | *<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">Subject '''is''' P:</span> ''The sun is up. The network is down. The story is out.'' | ||
− | *introduces present & past participles (-ing | + | *introduces present & past participles |
+ | :*present participle (<span style="color:darkgreen;font-variant:small-caps;">-ing</span> | ||
+ | :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. | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | ::<span style="color:darkgreen;font-variant:small-caps;">be + -ing</span> derives historically from <span style="color:green;">be + on + <i>-ing</i></span> | |
− | + | :*past participle (<span style="color:darkblue;font-variant:small-caps;">-en / -ed</span>) | |
+ | ::The past participle is more like a photograph than a movie. | ||
− | + | ::*Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated. | |
− | + | ::*Everything was frozen. | |
− | + | ::*It was golden. (ADJ, (predicate adjective)) | |
− | |||
− | *Lincoln and Kennedy were both assassinated. | ||
− | *Everything was frozen. | ||
− | *It was golden. (ADJ, (predicate adjective)) | ||
Revision as of 11:31, 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 P: The sun is up. The network is down. The story is out.
- 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. (ADJ, (predicate adjective))