Verbs hold a very important part in communication, especially in English. They are those words that are responsible for expressing actions. Some of the common examples of verbs that describe an action of a subject speak, jump, run etc. Among all the other verbs that are present, the phrase that is most commonly used in the English language is the verb "to be".
Initially learning a verb, especially a verb to be, seems to be difficult for children. The concept of verbs might be a little difficult for some kids to understand but through constant repetition using different exercises and activities learning becomes easy and fun. As the verb to be is used very frequently and for a lot of other different purposes, it is very important for the kids to learn this particular verb.
Illustration of “to be” Verb
How to Use the “to be” Verb
The "To be" verb is basically used to describe someone or something. In English, it can be used to express different things which are in accordance with the context. The most common use of the verb "to be" is to talk about nationality, names, age, feelings and professions, especially when talking in the present tense.
The most tricky part of this verb is that it is one of the most irregular verbs that is used in the English language. Unlike many of the verbs which barely change when used for different subjects either for different tenses and when they do change the following definite pattern but to be verb completely changes in most of its forms.
Forms of “to be”
The to be verb is written according to the tense of the verb whether it is past tense, future tense or even in mixed tenses since this word is highly regular in nature. They also vary with the subject. Let's see which form the verb takes when used next to the subject.
Base form: Be
This is one of the most basic forms of the verb that we can find in the dictionary. It is mostly used when using imperatives and also as infinitives. Some of the examples are:
Be nice to everyone. (imperative)
I like to be at home. (infinitive)
Present form
Here “to be” is mainly used for simple present and its form and meaning can change depending on its use of it in the context. The present form of the “to be” verb can be shortened when used in the simple present form.
So here is the entire table of to be for all the subjects in both long and short forms for negative as well as affirmative sentences:
Few of the examples of these sentences with the “to be” verb:
She is Naina.
He is 12 years of age.
Naina is very happy today.
We are not from Australia.
You are not a singer, you are a painter.
Illustration of "to be" Verb in the Present
Past: Was/Were
When we are talking about the past tense, the “to be” verb changes its form again. There is a table of how it appears with the different subject pronouns.
Few of the examples of these sentences with the “to be” verb:
I was at home yesterday.
You were 12 years old last year.
Naina and Raju were students, now they are engineers.
It was cloudy a while ago.
Past Participle: Been
This is the form of the “to be” verb used with the perfect and passive tenses, and it is the same for all the subjects. It is also used in the form of adjectives sometimes.
I have been busy all day.
Sita and Geeta have been studying for an hour.
He has been teaching for a year now.
Continuous: Being
To make a continuous tense this continuous form of the verb is used in English. It is the same for all the subjects just like the past participle.
Rani is being Helpful
Passive Form
In both present and past forms of the verb ‘to be’ can be used to make passive sentences.
His house was built in the mountains
The program is being recorded right now.
Conclusion
To conclude, verbs are an integral part of a sentence. Proper usage of verbs helps us to understand the sentence structure. It builds a strong foundation in the process of writing and speaking English. The ‘to be’ verb helps students to learn the basics of verb and their usage.
We hope this article is useful for the kids. To read more such informative articles, visit our website.
玻璃钢生产厂家团风玻璃钢造型雕塑南阳玻璃钢雕塑工艺浙江佛像玻璃钢雕塑优势湖州玻璃钢雕塑销售厂家北京玻璃钢雕塑合作松原玻璃钢雕塑生产厂家徐州玻璃钢雕塑联系方式南京常见玻璃钢花盆玻璃钢花盆和瓷盆哪个好玻璃钢人像雕塑平台费用多少玻璃钢雕塑网红店马鞍山玻璃钢雕塑制作厂家泡沫玻璃钢彩绘雕塑定做九江户内玻璃钢雕塑订做价格商场顶上美陈挂饰南宁创意玻璃钢雕塑订做价格玻璃钢仿真水果雕塑多少钱东莞玻璃钢机器人雕塑汽车商场美陈需要什么物料灰色玻璃钢花盆厂家清镇玻璃钢雕塑价格重庆创意玻璃钢雕塑销售厂家湛江玻璃钢雕塑定制厂家雕塑师玻璃钢模具师招聘长宁区进口玻璃钢雕塑诚信企业广水玻璃钢雕塑杞县玻璃钢花盆花器海南节日商场美陈玻璃钢主题雕塑制作厂泉州买玻璃钢雕塑在哪里最多香港通过《维护国家安全条例》两大学生合买彩票中奖一人不认账让美丽中国“从细节出发”19岁小伙救下5人后溺亡 多方发声单亲妈妈陷入热恋 14岁儿子报警汪小菲曝离婚始末遭遇山火的松茸之乡雅江山火三名扑火人员牺牲系谣言何赛飞追着代拍打萧美琴窜访捷克 外交部回应卫健委通报少年有偿捐血浆16次猝死手机成瘾是影响睡眠质量重要因素高校汽车撞人致3死16伤 司机系学生315晚会后胖东来又人满为患了小米汽车超级工厂正式揭幕中国拥有亿元资产的家庭达13.3万户周杰伦一审败诉网易男孩8年未见母亲被告知被遗忘许家印被限制高消费饲养员用铁锨驱打大熊猫被辞退男子被猫抓伤后确诊“猫抓病”特朗普无法缴纳4.54亿美元罚金倪萍分享减重40斤方法联合利华开始重组张家界的山上“长”满了韩国人？张立群任西安交通大学校长杨倩无缘巴黎奥运“重生之我在北大当嫡校长”黑马情侣提车了专访95后高颜值猪保姆考生莫言也上北大硕士复试名单了网友洛杉矶偶遇贾玲专家建议不必谈骨泥色变沉迷短剧的人就像掉进了杀猪盘奥巴马现身唐宁街 黑色着装引猜测七年后宇文玥被薅头发捞上岸事业单位女子向同事水杯投不明物质凯特王妃现身！外出购物视频曝光河南驻马店通报西平中学跳楼事件王树国卸任西安交大校长 师生送别恒大被罚41.75亿到底怎么缴男子被流浪猫绊倒 投喂者赔24万房客欠租失踪 房东直发愁西双版纳热带植物园回应蜉蝣大爆发钱人豪晒法院裁定实锤抄袭外国人感慨凌晨的中国很安全胖东来员工每周单休无小长假白宫：哈马斯三号人物被杀测试车高速逃费 小米：已补缴老人退休金被冒领16年 金额超20万
FAQs on The Verb “to be” for Kids
1. How do you explain the verb “to be”?
Are, am, is, was, were, been and being are all to be verbs. They are basically used to describe the condition of the people, things, places and ideas to us. For instance, they could tell us the nationality of the subject of the job or other traits of the subject including the age of the subject.
2. What kind of verb is be?
It is considered as an irregular verb because the past simple and the past participle of this verb do not end in “ed”.