be
part of speech
verb (be; am, is, are; was, were; been; being; short forms I'm, he's, they're, isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't)
meaning for a pupil
1) To be means to exist, to be there: There is a cat in the garden. tree →
2) To be tells what someone or something is like: She is tall. The soup is hot. tree →
3) To be tells where something is: The keys are on the table. tree →
4) To be tells someone's age or job: Ben is 7. Mum is a doctor. tree →
5) Be also helps other verbs: I am running; the cake was eaten. tree →
6) In maths «is» often means «equals»: 3 + 4 is 7. tree →
7) (casual) In chatty speech forms of be are dropped or bent: «you coming?», «we was late», «them sweets is 2 dollar», «ain't» for «isn't» or «am not»; (US casual) «I'm like» and «she was all» mean «I said» and «she said». tree →
8) (formal) The exam voice uses be in stiff passive and «shall be» forms: «It is given that …», «A total of 12 apples is distributed …», «Answers shall be expressed in whole numbers». tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the old translation it also stands for the old forms like "shall be" and "are", which tell what will happen or what is true. Interpretation: The words "These are the generations" begin a new section of the Torah's story. Tradition reads "shall be" as a command and a promise from God. In the primary lessons: saying what is on the table or in a group, now or before («There were 9 apples», «How many are there now?»); in maths «is» often means equals: 3 + 4 is 7; in everyday life «be careful», «be quiet», «be kind», «there is / there are», «be back soon»; in science «Water is a liquid»; in casual talk dropped or bent forms («you okay?», «we was», «ain't»); in rough talk «be quiet» becomes «shut up»; in the exam voice the passive «is distributed», «is given», «shall be»
examples
- These are the generations of Noah. (Torah GEN.6.9, JPS 1917) tree →
- These are the generations of Shem. (Torah GEN.11.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- These are the sons of Adah. (Torah GEN.36.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- So his strength was not known. (Prophets JDG.16.9, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the days were not expired; (Prophets 1SA.18.26, JPS 1917) tree →
- And I answered: Here am I. (Prophets 2SA.1.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- How many apples are on the table? tree →
- There were 9 apples. Tom ate 1 of them. tree →
- There are 5 rows with 4 chairs in each row. tree →
- Ben is 7 and Kate is 10. tree →
- Three plus four is seven. tree →
- Be careful near the pool. tree →
- I am hungry; are you? tree →
- The children were very happy at the zoo. tree →
- Ice is frozen water. tree →
- you coming or what? bus is here tree →
- them sweets is 2 dollar each, we ain't got enough tree →
- It is given that a quantity of 9 apples was present upon the table, of which 1 was subsequently consumed. tree →
- "Why are you knocking me about?" tree →
note
«There were N» gives the starting amount; «there are N … and N …» lists parts. The verb itself is no clue; the tense shows start (was, were) versus now (is, are). Trap: «is 3 more than» is a comparison that still needs reading. Forms: I am, you are, he/she/it is, we/they are; past: I/he was, you/we/they were. Say «there are 5 apples», not «there is 5 apples»; «we was» and «ain't» are heard in casual talk but are not standard English. «It is given that» in an exam just introduces the facts. In a passive sentence («was eaten by Tom») the doer comes after «by».
In the corpora
- And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light.
- And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
- And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
- And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
- And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «be» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.