Modal verb to be in interrogative sentences. Using the modal verb be to in English
The modal verb be to cannot be called frequently used, since it is used more in literary and journalistic speech than in free conversation. However, for the British this construction is “alive” in everyday speech, so you should know its meaning and the main nuances of use.
The verb be to has the same general meaning as the verb must, but their semantic shades differ significantly from each other. For example, in official matters the first option is most often used. A distinctive feature of the use of be to is the presence of facts provided for by the schedule, protocols or other official norms. Therefore, most often the need to use be to can be determined by the context.
He is to get married soon. - He should get married soon.
The movie is to begin today at five o’clock in the evening. – The film should start today at five o’clock in the evening.
The decision is to be accepted tomorrow at ten o’clock in the morning. – The decision must be made tomorrow at ten in the morning.
They are to get a 25% rise this year. – This year they should receive a 25% increase.
If the be to construction is used in everyday conversation, then most often it has the same semantic load as have to. In this case, be to only emphasizes the presence of some kind of need. However, you need to look at the context, since sometimes be to can indicate the presence of an order that must be executed. In a sense, this construction is an addition to the verb must.
He must make these mathematical examples now. He is to hand it today in the afternoon. – He must do these mathematical examples now. He is due to hand them in this afternoon.
Often the form be to is used in various social protocols when a person needs to be pitied or congratulated, regardless of whether this is a moral obligation or necessity.
You are to be pitied. - We can feel sorry for you.
She is to be congratulated. “She deserves congratulations.”
Also, the modal verb be to can mean intention, desire or goal, but in this case the sentence must be built according to the if-clauses scheme.
If he is to pass all exams, he must study hard. If he wants to pass all the exams, he must study a lot.
Particular attention should be paid to cases where the verb be to is used to indicate an assumption, since in some cases sentences can be constructed normally, and in others with if-clauses.
What is to become of her? -Who will she become? (Logical assumption).
They were later to regret there decision. “Later they regretted their words. (Actions according to the will of fate that relate to the past).
The article wasn’t to be found. – The article was impossible to find. (Theoretical possibility. Most often in sentences with the verbs to find and to see).
What would you do if the war were to break out? – What would you do if war broke out? (Assumption with if-clauses).
The modal verb be to is used in various cases, which, as a rule, depend on the semantic load of the context. As for grammatical rules, for correct use it is enough to remember the inflections of the verb to be by persons, numbers and its forms in different tenses. Everything else depends on the emotionality and topic of the conversation.
One of the most popular language “confusions” is the use of verbs to be And to do. This refers to the substitution of one verb for another, which occurs as a result of a misunderstanding of the functions and meanings of these words.
We have already talked in detail about the verb to be, so now we will concentrate on comparing the use of verbs in situations in which confusion most often arises.
Strong and weak verb
There are two broad categories of verbs in English - strong and weak.
Strong verbs include modal verbs and their equivalents, have got, auxiliary verbs (do/ does/ did) and to be. Strong verbs independently form negative constructions and questions:
Must does he go to the dentist? - I must go to the dentist./ I mustn't eat apples.
In the case of weak verbs, we are not able to construct a question or negation without auxiliaries, avoiding an error:
I live to Paris.
Live are you in Paris? - error/
It would be correct to say: Do you live in Paris?
He lives not in Paris.- error/
It would be correct to say: He doesn't live in Paris.
So we use the auxiliary do or two other forms of it ( does/did) in order to correctly form questions and negatives.
The mistake is born when students (by this word we mean all students of a foreign language, young and old) begin to use auxiliary verbs for forms to be:
He is Liza's brother.
Does he is Liza's brother? - error
He doesn't is Liza's brother.- error
Undoubtedly verb forms to be are not similar to their original form. We believe this is what can be confusing.
Things to remember: am, is, are, was, were are strong verbs and are never used auxiliary do:
Is he Liza's brother?- Right
He isn't Liza's brither.- Right
And here do against. On my own as semantic this verb is weak and has meaning do. Accordingly, he needs the help of an auxiliary who matches him in spelling and pronunciation do, which is not translated into Russian and performs a purely grammatical function:
I do exercises every day.
Do I do exercises every day?- Right
I don't do exercises every day.- Right
Do I exercise every day?- error
I don't exercises every day.- error / This sentence makes no sense and will be translated “ I don't exercise every day" I would like to immediately ask “no What? exercises"
Auxiliary
The second serious problem sometimes becomes auxiliary verb choice.
Most courses are structured in such a way that familiarity with English grammar and the language in general begins with the verb to be - to be, to appear, to be somewhere. Students become so accustomed to designs with to be, that for them it becomes completely logical to use them as an auxiliary verb. It actually loses its meaning and sentences of this kind become grammatically equal:
She is in Paris.
She lives in Paris.
Let us assume that, according to the context, it is possible to translate both of them as “ She lives in Paris" The following happens:
Is she in Paris?- Right
Is she live in Paris?- ERROR
To be never will not be used as an auxiliary verb to weak, unless these are Continuous or Passive constructions, which include to be:
Is she living in Paris?- correct / Present Continuous
The work wasn't done.
- correct / Passive
It's very easy to check. Ask a question to the semantic verb, for example, live (what to do?). Exactly do (do/ does/ did) will become auxiliary.
We are not dealing with BE, and with DO:
Does she live in Paris?- Right
She doesn't live in Paris.- Right
We wish you to make the right choice and achieve great success in your studies!
Victoria Tetkina
What's the difficulty? Why is the topic so simple, but there are so many errors? Because when starting to study English, not everyone changes their thinking, but continues to think in Russian. Verb "be" is present in Russian, but... we miss it when we build a sentence in the present tense. In the past, the verb "to be" had many present tense forms: you are, are, are, the essence and so on. But in modern Russian only “is” is preserved: I am, he is, we are and so on. But no one says that, “is” remains “in the mind”! Therefore, it seems very strange to us that this very “is” needs to be inserted into English.
In English the verb to be has three present tense forms: am, is, are.
If you are talking about yourself ( I), then use the verb am:
I am a teacher. - I (am) a teacher.
I am happy. - I (am) happy.
If you are talking about he(He), she(she), or it(it), use the form is:
He is a doctor. - He (is) a doctor.
She is beautiful. - She (is) beautiful.
It is my dog. - This (is) my dog
If you are talking about we(We), you(you you), they(they) then use the form are:
We are friends. - We (are) friends.
You are hungry. - You (are) hungry.
They are my parents. - They (are) my parents..
Many textbooks say that the verb to be is not translated into Russian. Agree that the word “is” looks rather strange in our example sentences, but if you want to speak English, you will have to think this way, especially in the early stages of learning. To be can be translated by verbs "to be", "to be", "to exist", although this gives the statement some formal coloring, you can also put a dash.
Another observation from practice that you need to pay attention to. Sometimes they forget about the three forms and say this: I be a teacher. It's something like: I be a teacher. Of course, you should get rid of such an error if you notice it in your speech.
To use the verb to be correctly, you need to remember the main cases of its use. Because to be acts primarily as a linking verb, its main function is to connect parts of a sentence.
1. The verb to be connects a noun (pronoun) and an adjective.
Since to be is indispensable in descriptions, when characterizing or describing something using adjectives, do not forget to connect words using a linking verb:
I am fine. - I (am) fine.
My son (he) is happy. - My son (is) happy.
The children (they) are healthy. - The children (are) healthy.
This book (it) is interesting. - It's an interesting book.
Please note that if the subject of a sentence is a noun, then to find the correct form of the verb to be, you should replace the noun with the appropriate pronoun: son-he; children- they; book- it.
2. The verb to be is used when they want to say who or what the subject of discussion is.
In other words, answering questions like: Who is this? What is this?, in your answer use to be. To be is also required if you are introducing yourself or representing someone:
I am your teacher. - I'm your teacher.
She is my sister Mary. - This is my sister Mary.
They are my colleagues. - They are my colleagues.
3. The verb to be is used when talking about professions.
Mary is a writer. - Mary is a writer.
John is a businessman. - John is a businessman.
My friends are engineers. - My friends are engineers.
If you are talking about someone's profession, then the verb to be can be translated as "to be", but such a translation is not always appropriate.
4. To be is used when talking about nationalities.
It’s not for nothing that many English textbooks begin with studying the names of countries and nationalities, so it’s very convenient to practice using the verb to be:
I'm American. - I am American.
Anna is Russian. - Anna is Russian.
Max is Canadian. - Max is Canadian.
My partners are Chinese. - My partners are Chinese.
You can find detailed information about nationalities in English.
5. To be is used when talking about age.
A common mistake is to use the verb have in this case. Although some languages use have when talking about age, in English you always use to be in the correct form:
I am thirty (years old). - I am thirty years old.
My sister is twenty-five (years old). - My sister is twenty-five years old.
The students are eighteen (years old). - Students are eighteen years old.
6. The verb to be should be used if you are talking about the location of something.
Verbs "to be", "to be located" may be used if the content of the proposal allows:
I am in the kitchen. - I am in the kitchen.
We are at home. - We're home.
Her bag is on the table. - Her bag is on the table.
The cat is in the box. - Cat in a box.
London is in Great Britain. - London is located in Great Britain.
7. To be (or rather its forms is and are) is an important part of the phrase there is/there are.
We will not talk about this turnover here, because we have already published detailed material on this topic. You can read more about the turnover there is/there are, but first we recommend that you finish reading this article so as not to get confused.
Sometimes we use to get + Participle II instead of to be + Participle II when talking about things that happen by chance or unexpectedly, outside of the plan.
For example:
My flat got burgled when I was on holidays. (= my flat was burgled)
There was a fight at the party but nobody got hurt. (= nobody was hurt)
I don't often get invited to parties. (I am not often invited.)
My parents' fence got blown down in the storm. (= was blown)
Ted got stung by a bee while he was sitting in the garden. (=was stung)
Martin got arrested at a football match. (= was arrested)
The cake got burned in the oven. (=was burned)
Without a map we soon got lost.(= were lost)
Verbs with Two Objects in the Passive
(Verbs with two objects in the passive voice)
Some verbs in English may have two additions: straight forward(direct object) and indirect(indirect object).
DIRECT SUPPLEMENT– an addition that stands with a transitive verb, has no preposition and answers the question in the accusative case (who? what?)
All other additions are called indirect. For example:
to give somebody something = to give something to somebody
indirect direct direct indirect
object object object object
In such cases, two sentences can be formed in the passive voice.
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The police were given the information. |
The information was given to the police |
However, preference is given to sentences that begin with an object indicating person.
I was offered the job but refused it. (= They offered me the job.)
You will be given plenty of time to decide. (We will give you plenty of time to decide.)
The men were paid$200 to do the work. (Somebody paid the men $200.)
Other verbs that can have two objects are:
send, offer, show, pay, teach, promise, ask, etc.
I was sent a telegram.
She will be told the news.
ThePassive: Have / get something done
(Have/get something done construction)
This is a special form of the passive voice that shows that another person is participating in the action.
The interrogative and negative forms are formed using the auxiliary verb do.
Did you have/get is it cleaned?
I did not have / get my car repaired yesterday.
In the construction have/get + something done, the verbs have and get can have different tense forms: Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect.
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have + object + Participle II |
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Are you going to |
am having do you have has just had should have |
serviced fitted taken. |
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get + object + Participle II |
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Your hair looks nice. |
did you get Have you got has just got are getting should get |
central heating |
repaired installed |
The Use of HAVE / GET SOMETHING DONE
Modal construction to be to with the infinitive of the semantic verb is used to express plans, agreements, orders, instructions, prohibitions and what is destined to happen.
To be to has three present forms ( am, are, is) and two past tense forms ( was And were). For the rules for conjugating this verb, read the article about the semantic verb to be.
Present tense construction to be to used only with verbs in the simple infinitive form. After to be to in the past time ( was to, were to) verbs are used in the form of the simple infinitive (the first form of the verb) or the perfect infinitive. For the future tense modal construction to be to is replaced by have to in the future tense will have to.
Past |
The present |
Future |
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| Simple/Perfect Infinitive | Simple Infinitive | Shall/Will have to | ||||||||||||||||||||
| We were to meet at 5 p.m. We were supposed to meet at 5. |
We are to meet at 5 p.m. We must meet at 5 pm. |
We will have to meet next week. We will need to meet next week. |
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| He was to have met us but he forgot to do it. He was supposed to meet us, but he forgot about it. |
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He |
+ | is to | + | ... |
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He |
+ | will have to | + | ... |
Statement
Affirmative sentences with construction to be to are used very often and are used both in the present and in the past tense.
The design expresses official plans, agreements, orders, instructions, and necessity arising from a predetermined plan.
- Today you are to work in this room.– Today you work in this room.
- Nobody is to leave this room!- No one will leave this room!
- The President of our country is to visit France this week.– The President is going to visit France this week.
- All students are to write a yearly project by the end of this course.– All students are required to write a term paper at the end of this course.
- I was to meet my friends at the station.– I had to meet friends at the station.
- He – He was going to (had to) speak at the meeting.
- Matt and Andrew came to an agreement that they were to fix our printer. Matt and Andrew agreed that they would fix our printer.
Also to be to conveys the possibility of something. Often used with a semantic verb in the Passive Infinitive form.
- I know where this book is to be found.– I know where this book can be found.
- These flowers are to be seen in many parks of our city.– These flowers can be seen in many parks in the city.
- Matt was to be seen playing the guitar in the city center.– Matt could be seen playing guitar in the city center.
Negation
In negative sentences with the construction to be to particle not comes after the verb to be. As a rule, negative sentences mean a categorical prohibition or the impossibility of something. In this case, after to be to The perfect infinitive is not used (have + verb in the 3rd form).
- Ban
- You are not to be here!-You shouldn't be here!
- He was not to approach his ex-wife’s house.“He was forbidden to go near his ex-wife’s house.”
- My friends were not to go to yesterday’s concert.– My friends were forbidden to go to yesterday’s concert.
- Impossibility of action
- This novel is not to be read in one day. It's too big.– It is impossible to read this novel in one day. It's too big.
- We wanted to stay friends but it wasn’t to happen.– We wanted to remain friends, but this was not destined to happen.
Question
In an interrogative sentence with the construction to be to verb be in the required form it is placed at the beginning of a sentence or after a question word.
- Am I to stay here?– Do I need to stay here?
- Is Jack to make a speech during the meeting?– Should Jack speak at the meeting?
- When are you to go to the university?– When are you going to go to university?
- Why were they to stay here?-Why did they have to stay here?
Features of use
To be to / To be going to
Modal construction to be to in the meaning of intention, plans, agreement can be freely replaced by the construction to be going to (getting ready to do something), since in this case to be to - this is short for to be going to.
- This year we are to go to Spain for a scientific conference.
- This year we are going to visit Spain for a scientific conference.– This year we are going to Spain for a scientific conference.
- The presidents are to meet in London.
- The presidents are going to meet in London.– The presidents are going to meet in London.
- He was to make a speech at the meeting.
- He was going to make a speech at the meeting.— He was going to speak at the meeting.
Action that was not completed
Past form of construction to be to with the perfect infinitive indicates a planned action that was not carried out.
- I was to have met my friends at the station but I forgot about that.– I was supposed to meet my friends at the station, but I forgot about it.
- He was to have made a speech but he didn’t even come to the meeting.“He was going to speak at the meeting, but he didn’t even come to it.”
- Matt and Andrew were to have fixed our printer. Matt and Andrew had to fix our printer. (but they didn't)
We are to work on this project we should start right now. “If we want to work on this project, we need to start it now.”
- If you are not to go abroad you don"t need an international passport.– If you are not going abroad, you do not need a passport.
- Let me know if you are not to come to the party.- Let me know if you're not going to come to the party.
If..were to
To be to in past tense form were to(for all persons) in conditional sentences with if indicates an undesirable, unacceptable action that is unlikely to happen. In sentences expressing the present or future tense, the construction were to used with the simple infinitive of a semantic verb. To indicate a condition in the past tense after were to the perfect infinitive of the verb is used (have + verb in the 3rd form).
- If I were to fail my examination tomorrow, I would be excluded from my university.– If tomorrow I suddenly fail my exams, I will be expelled from the university. (I definitely won't fail my exams)
- If she were to be my girlfriend, we would argue every day.“If she were my girlfriend, we would fight every day.” (she is not my girlfriend and is unlikely to ever be)
- If I were to have failed my examination last year, I would have been excluded from my university. If I had suddenly failed my exams last year, I would have been kicked out of the university. (I definitely would not have failed the exams)
- If she were to have married Jack, she would have suffered a lot. If she (then) married Jack, she would have suffered a lot. (she did not marry Jack and is unlikely to ever marry)
To be in newspaper headlines
Design to be to often used in articles and newspapers. Sometimes newspaper headlines use a shortened version without the verb be to save space and attract the reader's attention.
- The presidents are to meet in London.– The presidents are going to meet in London.
- The presidents to meet in London.– The presidents will meet in London.
- The king is to visit Spain.– The king will visit Spain.
- The king to visit Spain.– The king will visit Spain.
