August 25, 2025

Tag: to be infinitive

Modals

Be + To Infinitive

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Be + TO Infinitive

 Sub + is to/am to/are to/was to/were to + verb + object.

Be + To Infinitive is used to express willingness; no compulsion.

Note: Is to/am to/are to use for future activities.

(I) plans:

I am to buy a new car.

She is to go by bike.

He is to prepare for NDA coaching.

They are to shift to Mumbai.

He is to join MNC.

(II) Obligation and duty: 

I am to get my father admitted to the hospital.

He is to look after his home.

She is to pay the electricity bill.

We are to cast a vote in this election.

They are to survey the population.

His father was to deposit the fee in school.

You are to sleep alone in this house.

(III) Common Orders:

They are to scrub the dishes.

You are to awake at night.

You are to prepare tea for our manager.

They are to complete the project in time.

(IV) Official orders:

  • Merit scholars are to face the interview.
  • Sound systems are to close at 10 pm.
  • You are to train your juniors.
  • If foreigners are to work in any country, they must have a permit visa.

(V) Future arrangements:

  • The MLA is to visit our village on 18th August.
  • He is to take an examination next Tuesday.
  • They are to open a company next year.
  • She is to go abroad tomorrow.

 

(VI) Prohibition:

  • They are not to go.
  • You are not to make payment.
  • NCC certificate holders are not to take a written examination in the army.
  • You are not to drive over 100 KPH on this highway.

(VII) “Was to/were to” is used to denote past plans.

  • She was to go abroad last year.  
  • Shalu was to do a job for the sake of her family.
  • He was to resign from his position.
  • They were to join Cricket Academy.

Exercise:

Use “be + to + infinitive” and fill in the blanks

  1. He……… to go to New Delhi yesterday.
  2. Her father……. to go to the office at 8 in the morning.
  3. I am to……. Home now.  
  4. They……… to play football last Sunday.
  5. I……… to eat ice cream that evening.
  6. Students……… to take an examination at the end of the session.
  7. They………… to pay the fee by the time.
  8. She……… to attend the class on time.
  9. My father……… to reach the office in time.

10. Principal……… to send shortlisted candidates’ names to the company.

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Be + To Infinitive Read More
“To be” verbs Completely Explained

Uses of Verb to be – is/are/am/was/were/been

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Uses of Verb to be is used in various ways:

Present continuous tense (progressive actions -Form Of ‘To Be’ ):

Sub + is/are/am + m.v. + ing + object + etc.

He is telling a lie. You are not doing your work.
It is raining heavily today. Why is she not cooking food?
It is snowing in Kashmir. How are you playing today?
It is hailing in Punjab. Are they not getting my point?

Past continuous tense (past progressive sentences -Uses of Verb to be):

Subject + was/were + m.v. + ing + object + etc.

He was writing an E-mail. Why were they not solving the Sudoku puzzle?
She was asking me a question. You were making a mistake.

Future continuous tense (future progressive actions – Uses of Verb to be ):

Subject + will be + verb + ing + object + etc.

He will be going to market.
I won’t be facing the interview tomorrow.
You will be travelling by train the day after tomorrow.
You will be running at five in the morning.
  • Use of being
She was being honest. You are being polite.
They were being tough men. He was being intelligent.
They were being so nice to me. He is being intelligent. (he is trying to be intelligent but he is not).
He is being selfish. She is being harsh.
  • Going to be:
She is going to be a CEO. Was he going to be a teacher?
Is he going to be an architect soon? Is he going to be corrupt?
  • The past Form Of ‘To Be’
He became dishonest. He didn’t become a doctor.
She became selfish at that time. I didn’t become an IAS officer.
  • The perfect Form Of ‘To Be’- been

Subject + has/have + been + complement (qualities, states and occupations)

Present perfect – Uses of Verb to be:

He has been intelligent.     She has become a photographer.
He has been a software engineer. Has she become a journalist?
He has become a poet. Or has she been a journalist?

Note: in the given above sentence ‘been’ has used as a main verb which is equal to become. 

Future perfect – Uses of Verb to be:

Subject + will have + been/become + complement (qualities, states and occupations)

He will have been/become a bank PO. He will have been a modal very soon.
He will have been a pilot. I will have been proficient in yoga.
You will have been rich next year.  She will have been a doctor.
  • ‘Form Of ‘To Be’ in the future:
He will be a scientist. (surety of being a scientist) She might be an architect.  (20 to 30 % of becoming an architect).
He may be a doctor.  (50 to 60 % surety of becoming a doctor) She must be an architect. (a strong feeling of future to be an architect.).
  • Form Of ‘To Be’ is used with modal verbs
She may be intelligent. She could be smart.
She might be smart. She should be smart.
She must be smart. You shouldn’t be harsh.
Infinitive-Uses of Verb to be
She needs to become a government servant. He is able to become IAS.
She has to be polite before her boss. He was able to become a singer.
You have to be strict for the sake of kids. He will be able to be a good YouTuber.
He is to become a policeman. They are to be surgeons.

Progressive structure of modal verbs –Uses of Verb to be:

Work going on

He will be facing the interview tomorrow. (95 to 100 % surety of facing the interview tomorrow)
He may be facing the interview tomorrow. (50 to 60 % surety of facing the interview)
He might be facing the interview tomorrow. (20 to 40 % surety of facing the interview)
  He must be facing the interview tomorrow. (he needs a job anyhow therefore up to 100 % surety of facing the interview)
He should be facing the interview tomorrow. (sentence conveys the suggestion of facing interview)
He could be facing the interview tomorrow. (possibility of facing the interview at this time)
He must be weeping. She should be joking.
She may be joking.  He must be begging.

Want to be:

Does he want to be an MLA? He wants to be a business person.
Who wants to be a navy officer? I don’t want to be selfish.
I want to be an IAS officer. He didn’t want to be a constable in UP police.
She wants to be an air hostess. I didn’t want to be a ticket collector.
They want to be civil engineers.  My father doesn’t want me to be a teacher.

Would like to be: feeling of preference

I would like to be an athlete. I would like to be a soldier in the Indian Army.

Passive:

Present indefinite tense:

Object + is/are/am + verb III + by subject.

Active Passive
He learns Spanish. Spanish is learned by him.
She doesn’t scold you. You are not scolded by her.

Past indefinite:

Object+ was/were + verb III + by Sub.

Active Passive
You cheated us. We were cheated by you.
They won the match. The match was won by them.
Did you speak the truth? Was the truth spoken by you?

Present continuous tense:

Object + is/are/am + being + verb III + by subject.

Active Passive
He is reading a newspaper now. A newspaper is being read now by him.
She is not mopping the floor. The floor is not being mopped by her.
Rahul is brushing the hair. The hair is being brushed by Rahul.

Past continuous tense

Object + was/were + being + m.v. III + by Subject.

Active Passive
He was preparing coffee. Coffee was being prepared by him.
The cashier was not counting money then. Money was not being counted then by a cashier.
A child was polishing the shoes at the traffic light. The shoes were being polished at the traffic light.

Future
Object + will be + action III

He will be scolded by his father. She will be punished.
He will be sent to a hostel. They will be fired.

Imperative sentences – Form Of ‘To Be’:

Let + object + be + verb III

Active: Open the door.
Passive: Let the door be opened.

Note: other various types of uses of ‘be’ in passive can be seen in the voice chapter.

 Has to be/have to be:

She has to be selfish. I have to be strict.

Note: ‘Become’

It means to be involved in a process of changing one state to another state. This soil is soft. It is changing. It has become hard Delhi is polluted. Air is contaminated. And it is becoming a more polluted city across India.

Be

It tells the state or condition what the thing or person it is. It means that exists and is unchanged.

Examples:

He is smart. She is happy.
You are brave. She is honest.

Exercise I (Uses of Verb to be)

Write the perfect Form Of ‘To Be’

Example:

Have they ever  …been… to Italy before? No, they …have.. never been to Italy before.

  1.   ….. he ever been to Australia? No, he has never …….. to Australia.
  2.   …… you ever been to the U.A.E.  before? We’ve never …….. to U.A.E. before.
  3.   ……. She ever been to Kashmir before? Yes, he has …….. to Kashmir before.
  4.  Has he ever …… to Bikaner? No, he has never …. to Bikaner.
  5.  Have they ever ……… to Haridwar? Yes, they have several times ……… to Haridwar.

Exercise II (Uses of Verb to be)

Choose appropriate words which are connected The Verb ‘To Be’ ’.

Example:   …Is…  she being selfish? She is …being… Selfish.

  1. She is very talented. She ……….. selected.   (may be, might be, must be)
  2. He has a good memory. He …….. learn these vocabularies.      (may be, must be, might)
  3. You are not very fast at running.  You ……….. winner in the race competition.   (might be, should be, must be)
  4. He is a quick learner. I suggest that He ……… promoted.  ( should be, could be, would be)
  5. He is good at the grammar of English. He ………. selected in an English competition.  (must be, could be, might be, may be)
  6.  She ………. Like to be an air hostess. (would, will, should, might)
  7. He wants ……… an artist.  (become, to be, to became)
  8. Did you ……… an actor? (wanted to be, want to be,  want be)
  9. He may be ……….. at this time.  (run, running, ran)
  10. She has put on a nurse dress. She ……… be a nurse. (could be, must be, will be)
Exercise III (Uses of Verb to be) – Choose the appropriate verb
  1. He must ………. Smart. (be, been, became)
  2. He has to……… strict.  (be, became, been)
  3. She needs …….. smart for surviving in this world. (to be, be, been)
  4. Did she dare ……… a dacoit.  (to be, be, been)
  5. Will she have ………..an air hostess? (been, became, be)
  6. He has ……….. an architect.  (become, be, became)
  7. Rahul ……….. a boxer.  (become, be, became)
  8. is she going to ……. a government teacher? (be, became, been)
  9. He is ……… brave.   (been, become, be, being)
  10. He was …….. intelligent.  (been, become, be, being)
  11. He will …….. an IAS officer.  (be, became, been)
  12. Let the shop ……. . (be open, be opened, been opened)
  13. ………. Polite.      (be, been, became)
  14. don’t …… harsh.  (be, been, became)
  15. the institute will …….. . (be closed, be close, been closed)
  16. Chocolates are being ………. to kids.  ( distribute, distributed, be distributed)
  17. He was ……….. by his teacher.  ( being scold, been scolded, be scolded, being scolded)
  18. He has ………… by his friends. ( been saved, been save, be saved)
  19. I found that my keys ……… left on the desk. (have been, had been, will have been)
  20. Dance ……. taught here.  (is, are, has, had)
  21. He ……… writing a novel. L  (is/are/am)
  22. She ……… reading a book.   (was/were/will)
  23. They will  …….. studying at night.  ( be, been, become)
  24. Man …… mortal.   (is/are/am)
  25. Have you ever ………. to Kota?  (gone, went, been)
Uses of Verb to be – is/are/am/was/were/been Read More
“To be” verbs Completely Explained

The Verb ‘To Be’ – Is/are/am/was/were

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The Verb ‘To Be’

‘Be’ is an irregular verb that is used as a helping verb and main verb as well.

The present form of ‘Be’ The past form of ‘Be’ The perfect form of ‘Be’
is/are/am was/were been

Usages (The Verb ‘To Be’)

 He/she/it/name/ singular person (noun) + is/was + complement/ verb + ing + object etc.

You/we/they/plural person + are/were + complement/ verb + ing + object.

I + am/ was + complement /verb + ing

The Verb ‘To Be’ (is/are/am/was/were) is used in various ways:

Relationship

He is my elder brother. She is twenty years old.
His brother was very intelligent in his school days. He was a thirty-year-old guy.
My sister is adorable. She was twenty-five when she was married.
He is eighteen now. How old is he?

Occupations

His grandfather was a freedom fighter. They were bankers.
Are you a nurse? Was he a clerk?
I am not but my sister is a nurse who works in a max hospital. He was a software engineer.
All the students are engineers. He is a hawker.
Both the girls are doctors. He is a freelancer.

Name

My name is William Smith. Her name is Eva.
Are you Jennifer? I am not Jennifer, my name is Kate.
What’s your father’s name? My father’s name is Andrew.

Qualities

She is smart. He is cruel.
They are very intelligent. I am kind-hearted.
You are clever. She is arrogant.
She is tall. You are snobbish.
He is dull in the study. He is timid.
He is diligent. Rahul is brave.
She is kind. He is great.

Conditions

Sub + The Verb ‘To Be’ (is/are/am or was/were) + verb III (used as an adjective)

He is surprised. This application is written.
They are worried. The car is punctured.
I am tired of being lonely. This paper is signed.
This paper is signed. It is handwritten.
Her heart is broken. It is damaged.
This home is decorated. This wall is fully furnished.
My brother is well educated. He is worried.
His body problem is diagnosed. He is tired.

Use of ‘It’ with the Verb ‘To Be’

‘ It’  is used with

Climate:

It is a very hot climate in Jaisalmer. It is cold in Himachal Pradesh.
It is a warm climate in Rajasthan. It is winter.
It is a sunny day. It is the summer season.
It is autumn. It is terrible weather today.
It is stormy. It is not flowing fast.
It is not blowing harder now.   It is warm.

Temperature:

It is 33 degrees Celcius.

Distance:

It is 22 kilometres.

 Point of time:

 It is a particular time that uses to denote a specific date, day, month, year and time (it is mentioned below in a particular way)

It is on 18th January. It was Saturday.
It was 2nd March. It is January.
It was the weekend. It is Wednesday.
It was 2019. It is 2020.

Time

10       It is ten ‘o’clock.   

7:30    It is half-past seven. 

5:15    It is quarter past five.

4:45    It is quarter to five.

4:55    It is five to five.

Other points of time: today, tonight, tomorrow, yesterday, next Sunday, next month, next year, next week, next day, Next night, last day, last month, last Sunday, last year, last time, last night

It was my last night in the hostel. It is today.
It is next month. It was yesterday.
It is next Sunday. It was yesterday’s night.
Is it next year? It is tonight.
It was the last time. It was last week.

Day time:

It was morning. It is afternoon.
It is evening. It is noon.
It was midday then. It was a terrible night.

Use of it as a dummy subject:

It is good. It is high time to go.
It was a nice time. It is I who cares for you a lot.
It is nice to talk to you. It is she who helps you in every path.

Use of there with The Verb ‘To Be’ :

‘There’ is used as a subject and ‘verb’ is used according to number or quantity.

There + be + complement

There are four friends in his college. There were two children in the same school.
There is a boy who loves riding a lot. There was an anaconda in this village.
There is a man who serves food free of cost. There is an old temple outside of the village.

Use of this, that and these, those with The Verb ‘To Be’

Demonstrative pronoun: these pronouns are used to indicate a person or thing that is nearby or far.

This (singular) and these (plural) are used to indicate a nearby person, place or thing.

That (singular) and those (plural) are used to point out a person, place or thing which is a bit far from the eyes.

This/that/these/those (demonstrative pronoun) + be + complement (no action)

This/that + is/was + complement.

This is a table. That is a black cat.
This is a puppy that I love very much. That was a nice mobile in the shop.

These/those+ are/were + complement.

Those were the best moments of my life when I met her.   Those are my best friends who are standing nearby the coffee maker.  
These are delicious. These are bluebirds.
These are mangoes. These are animals.

Demonstrative adjective

This/that/these/those + noun + The Verb ‘To Be’ + complement.

Those shoes were very expensive. This building is situated in New York.
That boy is very intelligent. That player was not honest.
This boy is very handsome. These students were very naughty in the tenth standard.
These girls are very clever. Those flowers are the best in this garden.

The Verb ‘To Be’ is used as a main verb:

Be + noun/adjectives (qualities, states (feeling or situations), occupations

Noun form:    Be a man

Adjective form:

Be polite. Be smart.
Don’t be harsh. Be generous
Be simple. Be calm
Don’t be mad. Don’t be cruel
 

Occupations:

be a doctor. don’t be a smuggler.
be an engineer. don’t be a thief.
don’t be a terrorist. be a reporter.
Exercise I (The Verb ‘To Be’ ):

 Find the suitable form of ‘be’ and fill in the blanks.

  1.   ….. your brother happy now?  Yes, he ….. happy now. 
  2. …… they tired now? Yes, they …. tired now.
  3. He ….. angry at the moment.
  4. Where ……..your sister now? She ….. at downstairs now.
  5. Where ….. your friend now? he …. At the mall right now.
  6. Where …. your colleagues at the moment? they ….. at the restaurant.
  7.  …… students excited now? Yes, they … excited now.
  8. ….. Rahul bored now? No, he… not bored now.
  9. Are those boys …… (Travel)at the moment? No, they aren’t travelling at the moment.
  10. .. … …. the girls being cautious right now? Yes,    they….. being cautious right now.
  11. …. he being kind? Yes, he is …… kind.
  12. ….. she being humble right now? No, she isn’t …… humble.
  13. …. Lupe being serious at the moment? Yes, she is …..  serious at the moment.
  14. …… Marcus being hard on them at the moment. Yes, he is …… hard on them at the moment.
  15. ….. Mia being unfaithful now? No, she isn’t ……. Unfaithful now.
Exercise II (The Verb ‘To Be’)
  1. This application ……. written.  (is/are/am)
  2. Car is ……. There.  (punctured, puncture, punctures)
  3. It ……. ten ‘o’clock. (is/are/am)    
  4. She ……… twenty years old. (is/are/am)
  5. You ………. Doctor. (are a, is a, am a, was a)
  6. She ……. Intelligent.    (is/are/am/were)
  7. He is …….. .  (worry, worried, worrying)
  8.   She is ……… (a smart, smart, smarter)
  9.  You are …….. (scare, scaring, scared)
  10.   My document ………. (was tearing, was tore, was torn)
The Verb ‘To Be’ – Is/are/am/was/were Read More