Sep
2009
- English is a language of “tools”. Understand these tools and you will learn.
- English is an extraordinarily “economic” language. Understand this fact and you will learn.
The principle tool in English is also one of the smallest: ‘BE’
- It is normally called a verb because it is preceded by another tool – TO – to make an infinitive, but this is really a “red herring”.
- The tool -BE- has a simple conjugation but is the most complex of all the “verbs”.
TO BE CONJUGATION
| (1) to be | (7) have ('ve) been | (13) was | (19) being |
| (2) to be being | (8) have ('ve) been being | (14) were | (20) having been |
| (3) to have been | (9) am (I'm) | (15) had ('d) been | (21) being |
| (4) to have been being | (10) is (he's) | (16) have ('ve) been | (22) having been |
| (5) be | (11) are (they're) | (17) has ('s) been | |
| (6) be being | (12) were | (18) had ('d) been |
The above table includes:
the four full infinitive forms ( 1,2,3,4)
the four infinitives without to (5,6,7,8)
the present indicative (9,10,11)
the present subjunctive (12)
the past simple (13,14)
the past subjunctive (15)
the present perfect (16,17)
the past perfect (18)
the present participle (19)
the perfect participle (20)
the gerund(21)
the perfect gerund (22)
- The conjugation includes the tools:
to - for full infinitive
ing - participle/gerund
‘ - present/present perfect/past perfect
have and has - present perfect
had – past perfect
- The conjugation also uses the tools:
- to – for full infinitive
- ing – participle/gerund
- ‘ - present/present perfect/past perfect
- have/has – preset perfect
- had – past perfect
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