The Many Forms of the Verb TO BE | English Time Ask Elo

Asked by @ Muhammad Rizwan Chandio (Community Student)

The Many Forms of the Verb TO BE | English Time Ask Elo

Answered by @ Elo Kasia

Elo Kasia is the English Mentor for  ” English Grammar and Speaking Academy” ,  Join now.

The Many Forms of the Verb TO BE | English Time Ask Elo

Question Time: The Many Forms of the Verb TO BE | English Time Ask Elo

  @ Muhammad Rizwan Chandio, Thank you for your question.

  As usual, I will try to explain the difference using simple language and plenty of examples.

When to use is/are/am and was/were forms of the verb To BE

Generally speaking, is/are and was/were are different forms of the verb TO BE. It is used very often in English so it is very important to know the correct forms.

We use TO BE most commonly:

1. To describe states and things which are true in the present or were true in the past
2. As a helping verb in continuous tenses
3. In passive voice

1) Is/are/am is used in the present and was/were are used in the past when we need to use the verb TO BE.

There are some common examples:

Present – for things which are generally true.

Is/are/am —Isn’t/aren’t/ am not — Are you? Is he/she/ it/ am I?

• I am a teacher. I’m not a student.
• You aren’t an instructor.
• Ronaldo is a footballer. Is he famous? Yes, he is.
• The weather in England isn’t very cold in winter. It is usually mild.
• Are roses flowers? Yes, they are. They are many varieties of roses.
• Are they your friends? No, they aren’t. They are our relatives.

Past – for things which happened in the past and are finished.

Was/ were — wasn’t weren’t — was I/he/she? were we/you/they?

• I was at school yesterday.
• Were you at work this morning?
• He wasn’t at home when you called, he was out.
• They weren’t at the party last night.
• Was he there when you arrived?
• Samira was the best student in our class.

Compare the present with the past:

• Last year I was 21, so I am 22 now.
• I am a teacher now, I was a student 20 years ago.
• I am early today, but I was late to work yesterday. The traffic was very bad.
• Today the weather is pleasant, but yesterday it was horrible.
• I am OK now, but yesterday I was very tired.
• Timmy is at home now, but he was out last night.
• Where are the children now? I don’t know. They were in the garden 10 minutes ago.
• They aren’t on holiday this week. They were on holiday last week.
• This exam isn’t difficult. The one last week wasn’t difficult either.
• Are you still angry with me? No, I’m not. I was angry 10 minutes ago, but I am not anymore.

It is essential that you know how to use TO BE for present and past as you are going to need it very often. Study these examples and make your own sentences. Follow our TT exercises to practise and improve your fluency.

Elo Kasia is the Community Mentor for ” English Grammar and Speaking Academy“.

Director at Eloquent Learning Online School www.eloquentlearning.com.