To be (is, are, am, was, were) digunakan sebagai pengganti verb dalam kalimat namun dia bukanlah main verb. To be biasanya diikuti oleh komplemen berupa noun, adjective, atau adverb. Dalam kalimat, to be disesuaikan dengan tenses dan subjeknya:
I am was
you, we,
they are were
she, he,
it is was
our
friends
(plural subject) are were
her
mother
(singular subject) is was
To be sebagai linking verb (kata kerja bantu) dalam kalimat.
Form: ...To be + Noun/Adjective/Adverb...
Perhatikan kalimat berikut:
- The task of teacher is central to education.
- Radio waves are useful.
- If he was here, he would make everything clear.
(Kata kerja bantu is, are, was dan were pada kalimat di atas dapat diterjemahkan dengan ialah, adalah,
yaitu atau tidak diterjemahkan).
Form: ...To be + V-ing...
Perhatikan kalimat berikut:
- I was writing a letter when the phone rang.
- We are discussing our assignment in group.
(Kata kerja bantu dalam kalimat ini menggunakan pola to be+V-ing yang merupakan pola progressive. Was writing: sedang menulis dan are discussing: sedang berdiskusi.)
To be sebagai auxiliary dalam kalimat passive voice.
Form: ...To be + V-3 (Past Participle)...
Perhatikan kalimat berikut:
- Much of the teaching activity is done informally.
- It is said that final examination will held again.
(Pola kalimat yang digunakan adalaha to be (am, is, are, was, were)+V-3 (past participle) yang merupakan pola kalimat pasif. Done dan said merupakan kata past participle/V-3. Maka pola di atas dapat diartikan is done: dilakukan dan is said: dikatakan.)
Exercise:
Insert
the correct to be in the following sentences. Do as examples.
- On most subject, Jane and John now (be) in agreement. __are__
- He found that there (be) little use in continuing work on his novels and plays. __was__
- Inflation and recession no longer (be) the most serious public concern in our country. ______
- John, along with twenty friends, (be) planning a party. ______
- The quality of these recordings (be) not very good. ______
- Advertisement on television (be) becoming more competitive than ever before. ______
- After the principle address was given, there (be) few us still weak in the room. ______
- People are our main concern, even though there (be) many other problems facing us. ______
- England (be) no longer a world power in the minds of many. ______
- Unpaid parking tickets (be) my greatest problem right now. ______
- Many countries of Africa (be) beginning to exploit valuable natural resources. ______
- I think James (be) sound asleep on the beach when the poor boy died. ______
