The verb ’to be’ indicates a state of being or existence.
‘To be’ is an irregular verb.
There are eight forms of the verb to be:
1. Present: am、is、are
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Example:
I am a student.She is a teacher.They are the audience.They are teachers.
2. Simple past: was、were
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Example
He was back.They were back.He was a teacher before
3. Infinitive: be
infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest “stem” form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The term verbal indicates that an infinitive, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or state of being.
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Example
We need to win.
4. Present participle: being
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Example
I'm always being criticized.You're being stupid.
5. Past participle: been
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Example
He has been a teacher for 3 years.
Usage of the verb be
Followed by nouns, adjectives, adverbs of location or phrases as complements.
The man is a teacher.Mary's new dresses are colorful.My mother was in the kitchen.
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