States of Being
Existence and changes in states
States of "being"
- are conditions or situations that exist
- are inactive states; no action is performed
- are typically followed by adjectives
- cannot be progressive (with few exceptions).
My name is Albert. I am a sleepwalker. I know the condition seems very unusual. As you can guess, I never know where I will wake up in the morning. I am tired much of the time. I have medicine to suppress my sleepwalking, but it doesn't work well. My footsteps in the middle of the night surprise people.
Static vs. Dynamic Verbs
| STATIC | ||
|---|---|---|
Static verbs express states that exist, no action is taken. For this reason, they are mostly nonprogressive. These verbs have relatively little meaning other than relating the subject to the complement, which is usually an adjective or participle modifier. |
||
| NOUN | STATIC VERB | ADJECTIVE |
Albert |
is¹ (=) |
good / quiet / difficult. |
|
looks (has the appearance) |
tired. |
|
seems (has the behavior) |
upset. |
|
appears (has the behavior) |
happy. |
|
acts (has the behavior) |
strange. |
|
becomes (changes) |
excited. |
|
¹is becoming (gradually changing) |
tired. |
|
gets² (changes) |
angry / tired. |
|
¹is getting (gradually changing) |
better / older / angry / bored / tired. |
| DYNAMIC | ||
|---|---|---|
Dynamic verbs express activities, actions that we do or perform. For this reason, they can take progressive verb forms. Note, in the examples below, how the meaning of the dynamic verb in the progressive differs from the meaning of the static verb in the nonprogressive. |
||
| NOUN | DYNAMIC VERB | V COMPLEMENT |
Albert |
is being (is behaving) |
good / difficult. |
|
is looking (watching) |
at you. |
|
*is seeming (is acting) |
upset. |
|
is appearing (is performing) |
on stage. |
|
is acting (is performing) |
in a movie. |
|
|
|
|
is becoming (is working to become) |
a good technician. |
|
|
|
|
is getting (is working for) |
his PhD degree. |
¹is getting / is becoming – an action is not being taken, but something is happening gradually (little by little),
is looking – In modern usage: He's looking good, You're looking
well, The situation was looking bad.
look – face, have a view: These windows look south.
is becoming (adj.) – attractive: That suit is becoming on you.
²Also see Get Passives
Static verbs are also called linking, copula or copular verbs.
*Yellow highlighting indicates example of incorrect usage
Categories: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
Functions: Subject: Subject, Predicate: Predicator (V) Complement: elements required by the verb: object, indirect object, predicative complement Adjuncts: (optional modifiers) Adj, Adv
"Be"
Copular Verb
| COPULAR "BE" |
|---|
Be, often called a copula, links the subject to the predicate complement (whatever follows the verb.) Mathematically, you can think of it as an equal sign = . It has no particular meaning. |
She is beautiful. (Adj) |
She is a lawyer. (NP) |
She is off to New York. (PP ) |
She is up to no good. (PP) |
She is what I want to be when I grow up. (Cls) |
| LEXICAL "BE" |
|---|
Be is also a dynamic verb with the meaning of "Do something." "Take action to change." The auxiliary do is used with lexical be, as well as the progressive be form. He is being silly. |
Be all that you can be. (achieve) |
Why don't you be more thoughtful?/ |
Don't be silly. |
Be there on time. Don't be late. (arrive) |
*Don't be tall. |
Categories: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
"Be" not "Have"
| BE – PHYSICAL CONDITIONS | |
|---|---|
Be is used to link comments about hunger, thirst, and other personal conditions. |
|
be afraid |
be awake |
be cold |
be hot |
be hungry |
be lucky |
be right |
be sleepy |
be thirsty |
be right |
be wrong |
be warm |
be alive |
be sick / dead |
| BE – PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS | |
|---|---|
Be is also used to link comments about age, height, weight, size and color. |
|
be five-years-old (age) |
be young (age) |
be thirty (age) |
be old (age) |
be tall (height) |
be short (height) |
be light (weight) |
be heavy (weight) |
be ten-feet long (length) |
be six-inches wide (width) |
be red (color) |
be striped (pattern) |
be size 8 (sizes) |
be 180 pounds (weight) |
Also see have expressions Possession States.
"Be" is marked for person
| BE | |
|---|---|
Be is unlike other verbs in that it is marked for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person (am, are, is). |
|
| SINGULAR | PLURAL |
I am here. (1st person singular) |
We are here. (1st per. pl.) |
You are here. (2nd person singular) |
You (all) are here. |
He / She / It is here. (3rd per. sing.) |
They are here. |
| OTHER VERBS | |
|---|---|
Other verbs, have one form with only the 3rd person singluar marker that is different. |
|
| SINGULAR | PLURAL |
I take classes. |
We take classes. |
You take classes. |
You (all) take classes. |
He/ She takes classes. |
They take classes. |
Also see Auxiliary Verbs "Be".
“Be”
Ascriptive vs. Specifying
Ascriptive "be" vs. Specifying "be"
| "BE" – DESCRIBING | ||
|---|---|---|
When be is ascriptive, it is followed by an adjective phrase that states the quality or character of the noun or noun phrase before be. |
||
| NOUN | BE – DESC | MODIFIER |
Albert |
is |
tired. |
The problem |
is |
unusual. |
| "BE" – SPECIFYING | ||
|---|---|---|
When be is "specifying", it is followed by an by a noun or a clause that identifies the noun before be. |
||
| NOUN | BE – SPEC | NP / CLAUSE |
Albert |
is |
my brother. / |
The problem |
is |
his sleep-walking. |
Related page Specifying "be" (The reason is...)
NP – noun phrase
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
| ERROR | SOLUTION |
|---|---|
I sleepy. |
I am sleepy. (Use be as the main verb.) |
It strange to see that. |
It is strange to see that. (Use be as the main verb.) |
He have twenty-one years. |
He is twenty-one-years old. (Use be not have.) |
I have cold. |
I am cold. cold (adj.) – chilly I have a cold. a cold (n.) – a common illness that affects the nose |
She is seeming upset. |
She seems upset. (Do not use progressive with seem.) |
The crowd went wildly. |
The crowd went wild. went (expression) – behaved, acted. |
Hello. May I speak to Albert. |
This is he. / This is him. See Pronouns after "be" |
Related Article: "Make-or-Break Verbs", New York Times, Web 16 Apr 2012 Story
Practice 1
Robert
Complete the paragraph.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
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Practice 2
A Mathematical Mind
Is the verb stative or dynamic?
- Select the option which describes the verb in the sentence.
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Practice 3
Becoming a Gymnast
My friend Chelsea is an ispiration. She becomes an excellent gymnast. She practices gymnastics six hours a day. She very hard working to master her floor exercises. She also a very smart person. She is looking amazing while she is performing.
Sometimes, she seeming tired and discouraged. Occasionally, she tells me her coach is being difficult. Yet I see she is getting stronger and better everyday.. She is appearing in the next national competion.
coach (n.) – a trainer, an instructor, usually in sports
inspiration (n.) – a feeling of great respect and liking for someone
- Edit the sentence for errors in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback.
