Be that ???

Question

Hi,Heard somewhere someone say 'be that' in the context it could mean something like 'for example' or 'like'.Is there such a usage possible? An example of that would be:- Always listen to peolpe who are older than you, be that your daddy, your mum, or the president.Couldn't find it in a dictionary but it may be that I don't know how to find it.

Delmobile · Accepted Answer

I think what you heard was "be they." Always listen to your elders, be they wise or moronic. It's a form of the subjunctive that I think survives in this fixed expression; a grammarian would be able to explain this better than I can.

MichalS · Answer

Hi Del,

Just remembered where I heard it:

The script says:

'Don't mean to end up being bought by some clients of the University, be they the government, be they industry, be they organized labor, be they anyone!'

Means you are right! Thanks a lot! Can you think of a context where some other person than 'they' can be used in that subjunctive phrase? Is the following possible?
- Do you want me to get you a pet, be it a cat, a dog, or a turtle?

Or should 'be they' be used again instead?

Delmobile · Answer

Right after I posted I thought about the children's story "Jack and the Beanstalk," in which the giant is heard to say,
Fee, fi, fo, fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman!
Be he alive or be he dead,
I'll grind his bones to make my bread.

So yes, I think any subjective pronoun can be put into that slot. I wish someone more expert than I would comment here about exactly how archaic this form now is, if certain phrases have been "frozen," or whatever.

MichalS · Answer

Thanks again!

Can anybody elaborate on that?

CalifJim · Answer

MichalS'be that'

be is the present subjunctive of (what else?) be. In this context be X means whether X is/are in modern English -- whether X be in older English. Thus,

... be that your daddy, your mum, ...
= whether that is your daddy, your mum, ...

... be he short or tall.
= whether he is short or tall.

... be they wicked or wise.
= whether they are wicked or wise.
__________________

The use of inversions like Were it closer (I could see it better) standing for If it were closer, ... or of Had it been closer, ... for If it had been closer, ... shows a family resemblance to this use of Be he friend or foe ... for Whether he be friend or foe ... (Whether he is a friend or a foe in modern English.)

CJ

MrPernickety · Answer

DelmobileFee, fi, fo, fum,

I smell the blood of an Englishman!

Jesus wept !

When I saw it, I knew right away it had a familiar ring to it, then it dawned on me - this verse bears a striking resemblance to the first verse of a song by Eminem (from his new album - Relapse)

It goes

Fee, fi, fo, fum,

I think I smell the scent of a placenta

When I first heard the song, I thought Eminem said "three five four four", then much to my surprise it turned out to be the obscure "Fee, fi, fo, fum" chant which I can hardly take in.

MichalS · Answer

Hi CalifJim,

I missed your post... Thank you very much for responding - this is fantastic!

So "be that" really exists! I'm not quite sure if I use it correctly though. Could you take a look at the following:

1. I will kill your pet, be that a cat, a dog, or a crocodile.

or rather:

2. I will kill your pet, be it a cat, a dog, or a crocodile.

or are they both correct? If not, then how to distinguish between be that and be it?

Secondly, does be that refer only to different people of objects (like in your example: ... be that your daddy, your mum, ...) and does be+personal pronoun (he, she, they, etc...) refer to the same person or object but enumerates his/its different qualities?

A: Give it to your parents, be that your mum or dad. (different people)
B: Give it to your dad, be he a farmer, carpenter or the president. (same person)
C: Give it to your brothers, be they wise or not. (same people)
D: Give it to your brothers, be that Mark or Kevin. (different people)

Hope you see my point. I seems to me (if A - D are correct, aren't they?) that be that expresses the indifference to which person or thing in a group is in question, like in A and D, while be she/he/they/it shows indifference to qualities (like occupations, traits, etc.) of these people, like in B and C. Is that so?

On the other hand, this would contradict my second sentence in this post (2. I will kill your pet, be it a cat, a dog, or a crocodile.[it is is correct of course]), as be it clearly says here that it doesn't matter what pet it is, not what qualities it has. But maybe this sentence is not correct at all?

I'd be most grateful for an explanation.
Thank you,
MS

Delmobile · Answer

The scent of a placenta?

I'm glad I'm old and can listen to old lady music.

Be that ???

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions