Be Verb

Question

Hi! Does "be" for number 1 mean "become"? Is number 2 acceptable? What is the purpose of the "be verbs" for numbers 3 and 4? Thanks, Fulvio

1. I might be nervous.

2. I might become nervous.

3. It might be expensive.

4. The tickets might be sold out?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

yellowstarstruck
Hi! Does "be" for number 1 mean "become"? Is number 2 acceptable? What is the purpose of the "be verbs" for numbers 3 and 4? Thanks, Fulvio
1. I might be nervous.
2. I might become nervous.
3. It might be expensive.
4. The tickets might be sold out?

yellowstarstruckDoes "be" for number 1 mean "become"?

It's somewhat like "become", but not exactly. It can mean "Maybe I am nervous" or "Maybe I will be nervous".

yellowstarstruckIs number 2 acceptable?

Yes.

yellowstarstruckWhat is the purpose of the "be verbs" for numbers 3 and 4?

I don't understand what you're asking regarding 'the purpose'. The purpose of all words is to communicate with others. The fact that you have 'be' in these sentences is that 'might' is a modal verb, and you have to use the infinitive after a modal verb.

1) It ................ is .............. expensive.
2) It ........ might be ....... expensive.
(~ Maybe it is expensive.)

For 2) you can't have 'might is'. You need the infinitive of 'is',
and that's 'be'.

3) The tickets ........... are ........... sold out.
4) The tickets ..... might be ..... sold out.
(~Maybe the tickets are sold out.)

For 4) you can't have 'might are'. You need the infinitive of 'are',
and that's 'be'.

CJ

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