0
Mitsuo23 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Grammar of "whether it be"
Hi all,
The sentence below is from a website. Would you explain the part I underlined? I am not familiar with this kind of grammar and have no idea why there's a "be" in the sentence.
And anything you're interested in the world whether it be Charlie Rose or JetBlue or a public figure, they're on Twitter and broadcasting what is interesting to them.
Thank you,
m
The sentence below is from a website. Would you explain the part I underlined? I am not familiar with this kind of grammar and have no idea why there's a "be" in the sentence.
And anything you're interested in the world whether it be Charlie Rose or JetBlue or a public figure, they're on Twitter and broadcasting what is interesting to them.
Thank you,
m
Top answer
The be in the sentence isn't an infinitive in this context. It is called the present subjunctive and may occur in litarary style after if and whether. There is a song called If It Be Your Will (= if that's what you want).
- The be in the sentence isn't an infinitive in this context.
- It is called the present subjunctive and may occur in litarary style after if and whether.
- There is a song called If It Be Your Will (= if that's what you want).
- Googling for English present subjunctive will lead you to many useful sites.
- You may also want to study the past subjunctive while you're at it!
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
The be in the sentence isn't an infinitive in this context. It is called the present subjunctive and may occur in litarary style after if and whether. There is a song called If It Be Your Will (= if that's what you want). Googling for English present subjunctive will lead you to many useful sites. You may also want to study the past subjunctive while you're at
0
Related Questions