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Jason7377 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

The verb "to be"

How exactly do you tell if a verb is to be?

For example, which would it be in these sentences?

The winning high jumper was her/she
That may be she/her waiting at the bottom of the stairs
It was probably they/them swimming in the Browns' pool
Could it have been she/her on the phone?

How do you tell?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

BE Present forms: am, are, is Past forms: was/were Present participle: being Past participle: been It is used as an auxiliary verb to form the present continuous (I am writing) and the past continuous (I was writing). It is used as an auxiliary verb to form the passive voice (it is written in German), in any tense.

— Philip

  • BE Present forms: am, are, is Past forms: was/were Present participle: being Past participle: been It is used as an auxiliary verb to form the present continuous (I am writing) and the past continuous (I was writing).
  • It is used as an auxiliary verb to form the passive voice (it is written in German), in any tense.
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6 Answers
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BE

Present forms: am, are, is

Past forms: was/were

Present participle: being

Past participle: been

It is used as an auxiliary verb to form the present continuous (I am writing) and the past continuous (I was writing).

It is used as an auxiliary verb to form the passive voice (it is written in German), in any tense.
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jason7377How exactly do you tell if a verb is to be?For example, which would it be in these sentences?T - The verb is to be in all these cases just in different forms.

The winning high jumper was her.

That may be her waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

It was probably them swimming in the Browns' pool.

Could it have been her on the pho
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I thought after any form of the verb to be, you are to use the subjective case of the pronoun.

For example

That may be she/her waiting at the bottom of the stairs

Since the verb to be is present, then wouldn't you use "she" because it is the subjective case?
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The winning high jumper was she/her

The verb "to be" is present-would you then use the subjective case she? Her is objective is it not?

Thanks
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Can anyone confirm this?
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jason7377Can anyone confirm this?

It's true that many people believe there is a rule of English grammar requiring a nominative form where a pronoun is 'complement' of the verb 'be'. But there is no such rule. Most people would say, for example, 'It's me' not 'It's I'. The latter is not wrong, it's just very formal.

BillJ
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