“To Be” and maybe when not “to be”
All verbs have several forms that come from the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive is the base form of the verb before it is changed for tense, number, or mood.
The infinitive “to be”
Present Tense:
I: am we: are
You: are y’all: are
He/she: is they: are
One word past: (imperfect)
I: was we: were
You: were y’all: were
He/she: was they: were
Other forms: been, be, being
To be as a linking verb
Basically functions as an equal sign.
John is tall and athletic. (John = tall)
Mary is sad and depressed. (Mary = sad, depressed)
Consider instead...
Options:
The tall and athletic John likes to play basketball.
John, tall and athletic, likes to play basketball.
Tall and athletic, John likes to play basketball.
To Be as progressive tense
Mary plays rugby. (present tense)
Mary is playing rugby. (present progressive tense)
What is the difference in meaning between these two statements?
Consider instead...
To Be as passive voice
Active voice is the most common voice in English. It follows the preferred Subject-Verb-Object pattern of the English language.
(S) (V) (O)
The dog bit the man.
(S) (V) (O)
The cat scratched the woman.
Passive, continued
To change a sentence from active voice to passive voice the following transformation must occur:
The dog bit the man. => The man was bitten by the dog.
The cat scratched the woman.=> The woman was scratched by the cat.
Passive, continued
Agent: The “by the…” is called the agent, a term that tells you who was the agent of the action or the one doing the action.
The agent can be omitted in a passive construction to avoid showing who or what was responsible for the action. Also, passive is sometimes used when the agent is actually unknown.
Consider instead
Generally, passive voice is not preferred. [agent intentionally omitted]. People often fall into the habit of using passive and are not even aware of it. A good approach is to avoid passive when possible, and if you do use it, make sure that you have a very good reason for doing so.
Style Expectations
Linking verbs, passive voice, and progressive tense are all important parts of the English language.
I am not banning them from your writing.
However, reevaluating the frequency of your use of them can help create variety and precision and encourage you to try more complex sentence structures.
So, please limit your use of them in formal take home writing.
An awesome passive voice sentence
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
Winston Churchill
1. The contestants were tired after the exhausting game show.�2. The lobsters were cooked by the expert French chef.�3. Oaks are large and noble trees that have many branches.�4. Sally was singing her heart out by the babbling stream.�5. Elephants are trainable animals that can perform routines.�6. The snails were crushed by the naughty children.�7. They were painting the house when it started raining.�8. The nuts were eaten by the hungry squirrel.�9. The team was hungry after playing such a long game.�10. They are polishing the old, antique chair. �
Linking, Passive, or Progressive?