The use of the construction “to be going to do something. Modal verb “to be to” in English Modal verb to be in interrogative sentences

It is with this verb that you need to start learning English grammar. Verbs in English do not change for persons, but the verb to be is an exception. Using this verb, we will learn to compose simple sentences that do not contain a verb in Russian, for example, “I am a student,” “he is at home,” “this is interesting,” etc. In English it is unacceptable to form without a verb that performs the action, and to be serves as a linking verb. For example, to say “I am a student,” we must insert the desired form of the linking verb to be and, as a result, the sentence will take on the meaning “I am a student” - “I (am) a student.”

Forms of the verb to be in the present tense

In the present tense, the verb to be has three forms: AM, IS, ARE:

Remember: to be and AM, IS, ARE are not 4 different ones, but forms the same verb:

(We hope our dragon will help you remember this)

Let's look at how the verb to be changes in the present tense

Affirmative form

We are friends - we are friends
They are busy - they are busy
The book is thick - the book is thick
It is a cat
She is clever - she is smart

Negative form

To form a negative conjugation form of a given verb, you need to put the negative particle “not” after one of the required forms of the verb (am, is or are). Here are some examples of negative sentences:

I am not hungry – I am not hungry
He is not busy
The room is not big – the room is not big

Question form

To form an interrogative form, you need to put the appropriate form of the verb (am, is or are) at the beginning of the sentence:

Are you Peter? -Are you Pete?
Is this a room? – Is this a room?
Are you hungry? -Are you hungry?
Is he busy? – Is he busy?

To understand how verbs live in the English language, let’s first remember at least one Russian verb in its initial form, for example, the verb “to live”. As you know, Russian verbs in the initial form end in “-т”, and later, when conjugated, the ending changes. As for the English language, the verb in its initial form is used together with the particle to, for example, we say to be – would t, find t Xia, i.e. if the particle to precedes the verb, this means that the verb is in the initial form, and when further using the verb with persons, this particle is omitted. Let's give an example: “To be or not to be” - there are two verbs in the sentence - and both are in the initial form, and they must be used together with the particle to, and, accordingly, we will translate into English as “to be or not to be”. If we have before us the sentence “I (am) a student,” i.e. we have changed the verb to suit the person of the subject, then the particle to is omitted and the proper form of the verb is used, in this case am.
Unlike the verb to be, other verbs in English are not conjugated, for example, the verbs “live, sit, love” in the initial form are translated into English “to live, to sit, to love”, i.e. with a particle to, and when conjugated - without to, for example, “I live, sit, love” will be translated into English as “I live, sit, love,” i.e. initial form of a verb in English without a particletonot used, but when conjugatedtofalls. The initial form in English is called the Infinitive - Infinitive.

More about the particle to watch our video tutorial:

Verb conjugation tobe in the present tense

Now let's learn how the verb to be changes (conjugates) in the present tense. As mentioned above, in Russian, sentences like “I am a student, she is a doctor, we are workers” are formed without a predicate verb. But to translate these sentences into English, you need to put the appropriate form to be after the subject - “I am a pupil, she is a doctor, we are workers.”

Please note the translation of the following sentences in affirmative, negative and interrogative forms into English:

Verb conjugation tobe in past and future tense

In the past tense, the verb to be has two forms - was and were (was, was, were)

In the future tense, the verb to be is conjugated as follows

Note: In modern English the form shall is rarely used to form the future tense of verbs (although its use is not a grammatical error), the form is used for all persons will. Therefore, sometimes there are discrepancies in different textbooks.

To summarize, consider the following table:

Here are some commonly used verb expressions: to be which you should learn and conjugate yourself using the conjugation table:

To be happy/unhappy – to be happy/unhappy
To be glad - to be joyful
To be hungry/to be full up– to be hungry/full
To be fond of - to love, be carried away by something
To be busy - to be busy
To be late (for) - to be late (for)
To be in time for – to be on time
To be present at – to be present at (for example, in a lesson)
To be absent (from) – to be absent
To be married – to be married
To be single - to be single / not married
To be lucky - to be lucky
To be ready (for) - to be ready (for, for example, a lesson)
To be afraid (of) – to be afraid
To be interested (in) - to be interested in something
To be ill / well - to be sick / to feel good
To be angry (with) - to be angry, angry (at someone)

Let's conjugate together the expression to be married in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences. What did you get?

Be to is used to denote an action that must be performed according to a plan, according to a schedule or according to instructions. That is, there is always an element of planning, and the planning does not always come from the speaker himself. In the case of a plan and schedule, the execution of an action may not depend on the speaker. This is especially clear when it comes to transport schedules, store openings, and so on. For example:

The train is to leave in 20 minutes, hurry up and book the tickets quickly – The train should leave in 20 minutes, hurry up and quickly buy tickets.

Using the verb to be to

The use of to be to follows certain rules. So, it is used when something needs to be done according to instructions or directions:

I am to read this text, as the teacher said. But I simply can’t do it so quickly even if I must! — The teacher said that I should read this text. But I can't do it that fast, even if I should.

From the sentence it is clearly visible that be to here corresponds to the duty according to the instructions, since the teacher gave the task to read the text. Also note that in translation the difference in meaning between be to and must is lost by using the same word. In order to emphasize the implementation of an action according to instructions, the phrase “the teacher said” was introduced, which implies a direct instruction.

They went there and now we are to wait as the administrator said, until they finish - They went there, and now, according to the administrator, we will have to wait until they finish.
I was at the doctor and now I am to take calcium pills twice a day - I was at the doctor and now I need to drink calcium twice a day.

In this case, it is clear from the context that the action will be carried out as prescribed, since the speaker was at the doctor's. That is, the influence of the external factor is clearly visible.

Relatives are not allowed to go there. It's a surgery. - Relatives are not allowed to enter here. This is the operating room.
Parents are not to be present at the lessons, it’s not my wish, it’s common order of the headmistress - Parents are not allowed to be present at the lessons, this is not my whim, but a general order for the school, signed by the director.

It is clearly implied here that relatives are not allowed to enter, not because the speaker does not want to, but because these are his job descriptions.

Predestination or inevitability is also indicated in English by the verb to be. As a rule, the sentence in this case is in the past tense, since the action being discussed has already happened. But there are also exceptions. It all depends on the context and the intentions of the speaker. For example:

This girl was to become a teacher, as her mother was and as there were lots of her ancestors. Actually, she did had a gift for teaching but didn’t like it much as was expected - This girl was destined to become a teacher, like her mother, and like many of her ancestors before that. Overall, she had a talent for teaching, but she was not as captivated by it as others thought.

This example shows a situation where an event should have occurred under the influence of external factors. An alternative version of events was not considered, which made it possible to use be to in the meaning of reflecting predestination. Let's look at another example to reinforce this:

This boy was to become rich and famous, but yet it looked like a miracle, totally impossible miracle - This boy was destined to become rich and famous. But now it seemed like a miracle, a completely unreal miracle.

As in the previous version, here there is also an indication of predetermination. In this version, be to is used mainly in literature.

Fundamental, guaranteed impossibility is also expressed using be to. Use in this meaning is permissible only in negative sentences. For example:

This technique of dancing is not to be obtained in a week, it’s too difficult even for the most famous dancers - This dance style cannot be perfectly learned in a month. It is too difficult even for the world's best dancers.

These are the main uses of be to in both written and spoken language.

Grammatical features of the modal verb be to

The most obvious grammatical feature of be to is the presence after it. As a general rule, after modal verbs there is a functional verb without to, which is called bare infinitive. This distinguishes it from a number of other modal ones. For example:

I am to go to the dentist this Monday but I can’t because of my sister’s wedding. — I have to go to the dentist this Monday, but I can’t because of my sister’s wedding.

The example above clearly shows the difference between be to and can. Going to the dentist is a planned action, which, moreover, is associated with the clinic’s routine. Therefore, be to is more than appropriate here.

The next feature is that be to is used only in the past and present tense. For example:

I was to finish tis task in 40 minutes but it was too difficult so I don't know, whether I can do it at all – I was supposed to finish this task in 40 minutes, but it is too difficult and I don’t even know if I can whether to cope with it.
They are to visit this museum on Friday according to the schedule, after all the schools attend it. — According to the schedule, they should go to this museum on Friday, after all the other schools have visited it.

If you need to convey the obligation of a scheduled action in the future tense. The equivalent is used:

We will have to go there after this lady in pink - We will have to go after this woman in pink.
You will have to read your lines after Kate, don’t forget about it and, for God’s sake, learn them by heart – You will have to read your speech after Kate, don’t forget about it. And, for God's sake, memorize it.

One of the most popular language “confusions” is the use of verbs to be And to do. This refers to the substitution of one verb for another, which occurs as a result of a misunderstanding of the functions and meanings of these words.

We have already talked in detail about the verb to be, so now we will concentrate on comparing the use of verbs in situations in which confusion most often arises.

Strong and weak verb

There are two broad categories of verbs in English - strong and weak.
Strong verbs include modal verbs and their equivalents, have got, auxiliary verbs (do/ does/ did) and to be. Strong verbs independently form negative constructions and questions:

Must does he go to the dentist? - I must go to the dentist./ I mustn't eat apples.

In the case of weak verbs, we are not able to construct a question or negation without auxiliaries, avoiding an error:

I live to Paris.

Live are you in Paris? - error/
It would be correct to say: Do you live in Paris?

He lives not in Paris.- error/
It would be correct to say: He doesn't live in Paris.

So we use the auxiliary do or two other forms of it ( does/did) in order to correctly form questions and negatives.

The mistake is born when students (by this word we mean all students of a foreign language, young and old) begin to use auxiliary verbs for forms to be:

He is Liza's brother.

Does he is Liza's brother? - error
He doesn't is Liza's brother.- error

Undoubtedly verb forms to be are not similar to their original form. We believe this is what can be confusing.
Things to remember: am, is, are, was, were are strong verbs and are never used auxiliary do:

Is he Liza’s brother?- Right
He isn't Liza's brither.- Right

But do against. On my own as semantic this verb is weak and has meaning do. Accordingly, he needs the help of an auxiliary who matches him in spelling and pronunciation do, which is not translated into Russian and performs a purely grammatical function:

I do exercises every day.
Do I do exercises every day?- Right
I don't do exercises every day.- Right

Do I exercise every day?- error
I don't exercises every day.- error / This sentence makes no sense and will be translated “ I don't exercise every day" I would like to immediately ask “no What? exercises"

Auxiliary verb

The second serious problem sometimes becomes auxiliary verb choice.
Most courses are structured in such a way that familiarity with English grammar and the language in general begins with the verb to be - to be, to appear, to be somewhere. Students become so accustomed to designs with to be, that for them it becomes completely logical to use them as an auxiliary verb. It actually loses its meaning and sentences of this kind become grammatically equal:

She is in Paris.
She lives in Paris.

Let us assume that, according to the context, it is possible to translate both of them as “ She lives in Paris" The following happens:

Is she in Paris?- Right
Is she live in Paris?- ERROR

To be never will not be used as an auxiliary verb to weak, unless these are Continuous or Passive constructions, which include to be:

Is she living in Paris?- correct / Present Continuous
The work wasn't done. - correct / Passive

It's very easy to check. Ask a question to the semantic verb, for example, live (what to do?). Exactly do (do/ does/ did) will become auxiliary.

We are not dealing with BE, and with DO:

Does she live in Paris?- Right
She doesn't live in Paris.- Right

We wish you to make the right choice and achieve great success in your studies!

Victoria Tetkina

Design "to be going to" used in the following cases:

Case 1. First, to express a decision already made or plans for the near future:

Case 2. Secondly, to communicate an intention to do something:

Case 3. Thirdly, to express the high probability, inevitability that something will happen now.

Negation

Negation with the construction “to be going to” is formed using a particle not:

I am not going to buy a new car in winter.

I'm not going to buy a new car in winter.

Question

to be comes first:

Are you going to stay at this hotel?

Are you planning to stay at this hotel?

Design "tobegoingto" is used in the following cases:

Firstly, to express a decision already made or plans for the near future. For example,Heisgoingtovisithisparents. - He is going to visit his parents.

Secondly, to communicate your intention to do something. For example,Sheisgoingtobeadoctor. - She's going to become a doctor.

Thirdly, to express the high probability, inevitability that something will happen now. For example, There is a hole in front of this man. He is going to fall into it. - Before this a man hole. He will fall into it!

Negation with the construction "tobegoingto" is formed using a particlenot. For example,Iamnotgoingtobuyanewcarinwinter. - I'm not going to buy a new car in winter.

When forming a question verbtobe is put first. For example,Areyougoingtostayatthishotel? -Are you planning to stay at this hotel?

"" is used to express an obligation coming from the speaker. Those. when the speaker says that he understands what he needs to do.

“ ” is an indispensable modal verb used in situations where we are talking about present or future obligations that cannot be violated.

“” is a well-known and frequently used verb that means “to be able to”, “to be able to”.

“ ” is a synonym for the verb “should”, its more polite version.

« Be supposed to" is a modal verb whose function is to tell what people need to do in accordance with the rules. Moreover, it is used when we talk about what is expected to happen.

Passive voice formula

What is the above mentioned: (to) be + V3? The answer is simple. When we change a sentence from "active" to "passive", we must change the predicate of the sentence. First, you need to put the verb “ to be" at the time used in the main sentence. Secondly, put the main verb in the third form (Past Participle).

So, to compose a sentence with a modal verb, we need to put the verb “ be" in combination with a modal verb. It will look like this:

Must be(must be)

Have to be(must be)

Ought to be(should be)

Can be(May be)

Should be(should be)

Be supposed to be(it is believed that; it is assumed that;)

The second stage involves the same arrangement of the main verb into the third form.

A little practice

The secretary must write a letter. / Secretary must write letter.

The letter must be written by the secretary. / Letter should be written secretary.

He has to do this test. / He must perform this test.

This test has to be done by him. / This test must be completed them.

He was supposed to send an email an hour ago. /It was assumed, What He will send letter hour back.

The email was supposed to be sent by him an hour ago. / It was assumed, What electronic letter will sent hour back.

Try to change the sentences given in the article yourself from active voice ( Active Voice) to passive voice ( Passive Voice). This will allow you to remember the rule, as well as work out its transformation scheme in practice step by step.