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English 102 F12 – “to be” verbs
“TO BE” VERBS EXERCISE
Try to replace forms of the verb “to be” with more active verbs. The point of this exercise
is not to eliminate all “to be” forms. In some cases, no other verb will do. It is important,
however, that you become aware of what constitutes weak verb structures, how to
identify them, and what steps to take to make them stronger.
Begin by circling all instances of the following forms of the verb in your draft.
simple present
singular
plural
simple past
singular
plural
1st
2nd
3rd person
am
are
are
are
is
are
1st
2nd
3rd person
was
were
were
were
was
were
Then decide if any of the “to be” forms you circled are helping verbs. For each look for
an adjoining progressive tense verb form (ending in –ing) or past participle verbal
(ending in –ed –en –d –t –n). If either exists, underline it. Verbs and verb phrases selected
should fall into one of three categories.
•
If the “to be” form joins with a progressive verb (ending in –ing), see item #1
below.
•
If the “to be” form joins with a past participle (ending in –ed –en –d –t –n), see
item #2 below.
•
If there is no adjacent verb form (not part of a verb phrase), see item #3 below.
#1 – present progressive
The verb is part of a progressive verb phrase. Can you change the progressive verb and
its “to be” helper into a simple verb?
Example: Johansson is trying to find a solution for the problem.
Show action: Johansson seeks a solution for the problem.
Example: I am going to expand upon these points in the pages that follow.
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English 102 F12 – “to be” verbs
Show action: I expand upon these points in the pages that follow.
Bonus: You will frequently find an infinitive (to find, to expand) directly
after the –ing verb form. Changing it to a simple verb eliminates the
unnecessary infinitive.
#2 – passive voice
A “to be” verb form + a past participle = the passive voice. Is your use of the passive
voice effective here? Should you rewrite the sentence in active voice?
A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a
sentence. That is, the one performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the
sentence. To rephrase a familiar joke:
Why was the road crossed by the chicken?
The chicken is the actor in this sentence, but the road is the grammatical subject. The
more familiar phrasing places the actor as the subject—a subject doing something: A
chicken (actor/doer) crossing the road (object). We use active verbs to represent that
“doing.” Notice how the “to be” auxiliary changes the meaning of the verb from an action
to a condition—from doing to being? Used this way, the passive participle acts very
much like an adjective; it describes the subject.
Example: He remembers his grandmother. (He does an action—remembering.)
His grandmother is remembered. (Grandmother is in a condition—being
remembered.)
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. The doer of the action
may either appear in a by phrase, or be omitted altogether.
Example: Many arguments are offered against abortion. (By whom?)
But in the active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb, and the verb takes a
direct object.
Example: Pro-life advocates offer many arguments against abortion.
In most cases, passive sentences lessen clarity, but there are times when passive is
effective. You should be deliberate when choosing between active and passive
constructions. Following are a few instances when the passive voice is quite useful:
1. To emphasize an object: 65 votes are required to pass the bill.
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English 102 F12 – “to be” verbs
2. To de-emphasize an unknown subject/actor: Over 120 different contaminants have
been dumped into the river.
If you don't know who the actor is, then the passive makes more sense. But remember, if
you do know the actor, and if the clarity and meaning of your writing would benefit from
indicating him/her/it/them, then use an active construction.
3. If your readers don’t need to know who's responsible for the action.
Here’s where your choice can be difficult; some instances are less clear than others. Try
to put yourself in your reader's position to anticipate how they will react to the way you
have phrased your thoughts.
Note: This worksheet focuses only on simple verb forms. There are three passive tenses
to watch out for: the past perfect (had + been + past participle), the future (will + be +
past participle), and the future perfect (will + have + been + past participle).
#3 – verb as “equal to”
Is it a verb that stands alone? If the verb is not helping a progressive form (ending in -ing)
or a past participle (ending in –ed –en –d –t –n), then it is a linking verb. Linking verbs
connect the subject of the sentence to a noun or adjective in the predicate (all the stuff
that comes after the verb) that refers to the same entity as the subject. Think of “to be”
verbs used this way as equal signs—signs that weaken the forward momentum of your
paper.
Example: She is tall. (she = tall.)
Show action: She towers over others.
Example: The function of this essay is the illumination of past ideas. (function =
illumination)
Show action: This essay illuminates past ideas.
Bonus: You have eliminated the noun form of a verb known as a
nominalization (The noun illumination comes from the verb illuminate.)
Example: The function of this essay is to illuminate past ideas. (function = to illuminate)
Show action: This essay illuminates past ideas.
Bonus: You have eliminated an unnecessary infinitive phrase (to
illuminate).
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