Be have and do

Be have and do

Charminita
English with Masters


 🎯These three verbs live a double life. They can be auxiliary verbs used to form questions, negatives, emphatic forms, perfect and progressive tenses and passives. They can also be ordinary full verbs. For this reason, each of them can appear twice in a single phrase.


I am being served.

Have you had an invitation?

What do you do?



be: progressive forms; do be


progressives We use am being, are being etc for actions and behaviour, but not feelings.


 Compare:

You're being stupid. (= 'You're doing stupid things)

I was being careful. (='I was doing something carefully)

 I'm depressed just now. (❌Not I'm being depressed just now )

She was very cheerful yesterday. (❌Not she was being ... )


there is


🎯THE MOST COMMON STRUCTURES WITH THERE + BE

there is/are there was/were there will/won't be

there is/are going to be there has/have been there had been

Questions: is there, are there etc


there is and it is

 There is introduces something new. If is usually refers to something that weh have already talked about, or that people already know about.

'There's a taxi outside. It's for me. (❌Not it's a taxi outside )


there is: more complex structures

with seem/appear

 There seems to be a hold-up.


with modal verbs 

There may be a job for you.


with certain/sure/likely

There's certain to be an inquiry.

Are there likely to be more strikes?


with any, no need, sense point/use 

Is there any point in talking to him?

There's no need to shout.


with something/anything/etc + wrong , in question tags, infinitive 

Is there something wrong?

There won't be a test, will there?

 We want there to be a referendum.


-ing form , auxiliary be 

What's the chance of there being an agreement?

There were some people singing in the street.(= Some people were singing ...)


Have

 🎯progressive When have is used to talk about actions(e.g. have dinner) and experiences (e.g. have problems), progressive forms are often possible.


'Where's Sue? She's having a shower. 

I'm having dfficulty understanding this.


🎯With auxiliary uses and most other meanings of have (e.g. possession, relationships, suffering

from illnesses), progressive forms are not possible.


Have you seen Steye?

Have you got my scissors?

Maurice has flu.


got-forms and do-forms In modern British English, shorter present-tense forms of have(e.g. I have, have you, she has) are often avoided, especially in informal speech. Instead, we use have

longer forms made with do or got. .

🔘I've got tickets for tomorrow. (More natural in BrE than I have tickets for tomorrow.)

Do you have a headache? or Have you got a headache? (More natural than Have you a headache?)


Got adds nothing to the meaning: I have got is present, and simply means 'I have 

got-forms not used

 Got-forms are not common in the past, and got is not normally used in

infinitives or -ing forms, in short answers or question tags


🔘I had a bad cold last week. (❌Not I had got ...)

'Have you got any money?' 'No, I haven't.(❌Not I haven't got) 


Got-forms are not used with atxiliary have, or in expressions like have dinner, have a shower.

And got-forms are not used to talk about repeated or habitual actions.

I don't often have colds. (❌Not haven't often got colds) 


🔗British and American usage

 In AmE, shorter affirmative present-tense forms are common in speech.

We have tickets for tomorrow. 

I have a headache.


🔗In very informal AmE

I've got often becomes I got, and got- and do-forms may be mixed.

I('ve) got a New apartment. You do?


do: emphasis

🎯emotive emphasis 

We can use do with affirmative verbs to to show that we feel strongly about

what we are saying.

That cake does look good! 

I did enjoy the concert


🔵contrastive emphasis. 

Do can show a contrast - between false and true, appearance and reality,or a general statement and an exception.


You think I don't care, but I do care.

It looks simple, but it does take a long time to prepare.


We can also use do to compare expectations with reality

I said I would get to the top, and I did get to the top


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