English Grammar Understanding the Basics - Evelyn P. Altenberg, Robert M. Vago 2010
Lesson 34: Progressive be
Unit 12: Auxiliary phrases
Part II: Kinds of phrases
In each of the sentences below, the helping verb is a form of the verb be and is underlined.
1. She is leaving on the train.
2. I was thinking about his behavior.
3. They were managing the restaurant.
(These were listed in group (c) of Quick tip 31.1.) In addition to the forms is, was, and were, additional forms of be are am, are, be, been, and being.
Sentences with the helping verb be are said to be expressed in the progressive or continuous aspect, which usually indicates that the action takes place over a period of time.
Quick tip 34.1
One kind of helping verb is be. It has the following forms: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, and being.
Test yourself 34.1
Underline the form of the be helping verb in each of the sentences below.
Sample: He was exercising regularly.
Getting started (answers on p. 165)
1. The reporter was writing her story.
2. He is controlling his temper.
3. You are learning about syntax.
4. They were watching a movie last Sunday.
5. I am doing a lot of things right now.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. The politicians are campaigning in full force.
7. The football teams were finishing the season.
8. Catherine is learning to speak French.
9. Those actors were rehearsing.
10. I was cleaning my closet yesterday.
Test yourself 34.2
Underline the be helping verb and put a squiggly line under the main verb in each of the sentences below.
Getting started (answers on p. 165)
1. I was talking to Harry.
2. Irving and Annie are studying Latin.
3. He is testing her loyalty.
4. I am taking a walk.
5. You were reading for hours.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. The train is arriving.
7. The wrestlers are getting ready to compete.
8. The manager was closing the store.
9. I am organizing a luncheon for him.
10. The children were playing peacefully.
The verb be is not used only as a helping verb in English. It can also be the main verb in a sentence, in which case it’s a linking verb. (This was discussed in Lesson 9.) As a reminder, here are some sentences with be used as the main verb:
4. I am happy
5. She was an actress.
6. Those Broadway shows are great.
Quick tip 34.2
Be and its forms can be used as a helping verb or as a main verb. When be is used as the helping verb, it is always followed by another verb.
Test yourself 34.3
Decide if the forms of be in the following sentences are being used as helping verbs or as main verbs.
Getting started (answers on p.165)
1. Sam is looking at the mail.
2. That concept was di/cult.
3. You are helping her a lot.
4. I am a doctor.
5. They were watching TV.
More practice (answers on the website)
6. She was writing her term paper.
7. David is a famous opera singer.
8. You are joking, right?
9. His employees are happy about it.
10. Jackie and Richard were friends.
You may have noticed that sometimes there are sentences with two occurrences of be. Here are some examples:
7. Andrew is being a nuisance.
8. My friends were being courageous.
9. They are being clowns.
How can we account for this? The first occurrence of be is a helping verb; the second occurrence of be is the main verb. That is, just as any other main verb can use be as a helping verb, the main verb be can also use be as a helping verb. That results in two forms of be in the same sentence.