CHAPTER 2

THE VERBS BE, HAVE, AND DO The verb Be

Be as a full verb is used in the imperative. We find it in the following combinations:

a) Be + noun (often with an idiomatic meaning): Be a man! Dont be + noun often refers to behaviour: Dont be silly! Be can have the sense of become especially in advertisements: Be the envy of your friends! Dont be is often used for advice and the agreement is expressed with I wont. Be is also used to mean pretend to be ! especially after you: You be mother, and Ill be father. b) Be + ad"ective (only those referring to temporary behaviour! such as careful/careless# patient/impatient# quiet! silly! rude! rough! snobbish! ungrateful! vain! wasteful)# be + noun (in progressive aspect): a baby! a bore! a brute! a coward! a darling! a fool! a liar! a miser! a show-off! a threat! a worry. c) Be + past participle: Be prepared Be seated Be warned Be in the present simple tense combines with: $ames (nouns)! pronouns to show identification and information: !his is "ary. #he is a doctor. %d"ectives: $e is angry. %d"ectives + nouns: $e is an important man. &ossessives: !hey are mine. %dverbs and prepositional phrases: !hey are at the door. %dverbial particle and home: !oms home now ('he s arrived'). (f. !oms at home now. ('he may have not left at all') )n informal *nglish the present and past of be can replace have/had with verbs li+e do! finish! go. $ave you finished% Im really finished. *mpty sub"ect + be: Its &'( miles from here to Bucharest. Be + infinitive: $is latest idea is to fly in the outer space.

,he progressive forms normally occur only with the present and the past forms of be. ,he progressive is possible with ad"ectives referring to temporary behaviour but not with ad"ectives describing states: hungry! thirsty. With some combinations there is a strong implication that the behaviour is on purpose. Your sister is being very tiresome this evening. (-he isn t usually so tiresome.) Your sister was being a silly girl yesterday. (-he isn t usually a silly girl.)

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,he forms have/had been combine with ad"ectives describing both temporary behaviour! states and moods continuing up to the present or till then: 0ehaviour: #hes/d been very quiet. -tates: Ive never been so an)ious. 1oods: $es been very gloomy. Weather: Its been very cold lately. &rofessions: Ive been a teacher, but now Im a politician. $ave been + to or in has the sense of 'visit a place and come bac+'. $ave gone always followed by to has the sense of be at that place or on the way to a place : Ive been in the countryside (and come bac+). #hes gone to *aris (-he s on her way or there already). )n some exercise boo+s students must pay attention to the meaning of the verb written in brac+ets: although it is go! it can mean be. +herever "arion ,-find. a /ob, there was someone who ,-0now. that she ,-go. to prison1 (2ince3//.: 34) ,he future of be as a full verb combines with many ad"ectives and nouns for normal will5future uses: It will be rainy tomorrow. +ill be can be used for deduction: !hat will be 2 &13(.

There
the plural:

+ be. ,he singular form !heres is often used informally instead of !here are to refer to

Theres many buses to ta0e you to the station. !here + be combinations are used when we are tal+ing or as+ing about the existence of people! things and are more idiomatic and natural. ,hey allow important new information to come at the end of the sentence for emphasis: Theres been an accident. When we have established existence with there! we must use personal pronouns + be to give more details: Theres a "r1 #mith at the door1 $e wants to spea0 to the manager. !here + verbs other than be are usually used in the affirmative and formal style. ,hese verbs must be regarded as variations of be! as describing a state: e)ist! live! lie! remain. There lived an old woman with her daughter. !here combines with a few other verbs: arrive! come! enter! follow! rise which have restricted uses: There will follow a short interval between the acts.

Verbs

related in meaning to be. We can express certainty about states with be:

#he is clever! and less certainty with modals: #he may be clever! or through verbs related to be: #he seems -to be. clever.

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-ome common verbs related in meaning and function to be are: appear! feel! loo0! seem! smell! sound! taste# chance! happen and prove can also be used in certain patterns. We cannot normally omit to be after appear and seem except in simple present and simple past: $e seems -to be. a fool. !o be is usually included before predicative ad"ectives beginning with a-: !he door seems to be a/ar. We cannot use to be after feel! loo0! smell! sound or taste: You smell nice. &rocess verbs (become! come! fall! go! get! grow! run! turn! wear) + ad"ectival complement describe a change of state. ,hey can be used in the progress aspect to emphasise the idea that change is actively in progress: !he mil0 has gone sour. ,he most common process verbs are get! become and grow. 4et is used informally with many ad"ectives: get annoyed/bored/depressed/ill/tired/wet. 5sed to is common after get (and less common after become) to describe the ac8uisition of a habit. )n such cases! used to functions as an ad"ective and can be replaced by accustomed to: I hated coo0ing but I got used to it. &rocess verbs are often used in fixed phrases: come right! come true! fall ill! go mad! run wild! turn nasty! wear thin: Dont you thin0 that /o0es wearing a bit thin9 $ouns are not common after process verbs but we can use become + noun to suggest a change of state or occupation: $es become a drug addict. "a0e + noun can be used to suggest a change of state: $e will make a good doctor. 6ome! get and grow can be followed directly by a to5infinitive: +e soon grew to li0e the neighbourhood. :The verb Have.

Have and have got meaning possess

and %merican uses:

are interchangeable but there are differences between 0ritish

3) have got is a past form. We can compare: ; +hat have you got9 ; Ive got everything we need, with 7 Have you got the money% 7 Yes, Ive got it1 ,he first example means get , the second means possess . ,he 0ritish meaning have obtained is emphasised in the %m* form have gotten! which always means have obtained . )n spo+en! idiomatic 0r*3 Ive got is more common than I have. <) )n 0r* the interrogative and negative of have as possess can be formed in the same way as for be:
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0r* = 0ritish *nglish 63

Has she a passport% #he hasnt a passport. $ave without got can also form 8uestions and negatives with do and did. ,his is common in %m* and is being adopted in 0r*: You dont have a car1 Do you have trouble with your grammar9 >) $ave meaning possess is a state verb. )t cannot be used in the progressive aspect and is rarely found in the passive or imperative. .) $ave got as possess is used mostly for present reference. ,he affirmative had got is sometimes used in the past but had alone is preferred: $e had a nice collection of stamps. $ad got is never used for certain states: $e had (not had got) long hair when he was a child. $ad got is generally used in its original sense of had obtained : +hen we met he had /ust got his driving license. +ill have got is only used in the sense of will have obtained : By the end of ne)t year he will have got his driving license. $ave got is not possible in the passive. 6) We can use hadnt got instead of didnt have: I didnt have -hadnt got. any news from him so I rang him up. ?) $adnt alone is possible but not usual. ,he past interrogative is formed with did: Did you have enough money9 $ad you@9 is dated and formal. )n Yes/8o 8uestions we can use $ad you got but not in wh58uestions. 4) -ome forms of have as possess are rarely or at all used: the short form of the affirmative! especially in the third person. the short form negative is used instead of the contracted: #he has a new hat not #hes a new hat. I havent a car. A) ,he form aint got is often heard instead of havent/ hasnt got. -imilarly! have and has are often omitted before got: I got everything for the trip. We use have and have got with the meaning of possess: 3. With the meaning of 'own': $es got a new !-shirt. <. '0e able to provide': Do you have any paper9 >. Buantity: $es got four houses. .. &hysical characteristics: 9ur cat has got an unusually long tail. 6. 1ental and emotional features: !oms mother-in-law has got a quic0 temper. ?. Camily relationships: Ive got a brother. 4. (ontacts with other people: Ive got a good car mechanic. A. 'Wear' (in combination with on): #heilas got on a nice dress.

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/. )llness: :ll the boys have got smallpo). 37. %rrangements: (in combination with appointment! conference! date! interview! meeting! time! etc.): #hes got a date with :nthony. 33. Dpinions (in combination with nouns li+e idea, influence, ob/ection, opinion, point of view, proposal, suggestion): $es got one of his brilliant ideas again! 3<. ',here is': Youve got a wasp on your shoulder.

Other meanings of have 3. *at! en"oy! experience! drin+! ta+e . When used with these meanings it is a dynamic verb and can be used in the progressive form of all the tenses: $es having lunch and will not answer the phone. E $ave got can never replace have used as a dynamic verb. <. With the meaning of ta0e it is used li+e a main verb! using does for the interrogative and negative but rarely found in the passive (sometimes in passive infinitive): !here is nothing to be had. (nothing available) >. $ave as a full verb is not usually used in its shortened forms in the simple present and past: I have -;Ive. eggs and bacon for brea0fast on #undays. Have + noun in place of other verbs -ome verbs li+e sleep! ride can be expressed with have + noun meaning perform that activity : sleep F to have a sleep# dance F to have a dance# fight F to have a fight# wash F to have a wash. $ave replaces verbs li+e receive or permit: I had a note from my secretary in the morning1 Have in the imperative $ave is used in the imperative 8uite often. %fter do we use it for emphasis or encouragement: Dffers: Do have some wine! -uggestions: Have a tea and half an hours rest! *ncouragement: Have a try! Good wishes: Have a good day!

,here are no direct references to appetite! digestion (li+e &oftH bunH!) but we can use expressions with have to suit particular occasions: Have a good meal/nice party/lovely holiday/pleasant trip! The Verb Do

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Do as a full verb1 )t has the meaning of perform an activity! be engaged in something . We can use
other verbs to answer 8uestions li+e: ;+hat are you doing9 7Im writing. When we use do in the sense of be in the wrong place ! it often conveys disapproval: +hat are those tools doing in the garden9 We can use do + gerund to refer to named tas+s: Ive done the shopping/washing/ironing. I do a lot of swimming/reading. (ompared with ma0e that conveys the sense of create ! do often suggests be engaged in an activity and is a more general term. 0oth of them are used in many fixed combinations. (ombinations with do: <1 : favour, damage, good, no good, -no. harm, an in/ury, /ustice, a 0indness, a service1 <. (be engaged in an activity): business, a deal, ones duty, a /ob, something for a living, household tas0s -coo0ing.= Do + places: the sights, >ome in a day# Do + speed! distance: !his car does <(( miles an hour# Do ? sub"ects: :rt, @rench, an e)periment, ones homewor0, a lesson, research= %rrange! clean: the beds, the flowers, the 0itchen, ones hair, ones nails, ones teeth1

(ombinations with ma0e: an accusation, an agreement= an apology, an application, an attempt, a bargain, a bed, a phone call, a change, a choice, a claim, a comment, a contribution, a criticism, a decision, a deduction, a demand, a discovery, an effort, an escape, an e)cuse, a fortune, a guess, a habit of something, history, an impression, an inquiry, a /ourney, a law, a loss, love, a mess, a mista0e, money, a move, a name for oneself, a noise, an offer, a profit, progress, a promise, a proposal, a record, a reference, a remar0, a report, a request, room -for., rules, sense -of., a start, a success of, a trip, trouble, use of, war, ones way to a place -Ago there., a will1 -ometimes both ma0e and do are possible: ma0e/do the beds. Dther expressions with do: $ow do you do9 !hatll do ('it s enough'). !his wont do ('it's unacceptable'). I could do with a drin0 (') d li+e'). Its got nothing to do with me ('it s not my concern'). Do without ('manage without')# I was done ('cheat') 5 You did me out of my share ('cheat me').

*I*J()-*17. Underline the right verbal forms that fit best the following sentences.

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3. ) (amKam being) always tired after such long visits paid to relatives. <. -he behaves strangely after she (has goneKhas been) to &aris. >. When we have guests our child always shows off and (isKis being) 8uite noisy. .. )t (isKwill be) windy and wet in two days. 6. Lon't answer the phone. ,hat (isKwill be) my ex5boyfriend. ?. Me (has grownKhas come) to en"oy his marriage with Noan. 4. ,om always (gotKappeared) depressed when hearing about his former wife. A. ,hey (ranKwent) mad when everything they had planned fell through. /. 1y courage began (to wearKto get) thin as the exam drew closer. 37. Mer daughter (will turnKwill ma+e) a famous actress. 18. Change these sentences into the negative: 3. ,hey had supper at the best restaurant in town after the play. !hey didnBt have, <. -usan has some nice paintings inherited from her parents. >. ) had a wonderful time in Greece last summer. .. 1y niece had a game of tennis with one of the best players from the neighbourhood. 6. -he has arrived "ust in time to see the beginning of the show. ?. 1y parents had their house painted in white last month. 4. We had some coffee before going out. A. ,he girls had their swimming lesson with the new instructor. /. Oou have finished all your wor+ and now you're ready to go home. 37. ) have a hint about the person who did it. 19. Change the following sentences from a general to a specific meaning by the use of the construction with have: 3. &lease let me loo+ at your new method of +nitting. *lease let me have a loo0, <. Would you li+e to wal+ on the shore of the la+e before going in9 >. ) haven't drun+ te8uila for longer than ) can remember. .. ,hose two cats have been fighting for the last five minutes. 6. ,aste the soup and you'll see how good it is. ?. 1y family usually rests after lunch. 4. ,hey will probably be swimming in the sea by the time we get there. A. (hildren should sleep after such a long wal+. /. ,he boss wants to tal+ to you after the meeting. 37. )t would be better to lie down if your feet hurt so much. 2 . Underline one of the verbs in brac!ets: 3. When do you (doKma+e) your shopping9

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<. Me (didKmade) you a favour to tell you the name of the examiner. >. ,hey (didKmade) a "ourney to the -outh &ole to study life under freePing conditions. .. ,hey first (didKmade) several experiments and then launched the product on mar+et. 6. -usan (has doneKhas made) a fortune selling her pictures for *layboy. ?. Oou won't go out until you (have doneKhave made) your homewor+. 4. &eter (didKmade) an attempt to tal+ to Nill but everything was in vain! she wouldn't say a word. A. *llen (will doKwill ma+e) the +itchen and then start coo+ing. /. ,he party of tourists (didKmade) all the sights of the city in "ust one day. 37. ,hey (didKmade) a success of their last show.

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