📒 used when you are naming people or things, describing them or giving more information about them
- + noun Today is Monday.
- ‘Who is that?’ ‘It's my brother.’
- She's a great beauty.
📒 used when you are describing a situation or saying what you think about it
- + adj. It was really hot in the sauna.
- It's strange how she never comes to see us any more.
- He thinks it's clever to make fun of people.
📒 to exist; to be present
- Is there a God?
- Once upon a time there was a princess…
- I tried phoning but there was no answer.
📒 to be located; to be in a place
- The town is three miles away.
- If you're looking for your file, it's on the table.
- Mary's upstairs.
📒 used to say where somebody was born or where their home is
📒 to happen at a time or in a place
- The party is on Friday evening.
- The meetings are always in the main conference room.
📒 to remain in a place
- She has been in her room for hours.
- They're here till Christmas.
📒 to attend an event; to be present in a place
- I'll be at the party.
- He'll be here soon (= will arrive soon).
📒 used to talk about time
- + noun It's two thirty.
- + adj. It was late at night when we finally arrived.
📒 to cost
- ‘How much is that dress?’ ‘Eighty dollars.’
📒 to be equal to
- Three and three is six.
- How much is a thousand pounds in euros?
- Let x be the sum of a and b.
📒 to visit or call
- I've never been to Spain.
- He had been abroad many times.
- (British English) Has the postman been yet?
📒 used to say what something is made of
- Is your jacket real leather?
📒 used to say who something belongs to or who it is intended for
- be mine, yours, etc. The money's not yours, it's John's.
- be for me, you, etc. This package is for you.
📒 used to say how important something is to somebody
- Money isn't everything (= it is not the only important thing).
- A thousand dollars is nothing to somebody as rich as he is.
📒 as somebody/something used to be called
- Jill Davis that was (= before her marriage)
- the Soviet Union, as was
📒 the most important part; all that matters
- Her career is the be-all and end-all of her existence.
📒 used to show that you are surprised and annoyed by something that somebody has done
- Someone's been and parked in front of the entrance!
📒 used to say that somebody/something stopped somebody/something from happening
- If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive today.
📒 used to show that you accept that something negative cannot be changed
- I never imagined that our company share prices would fall so low, but it is what it is.
📒 to leave somebody/something alone without bothering them/it
- Leave her be, she obviously doesn't want to talk about it.
- Let the poor dog be (= don't annoy it).
📒 future
- his bride-to-be
- mothers-to-be (= pregnant women)