be1 /bi; strong biː/ ●●●S1W1 auxiliary verb (past tensepstwas, were, past participleppbeen, present participle being, first person singular am, second person singular and plural are, third person singular3rdis) → bee
were somebody to do something/if somebody were to do something
Even if England were to win the next two matches, Germany would still be three points ahead.
即使英格兰队在接下来的两场比赛中都胜出,德国队也还是领先三分。
Were we to offer you the job, would you take it?
如果我们给你这份工作,你会接受吗?
b)used in conditional sentences to introduce an aim when you are saying what must be done in order to achieve it 〔用于条件句中引入目标〕
if somebody/something is to do something
If we are to succeed in this enterprise, we shall need to plan everything very carefully.
我们要是想把这个企业办好,每一件事情都要认认真真地去计划。
7old use used instead of ‘have’ to form the perfect3 tense of some verbs 〔代替have构成某些动词的完成时态〕
The hour is come.
这一时刻已经来临。
Examples from the Corpus
be• The children are to go to bed by 8 o'clock.• Talks were to have begun two weeks ago.• His arrival may have beendelayed by snow.• I'll be leaving in about half an hour.• He is more to be pitied than feared.• Smokingis not permitted on this flight.• Walkerwas nowhere to be found.• Fees are to be paid before classes begin.• Christ isrisen from the dead.• I was shown a copy of the contract.• It was to be one of the most important judgments the court made.
What was once a great and powerful empire has effectively ceased to be.
这个曾经伟大而强盛的帝国实际上已经不复存在了。
13be yourselfto behave in a natural way, rather than trying to pretend to be different 行为自然,不做作
Don’t try too hard – just be yourself.
不要太刻意——你该怎么样就怎么样吧。
Examples from the Corpus
be yourself• And the sacrificialvictimis yourself.• He was counting on her redshirting even more than Karen was herself.• They made us able to come with our own identity and our own image, to try to be ourselves.• They can be themselves, be, relate, create in their own way.• Henry Ford's assertion that history was bunkwas itself bunk: theology seemed to me a much better candidate.• The language needed to describeunityis itselfdivisive, each word an islandproclaiming its difference from every other.• It seems to me questionable that Ruether is herself theistic.
14not be yourselfto be behaving in a way that is unusual for you, especially because you are ill or upset 不是你正常的状况,状态不好〔尤因为生病或不高兴〕
Sorry – I’m not myself this morning.
对不起——我今天上午状态不好。
Examples from the Corpus
not be yourself• It would not be itself a thing.
15the be-all and end-allIMPORTANTthe most important part of a situation or of someone’s life 首要的事情,最要紧的事情
the be-all and end-all of
For Jim, making money was the be-all and end-all of his job.
对吉姆来讲,挣钱是他工作中最要紧的事情。
Examples from the Corpus
the be-all and end-all• Is food and comfortthe be-all and end-all?• However, it was said that looking at the employee's base was not the be-all and end-all.• However, weight is not the be-all and end-all and you must keep a check on your generalshape and fitness.
nGRAMMAR: Linking verbs
Be is a linking verb. This type of verb links the subject of the sentence with an adjective or noun:
The water was cold.
Leeds is a city in the north of England.
Examples from the Corpus
be• Hi, it's me.• Horses are animals.• "That's not your coat" "Yes, it is!"• Can you tell me where the stationis?• Before becoming a writer, Schwarz had been a cook, a cabdriver and a door-to-doorsalesman.• I can't remember how much the flight cost. I think it was around $400.• Dinneris at eight, so come at about half past seven.• Becareful!• A sawis for cutting wood.• Egypt is in North Africa.• "I like your new shirt - how much was it?" "It was only fifteen pounds."• Christie is my girlfriend.• Christmas will be on a Saturday next year.• Don't be so rude!• ""What colouris your car?'' ""It's black.''