https://teflpedia.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=3.1.20.132&feedformat=atomTeflpedia - ✍️Contributions [en]2024-03-29T11:30:16Z✍️ContributionsMediaWiki 1.39.1https://teflpedia.com/index.php?title=There_be&diff=54658There be2019-10-21T07:42:08Z<p>3.1.20.132: /* Anticipate difficulties */</p>
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<div>'''There be''' is an [[English]] [[verb form]], which combines [[existential there]] with the verb [[be]] as [[existential be]] to describe the [[existence]] of things.<br />
<br />
== Form ==<br />
The construction is unusual in English<ref>perhaps unique?</ref> because the [[primary verb]]s (be or have) show object agreement rather than the usual subject agreement. For example, we say "there is a pen" (singular object), and "there are four pens" (plural object). Additionally, the verb must agree with the first direct object, ignoring any conjunctions; so we use the singular forms to cover a plurality of objects if the first object is singular. For example, we say "there is a house and a garden" rather than *"there are a house and a garden." There is some logic to the latter form even though it is erroneous, and students may attempt it.<br />
<br />
The basic forms are in the following table:<br />
<br />
<br />
{|class="wikitable"<br />
! [[Form]] !! [[Singular]] !! [[Plural]]<br />
|-<br />
| [[To-infinitive]] (simple) ||colspan=2| there to be<br />
|-<br />
| [[To-infinitive]] (perfect) ||colspan=2| there to have been<br />
|-<br />
| [[Bare infinitive]] (simple) ||colspan=2| there be <!-- e.g. "let there be..."<br />
|-<br />
| [[Bare infinitive]] (perfect) ||colspan=2| there have been <!-- e.g. "let there have been..." --><br />
|-<br />
| [[Gerund]] ||colspan=2| there being<br />
|-<br />
| [[Present simple]] || there is || there are<br />
|-<br />
| [[Present perfect ]] || there has been || there have been<br />
|-<br />
| [[Past simple]] || there was || there were<br />
|-<br />
| [[Past perfect]] ||colspan=2| there had been<br />
|}<br />
<br />
Note that while the [[perfect]] aspect can apply, the progressive aspect can't be applied; we don't say *"there are being".<br />
<br />
In addition, "there be" can take [[modal verb]]s, both [[full modal verb]]s and [[semi-modal verb]]s:<br />
<br />
{|class="wikitable"<br />
! Verb !! Simple !! Perfect<br />
|-<br />
| can || there can be || ?there can have been<br />
|-<br />
| could || there could be || there could have been<br />
|-<br />
| will || there will be || there will have been<br />
|-<br />
|would || there would be || there would have been<br />
|-<br />
|May || there may be || there may have been<br />
|-<br />
|might|| there might be|| there might have been<br />
|-<br />
|shall || there shall be|| there shall have been<br />
|-<br />
|should|| there should be|| there should have been<br />
|-<br />
|must|| there must be|| there must have been<br />
|-<br />
| ought to|| there ought to be|| there ought to have been<br />
|-<br />
|[[need to]] || there needs to be|| there needs to have been<br />
|-<br />
| [[have to]] || there have to be|| there have/has to have been<br />
|-<br />
| used to || there used to be || - <!-- "there used to have been" doesn't seem to be allowed --><br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Pronunciation ==<br />
<br />
For those with non-rhotic pronunciation, a linking /r/ is often desirable in "there are", especially to distinguish it from "they are", which has a linking /j/. There's little point students thinking of the right grammar, and then saying something that sounds like e.g. *"they are two pens on the table".<br />
<br />
Are in there are is often reduced to a schwa - /ðeərə/. There were is similarly reduced to /ðeəwə/, and there was to /ðeəwəz/, etc, etc. [table needed]<br />
<br />
== Anticipate difficulties ==<br />
<br />
[[Chinese]] students will often try to say *"there has", or *"there have", or just *"have" or *"has" (without a subject). This is because in similar situations in Chinese, they use 有 (Pinyin: yòu). This frequently develops into a [[fossilised error]].<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<br />
<references/><br />
<br />
[[category:Verb forms]]<br />
[[category:Be]]</div>3.1.20.132