Hi,
What is the difference between "be" and "to be" ?
Please, explain with an example.
Is "to be" taken into account in a sentence when "be" is used as primary verb ?
Or
Is "to be" an infinitive form of verb "be" ?
What is the difference between "be" and "to be" ?
Please, explain with an example.
Is "to be" taken into account in a sentence when "be" is used as primary verb ?
Or
Is "to be" an infinitive form of verb "be" ?
Hello, v4smb7—and welcome to English Forums. Thank you for registering as a member.
v4smb7What is the difference between "be" and "to be" ?
Your question is too vague without your own examples of cases that confuse you.
v4smb7 taken into account
What do you mean by that phrase? Please explain.
v4smb7Is "to be" an infinitive form of verb "be" ?
'To be' is the full infinitive; 'be' is the bare infinitive or dictionary form of the verb. Does that help?
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Comments
You received a similar response when you asked the same question earlier today at UE. It would be better if you posted some sample sentences rather than just repeating the question in different forums.
Probably not, then, but you will have to supply an example of your problem.
What is the difference between base form, dictionary form, and bare infinitive?
There is no difference in the forms - we use whichever name is most appropriate for our purposes.
to be, to take, to see, ...
These are called 'infinitives' or 'full infinitives' or 'infinitives with to'.
be, take, see, ...
These are called 'bare infinitives' or 'infinitives without to', or 'base forms', or 'plain forms', or 'dictionary forms'.
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There are only two structures here, but there are lots of names for them.
There may even be more names. I just listed the ones I remember.
CJ
As the main verb in a clause, it is never "to be". It can be "is", "was", "are", "were", "has been", and so on, but not "to be".
"be" can be the main verb only in the imperative (Be on time!) or in special situations which are more or less imperatives embedded in a subordinate clause (I insist that you be here on time).
CJ