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   be

   /biː/

   verb

   • 1. exist: "there are no easy answers" Similar existhave beinghave existencelivebe alivehave lifebreathedraw breathbe extantbe viable
   • ▪ be present: "there is a boy sitting on the step" Similar be presentbe aroundbe availablebe nearbe nearbybe at hand
   • 2. occur; take place: "the exhibition will be in November" Similar occurhappentake placecome aboutarisecrop uptranspirefallmaterializeensueliterary:come to passbefallbetide
   • ▪ occupy a position in space: "Salvation Street was on his left" Similar be situatedbe locatedbe foundbe presentbe setbe positionedbe placedbe installed
   • ▪ stay in the same place or condition: "he's a tough customer—let him be" Similar remainstaywaitlingerhold onhang onlastcontinuesurviveendurepersistprevailobtain
   • ▪ attend: "I'm at school doing A levels" Similar attendgo tobe presenttake partfrequenthauntpatronize
   • ▪ come; go; visit: "he's from Missouri"
   • 3. having the state, quality, identity, nature, role, etc., specified: "Amy was 91"
   • ▪ cost: "the tickets were £25" Similar costbe priced atsell forbe valued atfetchcome toinformal:set one backgo for
   • ▪ amount to: "one and one is two" Similar amount tocome toadd up torun tonumbermaketotalequalbe equal tobe equivalent tocompriserepresenttot up to
   • ▪ represent: "let A be a square matrix of order"
   • ▪ signify: "we were everything to each other"
   • ▪ consist of; constitute: "the monastery was several three-storey buildings"
   • 4. say: informal "last time I saw her she was all ‘You need to quit smoking!’"

   auxiliary

   • 1. used with a present participle to form continuous tenses: "they are coming"
   • 2. used with a past participle to form the passive voice: "it was done"
   • 3. used to indicate something that is due or destined to happen: "construction is to begin next summer"
   • ▪ used to express obligation or necessity: "you are to follow these orders"
   • ▪ used to express possibility: "these snakes are to be found in North America"
   • ▪ used to hypothesize about something that might happen: "if I were to lose"
   • 4. used with the past participle of intransitive verbs to form perfect tenses: archaic "I am returned"

   Word Origin Old Englishbēon, an irregular and defective verb, whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs. The forms am and is are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sum and est. The forms was and were are from an Indo-European root meaning ‘remain’. The forms be and been are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin fui ‘I was’, fio ‘I become’, and Greek phuein ‘bring forth, cause to grow’. The origin of are is uncertain.

   Scrabble Points: 4

   • B

     3

   • E

     1

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