verb intrans
to exist or be present; to have a particular location
Your mother is in the garden
Where is the dog?
to be equal or equivalent to something stated as a complement
Paris is the capital of France
God is love
The first person I saw was your husband
to occur in time
The concert was last night
to have a specified state, function, or value
The leaves are green
This is for you
The book is £25
Why are you angry?
used with it or there to introduce general statements
It is time we went
There are only three minutes left
used instead of go or come in the perfect tense
I've been to New York
I have only been to New York once
Has the postman been?
used with the present participle to form continuous or progressive tenses
He is reading
I have been sleeping
We are leaving tomorrow
used with the past participle of transitive verbs to form the passive voice
The children were found safe and well
The house is being built on the side of a hill
used with the past participle of certain intransitive verbs:
archaic to form perfect tenses
The wheel is come full circle — Shakespeare
to form perfect tenses in which the emphasis is on the resulting state rather than the action
The guests are all gone
The job is not quite finished
used with to and an infinitive to express future action, esp to describe destiny, commitment, possibility, or obligation or a command
They are to marry next month
You are not to worry
He was to become famous
They were to have been married
I am to interview him today
It was nowhere to be found
You are not to smoke
to behave normally or naturally
to feel unwell or not in one's normal frame of mind
to behave abnormally
in the future, about to be
She brought along her husband-to-be