ADVANCED “BE” grammar: BE + to infinitive | BE + to BE + past participle | BE + perfect infinitive + TEST!
When do we use these structures?
- be + to infinitive
- be + to be + past participle
- was/were + to have + past participle
- was/were + to have + been + past participle
BE + TO INFINITIVE
Future Plans
informal future plan: New students are going to meet their teachers next week.
formal and official future plan: New students are to meet their teachers next week.
informal future plan: In two days, I am going to fly to Halifax for a conference.
formal and official future plan: In two days, I am to fly to Halifax for a conference.
We use the BE GOING TO + INFINITIVE structure in informal/neutral situations, and BE + TO INFINITIVE in formal official situations.
You often see this grammar in the news:
The president’s convoy is to pass through Richmond Avenue at noon tomorrow.
Students are to protest rising tuition at the nation’s capital.
Because this is very formal, it is unnatural to use this grammar like this:
I am to buy ice cream for dessert.
Is this a formal or official situation? No.
✅I am going to buy… OR ✅I’m gonna buy …
Past Plans
- informal past plan: A property development company was going to cut down a 200-year-old oak tree.
- formal and official past plan: A property development company was to cut down a 200-year-old oak tree.
- informal past plan: The talk show audience was ecstatic to hear that they were all going to receive a free 55” TV.
- formal and official past plan: The talk show audience was ecstatic to hear that they were all to receive a free 55” TV.
Again, you can see that BE GOING TO + INFINTIVE is less formal, and BE + TO INFINITIVE is more formal.
These are past plans that most likely happened.
Past Plans
We use this grammar to talk about past plans that did not happen.
was/were + to have + past participle
A property development company was to have cut down a 200-year-old oak tree, but too many members of the local community protested this.
This is a past plan that did not happen.
Talk show audience members were to have received a free 55” TV. However, the company providing the TVs never fulfilled their promise.
This is a past plan that did not happen.
Mini review:
be + to-infinitive
Future Plans
Southbank Dental Clinic is to offer free dental care to senior citizens beginning next month.
Past Plans
The CEO was to visit all company branches over the summer.
Past Plans
(that did not happen)
Employees were to have received a 5% raise , but drastic changes in the world market made this an impossibility.
We’ve already looked at BE + TO INFINTIVE to speak about future and past plans, but we can use the same structure to give orders or instructions.
Orders
You must do this. / You are expected to do this.
All employees are to complete their work satisfaction forms by Friday.
This isn’t a future plan, this is something they must do.
Each examinee is to switch off their phone and place it in the locker provided.
Many times this grammar is used in spoken English in the negative:
You are not to touch my stuff when I’m gone.
He is never to set foot in this office again!
Let’s compare plans and orders:
Macy is to serve the guests tea and coffee.
Is this a future plan or an order? Without context, maybe both.
Plan: Macy wants the guests to feel comfortable so she is going to serve them tea and coffee.
Order: Macy is an intern and her boss told her to serve tea and coffee.
It always depends on the context. But in this case, without context it feels like an order because serving tea and coffee isn’t really a formal or official plan.
Don’t confuse today’s grammar with this grammar:
The purpose of exams is to test students’ knowledge.
The function of the liver is to filter our blood.
be + to be + past participle
This is a passive structure. Let’s compare the active voice to the passive voice.
- Active Plan: Southbank Dental Clinic is to offer free dental care for senior citizens beginning next month.
- Passive Plan: Free dental care is to be offered to senior citizens beginning next month by Southbank Dental Clinic.
- Active Order: All employees are to complete their work satisfaction forms by Friday.
- Passive Order: Work satisfaction forms are to be completed by Friday by all employees.
- Passive Plan: Our new app is to be launched next month.
- Passive Order: Every customer is to be told about our new app.
was/were + to have + been + past participle
This is the passive structure for a past action that did not happen.
- Active: A property development company was to have cut down a 200-year-old oak tree, but too many members of the local community protested this.
- Passive: A 200-year-old oak tree was to have been cut down by a property development company, but too many members of the local community protested this.
- Active: Students at Rainbow Elementary school were to have gone on a field trip to the zoo. However, due to a spike in the number of Covid cases, all plans fell through.
TEST
Please connect 1- 9 to A – I.
1) Future plan active 2) Future plan passive 3) Past plan active 4) Past plan passive
5) Past plan that didn’t happen active 6) Past plan that didn’t happen passive
7) Order active 8) Order passive 9) Showing purpose with infinitive
A) A new bridge is to be built to replace the old one.
B) 500 people were to take part in the town’s fun run.
C) Vic was to have invited Marge, but unfortunately he could not find any of her contact details.
D) You are to apologize to the client. It was your fault.
E) These old boxes are to be moved by the end of the day, okay? I don’t want any excuses from you.
F) The purpose of our daily meetings is to establish clear goals for the day.
G) Members of the British royal family are to visit Montreal in December.
H) The birthday cake was to be delivered by noon for the party.
I) Our old furniture was to have been collected by a removals company on Monday, but due to a shortage of drivers the collection was postponed.
Keep scrolling down for the answers ⇓
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ANSWERS
- Question A) = 2) Future plan passive
- Question B) = 3) Past plan active
- Question C) = 5) Past plan that didn’t happen active
- Question D) = 7) Order active
- Question E) = 8) Order passive
- Question F) = 9) Showing purpose with infinitive
- Question G) = 1) Future plan active
- Question H) = 4) Past plan passive
- Question I)= 6) Past plan that didn’t happen passive
Wow, That’s a fantastic blog for English grammar.