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To be / to have: -ing forms... - English lesson
Mostly and most often, 'Be' and 'have' are auxiliaries, which means they help to conjugate other verbs, in order to be able to express different nuances.
Sometimes, they also behave like ordinary verbs needing auxiliaries to get and give a meaning.
At other times, 'to have' doesn't even express a possession...
'Ordinary' verbs no longer meaning 'identifying (to be) or possessing (to have)'! This is the category of verbs we'll be interested in here.
A) TO BE : is not normally used in the -ing form.
ex : Paul is really a fool. You mustn't follow his advice.
ex : I'm a teacher; he's a doctor; they are our cousins.
It is obvious that here, 'to be' can't be put in the - ing form. Yet:
1) When 'to be' describes a present behaviour, it must be in the - ing form.
ex: Mary ? Are you being funny? 

ex : Stop that immediately! You're being stupid! 

2) In the passive form, 'to be' is the auxiliary used to build the passive BUT may bear the - ing form.
ex : A new motorway is being built next to his garden... (they're building it now...)
ex : When she landed from that risky area she was being carefully looked after and examined by all the doctors of the airport for hours.
B) TO HAVE : doesn't always express a possession.
A large number of expressions using 'have' express different activities.
To have a wash; to have a shave; to have a shower/ a bath;
To have a meal ; to have a cup of coffee; to have a drink;
To have a good time; to have a holiday; to have a swim;
To have a good trip/ journey;
To have a try; to have a go.
To have a nervous breakdown;
To have a look;
To have a dream;
ex : I'm sorry, you'll have to wait, she's having lunch.
That lesson was easy, wasn't it?
Now, go for the exercise to get a 100%!
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English exercise "To be / to have: -ing forms..." created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
Click here to see the current stats of this English test

End of the free exercise to learn English: To be / to have: -ing forms...
A free English exercise to learn English.
Other English exercises on the same topics : BE, HAVE, DO, DID, WAS... | Speaking | -ing | All our lessons and exercises