Verb groups

Being is an action too!

What's the action in this snippet?

Bean was a turkey-and-apple farmer.

The Fantastic Mr Fox(1970)

Words like was, am, is, are, were—these all express the act of being or existing.

This is a kind of action too, although it's not as active as running or throwing or jumping (which is why we sometimes use the word process instead of action).

Here's another example:

They were murderous, brutal-looking monsters.

The Fantastic Mr Fox(1970)

When we talk about things being, we're talking about existing as something or existing somewhere. That could be existing as a person (I am Muhammed), existing as a thing (it is a desk), or existing as more abstract things like roles (she is a leader), or states (they are happy). We can also talk about existing in a location (I am in the kitchen).

Write a sentence of your own using at least one being verb (such as 'am', 'is', 'was' or 'are').
Write another one.
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