Posted
on August 17, 2013
Wait,
don't use the word itself in the definition! That would be like
saying, “The meaning of dance is to dance,” or “A miniature
horse is a horse that is miniature.”
It's
not all that easy to define “is,” and it is especially
challenging to define it without using the word! Since it is the
seventh most commonly used word in English, we often hardly notice
that we are even saying it!
If
we ARE allowed to use the word “is” in the definition, we could
say that “is” is a form of the word “to be.” It means
“exists,” and it refers to a state of being.
It
is hard to explain. But it is easy to use in a sentence, for English
speakers. See? I used it in both sentences at the beginning of this
paragraph, without meaning to!
It
think it is interesting to note that there are two different kinds of
“is” and “to be” in the Spanish language. One (es,
and ser)
is usually used for permanent “states of being” – like “The
doctor is a woman.” In this example, the doctor is always a woman,
not just some of the time. The other form of “is” (está,
and estar)
is used for temporary or changed “states of being” – like “The
doctor is tired.” In this example, the doctor wasn't tired before
her shift, but she is tired right now; after a rest or a good night's
sleep, she will be fine again.
I
think it would be great to have two different forms of “is” in
the English language, too—but since we don't have that, we have to
really careful with the way we use our words.
Here's
just one tiny example: If you thought your brother was being lazy one
Saturday afternoon (but not usually), and you really wanted him to
pick up after himself right then and there, which of these sentences
would get your message across? And which would be more likely to feel
like a general insult?
“Mom, he is so lazy! He should pick up his stuff!”
or
“Mom, he is being a lazybones today. I'd really like it if he would pick up his stuff!”
I
read the the main verb used by Russians for existence (to be) has a
past tense and a future tense, but no present tense. Instead of
saying something like, “He is a student,” a Russian would say,
“He student.”
Another
Russian verb that talks about existence is pretty much a translation
of “there is” or “there are.” This same verb means “to
eat.” Interesting connection, huh? It reminds me of the saying,
“You are what you eat.”
In
Chinese, there is a verb “is” that is used when describing
characteristics of someone or something (such as “she is smart”)
and a verb “is” that is used when talking about the location of
that person or thing (such as “she is at home”).
In
the Japanese language, the different forms of “is” have to do
with the subject of the sentence. If you are talking about a plant or
an inanimate thing (something that isn't alive, such as a backpack or
a pair of jeans), you use one word; if you are talking about an
animal or a human, you use the other.
By
the way...
The
letters “IS” can be used to stand for InterState, Internal
Security, Intermediate School, Immune System, or International Sign
language. It is short for Isabel, island, and Isaiah (a book of the
Bible). In the country code portion of a URL, “is” stands for
Iceland. (You may wonder why, since Iceland has no “S”! In
Icelandic, the name of the nation is “Island.”)
Speaking of Iceland, one of my favorite Facebook pages is Made by Iceland. |
Also
on this date:
Here
are my Pinterest pages on August
holidays, historical
anniversaries in August,
and August
birthdays.
And
here are my Pinterest pages on September
holidays, historical
anniversaries in September,
and September
birthdays.
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