英语博客(A cup of English):046 You must love the verb 'to

　　Beginners.
When you learn English, the verb 'to be' can be a bit of a problem sometimes. It is irregular, so it doesn't follow a regular pattern. But, that is okay. Lots of verbs in English are irregular. I am, you are, he is etc should be familiar if you are serious about learning¹ the language. And, what about the past tense, was and were; do they drive you crazy? Don't worry, any language learner will sympathize². Let's try a few sentences. It's a good idea to read the text and listen at the same.
Hello, I am your English teacher. How are you all? The snow was heavy today and there were several accidents on the road; I thought that class would be canceled, but it wasn't. Was your homework okay? Isn't it nice to understand verbs? It wasn't always easy, was it? I know that your text book isn't cheap,but it is a good one. The other books were very expensive; this one isn't confusing either. My other students aren't as far ahead as you are; they weren't happy with their test results. Yours were the best.
Do you see that with a bit of condensed³ practice, you can get used to this little but important verb?
Advanced.
"To be or not to be; that is the question". Those aren't my own words, of course. They were written by the genius himself, Shakespeare. They are quoted all the time, in different contexts⁴, and, I'm sure, misquoted sometimes. The verb is such a short, insignificant⁵ sounding verb, but it is essential and weighty in meaning. Shakespeare wrote the sentence at the beginning of Hamlet's solliloquy, when he questions the meaning of life and the decisions we must make. What a fantastic piece of writing it is! Maybe, one day, I will treat you to the whole speech; I'll have to practice it quite a few times first. But, until then, we need to practice the little verb 'to be'. Isn't that a wonderful idea? Would it be necessary to practice if you knew it well? Probably not. But it will be necessary if you wish your English to be polished and natural. It wasn't always fun as a French and Spanish student to be chained to verb practice, but the teachers were undeterred. Verb practice is, was, and will be part of my life style. So, what do you think? Am I a sneaky teacher, fitting⁶ in the verb all over the place without you realizing? I'm assuming⁷ that you are all good students who love the verb 'to be', are you?

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 sympathize   

v.(sympathise)(with)同情，怜悯；共鸣，同感

参考例句：

• Don't always rely on others to understand and sympathize.不要老是指望别人的理解和同情。
• I heartily sympathize with you.我很同情你。

3 condensed   

adj. 浓缩的 动词condense的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The substance of their talk is condensed into a paragraph. 他们谈话的要旨被压缩成一段话。
• Moisture in the atmosphere condensed into dew during the night. 大气中的水汽在夜间凝结成了露珠。

4 contexts   

上下文( context的名词复数 )； 背景； 投资环境； 设备场境

参考例句：

• Even seemingly innocuous words are offensive in certain contexts. 甚至看似毫无恶意的言辞在某些语境下都会引起冒犯。
• Handheld devices are used in a variety of specific contexts. 手持设备会用在各种各样的具体情境下。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

6 fitting   

n.[pl.]设备，家具，配件，试穿；adj.适合的

参考例句：

• I'm going to a fitting tomorrow.明天我要去试穿新衣。
• The President's address was a fitting end to a bitter campaign.总统的讲话为一场激烈的竞选运动适时画上了句号。

7 assuming   

如果

参考例句：

• You were mistaken in assuming it. 你这样臆断是错了。
• The country's industry is assuming a new aspect. 该国的工业正在呈现新的面貌。