Most people have probably said the word “is” more times than their own name (it’s in this edition 30 times). It’s such a common term, in fact, that you might not have stopped to think about what “is” really … is. Thankfully, the answer is rather simple. In English, there are eight basic parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. “Is” falls squarely into the verb category, as it’s a conjugation of the verb “to be.”
“To be” is one of those irregular verbs that you just have to memorize. In the present tense, the conjugation is: “I am,” “you are,” “we are,” “they are,” and “he/she/it is.” “Is” is the third-person singular form.
“Is” commonly acts as a linking verb — a type of verb that doesn’t describe an action, but still builds a bridge between the subject and the predicate. Take these examples: “Mona is my cousin,” “Your dress is beautiful,” and “She is 25 years old.” In these instances, “is” links the subject (“Mona,” “dress,” “she”) to another noun (“my cousin”), adjective (“beautiful”), or longer clause (“25 years old”).
When “is” serves as an auxiliary verb, it’s a helper verb that lends support to the main verb of a sentence. For instance: “It is going to rain on Saturday” and “Mom is buying a cake for the party.” In both of these cases, “is” is not the main verb, but rather a verb that lends support to the main verbs “going” and “buying.” The purpose of using the auxiliary verb is to add meaning, clarify tense, or shape mood.
Watch out for “is” and tipping your sentences into passive voice. We’ll cover this more in a future edition, but for now, if “is” is the main verb in your sentence, try to rework it to use a more active verb. (Example: “The guitar is being played by Jaime” vs. “Jaime played the guitar.”) Sentences that rely on “is” and passive voice can be unnecessarily confusing. This simple act of self-editing can bring your sentences into an unmistakably clear and active voice.
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