Be Verbs
Why does my child leave words out of sentences?
What are be verbs?
Is
Are
Am
Was
Were
Be
Being
Been
Do you ever hear your child say a sentence that’s almost correct, but not quite right? Many times, that’s due to a missing word. Some of the most commonly missed words in children ages 3-6 are be verbs.
Milestones:
Most children should be using accurate be verbs (is, are, am, was, were) in sentences by the time they are between 36-48 months of age.
If a child is deleting these be verbs, their sentences may sound like this:
My name Olivia. (Missing the be verb “is”)
We running on the field. (Missing the be verb “are”)
I wearing a blue shirt. (Missing the be verb “am”)
These types of sentence errors can confuse their listeners, whether it be parents, teachers, or other children. It may be simple enough to figure out one sentence in context, but the listener gets lost when a child is trying to tell a whole story with the be verbs missing. So how do we help children use be verbs? I’ve listed some tips below.
Tips:
Recast it correctly: recasting is when you repeat the child’s sentence back to them, but you say it accurately.
Example: the child says “We taking the dog on a walk”, to which you respond, “Yes, we are taking the dog on a walk.” Don’t over-emphasize it by saying “Actually, we ARE taking the dog on a walk. Did you hear that? I have to use the word “are” when I talk so people understand me.” This is no more effective than simple recasting, and is likely to make your child frustrated when talking with you. Recasting allows for the natural flow of conversation to continue.
Model and recast with the uncontracted version of the words.
Example, using “it is” instead of “it’s”, using “I am” instead of “I’m”
While we don’t know exactly why children delete be verbs, one theory is because they are commonly contracted (it’s, I’m, we’re, he’s, you’re, etc.) and therefore stand out less in conversation. By separating the be verb in our own speech, we are able to emphasize it more easily. This makes children more likely to pick up on the pattern of when we use be verbs.
Seek out an evaluation from a speech-language pathologist
A more detailed assessment of your child’s grammatical skills is helpful in determining which be verbs to target, as well as other possible speech errors. In addition to modeling and recasting, a speech-language pathologist can also use more direct intervention strategies for teaching these verbs. An SLP will also use visual cues to remind your child to include be verbs in conversation.
Download my free handout on be verbs below!
Types:
There are 4 types of be verbs. They are separated based on the following characteristics:
Auxiliary vs. Copula
Auxiliary be verbs are accompanied by another verb: “She is running,” “Is Jack driving to the store?”
Copula be verbs are the only verb in the sentence: “I am tired,” ‘That bird is blue.”
Uncontractible vs. Contractible
Uncontractible be verbs cannot be contracted (shortened to combine with another word using an apostrophe): “Last week was so busy,” “Those puppies are cute.”
Contractible be verbs can be, but aren’t required to be contracted: “I am going to bed,” “We’re excited to see the movie.”
Note: Some children also leave out other auxiliary verbs, or use the wrong ones. These commonly include do verbs (does, do, did, don’t) and have verbs (have, has, had), in addition to will, would, should, can, may, might, and must. But that’s another blog for another day!
Citations
Brown, R. (1973). A first language: The early stages. London: George Allen & Unwin.
Lanza, J.R., & Flahive, L.K. (2008) Linguisystems Guide to Communication Milestones
Paul, R., & Alforde, S. (1993) Grammatical Morpheme Acquisition in 4-year-olds with Normal, Impaired, and Late-Developing Language, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, Volume 36, 1271-1275
About the Author
Alyssa is a licensed speech-language pathologist practicing in San Diego, CA. She is the owner of Leap Speech & Language Therapy. Questions? Email her at alyssa@leapspeechandlanguagetherapy.com
