Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

Be to

403a

Uses

Be to

is rare in informal conversation, and only occurs in rather formal spoken

contexts such as meetings. It is used for directives, and to talk about events in the

future which are fixed, desirable or hypothetical.

Directives

Be to

can be used to express orders and instructions:

The orders 

are to be carried out without delay.

(must be carried out)

[sign on a door]

This door 

is to remain locked at all times.

[business meeting; speaker A is announcing agreed actions]

A: Rob is to look at it and Ann Pascoe to look at it and formal comments to be

collated and sent back to David.

B: And one month for that.

A: Er, yeah.

B: I think that’s safest.

In the negative, be to can be used to prohibit or forbid something:

He 

is not to be disturbed, Jackie instructed. He is sleeping. Let him sleep. He 

is to see no one. 

(He must not be disturbed.)

[parent scolding a small child]

Come here! You

’re not to do that!

Fixed events

Be to

is used to refer to fixed or pre-decided events, or things destined to happen:

The first opera ever to be staged in England 

is to be recreated to celebrate its

300th anniversary.

[about planned changes to telephone charges]

International calls 

are to cost an average 10 per cent less – up to 20 per cent

cheaper in some cases. 

(this has been decided/is destined to happen)

[about someone who died just after retiring from work]

He’d hoped to travel and see the world in his retirement but it 

wasn’t to be.

(was not destined to happen)

664 | Modality

Cambridge Grammar of English

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