what is the meaning of 'be'

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello everyone,
I am reading an reference at csun.edu/~bashforth/305_PDF/ … atives.pdf

Many students tend to overlook the basic criteria in using participle clauses. The two actions in the sentence must refer to the same subject, be they active actions that the subject does or passive actions done to the subject.

I wonder what is the meaning of ‘be’? Please help me understand.
Thank you very much.

2

“be” is a subjunctive, describing a hypothetical state. The last part of the sentence means:

“… regardless of whether they are active actions … or passive actions …”

(In fact, one could also write “regardless of whether they be”, but most people would use “are” instead.)

3

I do not understand the latter part at all (given below)

…be they active actions that the subject does or passive actions done to the subject.

Thanks

4

“be they” is an inversion of “they be”, in which “be” is a subjunctive form describing a hypothetical state. The inversion creates the meaning “(regardless of) whether they be …” (= “(regardless of) whether they are …”).

“be they…”, and similar forms such as “were it…”, “were he…”, etc., are possibly frozen instances of some old grammar rule that is no longer productive. These forms are mostly used in formal and literary settings.

Edited: It occurred to me that the pattern “Had I/he/it/etc…”, meaning “If I/he/it/etc. had…”, may also be related.

5

OK, thanks a lot! Seems to me I’ve got familiar with “be they” form. The wording of the rest makes more problems to me than the form “be they”.
Can you help about it as well!

Thanks

6

Let me guess…, the sentence could be a combination of the following two sentences.

  1. Regardless of whether they are active actions that the subject does.
  2. Regardless of whether they are passive actions (which are) done to the subject.
7

…be they [color=blue]either active actions that the subject does or passive actions done to the subject.

I would have got this meaning earlier if “either” was used in the sentence.

Did I put “either” on the right place? Thanks

8

You did, but it’s not needed.

9

“Be our enemy vanished or not, we are not bothered.”
Is this sentence OK or not?
Is this sentence a type of inversion?

10

The sentence is okay.
Please see Dozy’s reply in message #4 above.