youkoufiona
what does "be" mean here I read a story about a neighbor suing a photographer for taking pictures of him and selling those pictures without his consent. At the end of the article, the writer ask a question: "Was it legal for Svenson to sell photos of the Fosters and other neighbors without permission? You be the judge." I'd like to know why the writer use "You be the judge" instead of "You are the judge". What is the difference? Does it represent different tone or emotion? Thank you
Sep 23, 2014 6:25 PM
Answers · 4
5
It's not a question of tone or emotion, but a different grammatical structure to express a different function. 'You are the judge' is a simple statement of fact. 'You be the judge' is an imperative. The speaker is telling the other person to be the judge. It's the same as saying 'Be quiet' - telling the other person what to do.
September 23, 2014
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