copulas
Verbs expressing identity
Copulas are linking verbs that connect a subject to a complement describing or identifying it.
The most common copula in English is "be": She is a doctor, The sky was blue.
Other copulas include become, seem, appear, and remain.
In logic and linguistics, a copula links subject and predicate without expressing action—it simply states that something is something else.
Who someone is
- equivalenceState of being equal
- existenceState of being real
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- beingExisting as something
essence · substance · proposition · assertion · Aristotle · metaphysics · categorical · judgment
Action-centered grammatical unit
- predicationAttributing property to subject
- clauseProvision in agreement
- nominalIn designation only
- adjectivalOf describing words
existential · identity · ascription · Russian · Arabic · Chinese · typology · morphology
Reproductive pairing behavior
- reproductionCopying or procreation
- joiningLinking into one
- unionJoining into one
- pairingJoining two together
breeding · fertilization · coitus · coupling · intercourse · sexual · zoology · animal behavior
linking verbs
Verbs showing state
are · was · were · being · been · become · seem · appear · predicate · sentence structure
identity
Who someone is
- equivalenceState of being equal
- existenceState of being real
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
being · essence · substance · proposition · assertion · Aristotle · metaphysics · categorical · judgment · truth value
verb phrase
Action-centered grammatical unit
- predicationAttributing property to subject
- clauseProvision in agreement
- nominalIn designation only
adjectival · existential · identity · ascription · Russian · Arabic · Chinese · typology · morphology · inflection
mating
Reproductive pairing behavior
- reproductionCopying or procreation
- joiningLinking into one
- unionJoining into one
pairing · breeding · fertilization · coitus · coupling · intercourse · sexual · zoology · animal behavior · conjugation