This is a non-exhaustive list of copulae in the English language, i.e. words used to link the subject of a sentence with a predicate (a subject complement).
Because many of these copulative verbs may be used non-copulatively, examples are provided. Also, there can be other copulative verbs depending on the context and the meaning of the specific verb used. Therefore, this list is not an exhaustive one.
- ' "Tom acted suspicious."
- ' "Tom appears satisfied, but really is not."
- ' "Tom is a coward."
- ' (inchoative) "Tom became wealthy."
- ' "Tom called in sick."
- ' "The prediction came true;" "the belt came loose;" "the characters in the story come alive"
- ' "It came out burnt."
- ' "Verbs constitute one of the main word classes in the English language"
- ' "He died poor."
- ' "Tom eats healthy."
- ' "Tom emerged unharmed after the incident."
- ' "I ended up broke;" "the room ended up a mess."
- ' "Two plus two equals four."
- ' (inchoative) "Tom got angry."
- ' "The man went crazy;" "Tom went bald;" "the food went bad;" "the mistake went unnoticed"
- ' (inchoative) "Tom grew insistent."
- ' "Tom fell ill with the flu."
- ' "Tom felt nauseated."
- ' "The lake froze solid."
- ' "Tom kept quiet."
- ' "This area leans conservative."
- ' "Therein lies the paradox."
- ' "Tom looks upset."
- ' "The possum played dead."
- "Tom's behavior proves difficult to understand."
- ' "Tom remained unsatisfied."
- ' "Protectionist impulses run far too strong on Capitol Hill" (New York Times)
- ' "Tom seems happy."
- ' "Her smile shines bright."
- ' "Tom smelled sweet"
- ' "Tom sounded obnoxious."
- ' "Tom stayed happy."
- ' "Tom took ill."
- ' "The food tastes fresh."
- ' (inchoative) "Tom turned angry."
- ' "Tom turned up missing."
- ' (inchoative) "Tom waxed lyrical."
References