copulanoun [ C ]
uk/ˈkɒp.jə.lə/us/ˈkɑː.pjə.lə/specializeda type of verb, of which the most common is "be", that joins the subject of the verb with a complement:
In the sentence "You smell nice", "smell" is a copula.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: verb forms, tenses & types of verbs
- accusative
- arose
- art
- aspect
- began
- bent
- conjugate
- ditransitive
- historic present
- linking verb
- main verb
- passivize
- past participle
- predicate
- progressive
- the future perfect
- the pluperfect
- the present simple
- the third person
- wast
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