An open list of 10 words by lbeaumont.
- was appears on 17 other lists and has 2 comments
- am appears on 13 other lists and has 4 comments
- is appears on 42 other lists and has 13 comments
- were appears on 9 other lists and has 1 comment
- are appears on 23 other lists and has 1 comment
- be appears on 35 other lists and has 3 comments
- being appears on 17 other lists
- been appears on 6 other lists and has 1 comment
- will be
- has been appears on 1 other list
ruzuzu Wallaby or not wallaby. That is the question.
--Wilby Shkspr Jan 11, 2011
reesetee What is the question? Jan 11, 2011
ruzuzu That is the question. Jan 10, 2011
fbharjo Thrillaby thought he taught tight tautology!
All for naught - to be? Jan 10, 2011
ruzuzu Whatever wallaby will be. Jan 10, 2011
bilby Couldby. Jan 10, 2011
reesetee Bilby, does that mean you're related to whichbe? Jan 10, 2011
milosrdenstvi In Greek the "to be" verb can be also functionally translated in certain instances as "exists", as also in English "Beauty exists" conveying much the same as "Beauty is". Jan 5, 2011
ruzuzu I was going to make some kind of France is Ford copula joke, but then I read the first example sentence on copula and got distracted. Jan 5, 2011
bilby Wilby's my cousin, but he lets me call him Will. Jan 5, 2011
yarb And shouldn't will be will be? Jan 5, 2011
yarb Bilby, I think in your example it's rather is that's substituting (as a convenience) for equals. Even staying in the sphere of maths I think there is a distinction. "Equals" in your example here is shorthand for "is the sum of". Three plus four equals seven, but seven doesn't equal a prime number - it is a prime.
"I am a man".
"I am equal to a man".
Not all verbs of being were created equal. Jan 5, 2011
bilby What about something like equals?
"Four plus three equals seven."
"Four plus three is seven."
Functionally I can't see any difference between the two sentences, hence equals is taking the role of is. Jan 4, 2011