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Anonymous Posted 4 years ago
Grammar

What we say is what we do

What we say is what we do.

Is the "is" a linking verb in the sentence above?

I'm inclined to say that it isn't.

As I understand the notion of the linking verb, it is a verb that links a predicate complement, for example, a noun or adjective, that is subject-oriented. In other words, what follows the inflected form of the linking "be" should be somewhat subject-oriented.

I can't see that semantically or syntactically the predicative clause what we do is subject-oriented in What we say is what we do.

My question is:

Can we classify the "is" as a linking verb in What we say is what we do?

  

Top answer

anonymous Is the "is" a linking verb in the sentence above? Yes. " "What we say" is a noun clause, the subject.

— Anonymous

  • anonymous Is the "is" a linking verb in the sentence above?
  • Yes.
  • " "What we say" is a noun clause, the subject.
  • "What we do" is its complement.
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3 Answers
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anonymousIs the "is" a linking verb in the sentence above?

Yes. Look at "What we say is something undefined." "What we say" is a noun clause, the subject. "What we do" is its complement.

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anonymousCan we classify the "is" as a linking verb in What we say is what we do?

Yes. You have 'NP is NP' here. (NP: noun phrase)

So it's syntactically equivalent to "A dog is an animal".

CJ

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anonymousWhat we say is what we do.

Is "do" a lexical verb or a dummy one in the sentence above?

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