E-Prime denotes a restricted form of English in which authors avoid all forms of the verb to be.
E-Prime also excludes contractions such as I'm, we're, you're, he's, she's, it's, they're, there's, here's, where's, when's, why's, how's, who's, what's, and that's.
In English, the verb 'to be' (also known as the copula)
In linguistics, a copula is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word is in the sentence "The sky is blue". The word copula derives from the Latin noun for a "link" or "tie" that connects two different things.
One could rewrite the functions of "to be" as follows:
- "The cat is my only pet": "I have only a pet cat".
- "The cat is Garfield": "I call my cat Garfield".
- "Garfield is a cat": "I call my cat Garfield".
- "A cat is an animal": "'Cat' denotes an animal".
- "The cat is furry": "The cat feels furry".
- "The cat is sleeping": "The cat sleeps".
- "The dog is chasing the cat": "The dog chases the cat".
- "There is a cat": "I know of a cat".
- "The cat is on the mat": "The cat sits on the mat".
- "The cat is here": "I have the cat with me".
Essense vs. State:
Some languages use different copulas, or different syntax, to denote a permanent, essential characteristic of something versus a temporary state. For examples, see the sections on the Romance languages, Slavic languages and Irish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copula_(linguistics)
https://www.ctlow.ca/E-Prime/E-Prime.html
https://english-prime.com/ - Remove the words "To Be"
https://english-prime.com/1-2-3-e-prime/
D. David Bourland – To Be or Not: An E-prime Anthology – Open Google Book
https://books.google.com/books?id=N-F9epoIl1cC&lpg
Ch 3 - Words
Heal, 2023feb26, Words, E-Prime, eprime, English Prime, copula