Examples
Inverse copular constructions can involve adjectives, prepositions, and nouns, but they do not allow the post-copula nominal to be a definite pronoun:
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- a. The cause of the riot is a picture on the wall.
- b. A picture on the wall is the cause of the riot.
- c. *A picture on the wall is it.
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- a. Fred is the plumber.
- b. The plumber is Fred.
- c. *The plumber is he.
The defining trait of the inverse copular constructions is that two counts of inversion have occurred: the normal subject has inverted to a post-verb position, and the predicative expression has inverted to the pre-verb position. The verb is always a finite form of the copula 'be' (am, are, is, was, were). This type of inversion is generally NOT possible with other verbs, e.g. Sam belched twice vs. *Twice belched Sam.
Read more about this topic: Inverse Copular Constructions
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