Phase 5 Existence + copula verb- Still refers to an utterance in which a referent is labeled; however, the inclusion of the copula verb signifies increased complexity. This level is the first where Existence truly is a verb category. Again, the emphasis in the utterance must be on giving a label to something or pointing out its existence. If possessive or attribution information is given within a sentence with a copula verb, those are counted as state (see State category for additional explanation).
Utterance | Context | Explanation |
That's a T-Rex! | ||
It's a ball. |