Question

The following sentence contains an obligatory context for the uncontractible copula BE (am, are, is, was, were):

"Speak of the Devil and there he is"
A. True
B. False

Answer 1

The idiomatic expression 'Speak of the Devil and there he is' does not require the use of the copula BE, making the answer 'False'. Understanding the usage of the copula is essential in both Standard American English and AAVE, where the latter may omit it.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement “Speak of the Devil and there he is” does not contain an obligatory context for the uncontractible copula BE (am, are, is, was, were). The idiomatic expression 'Speak of the Devil and there he is' does not require the use of the copula BE, making the answer 'False'. Understanding the usage of the copula is essential in both Standard American English and AAVE, where the latter may omit it.

This sentence is an idiomatic expression that means when you are talking about someone, they appear at that moment. It doesn't require a form of 'to be' for its construction and thus the answer is False.

In English language teaching, understanding the use of the copula BE is important as it serves as the main verb that links the subject to an adverbial of time or place, an adjectival, or a noun phrase. African American Vernacular English (AAVE) sometimes omits the copula, which is different from Standard American English.