Copular verbs, often called linking verbs, don’t show action the way other verbs do. They express states of being or the five senses. The most common one is “to be,” as in “I am not related to you people” and “You are drunk.” “Seem,” “appear,” “become” and others are copular verbs, too. Copular verbs have a special rule. Unlike other verbs that are modified by adverbs, “Betty talks loudly,” a copular verbs takes an adjective as its complement, “Betty is loud.” That’s why “I feel bad” is correct and “I feel badly” is usually an error by someone trying to sound smart.
Term: “Object pronoun.” Weaponized usage: “Yes, Biff, I saw your E-class Mercedes parked out front. But it hardly compensates for your failure to use an object pronoun when you say ‘between you and I.’”
Nouns and pronouns can work as subjects, performing the action in a sentence. Or they can work as objects of verbs or of prepositions. But unlike regular nouns, pronouns sometimes change form according to these jobs. “I” is a subject, “me” is an object: “I like dogs.” “Dogs like me.” “Dance with me.”
