Sentences with abstract сopula in poetic works of P.A. Vyazemsky

Compound nominal predicates found in the works of Pyetr Andreevich Vyazemsky, the poet of the XIXth century, are analyzed. The formal markers of the link-verb “byt’” (to be) are determined in the research. The contexts of subjunctive, imperative, and indicative moods, which are found in the poet’s works, are examined thoroughly. 286 poems were analyzed, 408 patterns with the abstract copula were revealed. In cases of indicative mood employment (contexts with this mood prevail over other moods in Vyazemsky’s poetry) all tenses (present, past and future) are examined sequentially. Special attention was given to the analysis of materially represented link-verb “est’” (am/is/are), which is often found in Vyazemsky’s poetical texts, even though in the XIXth century this form was already considered archaic. Some deductions, concerning the functions of copulas within particular poems, are suggested. The deductions made in the process of the research are related to the importance of the link-verb assessed from the standpoint of the individual writer’s style analysis. The study helped to reveal functioning peculiarities of the category of tenses in Vyazemsky’s works (past and present are accentuated, future is rarely used) and to emphasize the use of materially accentuated link-verb “est’ (am/is/ are), which appears to be a distinctive feature of Vyazemsky’s works.