Grammar questions regarding copula sentences.
Haló gach daoine! Happy new year.
I've been reading this pdf I downloaded and realised few things.

1) We all know how the copula "Is" works in classification sentences like "Is rúnaí í" (she is a secretary) but if were to classify a proper noun like "Síle is a secretary" is "Is rúnaí Síle" sentence correct?

2) In using the copula in identification sentences, when to use the one with emphatic pronoun "Is ise an rúnaí" and the one with echoing pronoun "Is í an rúnaí í"? Do they vary in some degree?

3) Is propletic pronoun really required when identifying proper nouns, like "Is í Síle an rúnaí"? Like what difference would it make if I say "Is Síle an rúnaí"?

Thanks in advance. :)

Question

Grammar questions regarding copula sentences.
Haló gach daoine! Happy new year. 
I've been reading this pdf I downloaded and realised few things.

1) We all know how the copula "Is" works in classification sentences like "Is rúnaí í" (she is a secretary) but if were to classify a proper noun like "Síle is a secretary" is "Is rúnaí Síle" sentence correct?

2) In using the copula in identification sentences, when to use the one with emphatic pronoun "Is ise an rúnaí" and the one with echoing pronoun "Is í an rúnaí í"? Do they vary in some degree?

3) Is propletic pronoun really required when identifying proper nouns, like "Is í Síle an rúnaí"? Like what difference would it make if I say "Is Síle an rúnaí"?

Thanks in advance. :)

Answer

Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit féin, bíodh sonas agus séan ort!

1) You can either say "Is rúnaí Síle" or "Is rúnaí í Síle". I generally prefer to put in the pronoun, but it's not obligatory.

2) There is a difference in emphasis between "Is ise an rúnaí" ("She is the secretary", "It is her who is the secretary") and "Is í an rúnaí í" ("She is the secretary").

3) The pronoun is necessary. Without it the sentence would be ungrammatical, or else it might have a different meaning to the one you intended. For example, "Is Síle an rúnaí" cannot mean "Síle is the secretary"; it would mean "The secretary is a sissy"!

Answers · 1

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