Often the verb &quot;to be&quot; is implied when what&#x27;s spoken is a reply to someone else&#x27;s question, e.g. &quot;My name? Steven.&quot; as a reply to &quot;What&#x27;s your name?&quot;<p>Speaking in E-prime can&#x27;t be separated from the other person&#x27;s speech in conversation, and its rules need to deal with this situation.