Sentence:  The doctor sat down rather wearily , caressing the hen and remarking that the city <WSD>was</WSD> not the place for a poultry loving man , but no sooner was the remark out than a knock at this door obliged him to cover the hen with his greatcoat once more . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)