Sentence:  Sparrow size Virginia Gibson , with sparkling blue eyes and a cheerful smile , made a suitably perky Amy , while Melisande Congdon , as the real aunt , <WSD>was</WSD> positively monumental in the very best Gibson Girl manner . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)