Sentence:  If ( remember this is an assumption ) the minimal polynomial for T decomposes * * f where * * f <WSD>are</WSD> distinct elements of F , then we shall show that the space V is the direct sum of the null spaces of * * f . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)