The Linking Verbs

Linking Verbs

 

About Linking Verbs

Many important verbs do not express action. They help make a statement and they link a noun or an adjective to the subject. The connection between the subject to the noun or adjective is something like an equal sign. She is tall. -- She = tall.

In grammar books the linked noun or adjective is sometimes called a predicate noun or a predicate adjective. Sometimes either one is called a subjective complement.

A predicate noun is located in the predicate and it renames the subject.
A predicate adjective is located in the predicate and it describes the subject.

In an outline it might look something like this:

__subject___|___linking verb__\__predicate noun__
__subject___|___linking verb__\__predicate adjective__

Examples

1. I am calm.
   The be verb am links I and calm.
   

2. George Washington became the first president.
   Became links George Washington and president.
   Check by saying, George = president, or President George Washington, or substitute the linking verb with a form of "to be" as in: George Washington is president.

Helping Verb Confusion

The forms of to be can also be used as helping verbs such as in the following sentence:

Terry is looking.
In the sentence above, "is" is a present progressive form of to be.
"Is" is not used as a linking verb in this sentence. "Is looking" tells what Terry is doing (the action) , not what Terry is being.

 

State Verbs

State of being verbs can be used as linking verb or action verbs. The following sentences contain verbs that are either state or action and how to check it.

State verbs or state of being verbs describes a condition or a state. It is not always a linking verb.

State used as Linking or Action

1. The monkey looked hungry.
   (Hungry monkey or monkey is hungry) In this sentence looked is a linking verb.

2. The monkey looked for food.
   "For food" is a prepositional phrase and It must be omitted before checking. The sentence remaining after omitting the prepositional phrase is The monkey looked. There is no noun or adjective to link monkey to. Looked is an action verb in this sentence.

3. Linking: The soup tasted good.
   Check: soup is good, good soup, soup = good

4. Action: I tasted the soup.
   Check: I am the soup (no), soup am I (no) I = soup (no)

5. Linking: He grew tired of walking.
   Of walking is a prepositional phrase and not included in the check. You should omit the prepositional phrase to check: He grew tired. Check: He is tired, tired is he, he = tired.

6. Action: He grew into a tall man.
   Omit the prepositional phrase into a tall man before checking. That leaves the sentence, "he grew." There's no noun or adjective left to link to, so grew is an action verb in this sentence.

7. Linking:
   Mother appeared happy at her party. Omit the prepositional phrase, "at her party". Now the sentence reads, "Mother appeared happy." Check: mother is happy, happy mother, mother = happy.

8. Action: Mother appeared quietly in the room.
   Omit the prepositional phrase, "in the room". The sentence now reads: Mother appeared quietly. Quietly is an adverb, omit the adverb. Mother appeared. There is no noun or adjective to link mother to, so appeared is an action verb.