Linking Verbs

Understanding Linking Verbs (Grammar Rules, List, Examples, and More)


https://www.grammarly.com/blog/linking-verbs/

Unlike other verbs, linking verbs do not show an action

Linking verbs simply explain the state of the subject, such as what it is or how it looks.

In other words, a verb is a linking verb if it is used to describe the subject.

  • A linking verb links the subject to its complement (subject complement).
  • It is followed by either a noun or an adjective.
  • So, a linking verb works like a bridge that connects two parts: the subject and the subject complement.

The most common linking verb

…is any form of the verb “to be,” such as am, is, are, was, were, etc. For example,

  • I am a teacher.
  • I was an engineer.
  • We are friends
  • We were friends
  • Sally is a teacher.
  • She was a teacher.
  • They are happy.
  • They were happy.

Other common linking verbs are “sense” verbs

such as seem, appear, become, feel, look, smell, sound, taste.

For example,

  • Dinner smells burnt
  • The cat’s fur feels silky.
  • I feel great!
  • We look stunning!
  • He seems sick.
  • She becomes skeptical.
  • I hear a burglar.

Linking verbs are used to indicate conditions or states of being.

They do not show action.

For example, “The soup tastes delicious” or “She feels happy.”

Linking Verbs are mostly intransitive…

Linking verbs are not considered either transitive or intransitive because they do not show any action. Instead, they connect the subject of the sentence to a complement that describes or renames it. For example, in the sentence “She is a doctor,” the verb “is” is a linking verb that connects the subject “she” to the complement “doctor.”

But some linking verbs can be transitive

However, some linking verbs can be followed by a direct object to form a transitive sentence. These linking verbs include “smell, taste, feel, look, sound, and appear.”

Typical usage: He got sick.
Transitive usage: He got his car fixed.

Typical usage: He smells sweet.
Transitive usage: He smells a thief.

Typical usage: They taste terrible.
Transitive usage: They taste victory.

Typical usage: We feel tired.
Transitive usage: We feel the cashmere.

Typical usage: She looks beautiful.
Transitive usage: She looks the part.