Linking verb
also called copular verb
- copular = connecting
- = a verb that does not indicate an action
- instead, it connects a subject to a modifier (adjective, prepositional phrase) or noun
- ex.
- I am happy
- She is a doctor
Linking verbs list[edit | edit source]
linking verb with subject complements[edit | edit source]
| Linking (copular) verb | Subject complement adjective
(predicate adjective) |
Subject complement noun
(predicate adjective) |
Subject complement prepositional phrase (modifier) |
|---|---|---|---|
| to be (am, are, is, was, were, etc.) | We are happy | We are a family | The book is on the table |
| * appear | They appear lost | ||
| * become, feel, get | I have become happy | She became the problem | |
| feel | Velvet feels soft | ||
| * look | The team looks readyClowns look funny | ||
| * prove, remain, stay | The test proved difficultThe coach remains undecidedTraffic stayed bad all day | ||
| seem, sound | That clown seem unhappyThey sound reasonable | ||
| smell, taste | Rotten apples smell badRotten apples taste bad | It smells like roses | |
* note: many linking verbs can also be finite action verbs that take objects
- ex.
- I got a new house << "got" = the action of acquiring
- I looked at the horses << look here is an action of observing (as opposed to a state of "looking like")
- The detective proved the theory << prove is the action of solving
- The table stays there << stay is the action of remaining in place, so "there" is an adverb that modifies the finite action verb, "stays"
linking verbs with non-finite verb complements[edit | edit source]
| Subject complement adjective
(non-finite verb adjective) (participle adjectives) |
Subject complement noun
(non-finite verb noun) (gerund) |
Subject complement noun
(non-finite infinitive) (noun or adjective) |
|---|---|---|
| We were stokedWe felt spentHe got annoyingTraffic stayed stuck | He appears to be the real dealMy down time is watching sportsHis passion is traveling | We've got to go
Her passion is to travel The dog seems to feel happy |
Linking verb = not an action[edit | edit source]
- key to the linking or copular verb is that it does not indicate a specific action
- instead, the linking verb refers to a state, condition, or existence of the subject
Linking verbs have complements and not objects[edit | edit source]
- objects = the result of an action
- since linking verbs do not indicate a specific action, they have "subject complements"
- subject complement = a noun or adjective