Linking verbs, as the name suggests, are verbs that link parts of a sentence together: subject + information about that subject.
Unlike other verbs that show what someone does, linking verbs identify what the subject is, describe what it’s like, or show how it changes.
These verbs create a bridge between the subject and a word or phrase that provides this information about the subject (e.g., She is happy today). This makes linking verbs essential for expressing states of being, conditions, and descriptions.
Linking Verbs in Use
- The soup smells delicious.
- The weather turned cold overnight.
- She looks tired.
- The winner is Jasmine.
- He was nervous before his job interview.
- He looked surprised by the news.
- After last night’s defeat, the team remains optimistic.
* Linking Verbs
- The soup smells delicious.
Subject Complements
Linking verbs serve a specific role in sentences by connecting subjects to information that describes or identifies them. We call this information a subject complement, and it is essential for understanding the subject. Put more simply, subject = subject complement.
Subject complements come in two types:
- Predicate nominatives – nouns or pronouns that rename or identify the subject
- Predicate adjectives – adjectives that describe the subject
For instance:
| Type | Subject | Linking Verb | Subject Complement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Predicate Nominative | She | is | my girlfriend. |
| Predicate Adjective | This coffee | tastes | bitter. |
Notice how both complements refer back to the subject. She equals my girlfriend, and the coffee has the quality of being bitter. This creates a clear, logical connection that makes these sentences complete.
The Functions of Linking Verbs
Now that we are more familiar with what subject complements are, we can explore how linking verbs work with them.
All linking verbs share the same basic role, which is connecting subjects to complements. However, they do this in three different ways, and each one creates a specific type of relationship between the subject and the information that follows.
1) Linking Verbs to Identify Subjects
Linking verbs tell us who or what the subject is.
For example:
- That building is the library.
- The suspect was innocent.
- This is my favourite restaurant.
2) Linking Verbs to Describe Subjects
Linking verbs tell us about the subject’s qualities or characteristics.
For example:
- Your new haircut looks good.
- She looked tired earlier.
- The Wi-Fi seems slower than usual today.
3) Linking Verbs to Show Change
Linking verbs indicate how the subject transforms or becomes different.
For example:
- She became a teacher last year.
- My hands went numb because it was that cold.
- The weather turned chilly once the sun went down.
Types of Linking Verbs
The good news for learners is that there are relatively few verbs in English that we use as linking verbs.
Here are the four main types:
Linking Verbs: Categories
| Category | Verbs | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Forms of To Be | am, is, are, was, were, will be, has been, have been | – My laptop is completely dead. (description) – The presentation was a disaster. (identification) |
| Sensory Verbs | look, appear, feel, sound, taste, smell | – That sounds like a good idea. (description) – Something smells delicious. (description) |
| Change Verbs | become, turn, grow, get, go | – She grew tired of waiting. (change) – Everything went silent. (change) |
| State Verbs | seem, remain, stay, keep | – The crime remains unsolved. (description) – Please stay seated during any turbulence. (description) |
How to Identify Linking Verbs
The key to identifying linking verbs is understanding that they connect the subject to information about that subject, rather than showing what the subject does.
Action Verbs vs. Linking Verbs
This is where comparing linking verbs and action verbs helps.
Most verbs in the English language are action verbs – they show what the subject does or what happens. For example, verbs such as run, write, throw, and listen all describe actions that subjects perform.
This is how action verbs look in sentences:
- I sent the parcel yesterday.
- Ted climbed the tree to get a better view.
- The storm destroyed many crops.
- The dog jumped over the fence with excitement.
- The guests danced for hours after the wedding ceremony.
Notice how each example sentence tells us about an action or event, not about what the subject is like.
On the other hand, linking verbs tell us something about the subject itself.
For example:
- He is my roommate.
- This pizza smells amazing.
- He became a doctor last year.
As we can see from the above examples, linking verbs connect the subject to information about what the subject is like, who the subject is, or how the subject has changed, instead of showing what the subject does (as is the case with action verbs).
– The Importance of Context
It is important to remember that when identifying linking verbs, we should focus on how the verb functions in the sentence rather than trying to memorise lists of words. The same verb can work as an action verb in one sentence and a linking verb in another, depending on how it’s used.
For instance:
| Action Verbs Examples | Linking Verbs Examples |
|---|---|
| – He turned the soil before planting the seeds. | – The sky turned a brilliant orange at sunset. |
| – She looked everywhere for her lost wedding ring. | – She looked incredibly happy after finding out the good news. |
| – We tasted samples of cheese at the farmer’s market. | – Gooseberries taste sour if you pick them too early, but still delicious nonetheless! |
Notice how the action verb examples tell us about activities the subjects perform, while the linking verb examples connect the subjects to information about their condition, appearance, or qualities.
Consider the verb turned. It shows a physical action in one sentence but describes a change of appearance in the other. The same word can work differently depending on its role in the sentence.
– Why the Action Verb vs. Linking Verb Distinction Matters
Understanding whether a verb is linking or action-orientated affects how we use other words in the sentence. One of the main reasons this distinction is important, especially for learners of English as a second language, is word choice.
After linking verbs, we use adjectives to describe the subject.
For example:
❌ – The food was deliciously (adverb).
✅ – The food was delicious (adjective).
After action verbs, we use adverbs to describe how the action is performed.
For example:
❌ – He speaks soft and quiet (adjectives).
✅ – He speaks softly and quietly (adverbs).
Testing for Linking Verbs
There are some practical tests that we can apply to help us distinguish linking verbs from other constructions in sentences.
– The Substitution Test
The substitution test helps us identify linking verbs that aren’t forms of to be.
The method is relatively straightforward: we replace the suspected linking verb with an appropriate form of the verb to be (e.g., is, am, are, was, were). If the sentence still makes sense and means roughly the same thing, we are dealing with a linking verb.
For example:
| Original Sentence | Substitution Test | Type of Verb |
|---|---|---|
| – The weather turned unexpectedly cold for a summer evening. | – The weather was unexpectedly cold for a summer evening. ✅ | turned = linking verb |
| – She appeared confident and ready for her driving test. | – She was confident and ready for her driving test. ✅ | appeared = linking verb |
| – The house seemed abandoned with overgrown bushes and weeds growing everywhere. | – The house was abandoned with overgrown bushes and weeds growing everywhere. ✅ | seemed = linking verb |
When the substitution test does not work, the verb is not functioning as a linking verb, but rather as some other construction:
| Original Sentence | Substitution Test | Type of Verb |
|---|---|---|
| – I smell smoke from next door. | – I am smoke from next door. ❌ | smell = Action verb |
| – He turned the music down to hear himself think. | – He was the music down to hear himself think. ❌ | turned = Action verb |
| – She has eaten breakfast already. | – She is eaten breakfast already. ❌ | has = Auxiliary verb |
| – They have arrived at the station. | – They are arrived at the station. ❌ | have = Auxiliary verb |
– The Equals Test
But how do we test for linking verbs that are already forms of the verb to be (e.g., ‘She is a nurse’)? The substitution test is not helpful in such cases since we cannot replace is with is, for instance.
There is another trick we can use to test for linking verbs. It is called the equals test. The equals test checks whether the subject and what comes after the verb can be logically equal to each other. If the subject equals what follows the verb (like an equation), then you have a linking verb.
This test works for all linking verbs, including forms of to be, and it is particularly useful since over 90% of linking verbs use these forms.
The method: Check if what follows the verb identifies the subject or describes the subject’s condition/state. In linking verb sentences, the information after the verb tells us what the subject is or what the subject is like, not what the subject does.
Linking verbs express what the subject is or is like:
✅ – She is my teacher. (She = my teacher – identifies what she is)
✅ – My soup is too hot. (The soup = too hot – describes what the soup is like)
✅ – The group were shattered after the hike. (The group = shattered – describes their condition/state)
Other constructions where the equals test fails:
❌ – They walk to school every morning. (They = to school – this doesn’t make sense, so walk is not a linking verb)
❌ – She is running late. (She = running late – this shows what she is doing, not what she is or is like)