Level: Beginner-Intermediate
A linking verb connects the subject with a word that gives information about it, such as a condition or relationship. They do not show any action; rather, they “link” the subject with the rest of the sentence. For example, in the sentence “He is exhausted,” the word “is” is the linking verb that connects “he” and “exhausted” to show the relationship between the two words.
The most common linking verbs are forms of the verb to be:
am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might be, etc.
- Here are some examples of linking verbs used in sentences with the linking verbs in bold.
I am tired. (Here, the subject is described as tired.)
William is excited about his promotion.
We are happy to hear about the news.
The weather was great.
The roads were slippery.
Anthony has been a dream for the last few weeks.
- Other common linking verbs relate to the five senses (to look, to feel, to smell, to sound, and to taste).
New books smell good.
It sounds really funny.
You look young.
I feel bad.
The cake tastes great!
- To appear, to become, and to seem are common linking verbs too.
You seem happy.
That woman appears somewhat sad.
I have become tired of your approach to problem-solving.
- Remember that linking verbs do not express actions. The verbs to be, to become, and to seem are always linking verbs. However, some verbs can be linking verbs or non-linking verbs depending on the context.
Mary always smells like perfume.
(Here, smells is a linking verb. It describes Mary, the subject.)
Mary always smells perfume.
(Here, smells is not a linking verb. A linking verb does not express an action.)
Linking verbs do not cause serious problems for native English speakers, but here are two common issues.
- Don’t use an adverb for your subject complement.
Your shirt smells amazingly.
(The word “amazingly” is an adverb. Adverbs modify verbs. The thing that follows a linking verb to re-identify or describes the subject is called the subject complement. It should always be a noun or an adjective.)
The correct sentence is: Your shirt smells amazing.
Your cat smells badly.
(Here, “smells” is not a linking verb, and it is correctly modified by the adverb badly. It means the cat has a poor sense of smell.)
The correct sentence is: My cat smells bad. (It means the cat stinks.)
- You can say “It was I” or “It was me.” Both of these versions are correct. “It was me” version is what everyone says and the “It was I” version fits the ruling that subject complements are in the subjective case.