Subject | Predicate
The happy cat | looked for the ball. "Looked" functions as an action verb.
The cat | looked happy. "Looked" functions as a linking verb.
There are more examples below and suggestions about how to tell the difference between a linking verb and an action verb. The table below lists some verbs that are commonly used as linking verbs. Remember, the words in the list are not always used as linking verbs; it is the FUNCTION of the verb in the sentence that determines its kind.
Words that may be used as Linking VerbsVerbs that are sometimes used as linking verbs
[list may not be complete]
feel
taste
look
smell
appear
grow
remain
stay
turn
seem
sound
become
prove
Forms of to be are sometimes used as linking verbs
is
am
are
was
were
be
being
been
Linking Verbs continued ...Many important verbs do not express action; some verbs can link a noun or an adjective to the subject. This type of verb is called a linking verb. The linking verb 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 linked adjective is sometimes called a predicate noun or a predicate adjective. Sometimes either one is called a subjective complement.
A reminder of basic sentence structure
__subject__|__predicate__
The two diagrams below are the basic sentence structure of linking verbs.
_subject_|_linking verb_\_predicate noun_
_subject_|_linking verb_\_predicate adjective_
A predicate noun is located in the predicate and it renames the subject.
A predicate adjective is located in the predicateand it describes the subject.
ExamplesI am calm.
The be verb am links I and calm. Calmdescribes my state of being.
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 was president.
Terry is looking.
In the sentence above, "is" does not function as a linking verb. "Is looking" tells what Terry is doing (the action), not what Terry is being.
Is the Verb used as Linking or ActionState of being verbs can be used as linking verbs or action verbs. We need to be able to determine the function of the verb to tell the difference. The following sentences contain verbs that are used as either linking or action verbs. I have included checking methods.The monkey looked hungry.
(Hungry monkey or monkey is hungry) In this sentence looked is a linking verb.
The monkey looked for food.
"For food" is a prepositional phrase and it must be omitted before checking. The sentence remaining after omitting theprepositional phrase is "The monkey looked". There is no noun or adjective to link monkey to. Looked is an actionverb in this sentence.
Check: soup is good, good soup, soup = good
Check: I am the soup (no), soup am I (no) I = soup (no)
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.
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 used as an action verb in this sentence.
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.
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 used as an action verb.
The bugle sounds loud.
Check: bugle is loud, loud bugle, bugle = loud (yes, yes, and yes)
The bugle sounded loudly.
Check: Bugle is loudly. (no)
Loudly describes the verb. It answers the question How? Loudly is an adverb, omit the adverb. That leaves the sentence "The bugle sounded."
Yes, a linking verb can be part of a prepositional phrase. For example, in the sentence "He is in the room," "is" is the linking verb in the prepositional phrase "in the room."
No, "is" is a linking verb, not a preposition. A prepositional phrase typically includes a preposition (e.g., in, on) followed by an object (e.g., the table).
ihab is in the front of the room.
No, "spoke" is not a prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase typically includes a preposition (such as "at," "in," "on") followed by a noun or pronoun. "Spoke" is a verb.
The verb "to be" is the main verb in a linking verb phrase, while any other action verb in the phrase indicates an action verb phrase. Linking verbs connect the subject to a subject complement, while action verbs show an action performed by the subject.
A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb is called an adverbial prepositional phrases.Example:She ran quickly down the hill.The adverbial phrase is highlighted in the sentence above.
ihab is in the front of the room.
No, "over the bushes" is a prepositional phrase. Linking verbs link the subject to the predicate nominative or a predicate adjective.
No, "is" is a linking verb, not a preposition. A prepositional phrase typically includes a preposition (e.g., in, on) followed by an object (e.g., the table).
No, a prepositional phrase does not begin with a verb. It typically starts with a preposition (e.g., in, on, under) followed by a noun or pronoun to show the relationship between the noun and other parts of the sentence.
A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb is called an adverbial prepositional phrases.Example:She ran quickly down the hill.The adverbial phrase is highlighted in the sentence above.
No, it is not a preposition, or a phrase. It is a verb.
Will give is a verb phrase. Give is not used as a linking verb.
No, "will" is not a linking verb. It is an auxiliary verb used to express future tense or make predictions. Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a noun, pronoun, or adjective that renames or describes the subject.
An object of the preposition is a noun that ends the prepositional phrase as in the following sentence: She looked at the nurse. The prepositional phrase is "at the nurse." The preposition is "at" and the objective if the preposition is "nurse." A predicate nominative follows a linking verb and renames the subject as in the following sentence: My sister is a nurse. The linking verb is "is" and the predicate nominative is "nurse" which renames the subject "sister."
Yes, "in the city" is a prepositional phrase because it begins with a preposition ("in") and describes a relationship between the noun "you" and its location "the city."
Yes, sentences can include both a phrase and a prepositional phrase. A phrase is a group of words that do not contain a subject and a verb, while a prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and its object. Combining these elements can add complexity and detail to a sentence.
When a prepositional phrase modifies a verb, it is called an adverbial phrase. This type of phrase provides information about the manner, place, time, or reason related to the action of the verb.