Sentence and Word Structure

A linking verb is a verb that connects or (links) a verb to a noun or an adjective.

example:

I was cold.

was, is has been, smelled, looked, are all linking verbs

Linking verbs do not express action. Instead they connect the subject of the verb to additional information about the subject.

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The key thing about a 'linking verb' is that it is followed by an adjective, not an adverb. This is something that learners of English as a foreign or second language may fine difficult.

Examples

1. That sounds/feels/seems fine (not finely).
2. That looks/smells splendid (not splendidly).
3. That stays/remains accurate (not accurately).

(Some verbs can act as both linking verbs and actions verbs. If used as action verbs they need to take adverbs, for example:

• Jane sounded the bell immediately.
• The doctor felt the lump on my neck carefully.

Note that in thse two example there is an action and an object).

A complex sentence is a sentence consisting of an independent clause and a subordinating clause. Or, to put it more simply, complex sentences involve more than just a straightforward noun + verb. Complex sentences include extra phrases added to a base sentence, but which cannot stand alone as a sentence.

For example:

Simple sentence: I cannot work in the garden.

Complex sentence: Because it is snowing outside, I cannot work in the garden.

"Because it is snowing outside" is a dependent clause, and cannot stand on its own.

Another example:

Simple sentence: I intend to work in my garden this afternoon.

Complex sentence: If the weather stays fine, I intend to work in my garden this afternoon.

A complex sentence is one that contains a single independent clause and at least one dependent clause.