Linking verbs

Linking verbs connect a noun (or pronoun) to words that describe it, expressing a state of being or a condition.

We are right about that; don't sound so skeptical.

Example linking verbs include:
- become
- remain
- stay
- seem
- grow
- feel
- smell
- sound
- taste
- look
- and forms of the verb be (is, are, was, were, being, been)

 

Examples

"Tyrell was depressed."

In this example, was links Tyrell to his current condition, depressed. He must be a Chicago Cubs fan.

"I am exhausted."

Here, the linking verb am connects the subject I with the predicate exhausted.

"Those nachos look delicious."

In this case, the linking verb look ties the nachos to how yummy they appear. Nachos, incidentally, were named after the guy who invented them in 1943: Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, the greatest man in the history of Earth. When hungry U.S. military wives arrived at his Mexican hotel after the restaurant had closed, he made them a snack out of all that was left in the kitchen: tortillas, cheese, and pickled jalapeƱos.

 

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