Linking verbs are an essential component of the English language, serving as the bridge between the subject of a sentence and its complement. Mastering their usage can significantly enhance your writing and communication skills.

In this post, you will learn what they are, how they function, and see tips for using them effectively.

1. What Are Linking Verbs?

Verbs that are immediately followed by an adjective are usually called “linking verbs”. The adjective following a linking verb describes the subject of a sentence. They, also known as copulas, are verbs that connect the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, which can be a noun, pronoun, or adjective, providing additional information about the subject. Unlike action verbs, which express physical or mental action, linking verbs express a state of being or condition.

Let’s see the following examples :

1. She looks beautiful.
2. The soup tastes good.

The underlined words are linking verbs.

2. The Linking Verbs List

The following verbs are the linking verbs.

• appear
• be (is, am are, was, were, been)
• become
• feel
• get
• grow (meaning “become”)
• look
• seem
• sound
• taste
• turn ( meaning “become”)

3. The Linking Verbs in Sentences

Let’s see some more examples of these verbs in sentences.

1. My mother is in the kitchen.
2. She looks very busy.
3. Sue has been very sad. Her father just passed away.
4. This cake tastes delicious.
5. A lot of people feel unhappy with the government.
6. My girlfriend grows more and more beautiful each day.

The underlined words are linking verbs.

Please download the linking verb exercise here.

You can also check how linking verbs are used in a song here.

Linking Verbs Exercises

Exercise I

Complete the sentences with the correct verbs provided.

 

taste  looks  feel  turn  smells

 

1. The cake does not … sweet.
2. The princess … so beautiful.
3. The children … happy.
4. The leaves … brown.
5. The perfume … jasmine.

Exercise II

Underline the correct word in parentheses.

1. The sofa looks (comfortable, comfortably).
2. My father always looks at any problems (careful, carefully).
3. My wife smiled (happy, happily). She seemed (happy, happily).
4. She looked (sad, sadly) when she read the message.
5. This exercise looks (easy, easily). I think everyone can do it (easy, easily).
6. The sky often grows (dark, darkly) in January and February.
7. I tasted the cake (careful, carefully) and it tasted too (sweet, sweetly).
8. The town got (quiet, quietly) as the virus spread. A lot of people stay at home (quiet, quietly).
9. Many older people get (sick, sickly) because of these viruses.
10. My mother always appear (beautiful, beautifully) when she goes out.

Answer | Linking Verbs Exercises

Exercise I

1. taste
2. looks
3. feel
4. turn
5. smells

Exercise II

 

1. The sofa looks (comfortable, comfortably).
2. My father always looks at any problems (careful, carefully).
3. My wife smiled (happy, happily). She seemed (happy, happily).
4. She looked (sad, sadly) when she read the message.
5. This exercise looks (easy, easily). I think everyone can do it (easy, easily).
6. The sky often grows (dark, darkly) in January and February.
7. I tasted the cake (careful, carefully) and it tasted too (sweet, sweetly).
8. The town got (quiet, quietly) as the virus spread. A lot of people stay at home (quiet, quietly).
9. Many older people get (sick, sickly) because of these viruses.
10. My mother always appears (beautiful, beautifully) when she goes out.

 

Other Exercises

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