What Is A Linking Verb | And How to use Them | With Examples

What Is A Linking Verb?

A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to a word that gives information about the subject, such as a condition or relation. They show no action; They simply connect the subject to the rest of the sentence. For example, the word in the sentence "they are a problem" is the linking verb that connects them and the problem to show the relationship between the two (2) words. The most common of linking verbs are forms of the verb "to be": am, is, are, was, were, being, been. Understand the concept completely to see more linking verb examples.

So we come to the point that linking is not an action verb. What matters isn't what he is doing. For example: Snehar's cat is tired, here it shows the condition of Snehar's cat, not what it is doing. So here “is” is acting as a linking verb.

Linking Verb Examples Sentences

Since we ask "What is a linking verb?" I answered the question. Here are some examples of linking verbs used in sentences with bold verbs:

• I am holding her hands.
• The meats smell rotten.
• They will be happy forever.
• Anthony had a nice dream.
• All the kittens were playing.
• Sometimes, kids are stupid.
• Michael is fond of spicy food.
• Cinnamon roll heavenly taste.
• Your wedding plans sound fine.
• She went blue after tripping on the rug.
• But you are being foolish to believe her.
• Watson  is excited about his promotion.
• It was difficult for them to build a house.
• Jumping into a sea could be dangerous.
• The tests indicate that your kids is gifted.
• You look exhausted after studying all day.
• After the blizzard, the roads were slippery.
• When dreams come true we believe them.
• He seems upset about the announcement.
• Nelson was nostalgic on her 40th birthday.
• I feel worthy when the sir compliments me.
• We are disappointed about the foreclosure.
• Riding in a bike will be safer with a seat belt.
• If you don't, your friend may be disappointed.
• The weather was fine and the party continued.
• When the show started, the theater went dark.
• Most student get cranky when they are sleepy.
• Roman felt sleepy after eating the whole pizza.
• The Army department is getting tough on crime.
• The fruits in the bin looked disgusting and spoiled.
• Jerry might have been forthcoming with the latest news.
• Jack acted nervous when the teacher found the note.
• The audience fell silent as the conductor walked on the stage.
• The crowd remained calm despite the impending threat.
• All the student seem satisfied with the bouncy castle.
• The spectators are silent after getting injured on the field.
• She became suspicious when she saw the safe was open.
• Some couples are lucky enough to grow new together.
• A flaw in design appeared to be the cause of the collapse.
• He remains faithful, even though it has been three years since he left.

How Do You Recognize A Linking Verb?

A linking verbs work differently than many others, so it's important to know how we use them in sentences and clauses.

1. Linking verbs can function as intransitive verbs, which do not take direct objects. Linking verbs do not take direct objects. The presence of a direct object in a sentence/ section will alert you that the verb used with it is not a linking verb.
2. Linking verbs never refer to verbs, which means they are never verbs. All linking verbs are also static verbs, but not all static verbs are linking verbs.
3. You can replace the verb with is or and if the sentence is still meaningful, then your verb is probably a linking verb. Let's look at an example: Tony sees happy. If we substitute "see" with "is", we get: Tony happy. The second sentence is understandable, meaning "looks" is a linking verb.
4. You can substitute verbs with an equal sign (=). If the sentence isn't awkward the verb is almost certainly a linking verb. Here's an example: This music sounds great. This music = great, so "sound" is also a linking verb.
5. The ultimate strategy is to determine whether the verb describes a state or an action. If the verb describes the state of the subject, it is probably a linking verb. However, if the verb describes a verb, it is probably not. Let's look at the example: Daisy smells nice. Is Daisy doing anything? No, they just smell nice. This means that "smell" is a linking verb in this sentence.

More: Auxiliary verb definition

A Video Summary

Here is a short video explaining what we can understand by subordinate conjunction.

Function

The linking verb shows the relationship between the subject and the complement of a sentence. A linking verb connects a subject with words and phrases that provide additional information about the subject, such as an existing relationship or condition.