Linking Verbs

Adjective

(complement)

Linking
Verbs () to be, get,
become,remain, go, grow, feel, look, appear,
seem, taste, smell, trun, keep, sound
Subject + Linking Verb + Adjective
You are generous.
The teacher gets angry when the students don't do
their homework.
It becomes much more expensive to travel abroad.
The students remain silent.
Fish soon gets bad in hot weather.

We grow older every day.

I feel hungry.
She looked happy.
Why does she appear so sad?
What seems easy to some people seems difficult to
others?
This mango tastes sweet.
The dinner smells good.
My hair turned grey.
Keep quiet, please.
This word sounds strange to me.
2
a. He looked (sadly, sad) at the broken toy.
b. He looks (sadly, sad) today.
a sadly adverb
looked at.

 b sad linking verb

looks .

Linking Verbs
Link

Linking verbs
to appear
to be
to become

to feel
to get

to go
to grow
to look
to prove
to remain
to seem
to smell
to sound
to stay
to taste
to turn
USE

The linking verbs above are often followed by

adjectives instead of adverbs. In such situations, the
adjective describes the subject of the sentence rather
than the verb. Study the examples below to learn the
difference.
Linking verb Adjective

 Adverb
adjective

Examples:
* Mary seemed sad. Correct Linking
verb "seemed" Adj. sad
* Mary seemed sadly. Not Correct
Linking verb "seemed" Adv. sadly
* The cake tastes good. Correct Linking
verb "tastes" Adj. good
* The cake tastes well. Not Correct
Linking verb "tastes" Adv. well
* The train is slow. Correct is
Adj. slow
* The train is slowly. Not Correct
is Adv. slowly
* James grew tired. Correct
* Sarah remained calm. Correct
* The milk went bad. Correct
* The seas turned rough. Correct

* The negotiations proved pointless. Correct

IMPORTANT

The verbs in the list above are not always used as

linking verbs. Compare the examples below.
Linking verb

Examples:

* Sally grew angry.
"Angry" describes Sally. In this sentence, "to grow" is
being used as a linking verb meaning "to become."
grew Linking verb
Adj.
* The plant grew quickly.
"Quickly" does not describe the plant, it describes the
manner in which it grows. In this sentence, "to grow"
is not being used as a linking verb.
grew
Adv

Linking verbs
(object)
(adjective)
(complement)
Linking Verbs
1

V. to be

She is beautiful. (adjective) She is a

teacher. (complement)
2

S V Adjective.
:

He got angry.

Appear

Prove

Become

Remain

Consider

Seem

Find

Smell

Grow

Sound

Keep

Tastes

Look

Turn

Make

( Adjectives )

SVN

adjective

We consider John crazy.

Believe

Keep

Consider

Leave

Find

Like

Have

Make

Hold

Think

S V it adjective to V.

- We find it difficult to understand

Thai.

Find

Make

Think

They married young.

You

should keep quiet.

Please lie still.
Please stand still.
He looks exhausted.
remain impolite.
The bear broke loose.

They

Linking Verb
(Linking Verb)

taste, grow, smell, sound, feel, appear, become,
seem, look etc.


adjective

adjective adverb


The orange tastes sour.

(tastes = Linking Verb

adjective sour
)
I feel very hot.
(feel = Linking Verb
I )
Ladda looks beautiful.
(looks = Linking Verb
Ladda )
John seems to be handsome.
(seeds = Linking Verb

John