Linking Verbs Denisse Gastelum October 8 th 2012

Agenda 1.Introduction to Linking Verbs 2.Example sentences 3.Verb Card activity 4.Linking Verbs vs. Action verbs 5.Oddballs 6.Individual worktime

Intro to linking verbs Linking verbs do not express action. Instead, they connect the subject of the verb to the predicate (additional information about the subject).

Examples Amy is a KU student. “Ising” isn’t something that Amy does. “Is” connects Amy (the subject) to additional information (predicate) about her.

Examples My younger brother was the first to finish his meal. “was” connects my younger brother (subject) to something he did (predicate).

Examples After drinking the old milk, my cat turned green. “Turned” connects the subject, my cat, to something said about him, that he was needing an antacid.

True Linking verbs true linking verbs include: any form of the verb be [am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.], become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always linking verbs.

Bipolar linking verbs Other linking verbs include: appear, feel, grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn. Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action verbs.

HMMMM… 1.) Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew. 2.)The squid eyeball stew tasted good. Which sentence contains the linking verb?

How to tell them apart If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands.

1.) Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew. Sylvia is stew? Nope! In this case Sylvia is tasting the stew. The verb is an action verb.

2.)The squid eyeball stew tasted good The stew is good? Yup! “is” is connecting the stew (subject) to its flavor, which makes is a linking verb.

Oddballs For words like Appear, this rule does not work. EX: The cat appeared on the sill. The cat is on the sill? Yup.

Or The cat on the sill appeared content. The cat is content? Yup.

In this case you have to analyze the function of the verb in the sentence. The cat appeared on the sill. In this case, appeared, is something the cat can do, which makes it an action verb.

The cat on the sill appeared content. In this case, appeared, connects the cat (subject) to its sate of mind (predicate), which makes it a linking verb.

Write your own sentences.

Sammy and will might have burned down a tree with the roman candle. Sammy and Will shot the roman candle right at a tree.

Bethany and Brittany are content because they have food. Bethany and Brittany used a filthy trash can as a table.

Individual activity Complete 1-5 on the worksheet and write 1 sentence.