Linking Verbs

Linking Verbs

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Linking verbs do not express action. They join the subject of a sentence with a noun or an adjective in the predicate.

• Ex. Joe Smith was the manager.

• Sam is a pitcher. (predicate noun)

• The pitcher is skillful. (predicate adjective)

• Chris turned twelve. (predicate adjective)

Some verbs can be either linking verbs or action verbs depending on how they are used in the sentence. If you can substitute a form of the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were) for the original verb, it is a linking verb.

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Identify the linking verb in each sentence.

Multiple Choice

Sara is my sister.

• Sara

• is

• my

• sister

Multiple Choice

Grandma seems happy about our visit.

• Grandma

• seems

• about

• visit

Multiple Choice

That statue looks huge!

• that

• statue

• looks

• huge

Multiple Choice

The newly cut grass in the park smells fresh.

• cut

• grass

• park

• smells

Multiple Choice

He was the winner of this year's science fair.

• was

• winner

• this

• science

Identify the two words connected by the linking verb.

Multiple Choice

This broccoli tastes delicious.

• this, broccoli

• broccoli, tastes

• broccoli, delicious

• this, tastes

Multiple Choice

John is a doctor at this hospital.

• John, is

• is, doctor

• John, doctor

• John, hospital

Multiple Choice

I feel better in sunny days than on cloudy ones.

• I, feel

• feel, better

• better, days

• I, better

Multiple Choice

Cathy appeared unhurt after the accident.

• Cathy, unhurt

• Cathy, appeared

• appeared, unhurt

• Cathy, accident

Multiple Choice

The band sounds great today!

• band, today

• band, sounds

• band, great

• sounds, great