A linking verb is a verb of incomplete predication. That is, the verb needs something—a noun phrase (NP) or an adjective phrase (ADJ P)—to complete it. If a noun phrase follows the linking verb, the noun phrase renames the subject. If an adjective phrase follows a linking verb, the adjective phrase describes the subject. Both the noun phrase and the adjective phrase are called subject complements—because they complete the meaning of the sentence. For example, “Queen Elizabeth I became the monarch of England.” Queen Elizabeth I is the subject; became connects Queen Elizabeth I with the noun phrase the monarch of England, which renames her. Queen Elizabeth I = monarch. Therefore, became functions as a linking verb. Another example follows: “Elizabeth I grew indecisive in her role as queen of England.” Indecisive is linked with Elizabeth I; that is, it is an adjective in the predicate that describes her. Elizabeth I = indecisive. Therefore, grew is a linking verb. A list of some common linking verbs appears below. Remember, however, that the function of a word determines everything—that is, how these verbs are used in each sentence. For instance, in the sentence “I feel energetic today,” feel is a linking verb. The adjective energetic describes the subject I. However, the same verb, used differently, can be transitive: “The child feels the coarse cloth.” In this sentence, the verb feels is transitive. The coarse cloth, a noun phrase after the verb, answers the question what? after the verb; therefore, the NP is the direct object of feels. Before you determine if a verb is a verb to be, a transitive verb, an intransitive verb, or a linking verb, ask yourself how the verb and the phrases after it function in that sentence.
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