Grammar
Linking verbs: connect a subject to information
The soup tastes salty. In that sentence, tastes does not describe an action. It connects the soup to salty.
Recognize a linking verb and choose an adjective or noun phrase that gives information about the subject.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The soup tastes salty, but the room smells fresh. /ðə suːp teɪsts ˈsɔːlti, bət ðə ruːm smelz freʃ/
The short answer
A linking verb connects the subject to a description or identity. In The room feels cold, feels links room with cold.
The new café is busy after lunch.
Why it works: Is connects the subject, the new café, to the description busy.
4 more examples
-
The path became muddy after the rain.
Became connects the path to its new condition, muddy.
Not this:The rain
made the path muddy. What changes: Made describes what the rain did to the path, while became describes the path's change. -
The soup tastes salty.
Tastes links soup to salty and describes the soup.
Not this:Rosa
tastes the soupbefore dinner. What changes: Rosa performs an action on the soup, so tastes is an action verb here. -
The room smells fresh this morning.
Smells links the room to fresh, which describes its condition.
Not this:Nadia
smells the flowersby the window. What changes: Nadia acts on the flowers, so smells has an object and is an action verb. -
The children feel tired after rehearsal.
Feel links the children to tired, their present condition.
Not this:The children
feel tiredlyafter rehearsal. What changes: Use the adjective tired after a linking verb to describe the children.
Read the full guide
Picture a friend arriving after a long walk. You might say, You look tired. Look does not mean that your friend is using their eyes. It gives a description of your friend, so it is a linking verb in this sentence.
Connect the subject to information
A learner opens a message that says, Your appointment is tomorrow. Is does not tell you what the appointment does. It connects appointment with tomorrow. The words after a linking verb tell you about the subject.
My neighbor is a photographer.
A photographer identifies my neighbor. The information points back to the subject.
In The keys are on the table, what do the words on the table tell you about?
They tell you where the keys are. Are links the subject keys to that information.
Use a description or identity
At a school event, a friend points to the new leader and says, She became the captain. A linking verb can lead to a noun phrase that identifies someone. It can also lead to an adjective that describes a condition, as in She became confident.
After the interview, Chen became the project lead.
The project lead identifies Chen's new role.
Choose the completion: After the break, the room became quiet or quietly?
Choose quiet. Quiet describes the room after became.
Check the verb's job
At dinner, you may hear, The soup tastes salty. Tastes describes the soup, so it is linking. If a cook tastes the soup, the cook performs an action on it. The object often shows that the verb is an action.
The music sounds gentle from the next room.
Sounds links music to gentle. The sentence describes the music.
Which sentence uses smell as an action: The hallway smells clean, or I smell the coffee?
I smell the coffee uses an action. The coffee is the object of smell.
Choose an adjective after the verb
After a long rehearsal, a friend may say, I feel tired. Tired is an adjective that describes the friend. Use an adjective after a linking verb when you describe the subject's condition, appearance, sound, smell, or taste.
The blanket feels soft against my hands.
Soft describes the blanket. It does not describe how someone performs an action.
Complete the sentence: The plan seems clear or clearly?
Use clear. It describes the plan after the linking verb seems.
Find the subject again
When a sentence feels confusing, draw an arrow from the words after the verb back to the subject. In The windows remain closed, closed describes the windows. That quick check helps you see the link before you choose a word.
The streets remained empty after the parade.
Empty points back to streets. Remained joins the two ideas.
In The sky grew darker, which word describes the sky?
Darker describes the sky. Grew links sky with its changing appearance.
Before you go
Remember this
A linking verb joins the subject to information about that subject. Look for an adjective or noun phrase after be, seem, become, feel, look, smell, sound, or taste. Then ask whether the verb describes the subject or an action on something else.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Linking verbs: connect a subject to information"
What is a linking verb?
A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to information that identifies or describes it. In The café is busy, is joins café with busy, which tells you about the café.
The new café is busy after lunch.
Which verbs can be linking verbs?
Be is the most common linking verb. Seem, become, remain, feel, look, smell, sound, and taste can also be linking verbs when they describe or identify the subject.
The new café serves lunch after noon.
How can I tell a linking verb from an action verb?
Check what follows the verb. An adjective or noun phrase that points back to the subject suggests a linking verb. A direct object often shows that the subject performs an action on something.
The path became muddy after the rain.
Do I use an adjective after a linking verb?
Usually, use an adjective when the word after a linking verb describes the subject. Say The blanket feels soft and The plan seems clear. Soft and clear describe the subject in each sentence.
The rain made the path muddy.
Can look, smell, and taste be action verbs too?
Yes. Their job depends on the sentence. In The room smells fresh, smells describes the room. In I smell the coffee, the subject performs an action on coffee.
The soup tastes salty.