00:00What are linking verbs? In this video we're going to look at what linking verbs
00:07are. Linking verbs identify or describe the subject. Let's look at some examples.
00:17In this sentence Alan is the subject and he's identified as a vampire. The linking
00:24verb is is. Here's another one. He is thirsty. This time it describes the subject
00:35which is he. So a linking verb identifies or describes the subject. The most common
00:50linking verb is the verb to be which you'll see in its different forms.
00:54Of course like am is, are, was, etc. The linking verb is a bit like an equal sign.
01:05Let's look at some examples. This lesson is interesting. So that's the verb to be
01:11and it's like an equal sign. This lesson equals interesting. This lesson will be
01:17short. Again a bit like an equal sign. This lesson equals something short. Here's a
01:26real-life example. She got her looks from her father. He was a plastic surgeon. He
01:32identifies it.
01:38Other common linking verbs relate to the five senses, like to feel, to see, to hear, to smell,
01:44and to taste. Let's look at some examples. She looks amazing. Or she is amazing. Very similar.
02:13Other common linking verbs are the verb to seem, to grow, to remain, to appear, or to become. Let's have
02:20a look at a couple of examples of these.
02:21Sometimes she appears. She appears upset about the announcement. So she is upset about the announcement. It describes the subject.
02:30It always seems impossible until it's done. So again the linking verb seems, describes the subject. It as impossible. That's
02:41a quote by Nelson Mandela.
02:45Now here's a common mistake with linking verbs. People know that a verb needs to be modified by an adverb.
02:55So when they see a verb like smells, which is a linking verb, they say something like,
03:00your hair smells amazingly. But actually, that's not the case. It's your hair smells amazing. And the reason why is
03:12because smells here is a linking verb.
03:15And linking verbs describe the subject. So here the subject is your hair, which needs to be described with an
03:23adjective, not an adverb.
03:26And that's the difference between a linking verb and an action verb. And we'll talk a little bit about action
03:32verbs in a minute.
03:33Another example. This chili tastes wonderfully. That's wrong. Tastes is a linking verb. It should be this chili tastes wonderful.
03:44The subject needs to be described with an adjective or identified with another noun.
03:52So here's a warning. Some linking verbs can also be action verbs. Let's go back to that example.
04:01She looked amazing. Now that's correct. This example looked is a linking verb.
04:09She looked for bargains. Now, in this example, it's not a linking verb. So if you remember, a linking verb
04:16tells us what the subject is.
04:18It describes it or identifies it. An action verb tells us what the subject does.
04:25So if we look at this example, she looked for bargains. It's what she is doing. If you look at
04:32the top example, it's a bit like that equal sign.
04:36She looked amazing. It tells us what the subject is.
04:44Here is another example. The dog smells bad. Linking verb. The dog smells badly.
04:52Now, it's a little bit of a contrived example. But the bottom one means the dog is bad at smelling.
04:59Like there's something wrong with his nose, for example. It tells us what the dog is doing. So it's an
05:07action verb.
05:09Here's another example. She will appear upset tomorrow. That's a linking verb.
05:16She will appear suddenly. That's what she'll do. So that's an action verb.
05:24So just be aware that some verbs can be linking verbs or action verbs, depending on the specific meaning.
05:34Let's do a summary. A linking verb identifies or describes the subject. It's like an equal sign.
05:42The most common one is the verb to be in its various forms.
05:48Verbs relating to the five senses can be linking verbs.
05:55And other common linking verbs are verbs like to seem, to grow, to remain, to appear in the come.
06:01How do you say it?
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