32 English Grammar Demystifi ed
The being verb was does not provide a picture, but it does link the subject, truck, to
words (adjectives huge and lumbering) that describe it. Now look at this example:
”Tw i n k l e , Tw i n k l e L i t t l e S t a r” was the fi rst song I learned.The linking verb is the same—was. But what does it link? In this case, the subject,
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is linked to a noun that means the same as the sub-
ject. In fact, you can turn the sentence around and keep the same meaning:
The fi rst song I learned was “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”We can say, then, that linking verbs can function as equalizers: “Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star” equals a song.
Conclusion? Either nouns or adjectives that link the predicate to the subject fol-
low linking verbs.
It’s also interesting that some action verbs can be converted to linking verbs,
depending on the verb’s function and meaning of the sentence:
Mario grows tomatoes.Each summer, Mario’s family grows tired of eating tomatoes.In the fi rst sentence, grows is an action verb. In the second sentence, grows is a link-
ing verb that links the subject family to the adjective tired.Tired is an adjective that
describes the family.
Remember that each linking verb is subject to the same rules as action verbs: a
linking verb must agree with its subject in number.
Here is a list of common linking verbs:
appear am are be become
feel grow is look remain
smell sound taste was were
Written Practice 2-5
For each of the following sentences, select the linking verb that expresses the
correct number.
- John Adams (was/were) President for one term.
- The White House of Adams’ time (appears/appear) very strange.