Commonsense Composition

http://www.ck12.org Chapter 12. Verbs and Sentence Types

3. (subject)+(beverb)+(subject complement [noun phrase])

TABLE12.3:

Subject Be Subject complement [NP]

The children Were Angels

The meeting Will be A success

Review Questions

Identify the subject andbeverb of each sentence—as well as the adverbial, subject complement [adj.], or subject
complement [noun phrase].

1. My neighbor is uncommonly thrifty.


2. The Oldsmobile was on its last legs


3. Celia is the CEO of a large multinational corporation.


4. The last performance ofDeath of a Salesmanwas on Friday.


5. The plumber will be here soon.

Linking

We define linking verbs as all verbs (other thanbe) that are completed by a subject complement—an adjectival or a
noun phrase that describes or identifies the subject. Subject complements describe or redefine the subject. Common
linking verbs includeseem, look, smell, sound,andbecome.

1. (subject)+(linking verb)+(subject complement [NP or adj.])

TABLE12.4:

Subject Linking Verb Subject Complement [NP or adj.]

The children Became Restless

The soup Smells Delicious

Marcel Looks Like a businessman

Noun phrases that act as subject complements are often preceded by the preposition “like,” as seen in the third
example.

Review Questions

Identify the subject, linking verb, and subject complement (noun phrase or adjective) of each sentence.