chin = scratchy (feels is a linking verb)
The ten-year-old lasagna in your refrigerator smells disgusting.
lasagna = disgusting (smells is a linking verb)
The ten-year-old lasagna in your refrigerator also looks disgusting.
lasagna = disgusting (looks is a linking verb)
Needless to say, the ten-year-old lasagna in your refrigerator tastes great!
lasagna = great (tastes is a linking verb)
With their delicate fingers, Lulu and Stan feel Ralph’s chin.
In this sentence, feel is not a linking verb because you’re not saying that
Lulu and Stan = chin.
Instead, you’re saying that Lulu and Stan don’t believe that Ralph shaved, so they checked by placing their fingers on his chin.
A. That annoying new clock sounds the hour with a loud heavy metal song.
B. That annoying new clock sounds extremely loud at four o’clock in the morning.
Answer: Sentence B has the linking verb. In sentence B, clock = extremely loud. In sentence A, the clock is doing something – sounding the hour – not being. (It’s also waking up the whole neighborhood, but that idea isn’t in the sentence.)
Try another. In which sentence is “stay” a linking verb?
A. Larry stays single only for very short periods of time.
B. Stay in the yard, Rover, or I cut your dog-biscuit ration in half!
Answer: Sentence A has the linking verb. In sentence A, Larry = single (at least for the moment). In sentence B, Rover is being told to do something – to stay in the backyard – clearly an action.
If you're dying to learn more grammar terminology, read on. Linking verbs connect the subject and the subject complement, also known as the predicate nominative and predicate adjective. For more on complements, read Chapter 5.
A linking verb begins a thought, but it needs another word to complete the thought. Unless your listener is a mind reader, you can’t walk around saying things like “the president is” or “the best day for the party will be” and expect people to know what you mean.
You have three possible completions for a linking verb: a descriptive word, a noun, or a pronoun (a word that substitutes for a noun). Take a look at some descriptions that complete the linking-verb equation:
After running 15 miles in high heels, Renee’s thigh muscles are tired.
thigh muscles = tired (tired is a description, an adjective in grammatical terms)
Renee’s high heels are stunning, especially when they land on your foot.
high heels = stunning (stunning is a description, also called an adjective)
Oscar’s foot, wounded by Renee’s heels, seems particularly painful.
foot = painful (painful is a description, an adjective)
Lola’s solution, to staple Oscar’s toes together, is not very helpful.
solution = helpful (helpful is a description, an adjective. The other descriptive words, not and very, describe helpful, not solution.)
You may also complete a linking verb equation with a person, place, or thing – a noun, in grammatical terms. Here are some examples:
The most important part of Lulu’s diet is popcorn.
part of Lulu’s diet = popcorn (popcorn is a thing, and therefore a noun)
Lulu’s nutritional consultant has always been a complete fraud.
Lulu’s nutritional consultant = fraud (fraud is a noun)
Sometimes you complete a linking verb sentence with a pronoun, a word that substitutes for the name of a person, place, or thing. For example:
The winner of the all-state spitball contest is you!
winner = you (you is a substitute for the name of the winner, and therefore a pronoun)
The murderer is someone in this room.
The murderer = someone (someone is a substitute for the name of the unknown killer and therefore a pronoun)
You can’t do much wrong when you complete linking verb sentences with descriptions or with nouns. However, when you’re writing, you can do a lot wrong when the completion of a linking verb sentence is a pronoun. (In speaking, most people don’t worry about this rule.)
Think of a linking-verb sentence as reversible. That is, the pronoun you put after a linking verb should be the same kind of pronoun that you put before a linking verb. Here’s what I mean. Read these sentence pairs:
The winner of the election is him!
Him is the winner of the election!
Uh oh. Something’s wrong. You don’t say him is. You say he is. Because you have a linking verb (is), you must put the same word after the linking verb that you would put before the linking verb. Try again:
The winner of the election is he!
He is the winner of the election!
Now you’ve got the correct ending for your sentence.
