Most verbs are what is called action verbs: they can express active actions, like run, swingor fly up; negative actions, like convulsion or chirp; or actions that require no movement at all, like think, imagineor digress. However, there are several other types of verbs and you use them all the time.
A very common type of verb is linking verb. A linking verb (also known as a ) copulate) connects a subject with an adjective or noun (or an adjective phrase or noun phrase) that describes or identifies the subject.
We saw the most common linking verbs in sentences in the previous section. Review it here:
Some grammarians are rude about yodeling.
To be (which in this sentence has the form To be—as a diva) is a linking verb that connects the subject, some grammarians with an adjective phrase that describes the subject, rude about yodeling.
To be is a very common linking verb, and it can connect the subject with words that describe the subject, as we have seen, or words that define the subject, as here:
The new neighbors are all engineers.
Another common linking verb is become:
They become mesmerized by yodeling.
Both became grammarians.
Some linking verbs, like lookusually followed by ARRIVE and a verb; adjective or noun (or adjective phrase or noun phrase) that follows the verb that describes or identifies the subject:
Yodeling seems to be a required skill for grammarians.
Here are some linking verbs in bold and in action:
Engineers still look like engineers.
But they sound like grammarians.
How this will affect their professional lives is unknown at this time.
Some other linking verbs are:
act, appear, come, constitute, equal, feel, form, be, go, grow, hold, do, measure, demonstrate, represent, stay, taste, rotate
Note that quite a few of these can also be action verbs. This is take the first is an action verb and the second is a linking verb:
Because of community pressure, the new neighbors learned to say yodeling for free from the yodeler aphorism.
I believe grammar engineers will be better at writing yodeling.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
