Linking Verbs

What are Linking Verbs?

Linking verbs, also called copulas or copular verbs, are used to express the condition in which the subject of a clause is at a particular moment. The most common linking verb is “to be” or simply “be verbs”.

Unique among English verbs, "be" has eight different conjugations: be, am, is, are, was, were, been, and being.

Be verbs can link the subject to an adjective that describes it, or to a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that renames it.

1. Subject linked to its adjective

Examples:

Danny is tall.
Ken and Ben are nice.
Cleo is lovely.

Subjects: Danny, Ken, Ben, and Cleo.
Adjectives describing them: tall, nice, and lovely.
Linking verbs is (singular) and are (plural) connect subjects to adjectives to state possession of these attributes.

2. Subject linked to a noun/noun phrase that identifies it

Examples:

Sophia was a teacher.
They were friends.
She was a singer.
Mandy and he were lovers.

Sophia (proper noun) and teacher (common noun) linked by the be verb was.
They is the subject linked to the noun friends by the be verb were.

3. Subject linked to the pronoun that substitutes it

Example:

Mike is him.

Mike is the subject, linked to the pronoun him that substitutes or replaces it, using the linking verb is.