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Linking verbs do not express an action; instead, they express a state of being.
For that reason, the most common linking verb is the verb be (and its other forms: am, is, are; was, were; been, being):
A verb of being is called a linking verb because it simply links the subject with the subject complement (a word or word group that tells you more about the subject). In the examples above, each linking verb is followed by a subject complement:
Besides the verb be, several other verbs can act as linking verbs:
But the verbs feel, look, smell, sound, taste, grow and appear can also be action verbs. If you want to tell whether one of these verbs is an action or a linking verb, try the tip below.
If you can replace the verb in the sentence with a form of be, the verb is almost certainly a linking verb.
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