How current linking verbs and resulting linking verbs work - 2 Last week,
in the first part of this review of linking verbs, we discussed the two groups of linking verbs in English: the
current linking verbs, which indicate a state of the subject, and the
resulting linking verbs, which indicate that the verb complement’s role is a result of the process described in the verb. To make a sentence complete, linking verbs in both groups must be followed by a
complement, which may either be a subject complement, which follows the subject-verb-complement (SVC) sentence pattern, or an
adverbial complement, which follows the subject-verb-adverbial (SVA) pattern.
IMAGE CREDIT: SLIDEPLAYER.COMHOW LINKING VERBS FUNCTION IN A SENTENCE
We have already taken up how linking verbs function when they are followed by a subject complement, so we will now proceed to how they function when followed by an adverbial complement.
In the s
ubject-verb-adverbial or SVA pattern, the verb “be” acts as the main linking verb between the subject and the
adverbial, the most common of which are
place adverbials and
time adverbials. Examples of place adverbials: “Your bedroom
is in the basement.” “Their cousins
are i
n Laguna.” And examples of time adverbials: “The management meeting
is at 7:00 tonight.” “The reunion
will be at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.” Notice that this pattern is the normal, day-to-day way of describing the state or condition of things.
IMAGE CREDIT: PLAYER.SLIDEPLAYER.COMTHE LINKING VERB “BE” FOLLOWED BY A PLACE ADVERBIAL
OR TIME ADVERBIAL
But we must take note that creative writers are under pressure to veer away from such passive usage and to use more active verbs, like “lies” instead of “is” in the first sentence (“Your bedroom
lies in the basement.”), “live” instead of “are” in the second (“Their cousins
live in Laguna.”), “begins” instead of “is” in the third (“The management meeting
begins at 7:00 tonight.”), and “starts” instead of “will be” in the third (“The reunion
starts at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.”).
IMAGE CREDIT: YOUTUBE.COM IMAGE CREDIT: ENGLISH-GRAMMAR-REVOLUTION.COMSOME ACTION VERBS, LIKE "TURN," WORK AS A LINKING VERB
DEPENDING ON THE INTENDED SENSE
Now that we know how linking verbs work, we can now discuss
current linking verbs and
resulting linking verbs in more detail. As you may have already noticed, the verb “be” in all its forms is the unchallenged star of the linking verbs. It holds a special place in the English language because it is an all-around—some say overused—verb that can function as the main verb of the sentence, instead of just acting as an auxiliary verb.
Look at the ways it “be” in its various conjugations works: “I
am at home evenings from 6:30.” “This
is a flawed contract.” “Her dresses
were very flashy.” “The workers
have been idle since mid-afternoon.” “The store inventory
will be in the last day of March.” “We
would be ready if doesn’t rain this evening.”
And as mentioned in last week's column, “be” is by no means the only linking verb in the English language. There are 11 common current linking verbs in all, including “be,” and seven resulting linking verbs, for a total of 18. The
current linking verbs are the following: “appear,” “be,” “feel,” “lie,” “look,” “remain,” “seem,” “smell,” “sound,” “stay,” and “taste.” The
resulting linking verbs, on the other hand, are ‘become,” “get,” “grow,” “fall,” “prove,” “run,” and “turn.”
You must already be very familiar with them, so we will only give a few examples of how they are used.
Current linking verbs: “Their suggestion
seems fishy.” “Adele
appeared happy when she came out of the room.” “That young Filipina singer
looks elegant in that emerald satin dress.”
Resulting linking verbs: “The toad
became a prince.” “Justine
fell in love in autumn.” “The strategy
proved eminently useful.”
As you can see, linking verbs are always at your beck and call when you don’t need a hyperactive verb, or when you are more interested in describing an unfolding process rather than its consequences. So, use them to make sure that there are no loose ends in your sentences.
(Next:
What sets apart auxiliary verbs from linking verbs - 5) November 15, 2018
This essay, 1,117th of the series, appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the November 8, 2018 issue (print edition only) of The Manila Times
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