Using Action Verbs as Linking Verbs
Linking verbs are verbs that link the subject with the predicate of a sentence. The most common linking verbs are am, is, are.
Action verbs are verbs that indicate actions. Verbs like jump, walk, run, swim, jog, eat, etc are action verbs.
Some action verbs such as feel, look, grow can be used as linking verbs. How are they used as linking verbs? Let's begin with the action verb feel.
Using feel as a linking verb (past tense and past participle form - felt)
Imagine you're very sad because you've failed your driving test. How do you use the verb feel in your sentence? Of course you'd say: "I feel sad". The verb feel is used to link the subject "I" with the predicate "sad".
Similarly, you can say: "She feels happy"/ "He feels exhausted"/Jane feels weak after her illness.
When feel is used as a linking verb, it is no longer taken as an action verb. How can you tell whether feel is used as a linking verb? Just pay attention to the word that comes immediately after it. In the example sentence "I feel sad", the word that comes immediately after feel is "sad" which is an adjective. Therefore, if you see an adjective or an adjectival phrase immediately after feel, you can say feel is used as a linking verb.
What about the usage of feel in this example sentence?
Each time I enter the dark room, I can feel the presence of something scary watching me! Is feel still used as a linking verb? No, it is not. It's used as an action verb. Why? You may start to wonder. Well, look at the words that come immediately after feel. Do you see an adjective or an adjectival phrase? No, you don't. You see "the presence of something scary watching me", which is a noun phrase. Therefore, feel is used as a transitive action verb.
More example sentences showing usage of feel as a linking verb/action verb
The children felt delighted. (used as linking verb) (delighted - adjective)
Henry felt a sharp pain in his left foot. (used as an action verb) (sharp pain - noun phrase)
Doreen feels frustrated each time she combs her long tangled hair! (linking verb) (frustrated - adjective)
Some English users have the concept that an adverb must follow immediately after feel, and tend to use an adverb to describe feel. Is it correct to say "I feel sadly" when you want to convey the idea that you're sad? No, it's incorrect. If you say "I feel sadly", you mean there's some kind of problem with your fingers (perhaps they are numb) and can't feel something with your fingers!
Let's go on to talk about using look as a linking verb.
Example sentences
Sheila looks gorgeous in her new evening gown. (used a linking verb) (gorgeous - adjective)
Mrs Lee teaches her kids to look left and right before crossing the road. (used as an action verb) (left and right before crossing the road - adverbial phrase)
How is the verb grow used as a linking verb/an action verb? (past tense form - grew/past participle form - grown)
Example sentences:
The bushes in the compound of the house have grown thick. (used as a linking verb) (thick - adjective)
Jack's bean stalk grew bigger and taller till it reached up to the sky. (used as a linking verb) ( bigger and taller till it reached up to the sky - adjectival phrase)
The old farmer plans to grow a variety of vegetables in his vegetable farm. (used an action verb) (a variety of vegetables in his vegetable farm - noun phrase)
Remember:
When using an action verb as a linking verb, always remember not to use an adverb immediately after the verb, otherwise the verb will become an action verb, not a linking verb.
You say: "I feel bad about hurting my colleague's feelings" NOT "I feel badly about hurting my colleague's feelings".
"bad" is an adjective whereas "badly" is an adverb
You say: "I did badly in my English test". (badly - adverb describing the verb "did")
Action verbs are verbs that indicate actions. Verbs like jump, walk, run, swim, jog, eat, etc are action verbs.
Some action verbs such as feel, look, grow can be used as linking verbs. How are they used as linking verbs? Let's begin with the action verb feel.
Using feel as a linking verb (past tense and past participle form - felt)
Imagine you're very sad because you've failed your driving test. How do you use the verb feel in your sentence? Of course you'd say: "I feel sad". The verb feel is used to link the subject "I" with the predicate "sad".
Similarly, you can say: "She feels happy"/ "He feels exhausted"/Jane feels weak after her illness.
When feel is used as a linking verb, it is no longer taken as an action verb. How can you tell whether feel is used as a linking verb? Just pay attention to the word that comes immediately after it. In the example sentence "I feel sad", the word that comes immediately after feel is "sad" which is an adjective. Therefore, if you see an adjective or an adjectival phrase immediately after feel, you can say feel is used as a linking verb.
What about the usage of feel in this example sentence?
Each time I enter the dark room, I can feel the presence of something scary watching me! Is feel still used as a linking verb? No, it is not. It's used as an action verb. Why? You may start to wonder. Well, look at the words that come immediately after feel. Do you see an adjective or an adjectival phrase? No, you don't. You see "the presence of something scary watching me", which is a noun phrase. Therefore, feel is used as a transitive action verb.
More example sentences showing usage of feel as a linking verb/action verb
The children felt delighted. (used as linking verb) (delighted - adjective)
Henry felt a sharp pain in his left foot. (used as an action verb) (sharp pain - noun phrase)
Doreen feels frustrated each time she combs her long tangled hair! (linking verb) (frustrated - adjective)
Some English users have the concept that an adverb must follow immediately after feel, and tend to use an adverb to describe feel. Is it correct to say "I feel sadly" when you want to convey the idea that you're sad? No, it's incorrect. If you say "I feel sadly", you mean there's some kind of problem with your fingers (perhaps they are numb) and can't feel something with your fingers!
Let's go on to talk about using look as a linking verb.
Example sentences
Sheila looks gorgeous in her new evening gown. (used a linking verb) (gorgeous - adjective)
Mrs Lee teaches her kids to look left and right before crossing the road. (used as an action verb) (left and right before crossing the road - adverbial phrase)
How is the verb grow used as a linking verb/an action verb? (past tense form - grew/past participle form - grown)
Example sentences:
The bushes in the compound of the house have grown thick. (used as a linking verb) (thick - adjective)
Jack's bean stalk grew bigger and taller till it reached up to the sky. (used as a linking verb) ( bigger and taller till it reached up to the sky - adjectival phrase)
The old farmer plans to grow a variety of vegetables in his vegetable farm. (used an action verb) (a variety of vegetables in his vegetable farm - noun phrase)
Remember:
When using an action verb as a linking verb, always remember not to use an adverb immediately after the verb, otherwise the verb will become an action verb, not a linking verb.
You say: "I feel bad about hurting my colleague's feelings" NOT "I feel badly about hurting my colleague's feelings".
"bad" is an adjective whereas "badly" is an adverb
You say: "I did badly in my English test". (badly - adverb describing the verb "did")
By Susan L
On 1/04/2010 06:11:00 PM
1 Comment(s)
View More Articles... On 1/04/2010 06:11:00 PM
1 Comment(s)
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Thursday, January 07, 2010 2:42:00 AM
nice post. thanks. ~ by Anonymous