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LINKING VERBS AND SUBJECT COMPLEMENT - Questions & Answers

A Circle the linking verbs and underline their complements in these sentences.

1. My grandma turned ninety-five this year.

Linking Verb: turned; Complement: ninety-five 

2. The deer was happy to unite with its mother.

Linking Verb: was; Complement: happy to unite with its mother

3. You seem tense - what's the matter?

Linking Verb: seem; Complement: tense

4. She appears to be a sensible person.

Linking Verb: appears; Complement: to be a sensible person

5. The weather suddenly became cold.

Linking Verb: became; Complement: cold

6. The dish smells good.

Linking Verb: smells; Complement: good

7. He is indeed a reliable person.

Linking Verb: is; Complement: a reliable person

8. I have got busy these days.

Linking Verb: have got; Complement: busy


B Complete these sentences with suitable linking verbs. Use one verb only once.

1. Sushil's face turned pale at the sudden appearance of the leopard.

2. The stew smells great. You must try it.

3. She grew in confidence over the years.

4. Sudhir sounded a little worried when I talked to him on the phone.

5. Joya remained unruffled despite everything she had to undergo.

6. I am not sure what it is, but something seems fishy.

7. She is in a rush.

8. The river looked full of rage.


C Underline the main verbs in these sentences and state whether they are linking verbs or action verbs.

1. Javed appeared unhappy over the team selection.

Main Verb: appeared; Type: Linking Verb

2. Tapish grew excited at the mention of the trek.

Main Verb: grew; Type: Linking Verb

3. She sometimes becomes conscious of herself.

Main Verb: becomes; Type: Linking Verb

4. She looked unblinkingly at the painting.

Main Verb: looked; Type: Action Verb

5. Rashmi grows impatient quite often.

Main Verb: grows; Type: Linking Verb

6. The palace looked magnificent.

Main Verb: looked; Type: Linking Verb

7. Our business has grown remarkably well.

Main Verb: has grown; Type: Action Verb

8. They stayed in the classroom.

Main Verb: stayed; Type: Action Verb


D Underline the subject complement and write what kind it is.

1. The plan was to leave early.

Subject Complement: to leave early; Kind: Infinitive

2. Her reaction was spontaneous.

Subject Complement: spontaneous; Kind: Predicative Adjective

3. Schindler's Ark is a Booker Prize-winning book.

Subject Complement: a Booker Prize-winning book; Kind: Noun Phrase (renaming the subject)

4. She felt greatly relieved on hearing the news.

Subject Complement: greatly relieved; Kind: Participle

5. The coach was visibly dissatisfied.

Subject Complement: dissatisfied; Kind: Participle / Predicative Adjective

6. His gesture was heart-warming.

Subject Complement: heart-warming; Kind: Participle

7. My worry is that we might run out of petrol soon.

Subject Complement: that we might run out of petrol soon; Kind: Noun Clause

8. It appears that she was telling the truth.

Subject Complement: that she was telling the truth; Kind: Noun Clause

9. Mannat is a good basketball player.

Subject Complement: a good basketball player; Kind: Noun Phrase (renaming the subject)

10. Salman seemed somewhat flustered.

Subject Complement: flustered; Kind: Participle

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Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What type of verb is used in sentences like 'Ankita sleeps' and 'The tired travellers rested'?
Answer
An intransitive verb that needs no object.
Question
What is the term for predicates that are incomplete and require a word or group of words to make complete sense?
Answer
Incomplete predication.
Question
Verbs such as *is, grew, appear*, and *are*, which require a complement to complete their meaning, are called verbs of _____.
Answer
incomplete predication
Question
What is another name for verbs of incomplete predication?
Answer
Linking verbs or copular verbs.
Question
What is the primary function of a linking verb?
Answer
They link or connect the subject to a word or phrase that describes or identifies the subject.
Question
Common linking verbs include forms of *be* when used as main verbs, and verbs such as *sound, feel, smell, taste, appear, seem, become, _____, and _____.
Answer
go, grow, and turn
Question
What is the general term for words or groups of words that complete the expression of a linking verb?
Answer
Complements.
Question
Are linking verbs transitive or intransitive?
Answer
Linking verbs are intransitive and always have complements.
Question
What are 'true linking verbs'?
Answer
Verbs that are always linking verbs and do not talk of an action.
Question
What are the three categories of true linking verbs given in the text?
Answer
Forms of *be*, *seem*, and *become*.
Question
Which forms of the verb *be* function as true linking verbs when used as main verbs?
Answer
am, is, are, was, were, being, and been.
Question
In the sentence 'Chinmay is a soldier,' what information does the true linking verb *is* provide?
Answer
It tells us what Chinmay is.
Question
In the sentence 'We were still hopeful of victory,' what does the true linking verb *were* describe?
Answer
It describes how the subject (*we*) feels.
Question
In the sentence 'Anila seemed a little perturbed,' what does the linking verb *seemed* tell us?
Answer
It tells us about Anila's condition or state of being.
Question
In the sentence 'She became upset on hearing the news,' what does the linking verb *became* tell us?
Answer
It tells us about her state of being.
Question
Name some common verbs that can function as either linking verbs or action verbs depending on the context.
Answer
appear, feel, grow, look, smell, sound, taste.
Question
In 'Urmi looked at the painting in awe,' is 'looked' an action verb or a linking verb?
Answer
An action verb, because it tells us what Urmi did.
Question
In 'Urmi looked frightened,' is 'looked' an action verb or a linking verb?
Answer
A linking verb, because it tells us how Urmi appeared to be.
Question
In 'My grandfather grew vegetables in his garden,' is 'grew' an action verb or a linking verb?
Answer
An action verb, because it shows an action and has an object (*vegetables*).
Question
In 'He grew conscious,' is 'grew' an action verb or a linking verb?
Answer
A linking verb, because it describes a state of being.
Question
What is a useful test to determine if a verb is a linking verb?
Answer
Replace the main verb with an appropriate form of the true linking verb 'be'; if the sentence still makes sense, it is likely a linking verb.
Question
Apply the linking verb test to 'He felt nervous.'
Answer
Replacing 'felt' with 'was' creates 'He was nervous,' which makes sense, so 'felt' is a linking verb.
Question
Apply the linking verb test to 'She felt the photograph gently.'
Answer
Replacing 'felt' with 'was' creates 'She was the photograph gently,' which does not make sense, so 'felt' is not a linking verb.
Question
According to the 'Language Point', why is the verb 'stayed' not a linking verb in the sentence 'We stayed indoors'?
Answer
Because the verb 'stayed' describes an action rather than a state.
Question
What is the grammatical term for the complement of a linking verb?
Answer
Subject complement.
Question
What are the two main functions of a subject complement?
Answer
It either describes the subject or gives it another name.
Question
In the sentence 'I am an artist,' what is the function of the subject complement 'an artist'?
Answer
It renames the subject 'I'.
Question
In the sentence 'The weather was unusually humid,' what is the function of the subject complement 'unusually humid'?
Answer
It describes the subject 'The weather'.
Question
When a subject complement is a noun or pronoun, what role does it perform?
Answer
It renames the subject.
Question
What is the subject complement in the sentence 'Sunanda is a dancer'?
Answer
'a dancer' (a noun that renames the subject).
Question
What is the grammatical term for an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject?
Answer
A predicative adjective.
Question
In the sentence 'This music was soothing,' what kind of subject complement is 'soothing'?
Answer
A participle acting as a predicative adjective.
Question
In the sentence 'Father seemed worried,' what kind of subject complement is 'worried'?
Answer
A participle acting as a predicative adjective.
Question
In 'Her sole focus was to study,' what kind of subject complement is 'to study'?
Answer
An infinitive.
Question
The subject complement 'in a bad shape' in the sentence 'The house was in a bad shape' is an example of what grammatical form?
Answer
A group of words doing the work of an adjective.
Question
In 'The journey was full of adventure,' what is the subject complement?
Answer
'full of adventure' (a group of words acting as an adjective).
Question
What kind of subject complement is 'outside' in the sentence 'She is outside'?
Answer
An adverb or adverbial.
Question
In the sentence 'He is hardly on time,' what is the subject complement?
Answer
'hardly on time' (an adverbial).
Question
What grammatical form serves as the subject complement in the sentence 'My fear is that we might be proved wrong'?
Answer
A noun clause ('that we might be proved wrong').
Question
In 'David's guess is that Shalu is not telling the truth,' what is the subject complement?
Answer
'that Shalu is not telling the truth' (a noun clause).
Question
Identify the linking verb and its complement in 'My grandma turned ninety-five this year.'
Answer
Linking verb: turned; Complement: ninety-five.
Question
Identify the linking verb and its complement in 'She appears to be a sensible person.'
Answer
Linking verb: appears; Complement: to be a sensible person.
Question
Identify the linking verb and its complement in 'The weather suddenly became cold.'
Answer
Linking verb: became; Complement: cold.
Question
Identify the linking verb and its complement in 'I have got busy these days.'
Answer
Linking verb: got; Complement: busy.
Question
In the sentence 'Jaya felt the baby's soft cheek with her fingers,' why is 'felt' not a linking verb?
Answer
It does not tell us about Jaya's condition, but about what she did.
Question
The test for a linking verb is to replace it with a form of 'be'. If 'I grew many flowers' becomes 'I became many flowers,' is 'grew' a linking verb?
Answer
No, because the substituted sentence does not make sense.
Question
In the sentence 'The plan was to leave early,' what is the subject complement and what is its kind?
Answer
The subject complement is 'to leave early,' which is an infinitive.
Question
In the sentence 'Her reaction was spontaneous,' what is the subject complement and what is its kind?
Answer
The subject complement is 'spontaneous,' which is a predicative adjective.
Question
In the sentence 'Schindler's Ark is a Booker Prize-winning book,' what is the subject complement and what is its kind?
Answer
The subject complement is 'a Booker Prize-winning book,' which is a noun phrase that renames the subject.
Question
In the sentence 'The coach was visibly dissatisfied,' what is the subject complement and what is its kind?
Answer
The subject complement is 'visibly dissatisfied,' which is a participle phrase acting as an adjective.
Question
In the sentence 'My worry is that we might run out of petrol soon,' what is the subject complement and what is its kind?
Answer
The subject complement is 'that we might run out of petrol soon,' which is a noun clause.
Question
In the sentence 'It appears that she was telling the truth,' what is the subject complement and what is its kind?
Answer
The subject complement is 'that she was telling the truth,' which is a noun clause.
Question
In 'Mannat is a good basketball player,' what is the subject complement and its grammatical role?
Answer
The subject complement is 'a good basketball player,' a noun phrase that renames the subject.