Linking Verbs, Complements, and Helping Verbs Lesson: Definition and Uses

Lesson Overview

• What Are Linking Verbs?
• How to Identify a Linking Verb (Linking vs. Action Test)
• Complements: Completing the Meaning
• Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs): The Supporting Cast
• Conclusion

Not all verbs are action-packed! In English, some verbs don't show an action but instead connect or help other words in the sentence. These are linking verbs and helping verbs. Many students get confused by these, mixing them up or not recognizing them in sentences. In this lesson, we'll break down:

• What linking verbs are and how they work (and how they differ from action verbs).
• What complements are (hint: they complete the meaning after a linking verb).
• What helping verbs (auxiliary verbs) are and how they team up with main verbs.

We'll clear up common misunderstandings, use simple examples, and ask some questions to get you thinking. By the end, you should feel confident to tackle any quiz or sentence with linking, complement, or helping verbs!

What Are Linking Verbs?

Linking verbs are verbs that do not show action. Instead, a linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to additional information about that subject. Think of a linking verb like an equals sign (=) in math: it links the subject to something that renames or describes the subject. For example:

• Lisa is a doctor. – Here "is" is a linking verb. It connects the subject Lisa to the noun doctor, which tells us what Lisa is. In a sense, Lisa = doctor.
  
  
• The sky looks blue. – "Looks" is a linking verb here, connecting sky to blue. Blue describes the sky (sky = blue in terms of description).

Take This Quiz -

Linking verb quiz questions and answers

How to Identify a Linking Verb (Linking vs. Action Test)

Sometimes it's tricky to tell if a verb is linking or if it's an action verb. Here's a handy test students often use: replace the verb with a form of "to be" (like is, are, was, were) and see if the sentence still makes sense. If the meaning stays basically the same, you likely have a linking verb.

• "The stew tastes great." Try replacing tastes with is: "The stew is great." This still makes sense and basically means the stew = great (in taste). So here, tastes is acting as a linking verb.
  
  
• "The dog smells the bone." Replace smells with is: "The dog is the bone." That doesn't make sense at all! (A dog is not a bone.) This means in the original sentence, smells was not linking the dog to a description; instead, it was an action verb – the dog is doing the action of smelling.
  
  

Why does this test work? If a verb is linking, the sentence is essentially saying "Subject = [some description/identity]." If replacing it with is/are messes up the meaning, then the verb was actually showing an action, not linking to a description. For example:

• "The quiche tasted even better the next day." → "The quiche was even better the next day." This still makes sense (it's describing the quiche), so here tasted is linking the subject quiche to the description even better.
  
  
• "The toddler tasted the snowflake." → "The toddler was the snowflake." Nonsense! So tasted in that sentence was an action verb (the toddler performed the action of tasting).
  
  

This test helps because some verbs can function either as linking verbs or as action verbs depending on the context. We've seen taste and smell. Other common verbs that do this double-duty include feel, look, appear, sound, grow, remain, stay, turn, etc. Always check how it's used:

• If the verb is followed by a description of the subject (like an adjective or noun renaming the subject), it's linking.
• If the verb is followed by something that the subject is doing or affecting (like a direct object), then it's likely an action verb.
  
  

Common Linking Verbs

So, what verbs are typically linking verbs? You already know forms of "to be" (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) are the most common. In fact, "to be" is the purest linking verb – it just states that something is.

Other always-linking verbs include become and seem, which indicate a state or a change of state:

• She became a leader. (became links she to a leader – she = a leader, in terms of identity after some change)
  
  
• This seems unusual. (seems links this to unusual – describing "this")
  
  

Then we have those sensory or state verbs which can be linking or action:

• look – She looks happy (linking – "happy" describes she); She looks at the painting (action – something she does).
  
  
• feel – I feel sick (linking – describes I); I feel the fabric (action – I am touching it).
  
  
• sound – That sounds exciting (linking – describes "that"); He sounds the alarm (action – he causes a sound).
  
  
• grow – It grew dark (linking – it became dark); We grow tomatoes (action – we cultivate).
  
  
• taste – The soup tastes salty (linking – soup = salty in taste); He tasted the soup (action – he sampled it).
  
  
• smell – The room smells musty (linking – room = musty smell); The dog smelled the food (action – the dog sniffed).
  
  
• remain, stay – They remained calm (linking – they = calm); Stay safe! (here "stay" is more of a command linking verb meaning "continue to be safe").
  
  

A handy list often taught in schools is: be, am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been (all forms of to be), plus become, seem (always linking), and verbs like look, sound, feel, smell, taste, appear, grow, remain, stay (sometimes linking). Remember, for that last group, context matters (use the replacement test if unsure).

Take This Quiz -

Linking Verbs, Complements, and Helping Verbs Quiz

What Does a Linking Verb Do Exactly?

A linking verb connects the subject to a complement – that complement is usually a noun or adjective that describes or renames the subject. Importantly, the linking verb itself doesn't show any action or change; it just links the subject to information. For example:

• In "Jack is tired", "is" links Jack to "tired" (telling us Jack's state).
• In "Jack is a student", "is" links Jack to "a student" (telling us what Jack is).
  
  

Because linking verbs don't show action, you will never find a direct object after a truly linking verb. (A direct object is something that receives an action, but if no action is happening, there's nothing to "receive" it.) Instead, you'll find what we call a subject complement.

Complements: Completing the Meaning

Even the name complement sounds like complete, and that's a clue: a complement is a word or phrase that completes the meaning of a subject or verb. In the case of linking verbs, the complement completes the meaning of the subject by providing information about it.

Put simply, after a linking verb, we need something to complete the idea. "John is ___." John is what? Without a complement, we're left hanging. The complement fills in the blank, telling us something about John.

Subject Complements (Predicate Nouns and Adjectives)

When a complement follows a linking verb and gives information about the subject, we call it a subject complement. It "complements" (completes) the subject. There are two common types:

• Predicate Noun (Predicate Nominative) – a noun (or noun phrase) that renames the subject.
• Predicate Adjective – an adjective that describes the subject.

These are basically the two parts of speech a subject complement will be: noun or adjective. For example:

• My friend is a teacher. – Here, "teacher" is a noun serving as a complement. It renames "my friend." (My friend = a teacher.)
  
  
• My friend is kind. – Here, "kind" is an adjective complement describing the subject "my friend."
  
  
  

Subject Complement vs. Direct Object (Common Confusion)

It's easy to mix up a subject complement with a direct object, because both can come after a verb. The difference lies in the verb itself:

• A direct object follows an action verb and receives the action. It answers "what or whom" after an action verb.
  
  
• A subject complement follows a linking verb and gives information about the subject. It refers back to the subject, not to something the subject is acting upon.
  
  

Multiple Complements

Usually, a simple sentence has one complement after the linking verb. But you can have a compound complement (multiple describing words joined by and or but). For example:

• The team was tired but happy. – The linking verb "was" links "the team" to two adjectives: "tired" and "happy." Both are complements describing the team.
  
  
• The soup is warm and delicious. – "is" links the subject soup to two complements (warm, delicious).

Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs): The Supporting Cast

As the name suggests, helping verbs (also known as auxiliary verbs) are verbs that help the main verb in a sentence. A helping verb on its own doesn't have much meaning; its purpose is to assist the main verb by extending its meaning. This could be to indicate time/tense, possibility, necessity, or emphasis, or to form questions and negatives.

Think of a helping verb as a teammate or a sidekick. If the sentence were a movie, the main verb is the star of the action, and the helping verb is the supporting character that sets the scene or clarifies the action.

How Helping Verbs Work?

A helping verb always accompanies a main verb (except in short answers like "Yes, I do," where the main verb is implied from the question). Together, the helping verb and main verb form a verb phrase. The helping verb usually comes right before the main verb. For example:

• They are running fast. – "are" is the helping verb, and "running" is the main verb. Together "are running" is the verb phrase describing what they are doing.
  
  
• She will arrive tomorrow. – "will" is a helping verb (a modal), and "arrive" is the main verb. "will arrive" is the verb phrase indicating a future action.
  
  

If you remove the main verb, a helping verb by itself doesn't complete the idea. "They are ___ fast" (are what?) is incomplete, and "She will ___" is also incomplete. The helping verb needs that main verb. In fact, by definition, helping verbs are used with a second verb; they are always followed by another verb.

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Common helping verbs include:

• Forms of be: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being (when used with another verb, e.g. is running, was chosen).
  
  
• Forms of have: has, have, had (when used with another verb, e.g. has finished, had seen).
  
  
• Forms of do: do, does, did (when used with another verb, usually in questions, negatives, or emphasis, e.g. do you know?, he did not go, I do understand).
  
  
• Modals: These are special helping verbs like will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must, ought to. Modals add meanings like possibility, obligation, or future time and are always followed by a base form of a verb (e.g. can go, might eat, must finish).
  
  

Conclusion

By now, you should have a solid understanding of linking verbs, complements, and helping verbs: Keep practicing with sentences you come across. Pretty soon, identifying linking verbs, complements, and helping verbs will become second nature.