BEING - the state or quality of having existence existence - something, such as an object, an idea, or a symbol, that exists exist

living Action Verbs and Linking Verbs n action verb animates a sentence, either !hysically "swim, jump, drop, whistle# or mentally " think, dream, believe, suppose, love#$ %erbs ma&e sentences move' sometimes dramatically, sometimes quietly$ (he leaped high into the air, twirled, landed on the floor, and ran from the room$ )e thought of her beauty, imagined her smile, yearned for her !resence$ (ome verbs don*t ex!ress action but hel! com!lete statements about the subject by describing or identifying it$ +hese verbs are called linking verbs. ,iane is ha!!y$ -lement feels feverish$ .aria is a doctor$ +he music sounds good$ +he sentences don*t tell you /hat ,iane, -lement, .aria, and the music did but rather /hat they are$ 0in&ing verbs 1lin&2 their subjects to a classification, state of being, or quality$ In the sentences above, happy, feverish, doctor, and good are called complements of the lin&ing verbs$ +able 3 lists some common lin&ing verbs$

(ome of these verbs can be both lin&ing and action verbs$ -lement felt hot$ "lin&ing verb# -lement felt along the /all for the light s/itch$ "action verb# +he dog smelled bad$ "lin&ing verb# +he dog smelled the man*s boots$ "action verb#

quic& /ay to tell /hether a verb is functioning as a lin&ing verb is to see if you can re!lace it /ith a form of the verb to be and still have a logical sentence$ 4or exam!le, test the t/o sentences above by re!lacing smelled /ith was$ +he dog was bad$ "yes# +he dog was the man*s boots$ "no# 0in&ing verbs o!erate differently than action verbs$ 4irst, /hile action verbs are modified by adverbs, lin&ing verbs are often follo/ed by adjectives$ +his cheese smells strong$ NOT +his cheese smells strongly$ lso, a !ronoun follo/ing the lin&ing verb to be should be in the subjective case rather than the objective case$ It was she$ NOT It was her$

Linking Verbs versus Action Verbs English verbs are divided by function into t/o basic categories5 lin&ing verbs and action verbs$ 0in&ing verbs are also called being verbs because they ex!ress states of being$ ction verbs, /ell, they describe an action$ 0in&ing verbs are li&e giant equal signs !lo!!ed into the middle of your sentence$ 4or exam!le, you can thin& of the sentence 6al!h7s uncle is a cannibal /ith a taste for finger food$ as 6al!h*s uncle = a cannibal /ith a taste for finger food. 8r, in shortened form, 6al!h7s uncle = a cannibal 9ust as in an algebra equation, the /ord is lin&s t/o ideas and says that they are the same$ +hus, is is a lin&ing verb$ )ere are more lin&ing verbs5 0ulu will be angry /hen she hears about the missing bron:e tooth$ 0ulu = angry "will be is a lin&ing verb# (tan was the last surfer to leave the /ater /hen the tidal /ave a!!roached$ Stan = last surfer "was is a lin&ing verb# )ere are some lin&ing verbs that are not forms of the verb to be5

;ith his foot-long fingernails and sly smile, Big 4oot seemed threatening$ Big 4oot = threatening "seemed is a lin&ing verb$# jail sentence for the unauthori:ed use of a comma appears harsh$ jail sentence = harsh "appears is a lin&ing verb in this sentence# +he !enalty for ma&ing a grammar error remains severe$ !enalty = severe "remains is a lin&ing verb in this sentence# Seemed, appears, remains, and stays are similar to forms of the verb to be in that they ex!ress states of being$ +hey sim!ly add shades of meaning to the basic conce!t$ <ou may, for exam!le, say that ;ith his foot-long fingernails and sly smile, Big 4oot was threatening$ No/ the statement is more definite$ Seemed leaves room for doubt$ (imilarly, remains adds a time dimension to the basic ex!ression of being$ +he sentence im!lies that the !enalty /as and still is severe$ Sensory verbs may also be lin&ing verbs5 +he ten-year-old lasagna in your refrigerator smells disgusting$ lasagna = disgusting "smells is a lin&ing verb# +he ten-year-old lasagna in your refrigerator also looks disgusting$ lasagna = disgusting "looks is a lin&ing verb# Needless to say, the ten-year-old lasagna in your refrigerator tastes great= lasagna = great "tastes is a lin&ing verb# %erbs that refer to the five senses are lin&ing verbs only if they act as an equal sign in the sentence$ If they aren7t equating t/o ideas, they aren7t lin&ing verbs$ In the !receding exam!le sentence about 6al!h7s double chin, feel is a lin&ing verb$ )ere7s a different sentence /ith the same verb5 ;ith their delicate fingers, 0ulu and (tan feel 6al!h7s chin$ In this sentence, feel is not a lin&ing verb because you7re not saying that 0ulu and (tan = chin$ Instead, you7re saying that 0ulu and (tan don7t believe that 6al!h shaved, so they /ent stubble hunting$ 0in&ing verbs are im!ortant, but unless you7re in some sort of hi!!ie commune left over from the sixties, you just can7t sit around being all the time$ <ou have to do something$ )ere*s /here action verbs come into the !icture$ Everything that is not

being is action, at least in the verb /orld$ >nli&e the giant equal sign associated /ith lin&ing verbs, something happens /ith an action verb5 ,re/ slapped the offending !ig right on the snout$ "Slapped is an action verb$# 4red will steal third base as soon as his snee:ing fit ends$ "Will steal and ends are action verbs$# ccording to the teacher, 6oger has shot at least 3? s!itballs in the last ten minutes$ "Has shot is an action verb$# ,on7t let the name action fool you$ (ome action verbs aren7t !articularly energetic5 think, sit, stay, have, sleep, dream, and so forth$ Besides describing the ideal vacation, these /ords are also action verbs= +hin& of the definition this /ay5 if the verb is not a giant equal sign "a lin&ing verb#, it7s an action verb$