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English Grammar: Linking Verbs (Copula)
Be, seem, look, sound, and more are examples of linking verbs in English. These are also called copula verbs. They are special because they do not involve an action, even though some may be used in a similar way to action verbs. In this grammar lesson, we’ll learn how to use these linking verbs in English, in what situations to use them, and how to recognize them when we see them. It may appear difficult, but it’s much simpler than it seems.
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.Levels
Lesson Topics
92 COMMENTS
Hello Adam. Good job. It seems like there are no enough pronunciation lessons. A lot of learners have troubles with English vowels for example. What do you think about it. I would be grateful if you could answer me.
Hi Marat,
We actually have many pronunciation lessons on this site. Look for the search box and type in “pronunciation” and you will see them all.
Hope this helps.
It’s very helpful
Hello Mr Adam, it’s really helpful and I’m kindly asking if you couldn’t mind plz help me to attend via zoom when to you teaching plz. I really interested in this course.
Thank in advance
Hussein Hassan Golicha
Adam, thanks.. good lesson.
It’s great.,. I like the way you teach
This is a very helpful lesson. Thank you very much!
Thanks for the superb lesson. I understood the main point of this lesson. I’d like to use copular verbs more often from now on. I feel like I can use copular verb expressions naturally if I practise using them with native speakers online.
Hi Adam!
Why in the some questions from quiz you use IS in plural? For example – Which of the following sentences IS incorrect? May be – Which of the following sentences ARE incorrect? Isn’t it?
So interesting observation! :) There is only one correct sentence (one right answer). IS hints at this. Am I right?
Because only ONE of these sentences IS incorrect. All other sentences are correct.
Hi DinDim,
Good question and good answers from others.
Remember that even in a question there is a clause. Also, ‘which’ can act as the subject of the clause. In this case, which one of the following is correct? The ‘one’ is understood, so it can be removed and the meaning remains the same.
Does this help?
it was helpful thank you
i got 9/10
?????
Hi Adam,
Difficult for me. I have been repeated three times the lesson and not be able to past of 89%. After the third attempt I learned the answers by heart.
Thanks for your work.
Hi Ramirez,
With practice, it will become easier :)
Thank you Adam.
I did not do well with this exercise but will try again later.
No worries, Beernaard. It gets easier with practice :)
Hi Adam. I’m a new comer from China and I’m so happy to make my first comment here!
These days I’m trying to read articles,novels,essays or whatever from some very famous writers in America or England,such as Bacon,Henry James. But I’m feeling very frustrated,because I often find many complicating sentence structures in their writings. hopefully I can get some suggestions from you!
Great lesson! I never heard about linking verbs. It was very good to know. Thank you!
Hi Adam. I need to do Toefl test. I need 28 points from writing. Do you do private lessons where I can send you an essay and you can advice me what I need to work on?or do you offer some sort of group on-line class for this matter. Thanks. Mila
Hi Mila,
I don’t do private lessons, but I hope to start doing workshops online next month. Visit writetotop.com for details when it happens.
Thank you so much!
I got 7/9, the lesson is quite tough, I must listen again many times, but i’m still wrong at the questions 7 and 9. Hope next time i’ll become better, Thank you
Keep trying, Nguyen. It’ll take time, but it’ll get easier :)
This lesson was such useful. Thanks a lot Adam.
In the question 9 : the first option is in Passive Voice , Does still considered copula verb?
Hi OlaOth1993,
That’s a good question. Actually, this is not passive. Hurt is an adjective (feeling hurt). It’s confusing, though. Consider this:
The student felt hurt by….
Does this help?
Thank you so much Adam ;)
Thank you so much
does that mean that ‘Larry seems meanly’ is grammatically incorrect?
Hi Anartsap,
No, it’s not. Seems is a copula, so it doesn’t take an adverb. Larry seems mean is correct. You can add an infinitive to use an adverb: Larry seems to act meanly (but that’s just his way of showing interest.)
Does this help?
It’s a very explained by Adam, he’s a good teacher.Thank you, love from China.
can I make communicatin with you? Is this possible?
Hi Mehdi,
You’re doing it right here :)
Adam broh i’m hooked with your lessons but i’m so dead hooked with phrasal verb can you make a phrasal verb lesson with the verb (WEAR)
Hi Emmanuel,
I’ll see what I can do ;)
Hi Adam, first of all, thank you for the great lesson. I have a doubt. May I to use “become” and “got” for the same meaning?
Hi Rodmou,
In some cases, yes, you can. If you are describing a change.
He got angry while watching the news report.
He became angry while watching the news report.
Essentially, the meaning is the same. Got is a little less formal.
Hope this helps.
Why is the Quiz is in Portuguese? I think is not good to understand because the trasnlation seeems wrong in many situations.
Hi Diego,
I’m not sure what you’re seeing, but on my site it’s in English. Did you turn on Google translate by accident?
Adam, thank you very much for this excellent lesson. Can we say all intransitive verbs behave like a copula? Some examples;
The kite rises fast.
Drops fall slow.
She dances nice.
The plain flies smooth.
What do you think?
Hi Hd,
Keep in mind that all of the examples you used have some action in them. Copulas don’t have any action. So all the adverbs describe the action, not the subject.
Does this help?
I better got it. Thanks a lot. :)
Adam, I have some extra questions.
Number 1:
The taxes increased significantly.
or
The taxes increased significant.
Which sentence is correct?
Number 2: You said we cannot use adverb with a copula verb. Can we use the structure “in an adjective way” instead of an adverb in those sentences? For example;
Honey smells well (I know this sentence is wrong)
Honey smells in a good way (can we use this?)
Thank you for your help.
The taxes increased significantly. (correct)
or
The taxes increased by a significant amount.
Honey smells good.
Honey smells strange, but in a good way.
Hope this helps.
All other responds you have answered are also very important to understand some small tricks. Thanks alot.
Hi Adam, I’d really appreciated to learn your lessons. And I’m confusing to use following words in sentences.
Afterwards
forwards
Can you explain me with easy sample sentences?
Hi Km102,
Both show a direction: afterwards is about time, while forwards is about space.
The class will end in 10 minutes. Afterwards, student can come to me with questions.
All the students in the back of the class are asked to move forwards so I can see you more clearly.
Does this help?
It’s really helpful.
Thanks so much T/Adam.
Hi Adam, sorry to ask this question here, I have faced with a question that I couldnt solve IT. How Can we change a compound sentence to interrogative and Negative form as an example (Sara Studies English but his sister Studies Arabic. I would be so happy if you help me and change it into other form. Thanks
Hi Reza,
The problem here is that it is unclear which part is being questioned (or is it all being questioned?)
Is it true that Sara studies English but her sister studies Arabic?
Do Sara and her sister study English and Arabic, respectively?
Sara studies English, but does her sister Studies Arabic?
Sara’s sister studies Arabic, but does Sara study English?
What languages do Sara and her sister study?
As you can see, it depends on what you want to know.
Does this help?
thank you
Thanks a lot
Thanks everyone :)
Hello Adam.
Thank you so much.
I would like to say that i didn’t understand the last quiz!
Could you explaine that to me please ?
Hi Moadh,
Danny felt something means he actively used his finger to feel it.
Does this help?
The best teacher ever! I appreciate your efforts, Sir.
Hi Adam I like too much your English lessons. I want to improve my English.You are a good teacher. Help me about grammar. Which grammar books do you recommend me? Thanks
Why do you use “have been” and not “has been” in the sentence: The house appears TO HAVE BEEN damaged in the storm?
Hi Fhurtado,
The TO is apart of the infinitive tense, which is TO + based verb (have).
Does this help?
what a responsible teacher. Thank you Adam. the all questions have been answered by you.
Can i get a diploma with you online please if possible?
Hi, Mr. Adam, how are you? Explaining the lessons was very interesting, thank you very much
sir what does mean copula?
Hi Mr Adam, I have already sent you a question within an other lesson but I don’t remember where because I don’t know how to communicate with you directly, out of each lesson. This time, I will remember from where I sent my message.
I am reading a book written by Nelson Mandela. To talk about a past event, he often uses would:
During that trip, I would travel whole night.
That summer, we would enjoyed a lot to be free.
What is the idea or the purpose to use this time instead of saying we enjoyed or we have enjoyed, we traveled, etc. ?
Thank you.
By the way, I really appreciate the way you teach English. I appreciate who you are.
Thanks very much for your teaching.
Hi Adam
Great lessons! Thank you so much.
Just a couple of doubts:
1) can we say all copula verbs are intransitive?
2) can we say both copula and stative verbs are just the same? If not, how can we differentiate them?
A little bit confusing lesson. By the way how is getting on your Spanish?
Hi Dear Adam.
In question 4, can we use an adverb?
In the last one, could you explain a little bit?
I’ve got confused about “Hurt”.
Thank you so much.
Hi Adam! Thank you for the great presentation! I think you may include the verb’grow’ in the ‘become&get’ group? Thanks a lot!
7/9! Not so bad! I think I didn’t understand the whole lesson. Grammar is my difficult part in English.
Thank you very much! 8/9
Thanks for lesson,from Kyrgyzstan ?
8/9 I like this lesson. Thanks, Adam.
Thanks Also to Mr.Adam, cause of ths lesson i’m become smarter to english
Hello,
Many thanks for your lesson. I have a question:
Can we say, ” He has become rich” instead of ” He is becoming rich”; or, both clauses are the same?
Thank you Mr. Adam.
Thank you very much!
thank you！ I have a question about no.9
9. Which of the following sentences does not use a copula verb?
A.The student was hurt by the teacher’s comments.
B.Jane felt angry after hearing the news.
C.Danny felt something sharp in his seat.
D.The room smelled awful.
My question is Option A.”The student was hurt by the teacher’s comments.”
I think this is a passive sentence, and ‘hurt’ is a passive action verb.
the active sentence of Option A is
“the teacher’s comments hurt the student.”
Adam: I don’t understand the difference between a subject complement and a direct object.
This is my second question. I wonder if you ever check the comments. My first comment on There are was not replied.
Did I understand well that seem and is are copula verbs? If so why Jenniefer seems angry and Jennifer is angry are not the same thing
I got full score! ? :D
Thanks a lot,Mr.Adam
Happy New Year!
Greetings from Kazakhstan 28 Dec2o21
HI teacher I really scored poor but you lectured certainly well.
Thanks a lot
Thank you. I got 7/9. A lot confused about no.9. I can’t taste it at all.
9. Which of the following sentences does not use a copula verb?
to feel something sharp is a physical feeling
Hello, Adam. I am confused about the sentence above,why is not use a linking verb?
7/9
Adam, thanks!
Thank you
As for me, i would rather omit all those “to”es after such a sensitive verbs.
Thanks a lot for your lessons, Adam.
I wonder if that would be possible to get some lessons on “linking words”.
Hey Adam,
I learned that we cannot make the passive voice of the copular verbs, but in the last question your correct answer has a passive voice sentence, please explain.