Linking verbs show existence. Most linking verbs are forms of the verb to be.
I like to call linking verbs “equals” verbs, because the words on either side of the verb “equal” each other.
The linking verb connects the subject to a noun that renames the subject.
The noun that renames the subject is called a predicate noun. That noun finishes the thought of the sentence.
My mother is.
This sentence has a subject (mother) and a verb (is), but the sentence doesn’t tell us much. We don’t know what mother is.
My mother is a teacher.
My mother is a doctor.
My mother is an engineer.
My mother is a writer.
In each of these sentences. the bolded word at the end is a predicate noun. The predicate noun renames the subject.
Mother equals a teacher.
Mother equals a doctor.
Mother equals an engineer.
Mother equals a writer.
Here are some more sentences using linking verbs. Can you find the predicate noun in each sentence?
My dog is a poodle.
Carl’s grandpa was a farmer.
My sister became a nurse.
Did you figure out that dog equals poodle? Poodle is a predicate noun for the subject dog..
Grandpa equals farmer. Farmer is a predicate noun for the subject Grandpa.
Sister equals nurse. Nurse is a predicate noun for the subject Sister..
Remember – linking verbs always show existence. When a linking verb connects the subject to a noun, that noun is a predicate noun. The predicate noun finishes the thought of the sentence. We can call linking verbs “equals” verbs. When the predicate noun renames the subject, the predicate noun “equals” the subject.