Verbs are doing words. A verb can express:
A linking verb connects a subject and its complement. Sometimes called copulas or copular verbs, linking verbs are often forms of the verb to be, but are sometimes verbs related to the five senses (look, sound, smell, feel, taste).
Look:
- Jenny looked happy. (linking verb)
- Jenny looked at the window. (ordinary verb)
Taste
- The food tastes delicious. (linking verb)
- They tasted the food. (ordinary verb)
Appear
- She appeared quiet. (linking verb)
- She appeared in the room. (ordinary verb)
Sometimes verbs that somehow reflect a state of being (
appear,
seem,
become,
grow,
turn,
prove,
remain). What follows the linking verb will be either a noun complement or an adjective complement:
A handful of verbs that reflect a change in state of being also link a subject to a predicate adjective: