Some verbs don't talk about actions, but instead link the subject to an adjective (or a noun or other phrase, but not a grammatical object) which gives us more information about the subject. These verbs are called linking verbs (or sometimes copula verbs).
These three verbs are always linking verbs in English:
| be | He is tall. |
| seem | You seem sad. |
| become | He became thin. |
| act | He acted happy, but actually he was really sad. |
| appear | She appeared cold, so we took her inside. |
| feel | I feel terrible today! |
| get | It's getting warm. The spring is coming! |
| go | The food went bad, because I forgot to put it in the fridge. |
| grow | She grew tired. |
| look | You look beautiful today! |
| prove | He thought he was right, but he was proved wrong. |
| remain | He remained calm. It was only a spider. |
| smell | The meal smelled delicious. |
| sound | The band sounded excellent. |
| stay | He stayed curious all his life. |
| taste | The milk tasted horrible. |
| turn | The weather turned bad just as we were leaving. |
Note:
Linking verbs are not the same as stative verbs. Some linking verbs are stative, but some are not.
- I'm getting old (a linking verb but not a stative verb).
- The soup tastes good (a linking verb and a stative verb).
- I know Julie (stative verb but not a linking verb).
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