English Grammar: Linking Verbs (Copula)

Hi everybody, welcome to www.engvid.com, I'm Adam.

In today's video, I have a grammar lesson for you, and specifically we're going to look

at copula or linking verbs.

Copula - linking verbs, same thing, different names.

Most people don't really know or have never heard of this word - copula.

Sometimes it's an adjective, it's called copular verbs, but the more common one is the linking verbs.

And I'll show you in a moment what is actually being linked.

So, the most common copula verb is the "be" verb, and in its different forms, different

tenses, I should say.

Am, is, are, was, were, etc.

The most common other copula verbs are seem and appear, and you can combine them with

"to be".

And I'll show you examples, but appear to be, seem to be, and you can also use this

to make a passive structure, which I'll show you as well.

And look, and then you have your sense verbs.

Sound, taste, smell, and feel.

These are also state verbs, and they can also be action verbs, but we're going to look at

them as copula verbs.

And you'll notice that all of these copula verbs are not action verbs.

There is no action happening.

So, be careful with these four, because you can use them as action verbs as well.

Like, if you say something, I say "Yeah, that sounds right".

Or, I can sound the alarm, I can "ding ding ding ding ding ding", etc.

So, action - active or not.

And then become and get.

And I split these up for a reason, and I'll show you that reason in a moment.

So, first thing to remember - there is no action involved with copula verbs.

What they are doing is they are linking, they are joining or showing some sort of relationship

between the subject of a sentence and the subject complement.

So, as an example, "He is tall".

So, if you think about this sentence, a lot of people will think "Subject, verb, object".

But "tall" is not an object to the verb "is".

Tall is the subject complement to the subject "he".

Essentially, what this means is he, tall, same person.

Same thing we're focusing on.

The "be" verb acts like an equal sign, showing that these two things are the same thing.

I'm describing or talking about the same thing.

And it doesn't have to be an adjective, it can also be a noun.

A noun can also be a subject complement, not an object.

"He is a teacher."

"He - a teacher", same person.

Same thing, if you want to think about it that way.

And that's where the link is.

So, you're linking subject complements to subject, right?

So, very important not to think of it as an object.

And the same applies to the other verbs.

"Seem" does not take an object.

"Appear to be" does not take an object.

All of these do not take an object.

Another thing that's very important to remember is that these - all of these verbs, because

they're not in a subject, verb, object structure, will be followed by an adjective but never

by an adverb.

Okay?

And I'll give you an example of this as well.

Let's look at "seems".

Another very important point to remember - we treat, except for "be" verb, of course - we

treat all of these copular verbs like action verbs, meaning in a third person singular,

we're still going to add the "s", okay?

So, it's very important to remember that it looks like an action verb, but there's no

action happening.

Now, what's the difference, the main difference, between a "be" verb and seem, appear, and

look?

These three also act like an equal sign, except a "be" verb is stating a fact.

He is tall means that's the fact, tall.

"She seems nice" means that it's a possibility that she's nice.

She looks nice, she appears to be nice, she seems nice.

All of these mean the same thing that I think she's nice, but I might be wrong.

She is nice - it's a fact.

I'm not wrong, it's a fact.

There's not wrong or right, there's is or isn't, as it were.

So, she seems nice.

Adjective describing "she".

"She seems to be married."

So, I'm still using an adjective, but now I'm using "to be", because "She seems married"

doesn't make much sense.

I'm describing her situation.

Here, I'm describing her.

Here, I'm describing her situation.

So, I need to put that into more of a context of existence or being something.

And again, "She seems to be an executive".

I can't say, "She seems an executive".

I'm talking about her situation again.

Here, it's her marriage situation.

Here, it's her career.

Now, again, very important.

She seems to be an executive.

Maybe she's dressed in a suit, like a business suit.

She has a bag.

She looks very professional.

Whether it's true or not, I don't know.

That's why she seems to be, she appears to be.

She looks like an executive, and you actually add "like" here as well.

She looks like something, right?

Maybe she is, maybe she's not.

Keep in mind, though.

When you say, "He looks like his father", that's a different use of "look".

This is more about the actual physical appearance.

I can - it's a fact.

It's not a possibility.

But "look like" as a copula means possibility, maybe.

Okay?

Now, sound, taste, smell, and feel.

You're going to describe how certain things affect the senses.

So, the song sounds nice.

The food tastes delicious.

Notice the "s".

The flower smells lovely.

The cat's tongue feels rough, when it licks me, etc.

So, I'm describing sense.

Now, keep in mind that these are also stative verbs, and if you're not sure what a stative

verb is, Rebecca, who is another teacher here at www.engvid.com , has made a lesson about that.

You can look for the link somewhere here to learn more about stative verbs.

These are a part of the stative verbs.

Now, become and get, they're a little bit trickier.

So, I'm going to look at them individually and I'll give you some more examples.

Okay, so now we're going to look at a few more examples and notice a few more specific

grammatical points.

"The house appears to have been damaged in the storm."

So, right away, you notice that I have the option of using copula verbs in passive situations

as well.

You just have to adjust according to the time, according to the situation.

Here, I just want to point out a couple of other things.

"She seems intelligent", and "The food tastes delicious".

Notice it's not "intelligently" and not "deliciously".

So, it's very, very important to remember, just because you have a verb that's not a

"be" verb, it doesn't mean that you must have an adverb.

Copula verbs are not followed by adverbs, only adjectives or noun complements.

That's very important to remember.

Another thing to remember is that all of the verbs so far, the "be" verb, the "appear,

seem" and all the sense ones, they don't take an "-ing" form.

Right?

Because they're a bit of a state verb.

There's no action happening.

On the other hand, "get" and "become" can take all the different forms.

And while all of these basically - they're like an equal sign, so the food tastes delicious,

and the food is delicious mean the same thing.

This is just a more specific verb.

And it basically means equal.

Food = delicious.

Same thing.

Become and get are verbs that are copular.

They're still linking verbs, but they suggest a change.

And this is very important, and this is where a lot of people get confused with these two verbs.

Become and get, when they're used in this context, like copular verbs, always suggest change.

And it's very important to remember that.

"She got married", okay.

That doesn't mean - there's no action here.

"Married" here is being used - it's a participle - it's being used as an adjective.

"She got married" or "She was married", both okay.

"She is getting married."

Now here, I can use this as an "-ing", but I'm still explaining the situation.

This is actually referring to the future.

So, now she is single.

She is getting married.

She will become a married woman.

There's no action involved.

She's not getting anything.

It's not a receiving verb, it just - the changing situation verb.

If I wanted to use the action verb, I would just simply say "married".

"She married Bob."

It means she had a wedding and put on a ring, signed some papers, got married.

Same thing with "become".

You can use it in all the different forms, and always notice there's a change.

"She has become too powerful."

There should be a period here, actually.

She has become - it's not a sudden action.

She has become too powerful over time, which is why I'm using the present perfect tense.

And I'm suggesting a change.

I could say, "She is too powerful".

It means it's a fact now.

She was, or she will be too powerful, all talking about specific situation - has become

over the time she has been in this position.

"He is becoming rich."

He's getting more and more money.

It doesn't mean he's rich yet, but he's certainly on his way.

His situation is changing, changing.

"He will become mean."

When he has more money, the more money he has, the more he will become mean.

Like a mean person, because some people become mean when they have money.

Why?

Because "The more money he has, the more arrogant he becomes."

And again, I'm using it as a single with the "s" for the single third person.

But again, change, change.

As money changes, as the money amount changes, his personality changes, right?

So, it's all about change.

And this is more like an actual fact, when I use a present simple, I'm stating it more

like a fact.

The other ones are more a possibility.

Okay?

So, these are the main copula verbs.

There are some others, but these are the ones you need to understand to be able to read

and to write especially.

Because these are the ones that give people the most trouble, I believe, when it comes

to understanding how to use them.

Now, of course, it's a little bit tricky.

"Become", a lot of people confuse the verb "become" with the verb "be".

These are two different verbs.

Make sure you remember that, because how you're going to use them will affect the meaning

of the sentence, right?

Depending on which one you use.

But there, that's a very basic understanding of copula verbs.

If you're not sure and you want a little bit more practice, go to www.engvid.com and take

the quiz.

And of course, ask me questions in the comment section.

I'll be very happy to help you out if you need a little bit more explanation about this.

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Until next time, bye bye.