Linking/Action Verbs Practice
(Sense words)


Definitions

Linking Verb: A linking verb is a verb that links a word in the predicate to the subject.  That word will either be a noun (predicate noun), which will rename the subject or an adjective (predicate adjective), which will describe the subject.

Action Verb: A verb that shows action.  It may or may not have a noun or pronoun following it that receives the action of the verb (direct object).

There are some words (sense words) that will be linking or action verbs depending on how they are used in a sentence.  For example:

Mary seems to like the house.
Seems is an action verb, but there is no direct object here.

The house seems large.
Seems is a linking verb - large is a predicate adjective that describes the subject, house.


These are the verbs that could be action or linking verbs:

appear look sound
become seem stay
feel remain taste
grow smell  


Practice Exercise
Write down the verbs in the following sentences.  Then tell whether they are action or linking verbs.

1. The ghost appeared in the doorway.
2. The child appeared tired.
3. Bill became the president of the student council.
4. The cloth on the table felt soft and fuzzy.
5. Jeannie grows taller every day.
6. The tree grows every day.
7. John felt sick after lunch.
8. The leftover food from the picnic smelled rotten.
9. Steve smelled the flowers.
10. Please stay in the house.
11. Mom tasted the soup.
12. The soup tasted salty.
13. Jenny looks at the pictures in the book.
14. Jenny looks beautiful in that dress.
15. The radio sounded the emergency alarm.

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