This is not the first time linking verbs have been mentioned in this book. (Linking verbs are also referred to as copular verbs in some texts.) In the section on adjec-tives in Chapter 1, we briefly discussed linking verbs as “be” verbs. We learned that adjectives regularly fill two slots—one slot occurring in front of the nouns they modify (e.g., strange sound), and the other slot being after linking verbs (LVs). Here is one of the linking verb examples from Chapter 1:
Language is complex. Subject LV ADJ
In addition to adjectives, linking verbs can also link adverbs and noun phrases (NPs) back to the subject. The most common linking verb is “be” (is, are, was, were, has been, had been, will be, etc.). Below are sentences with “be” linking verbs. The first three examples have nouns following the linking verbs, the third has an adverb, and the last two have adjectives—all of them link back to the subject.
Verb Classes 73
Literacy is a social equalizer.
Bilingualism has been part of Southwestern U.S. culture for generations.
John is president of the Arabic club.
The vote on the language bill is tomorrow.
My mother is anxious to learn Chinese.
Our language is important to our identity.
Other verbs can do the same linking job as “be.” These are verbs of sense, such as
“seem,” “feel,” “sound,” “grow,” “taste,” “become,” “appear,” and so forth. Below are examples of these verbs functioning as linking verbs:
English became an official language of Hong Kong in 1883.
Language seems complex.
My friend feels insecure about her dialect.
She appeared comfortable speaking Urdu.
These linking verbs link what comes after them back to the subject. Only linking verbs can do this.
We can use the BE substitution test to determine whether a “non-be” verb is functioning as a linking verb. The test is as follows: if you can substitute a “be” verb for the “suspected” linking verb and maintain the sentence’s meaning, then it is a linking verb. Let’s apply the BE substitution test to the verbs in these sentences:
English became an official language of Hong Kong. → English is an official language of Hong Kong.
Language seems complex.→ Language is complex.
My friend feels insecure about her dialect. → My friend is insecure about her dialect.
She appeared comfortable speaking Urdu. → She was comfortable speaking Urdu.
It worked! The four sentences passed the BE substitution test, which proves that became, seems, feels, and appeared are linking verbs. You also should make sure that what follows the linking verb refers back to or describes the subject because that is the job of a linking verb. We will examine linking verbs in closer detail in the next section on sentence patterns.
WARNING!
In addition to functioning as linking verbs, “be” verbs can also be used as helping verbs. Examine the following sentences:
The students are studying Hindi for their trip to India.
My mother is studying Chinese.
John is reading about gender and language.
Our language is evolving.
She is promoting bilingual education.
In the first two sentences, studying is the head verb, and is and are are used as helping verbs to form the present participle verb are studying/
is studying. The same pattern is found in the next three sentences: read-ing, evolvread-ing, and promoting are head verbs and is functions as a helping verb. In all of the above examples, the “be” verb is not a linking verb; it simply helps the head verb show a continuous action. This is an import-ant distinction that you must recognize because confusing “be” linking verbs with “be” helping verbs will cause problems in this chapter and in the upcoming chapters.
Verb Classes 75
Exercise 3.1 Getting a Grip on “Be” Verbs
Let’s check our knowledge of “be” verbs. Each sentence below has a “be”
verb that functions as a linking verb. Using the cues in the sentences, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of “be.” If there are two blanks, the verb form must have two parts.
1. Today, gender _______ an important area of sociolinguistic research.
2. For my current research, I _______ very interested in gender issues.
3. Thirty years ago, gender _______ a biological construct and not a social factor in research.
4. Over the last decade, knowledge about the social dimensions of gender _______ _______ a pivotal factor in producing rich sociolinguistic research.
5. In the future, gender _______ _______ an essential factor in language studies.
DID YOU KNOW?
“Be” is the most commonly used verb in English, and it is also the most irreg-ular. The reason for its irregularity can be found in its history—“be” represents a merger of two Old English verbs with remnants of both in our modern lan-guage. You can see traces of the Old English forms of “be” in the Bible, as in
“Our Father who art in heaven.”
Exercise 3.2 Getting a Grip on Linking Verbs
Examine each underlined verb and decide whether it is a linking verb. Circle Y (yes) if it is a linking verb and N (no) if it is not. (Hint: Watch out for “be” used as a helping verb.)
1. Y N An official language bill is undergoing revisions in the Senate.
2. Y N The Chinese writing system is different from English orthography.
3. Y N I have a Chicago accent.
4. Y N Spanish is a common second language in the United States.
5. Y N French accents sound intriguing to many Americans. Why?
6. Y N My Chinese language skills grew weak from lack of practice.
7. Y N Many people in the United States can not speak the language of their grandparents.
8. Y N Many children have been punished for speaking Spanish in school.
9. Y N Language has been a controversial topic in the United States.
10. Y N Language is part of your identity.