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An Overview of Linking Verbs (Copulas) for the Effective Use of English

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An Overview of Linking Verbs (Copulas) for the Effective Use of English AJELLS: Vol. 5 No. 1, 2014 www.ezenwaohaetorc.org An Overview of Linking Verbs (Copulas) for the Effective Use of English Ephraim A. Chukwu Abstract “An Overview of Linking Verbs (Copulas) for the Effective Use of English” gleans the three types of linking verbs for study, understanding and correct use. The paper introduces other types of verbs to distinguish them from linking verbs. Following this introduction are explanations of what linking verb is, its types, whether it is an action word, its dual functions, the word or word group it links as complements, and its discernible significance in English. The misuse or ignorance shown in the use of this type of verb by learners and scholars alike inspired this assemblage and the observable significance arising therefrom. Introduction The verb class subsumes the transitive versus the intransitive; the weak (regular) versus the strong (irregular); as well as the copulas or the linking verbs. Transitive verbs have direct objects (nouns) which receive the actions of these verbs: Okeke slapped Mgbeke. Femi jilted Fumilayo. Dauda murdered Zainabu. The underlined action words are transitive verbs which transferred their actions to the direct objects Mgbeke, Fumilayo and Zainabu. Intransitive verbs do not transfer their actions; rather their actions are retained by the subject 1 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 initiating the actions: Babies grow slowly The witches vanished John slept soundly The verbs grow, vanished and slept relate to and are retained by the subjects Babies, witches and John. The weak or regular verbs are so designated because their forms in the present, past and participle are the same except by the addition of 'ed' to the past and participle: walk walked walked look looked looked love loved loved The strong or irregular verbs are so described as their forms in the present, past and participle are partially or completely different: go went gone eat ate eaten am was been is were being are The linking verbs may be irregular as the verb 'be' or they may be regular as some of the sensory verbs – taste, sound, look, or irregular – smell and feel. What are Linking Verbs or Copulas? As the name suggests, a linking verb is a link or connector between two groups of words. This link shows relationship between these words and how these words affect each other. According to Glencoe (2001: 456), Ebest et al (2003: 358) and Fowler et al (2007: 320), a linking verb links, or joins or connects the subject of a sentence and its complement. 2 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 The subject complement which may be a noun or a pronoun or an adjective is “a word or expression that identifies or describes the subject” (Glenco 2001: 456). Nneoma is beautiful. - adjective Segun became a doctor. - noun The girl was mine. - pronoun The linking verbs is, became, was join the subjects Nneoma, Segun, The girl with the subject complements beautiful, doctor, mine. These complements identify the subjects as beautiful Nneoma doctor Segun My(ne) girl Linking verb therefore is a joint that fastened or fixed a subject and a complement together. The inseparableness of subject and complement manifests in the complement giving us the attribute of the subject. What are the Types of Linking Verbs Three types of linking verbs are isolated: 1. The Verbs 'be' - am, is, are, was, were, being, been 2. The Sensory verbs i.e .- taste, look, sound (hear), smell feel verbs associated with the five senses 3. Others - remain, become, grow, seem, stay, appear Examples of linking verbs in sentences from sources 3 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 I am a musician That singer is an artist 'be' verbs from Glencoe p. 456 The days were hot Those are mosquitoes The cake tastes good. He grew taller over the summer. Glencoe p. 456 She felt good about the election result. He seems better today. Careful editing is essential to a well- written paper. She became an industrial engineer. Ebest p. 358 The repair crew grew tired. Jowitt and Nnamonu (207/208) explain linking verbs as words which link two language expressions that identify each other. According to them, in the sentences: Matthew is my friend. Joseph feels happy. Joseph seems sad. there is identity between Matthew and my friend; Joseph and happy; Joseph and sad; just as there are identities among the subjects at the left hand side of the linking verbs and the other nouns, noun phrases and adjectives at the right hand side of the underlined linking verbs in the three groups of sentences above, i.e. between I and musician, singer and artist, days and hot, those and mosquitoes, cake and good, he and taller, she and good, he and better, editing and essential, she 4 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 and engineer, crew and tired. The right group gives attributes to the left group of subjects. Are Copulas Action Verbs? A linking verb is not an action word. Jaderstrom et al (2000: 245) and Glencoe (2001: 456) confirm this. The former say that “a linking verb does not indicate action”; the latter says that “a linking verb does not show action”. Some linking verbs, according to Leech and Suartvik (261), are verbs of appearance -look-, verbs of sensation –feel- and verbs of becoming – become and get. Sentence examples expressing the non-actionness of linking verbs. John felt happy at the result. The children look emaciated. James became an engineer. The soup tasted delicious. The scene appears misleading. These instances of linking verbs show that no action is expressed by verbs so designated. Rather, the verbs (copulas) link the subjects with their descriptions as captured by the words following those copulas. Dual Functions of Some Linking Verbs Some linking verbs take objects. In this use they become transitive in function. Jowitt and Nnamonu (208) illustrate this thus: a. We tasted the stew. b. The food tasted good. In sentence 'a', 'tasted' is a transitive verb and takes a direct object, 'the stew'. In sentence 'b', 'tasted' is a linking verb as 'food' and 'good' has identity of oneness. A linking verb can function transitively, intransitively and connectively. E.g. 5 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 Farmers grow cocoa - transitive, grow takes a direct object cocoa Cocoa grows luxuriantly - intransitive, the adverb luxuriantly modifies the verb grow. The weather grows bad every day – linking verb, joining weather and bad. Nouns/Pronouns and Adjectives that Follow Copulas i.e. Act as Complements Nouns, pronouns and adjectives that are linked with the noun subjects identify or describe these subjects. These nouns, pronouns and adjectives are called subject complements. Quirk and Greenbaum (13/14) explain that a subject complement has a straightforward relation to the subjects of its respective sentence. They illustrate this relationship with two sentences. The girl is now a student at a large university. His brother grew happier gradually. In these two sentences the relationship between the subjects, 'the girl', and 'his brother', and their following complements, 'a student' and 'happier', is understood: 'The girl' (subject) “is understood as being a girl student” and His 'brother' (subject) “a happier brother”. “A subject complement is a word or word group that describes or renames the subject of a sentence” (Ebest et al 478). The subject complements in the two sentences above 'a student', a noun and 'happier', an adjective describe the subject nouns. Ebest et al further explain that “when the subject complement is a noun, it is called predicate nominative; when it is an adjective, it is called a predicate adjective” (478). Sentence examples from Ebest et al: 6 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 This milk tastes sour - (adjective) She is my lawyer - (noun) This book is a best-selling historical novel - (noun phrase) His excuse was that he had been sick - (noun clause) Predicate appeared in describing the nouns or adjectives. Traditionally a sentence is divided into a subject and predicate. The predicate begins from the main verb. In the sentences above the main verbs are tastes, is, was. All other words after these verbs belong to the second part of these sentences called predicates. This is why the adjective, noun, noun phrase and noun clause are called predicate adjective and predicate nominatives. Nominatives are nouns, noun phrases and noun clauses. Significance of Copulas in English The significance of copulas as presented here is based on carefully though out nature of linking verbs in the English language as deduced from their general understanding and description given above. Effective Structural Analysis Copulas, as seen, may function as links, transitives and intransitives. Simple sentence analysis may give structures as SVC, SVO, SVA, etc. Copulas take SVC structure, but not SVO or SVA. Ignorance about the uses will make one analyze linking verbs as action verbs (transitive) or verbs that admit adverb modifiers (intransitive). 7 Ephraim A. Chukwu: AJELLS Vol. 5 No 1, 2014 Structural Relationship Subject of a sentence and the complement of the sentence linked by a copula have identifiable relationship. The complement describes or renames the subject by emphasizing the subject's quality or feature. But the subject and object of a sentence do not have any identity – one is different from the other. The relationship between a subject and subject complement is that of oneness, one attributing quality to the other. Structural Nomenclatures Predicative nominative and predicate adjective are terms adopted to differentiate subject complements from other words that appear after the main verbs. We have objects (direct and indirect) and adverbials that are placed after the main verbs.
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