Sentences with linking verbs like 'be' and 'seem'

1) Verbs like be and seem are 'linking verbs'. They cannot have an object.

The word we use after be, etc. tells us something about the subject. In grammar, we call this a complement because it 'completes' the sentence by telling us about the subject.

In He is ill. She seems tired. etc. the words ill and tired tell us about he and she.

2) A complement may be:

- an adjective:                                Frank is clever.

- a noun:                                        Frank is an architect.

- an adjective + noun:                  Frank is a clever architect.

- a pronoun:                                This book is mine.

- an adverb of place or time:      The meeting is here. The meeting is at 2.30.

- a prepositional phrase:            Alice is like her father.

Write:

 a. Complete these sentences using a different complement for each sentence.

b. Say whether you have used a noun, an adjective, an adjective + noun, etc.

1 My neighbour is very ........tall (adjective)...............................................................

2 My neighbour is ..................................................................................................................................

3 This apple tastes .................................................................................................................................

4 The children are ..................................................................................................................................

5 The meeting is ....................................................................................................................................

6 Whose is this? It's ...............................................................................................................................

7 John looks ...........................................................................................................................................

8 That music sounds ..............................................................................................................................

9 Your mother seems ............................................................................................................................

10 I want to be .................................................. when I leave school. ......... : ......................................

Context . .

Write: Read this story and arrange the words in each sentence in the right order.

Add capital letters and (,), (.), (!) or (?) in the right places.

SO PLEASE DON'T COMPLAIN!

1 the local school │ attends │my son Tim ....My son Tim attends the local school.......

2 to his school │ my wife and I went │ yesterday .....................................................................................

3 we │to his teachers │spoke ................................................................................................................

4 Tim's school report │we collected .......................................................................................................

5 very good │ wasn't │ Tim's report .........................................................................................................

6 in every subject │ were │his marks │low .............................................................................................

7 was waiting anxiously for us │outside │ Tim ........................................................................................

8 'my report │ how was' │ eagerly │ he asked ..........................................................................................

9 'very good │ it wasn t │ I said ...............................................................................................................

10 'you │ harder │must try ........................................................................................................................

11 seems │ that boy Ogilvy │ very clever ..................................................................................................

12 good marks │ he got │ in all subjects' ...................................................................................................