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Studying Sentence Patterns to
Improve Your Writing: Part Two |
In a previous Everyday Grammar story, we discussed two
common sentence patterns using the word “be.”
This week, we are going to give you more information
about another common pattern in English: the linking
verb pattern.
To get you started with linking verb patterns, consider
this passage from a story called “The Diamond as Big as
the Ritz,” by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald:
"As he approached the end his sentences became broken,
became short and uncertain, and his body seemed tense,
seemed strained to catch the slightest pressure or
whisper of life in the spaces around him."
By the end of this story, you will be able to recognize
one major linking verb pattern that Fitzgerald uses many
times in this sentence.
An important point about
sentences and clauses
Remember: a sentence has a subject and a predicate. A
clause has a subject and a predicate, too.
The predicate is the verb phrase. It has a main verb,
such as a linking verb, and other words, such as a
subject complement, that give more information about it.
When you capitalize the first word of a clause and put a
period at the end of it, a clause becomes a sentence.
Keep this idea in mind, because it will help you
understand sentences that use several clauses.
What is a linking verb?
In the book "Rhetorical Grammar," Martha Kolln says that
the term “linking verbs” applies to verbs that are
completed by a subject complement – the adjective or
noun phrase that describes the subject.
Many grammar experts consider the verb BE to be a
linking verb, but Kolln says BE verb patterns are
sometimes different from other linking verb patterns.
This is because adverbial information often follows BE
verbs, such as in the following sentence:
My sister is at the store.
In this case, an adverbial structure, a prepositional
phrase, tells about the location of the subject, “my
sister.” This BE pattern is one we discussed in a
previous Everyday
In contrast, the usual linking verb structure is this:
Examples of linking verbs 1:
verbs of the senses
Some of the most common linking verbs are verbs of the
senses. They include “taste,” “smell,” “feel,” “look,”
and “sound.”
These verbs often link an adjective to a subject.
For example, consider these memorable lines from “Dirty
Harry,” a famous American film. Clint Eastwood, the
actor who plays the character of Dirty Harry, says:
“You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel
lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?”
In the sentence "Do I feel lucky?", the adjective
“lucky” acts as the subject complement. It describes the
subject, “I.”
If you were to answer the question, you might say this:
Examples of linking verbs 2:
“remain” and “become”
Verbs of the senses are not the only linking verbs. Two
other common examples of linking verbs are “remain” and
“become.” These verbs often link a noun or noun phrase
to a subject.
Consider the opening lines from “Casablanca,” another
classic American film:
"With the coming of the Second World War, many eyes in
imprisoned Europe turned hopefully or desperately toward
the freedom of the Americas. Lisbon became the great
embarkation point."
In the second sentence — “Lisbon became the great
embarkation point”— you can see the basic linking verb
pattern, even though the subject complement has several
words.
“Lisbon” is the subject of the sentence.
The predicate has the linking verb “became,” as well as
the noun phrase “the great embarkation point.
Examples of linking verbs 3:
“prove,” “seem” and “appear”
Aside from the verbs of the senses and “become” and
“remain,” there are three other common linking verbs.
They are “prove,” “seem” and “appear.”
Like other linking verbs, these verbs link an adjective
or noun phrase to the subject. All these verbs use the
same basic pattern: Subject + Linking Verb + Subject
Complement.
What do linking verbs have to do
with F. Scott Fitzgerald?
Think back to this passage from "The Diamond as Big as
the Ritz":
"As he approached the end his sentences became broken,
became short and uncertain, and his body seemed tense,
seemed strained to catch the slightest pressure or
whisper of life in the spaces around him. "
Fitzgerald uses some phrases that do not fit into the
linking verb pattern. But, if you look closely, you will
see that he uses the Subject + Linking Verb + Subject
Complement pattern in the sentence. Consider these
clauses:
Fitzgerald then repeats the linking verb pattern, but
does not say the subject. The repeated subject is
understood:
This sentence contains other structures that are more
complicated than the basic linking verb pattern. But you
can still see that these basic patterns can serve as the
starting point for very long, complicated sentences.
What can you do?
Learning how to use linking verb patterns will help you
improve your writing.
You can think about creative ways to use them, or you
can learn to recognize when you use them too often.
To start practicing this pattern, try finding the
linking verb in the sentences at the end of this story.
Identify the subject of the sentence, the linking verb,
and the subject complement. Be careful, because one or
more sentences may be tricky!
We will give you the answers next week in the comments
section and on our Facebook page.
The lake became a clear pool, pale and quiet. – "Winter
Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Her slight unsteadiness seemed part of an enchanted
dream. – "The Jelly Bean" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
John T. Unger was on the eve of departure. – "The
Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I'm Jonathan Evans.
I'm John Russell.
And I'm Jill Robbins.
John Russell wrote this story for Learning English.
Kelly J Kelly was the editor. |
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