Subject/Verb Agreement with Linking Verbs

What do you already know
about a linking verb?

Job?

01

Example?

02

Non-example?

03

A linking

verb….

links the subject with
a noun or adjective in

the predicate.

Examples of

Linking Verbs…

Is, am, are, was,
were, been, being,
be, sound, taste,
feel, look, smell,
seem, remain,
stay, become,

appear

Non-examples

of Linking

Verbs…

Words (verbs) that show action

(run, walk, talk, dance, sing,

jump, …)

A linking verb links the
subject to the predicate.

SIS is the best school ever!

Subject

Noun telling what it is

Who? Or what?

“Is” connects (links) the
two together.

Another example….

The sky is beautiful!

Subject

Adjective describing what it is

Who? Or what?

Linking Verbs must Agree
with the subject in number.

Iam going there tomorrow.

The girlsare going to the
party.

Theyare home from school
already.

Present Tense

Past Tense

The market was crowded.

Mamma was cooking.

The boys were noisy.

Hint (in most cases): If you subject ends in “s”, you verb cannot. If
your subject does not, your verb will.

The verbs am, is, & are tell
about something that is
happening now.

●

I am tired.

●

Ann is a teacher.

●

The boys are on vacation.

The verbs was and were tell
about something that
happened in the past.

●

I was awake last night.

●

Ann was a teacher last
year, too.

●

The boys were in Mexico
last week.

Past and Present

Subject and Verb

MUST agree in

number.

Show what
you know!

Question 1

Gabriela __________ famous.

A. Am
B. Is
C. Are

Question 2

The sunflowers __________ tall.

A. Am
B. Is
C. Are

Question 3

The moon __________ out.

A. Am
B. Is
C. Are

Question 5

The noodles __________ boiling .

A. wad
B. Is

C. were

Question 5

The playground __________ busy .

A. was
B. are
C. were

What did we learn today?

Today we learned that verbs can link two ideas
together. The verbs: is, are, am, was, & were are all
linking verbs.

We use the verbs am, is, & are when the subject is
happening now.

We use the verbs was & were when the subject is
taking place in the past.

When the subject is plural we use the verbs are and
were.