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LIST OF ENGLISH COPULAE (LINKING VERBS) 
 
 
This is a list of English copulae. Because many of these copulative verbs may 
be used non-copulatively, examples are provided. 
 
act Tom acted suspicious. 
appear Bill appears satisfied, but really is not. 
arrive The teenager arrived early at the party 
be Tom is a coward. 
become Tom became wealthy. 
bleed Tom bleeds blue. 
come The prediction came true; the belt came loose; the characters in 
the story come alive 
come 
out 
It came out burnt. 
end up I ended up broke; the room ended up a mess. 
get Tom got angry. 
glow The ingot glowed orange. 
go The man went crazy; Tom went bald; the food went bad; the 
mistake went unnoticed 
grow Tom grew insistent. 
fall Tom fell ill with the flu. 
feel Tom felt nauseated. 
keep Tom kept quiet. 
leave They left happy. 
lie The paper lies crumbled up on the floor. 
look Tom looks upset. 
play The opossum played dead; He tried to play fair. 
plead The woman pleaded innocent. 
prove Tom's behavior proves difficult to understand. 
remain Tom remained unsatisfied. 
rest Rest assured. 
run The dog runs wild; the animals run free. 
seem Tom seems happy. 
shine Bill's smile shines bright. 
sit The car sat idle all winter. 
smell The perfume smelled sweet 
sound Tom sounded obnoxious. 
stay Amy stayed happy. 
stand The athlete stands tall; Stand strong. 
taste The food tastes fresh. 
test Tom tested positive. 
turn Tom turned angry. 
turn out The cookies turned out great. 
wax Tom waxed poetic 
 
 
 
 
Typically, linking verbs are a form of the verb TO BE: IS, WAS, AM, ARE, 
WERE, BEEN 
 
Examples: 
 
The crew's mission is to create the best topographic map of Earth. 
The solution was judges who would mete out longer prison sentences. 
 
Some see this as a societal commitment to imprisonment on a scale that 
would have been unthinkable a quarter of a century ago in this, or any other, 
country. 
 
BUT THE VERB "TO BE " DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN A LINKING VERB. 
 
Forms of the verb TO BE can act as auxiliary verbs for transitive, intransitive 
and linking verb. The auxiliary verb is not linking but rather helping the main 
verb. 
 
Examples: 
 
Juvenile crime has been plummeting since 1995. (auxiliary verb to the lexical 
verb plummeting (intransitive verb) 
Nyoko was crossing a bridge when the earthquake hit. (auxiliary verb to the 
lexical verb crossing. (transitive verb) 
Margaret Ann was feeling tired.(auxiliary verb to the lexical verb feeling. 
(linking verb) 
 
The verb TO BE can act as an intransitive verb when what follows it indicates 
location rather than state of being. This intransitive form of the verb TO BE is 
easily identified by the prepositional phrase that follows it. 
Examples: 
Changes in the criminal statutes are behind the staggering increase in the 
incarceration rate. (BEHIND signifies location, not state of being. Therefore, 
the verb is intransitive.) 
Professor Freelove has been in a coma since the car accident. (IN A COMA 
indicates a location, not state of being. Although COMATOSE is a state of 
being, being IN A COMA is not. Therefore, the verb is intransitive.) 
Lucia's books are on the refrigerator. (ON THE REFRIGERATOR indicates a 
location, not state of being. Therefore, the verb is intransitive.) 
The verb TO BE is not a linking verb when is acts as part of a verb presented 
in passive voice. It is part of a transitive verb. 
 
Examples: 
 
When Clinton was elected president, some groups had high hopes he would 
champion their cause. (ELECTED is the main verb. It is weakened by the use of 
WAS and the failure to make a subject do the action, but WAS is not a linking 
verb. It is part of a transitive verb.) 
 
 
 
Umberto is coached by a former Olympic champion. (COACHED is the main 
verb. It is weakened by the use of IS and by not making the champion 
coach Umberto. It is part of a transitive verb.)