LINKING VERBS- verbs that do not show action. Although small in number, these verbs are widely used.

A linking verb is a verb that connect a word at or near the beginning of a sentence with a
word at or near the end.
A linking verb helps one word in a sentence name or describe the condition of another
in the sentence.

Forms of Be

The linking verb that is used most often is be.

Example:

Doris is a winner.

He was glad.

THE FORMS OF BE
Am Am being Can be Have been
Are Are being Could be Has been
Is Is being May be Had been
Was Was being Might be Could have been
were Were being Must be May have been
Shall be Might have been
Should be Must have been
Will be Shall have been
Would be Should have been
Will have been
Would have been

Other Linking Verbs

Verbs other that be may also be used as linking verbs.

OTHER LINKING VERBS

Appear Feel Look Seem sound Taste
Become Grow Remain smell stay Turn

Helping verbs- these may be added to a verb in order to change or cause another meaning to a verb.

Do Have Shall Can

Does Has Should Could
Did Had Will May
Would Might
Must

Example:
They sing in the morning.
They will sing in the morning.
They might sing in the morning.

Verb Tenses

BASIC PARTS OF A SENTENCE

Present She writes for a living.
Past She wrote a play last year.
Future She will write a book of essays next year.
Present Perfect She has written for the best magazines.
Past perfect She had written her first novel by the time she was eighteen.
She will have written two plays by July.

THE PROGREESIVE FORMS OF THE SIX TENSES

Present progressive She is writing a letter now.
Past progressive She was writing her weekly column.
Future Progressive She will be writing us soon.
Present perfect She has been writing for years.
progressive
Past perfect progressive She had been writing speeches when her first novel was published.
Future perfect She will have been writing fiction for a decade by the end of 1985.
progressive

Expressing Time Through Tense

Uses of Tense in Present Time

Two verb forms are used to point out that something is happening right now.

The present and the present progressive show present actions or conditions as well as various
continuing actions or conditions.
The main uses of present progressive are to show continuing actions or conditions.

Present He walks.
Present progressive He is walking.

USES OF THE PRESENT

Present action. There he goes.
Present Condition. The apples are rotten.
Regularly occurring action. My sister chews her nails.
Regularly occurring condition. They are never ready.
Constant action. The sun radiates energy.
Constant condition. Human blood is red.

Use of Tense in Past Time

The six forms that express past time show actions and conditions beginning in the past.
FORMS EXPRESSING PAST TIME
Past He walked.
Present Perfect He has walked.
Past perfect He had walked.
Present Perfect Progressive He has been walking.
Past perfect progressive He had been walking

USES OF THE PAST

Completed action (indefinite time). She went home.
Completed condition (indefinite time). I was sick.
Completed action (definite time). She went home yesterday.
Completed condition (definite time). I was sick last week.

USES OF THE PRESENT PERFECT

Completed action (indefinite time). He has finished his work.
Completed condition (indefinite time). He has been upset.
Action continuing to present. Sue has waited for two hours.
Condition continuing to present. She has been very sick.

The present perfect can be used to show completed actions and conditions that took
place at some indefinite time. It can also be used to show actions and conditions continuing to the
present time.