Linking Verbs Worksheet – 124 Sentences, Linking or Action

Q: Is there an answer key?

Yes. It prints as the last page unless you untick Add an answer key as the last page under More options. It circles the right answer under every sentence of the sheet you print.

All 124 sentences

Linking or action 57

The apples taste sweet. (taste)
The baby grew sleepy. (grew)
The bell sounded at noon. (sounded)
The blanket feels soft. (feels)
The boy threw the ball. (threw)
The bread feels stale. (feels)
The bread smells fresh. (smells)
The car turned left. (turned)
The cat appears calm. (appears)
The cat looked for its toy. (looked)
The cat looks hungry. (looks)
The chef smelled the bread. (smelled)
The cook tastes the soup. (tastes)
The dog ran fast. (ran)
The dog smells the flowers. (smells)
The driver sounds the horn. (sounds)
The farmer grew corn. (grew)
The flowers smell sweet. (smell)
The girl smelled smoke. (smelled)
He seems happy. (seems)
I am hungry. (am)
I feel the rain on my face. (feel)
The ice felt smooth. (felt)
The kids jumped rope. (jumped)

Show all 124 sentences (100 more)

Linking or action, continued

The kids remained quiet. (remained)
The leaves became brown. (became)
Leo felt the bump on his head. (felt)
The lime tastes sour. (tastes)
Look at the bird. (Look)
Mia looked out the window. (looked)
The music sounds loud. (sounds)
My brother is ten. (is)
The night was dark. (was)
The pie looks good. (looks)
The plant grew roots. (grew)
The plant grew tall. (grew)
The puppy seems sleepy. (seems)
The room stayed quiet. (stayed)
She felt the soft kitten. (felt)
She is a doctor. (is)
She turned the page. (turned)
The singer became famous. (became)
The sky grew cloudy. (grew)
The sky turned dark. (turned)
The soup tastes salty. (tastes)
Stay with your group on the trip. (Stay)
The story sounds true. (sounds)
The students stayed calm. (stayed)
The sun appeared from behind a cloud. (appeared)
The teacher smiled. (smiled)
They were happy. (were)
The water felt cold. (felt)
We ate lunch. (ate)
We tasted the apples. (tasted)
The weather turned cold. (turned)
You look tired. (look)
You seem worried. (seem)

Am, is or are 39

The apples ___ red.
The baby ___ sleepy.
Ben and Mia ___ twins.
The cake ___ sweet.
The cookies ___ warm.
The flowers ___ pink.
The frogs ___ green.
He ___ tall.
I ___ not sure.
I ___ ready for school.
I ___ seven.
I ___ the line leader today.
I ___ tired.
It ___ cold outside.
The kittens ___ tiny.
Lunch ___ ready.
My dog ___ brown.
My friends ___ funny.
My grandma ___ a nurse.
My hands ___ cold.
My shoes ___ new.
The owl ___ awake.
The pencils ___ sharp.
The room ___ messy.
The school bus ___ yellow.
She ___ my teacher.
The sky ___ gray.
The soup ___ hot.
The stars ___ bright.
That hat ___ funny.
These books ___ heavy.
They ___ happy.
The trees ___ tall.
The water ___ deep.
We ___ friends.
We ___ hungry.
You ___ kind.
You ___ late.
You ___ my brother.

Was or were 28

The cookies ___ burnt.
The dog ___ muddy.
The ducks ___ hungry.
The game ___ fun.
The grapes ___ sour.
He ___ the tallest in his class.
The house ___ quiet.
I ___ scared of the dark.
I ___ sick yesterday.
It ___ a sunny day.
The kids ___ excited.
The lake ___ calm.
The leaves ___ red and gold.
Mom and Dad ___ proud of me.
The movie ___ long.
My room ___ clean.
My socks ___ wet.
The puppy ___ so small.
The roads ___ icy.
She ___ my best friend in first grade.
The shoes ___ too big.
The stars ___ bright last night.
The test ___ easy.
They ___ late for the bus.
We ___ at the park.
We ___ tired after the hike.
You ___ a great helper.
You ___ right.

How this list was compiled: Written by hand for this page: 124 sentences. In one set each sentence repeats its verb in brackets and is tagged linking (the verb joins the subject to a word that describes or renames it) or action; look, feel, taste, smell, sound, grow, turn and stay appear both ways. The other sets have a blank for am, is or are, or for was or were, that only one form fits. Checked against Wikipedia's Copula (linguistics) article, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copula_(linguistics), read 2026-09-23. No person, brand or character is named. Licence: own work

How it works

Each sheet draws 8 of our 124 sentences. It opens on linking or action: the same verb can be either, so The soup tastes salty is linking and The cook tastes the soup is action.

Read the full guide

The is test

Put is, are or was in place of the verb. If the sentence still says the same thing (the soup is salty), the verb is linking. If the meaning changes or falls apart (the cook is the soup), the verb shows an action.

Am, is and are worksheets

Set has two more for younger classes: Am, is or are (39 sentences, I am, the sky is, we are) and Was or were (28). Each has one blank that only one form fits.

Questions and answers

What is a linking verb?

A verb that joins the subject to a word that describes or names it, with no action: She is a doctor, you seem worried, the sky turned dark. The forms of be are the most common ones.

Which verbs can be linking or action?

Look, feel, taste, smell, sound, grow, turn, stay and appear. The sky grew cloudy is linking; the farmer grew corn is action. Our sentences use each both ways.

Is there an answer key?

Yes. It prints as the last page unless you untick Add an answer key as the last page under More options. It circles the right answer under every sentence of the sheet you print.