Why is "smells" linking in one sentence and action in another?

Because the sense verbs do two jobs. "The bread smells fresh" links bread to fresh; "The baker smells the bread" is an action the baker performs. The is-swap test tells them apart: the first survives ("the bread is fresh"), the second turns to nonsense.

Which linking verbs should a 3rd grader know?

The be-family (is, are, was, were), the sense verbs (looks, feels, tastes, smells, sounds), and the change verbs (became, grew, turned, stays). That's the complete working set for elementary grammar, and our sentences rotate through all of them.

3rd grade linking verbs

3rd grade linking verbs worksheets

Linking verbs work like an equals sign: the pond was calm means pond = calm. Third graders spot the full set, including sneaky sense verbs (looks, feels, tastes) and change-verbs (became, grew, turned), and start telling linking uses apart from action uses.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Underline the linking verb in each sentence.

The chemicals became cloudy inside the beaker.
Answer: became
The museum guide was knowledgeable about meteorites.
The cider tastes sharper after the first frost.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

3rd grade sheets draw from 95 sentences, 12 to a page. 33 of the 95 aren't on 2nd grade sheets. The other 62 are. 2nd grade sheets print 10 to a page.

Some of the words to find:

smellsfeelsistasteseemswerestaysseemremainsremained

Identify. Underline the linking verb in each sentence. 12 questions per page.
Multiple choice. Circle the letter of the word that is the linking verb. 10 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

The productive test at this level is substitution: if you can swap the verb for is or was and the sentence still makes sense, it's linking. "The roses smell sweet" survives the swap (the roses are sweet); "She smells the roses" doesn't. That single test carries students through every sense-verb ambiguity they'll meet.

Watch for: Linking verbs show no action; they work like an equals sign between the subject and its description. The sense verbs moonlight: in 'She smells the roses' smells is an action, but in 'The roses smell sweet' it links.

Common questions about 3rd grade linking verbs

Why is "smells" linking in one sentence and action in another?: Because the sense verbs do two jobs. "The bread smells fresh" links bread to fresh; "The baker smells the bread" is an action the baker performs. The is-swap test tells them apart: the first survives ("the bread is fresh"), the second turns to nonsense.
Which linking verbs should a 3rd grader know?: The be-family (is, are, was, were), the sense verbs (looks, feels, tastes, smells, sounds), and the change verbs (became, grew, turned, stays). That's the complete working set for elementary grammar, and our sentences rotate through all of them.

3rd grade linking verbs worksheets

The kind of sentences you'll get

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

How to teach this

Common questions about 3rd grade linking verbs

Related worksheets

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