Linking Verbs Worksheets
Linking verbs work like an equals sign: the pond was calm means pond = calm. Third graders spot the full set, including the sneaky sense verbs (looks, feels, tastes) and change-verbs (became, grew, turned), and they start telling linking uses apart from action uses.
By grade
What students need to know
A linking verb connects the subject to a word that describes it: The soup smells wonderful.
This skill runs from 2nd grade through 4th grade. Pick a grade above for level-matched sentences, teaching notes, and worksheets.
Linking Verbs across the grades
2nd Grade
A linking verb joins the subject to a word that describes or renames it: the soup is hot, the puppy seems sleepy. Second graders learn the common set (is, are, was, were, seems, looks, feels, tastes, smells, sounds) and find the linking verb in each sentence.
3rd Grade
Linking verbs work like an equals sign: the pond was calm means pond = calm. Third graders spot the full set, including the sneaky sense verbs (looks, feels, tastes) and change-verbs (became, grew, turned), and they start telling linking uses apart from action uses.
4th Grade
Fourth graders meet linking verbs beyond is and was: the solution turned cloudy, the crowd grew quiet, the milk smells sour. The verb links the subject to a description rather than showing an action, and the richer verbs make the linking test genuinely necessary.