Adjectives after linking verbs
Definition
A predicative adjective comes after a linking verb and describes the subject. Common linking verbs include be, seem, look, feel, sound, smell, taste, become and get.
Examples
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The soup smells delicious.
Delicious describes the soup after the linking verb smells.
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The children seem tired.
Tired describes the children rather than an action they perform.
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The room became quiet.
Quiet describes the new state of the room.
Predicative vs. attributive adjectives
We entered a quiet room.
The adjective appears directly before room.
The room was quiet.
The adjective follows was and describes the subject.
Both sentences describe the room. The adjective is attributive before the noun and predicative after a linking verb.
Some adjectives prefer one position
Many adjectives work both before a noun and after a linking verb, but some are strongly associated with one position.
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The baby is asleep.
Asleep normally appears after a linking verb, not directly before a noun.
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That is the main reason.
Main normally appears before a noun rather than after be.
Common mistakes
The music sounds beautifully.
The music sounds beautiful.
After the linking verb sounds, use an adjective to describe the music, not an adverb.
He became angrily.
He became angry.
Became links the subject to a new state, so it is followed by the adjective angry.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence uses an adjective after a linking verb?
In The coffee tastes bitter, tastes is a linking verb and bitter describes the coffee.Which sentence is correct?
Use the adjective sensible after the linking verb sounds.Which sentence uses asleep naturally?
Asleep normally appears after a linking verb: is asleep.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
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