What Is a Copula Verb?
A copula verb connects the subject of a sentence with a “complement”–a word that helps define the subject’s state of being. Copula verbs are commonly referred to as “linking verbs.”VerbsMost verbs describe actions. In the sentence, “Mary ate cookies,” the verb is “ate,” and it describes something that Mary did–an action she took.Copula VerbsCopula verbs, however, describe a state of being rather than an action. In the sentence, “Mary was hungry,” the verb is “was,” but it doesn’t describe anything that Mary did. It just connects her to a complement–hungry–that describes her condition.To BeThe most common copula verb is “to be”: I am hungry, you are hungry, he is hungry, she is hungry, we are hungry, they are hungry.Sensory VerbsOther copula verbs are sensory-related, such as look, smell, feel or seem. In the sentence “John looks foolish,” the verb is “looks,” but it doesn’t describe the act of looking–what John’s doing with his eyes.
