Grammar guide Updated 2026-10-08

Linking Verbs: Seem, Look, Taste and More

A linking verb does not describe an action; it joins the subject to a word that describes it. That is why the soup smells good and not smells well, and why the be test settles most arguments.

The be test

Take the verb out and put be in. If the sentence still makes sense, the verb was joining the subject to a description. The soup smells good becomes The soup is good, so smells links. She looked at the map does not become She was at the map, so looked there is an action. Once a verb links, the next word has to be an adjective.

Four families of linking verbs

The main linking verbs
Family	Verbs	Example
be	be, am, is, are, was, were	The room is quiet.
senses	look, sound, smell, taste, feel	The bread smells fresh.
change	become, get, grow, turn, go, come	The leaves turned brown.
appearance	seem, appear	She seems tired.

Be is the model: every other linking verb works the same way.

Linking verb or action verb?

Many of these words have two identities. He looked angry describes him, so looked links and an adjective follows. He looked angrily at me describes how he looked, so looked is an action and an adverb follows. The be test separates the two: He was angry works; He was angrily at me does not.

Taste works the same way: The soup tastes salty against He tasted the soup carefully, an action with an adverb.

Sense verbs with like and as if

When a sense verb compares instead of describing, the pattern changes to look like, sound like or feel like plus a noun, or look as if plus a clause. It sounds like a good idea. It looks as if it is going to rain. The noun after like matters: It sounds like a good idea names a thing, while It sounds good describes the subject.

become, get, turn, go and come

The change verbs are the most idiomatic group.

Change verbs and their usual partners
Verb	Usual partners	Example
become	nouns and adjectives; the formal choice	She became a doctor.
get	adjectives about states and feelings	It's getting dark.
turn	colours and a few fixed words	His face turned red.
go	a fixed set: go bad, go wrong, go mad, go blind	The milk went bad.
come	come true, come loose, come apart	The handle came loose.

Two traps sit in that table. Become takes a noun, but get in this sense takes an adjective: He got angry, and The weather got bad rather than got badly. And go here is not the verb of movement: The milk went bad has nothing to do with going anywhere.

For degree words that push these adjectives up and down, see the adverbs of degree guide, and the comparatives and superlatives guide for forms such as The soup tastes better than yesterday.

feel does three jobs

Feel + adjective describes how someone is: I feel tired.
Feel + noun is about touch or belief: Feel the fabric.
Feel like + -ing is about wanting: I feel like going for a walk. The gerunds and infinitives guide explains why the -ing form appears here.

seem in three patterns

Seem + adjective: She seems tired.
Seem + to + verb: She seems to know the answer.
It seems that + clause: It seems that nobody told him.

Appear works the same way: He appears calm. He appears to be waiting. It appears that we were wrong. What fails is appears that without it, because the dummy subject is not optional.

Eight things to watch

The soup smells well becomes smells good: it describes the soup.
The cake tastes deliciously becomes tastes delicious.
She became angrily becomes She became angry.
He got badly becomes He got bad.
It looks as if it will rain needs a clause; It looks like rain needs a noun.
It appears that we were wrong keeps the it.
She felt the cloth gently is an action, so an adverb is right.
I feel like to go becomes I feel like going.

Ten sentences to correct

Common errors and their fixes
Wrong	Right	Why
The coffee tastes too strongly.	The coffee tastes too strong.	describes the coffee
You look tiredly today.	You look tired today.	describes you
The plan sounds greatly.	The plan sounds great.	describes the plan
He got happily about the news.	He got happy about the news.	get takes an adjective
The leaves turned redly in October.	The leaves turned red in October.	turn plus colour
I feel like to take a break.	I feel like taking a break.	like takes -ing
She seems knowing the answer.	She seems to know the answer.	seem takes to + verb
Appears that we were wrong.	It appears that we were wrong.	the it is required
The soup smells like good.	The soup smells good.	no like before an adjective
He looked at me angry.	He looked at me angrily.	here look is an action

Classroom drills

The be-swap card. Learners swap the verb for be in their heads and hold up an adjective card if the word after it describes the subject.
Two-identity pairs. Give pairs He looked angry and He looked angrily at the dog and ask what changed.
Like or as if? Complete It sounds ___ once with a noun, once with a clause.

The full set of formats is on the classroom grammar drills page.

Frequently asked questions

Why do we say the soup smells good and not smells well?

Because the word after a sense verb describes the subject, and that calls for an adjective. Good describes the soup, just as in The soup is good. Well is an adverb, so it would describe an action.

What is the difference between look and look like?

Look takes an adjective that describes the subject: She looks tired. Look like takes a noun: She looks like her sister. Only the like version names something.

Can become be followed by a noun?

Yes. Become takes an adjective or a noun: She became angry, She became a doctor. The other change verbs usually take adjectives, as in He got angry.

How many structures does seem have?

Three main ones: seem with an adjective (She seems tired), seem with to and a verb (She seems to know), and it seems that with a clause (It seems that nobody told him).

Is feel like always followed by -ing?

When feel like means want, it takes the -ing form or a noun: I feel like going out, I feel like pizza. It never takes to plus the verb, so I feel like to go is wrong.