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The Mysterious Case of Pronouns After Linking Verbs

Linking Verbs Review:

  • First, it’s important to know what a linking verb is. A linking verb is a type of verb that connects the subject of a sentence to a word that describes or identifies it.

  • Common linking verbs include: 

    • is

    • am

    • are

    • was

    • were

    • seem

    • appear

    • become

    • feel

    Example: The captain of the team is he.

    • The sentence “The captain of the team is he.” is an example of using a subject pronoun after a linking verb.

    • A linking verb is a verb that connects the subject of the sentence to a word that describes or identifies it. In this sentence, the linking verb is ‘is‘.

    • In this sentence, the subject is ‘The captain of the team’.

    • The pronoun ‘he‘ is used after the linking verb ‘was’ to refer back to the subject ‘The captain of the team’. This is because ‘he‘ is the subject pronoun that matches the subject “The captain of the team“ in person and number (plural).

    Remember:

    • . Always use subject pronouns after linking verbs. 

    • To check that the pronoun is correct, reverse the order of the sentence. Put the subject in the pronoun’s place and the pronoun in the subject’s place. Then ask yourself, “Which pronoun sounds better in the subject’s place?”

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