Adverbs and linking verbs

Question

Can an adverb modify a linking verb?

Noctivagus · Accepted Answer

I had to look up what a linking verb is actually, but after finding out, I's say: Yes they can.

This is an example I found:

After drinking the old milk, Bladimiro turned green

Now, you could very well say: "After drinking the old milk, Bladimiro slowly turned green"

However there seems to be a difference between verbs that can be linking verbs and those that always are linking verbs.

I can't come up with an example for them. ALthough, thinking about it. What I just said seems to be an example of it. ("can be linking verbs and those that always are linking verbs ")

So yes, it seems that they all can take adverbs.

Thinking about it though, in my first example you couldn't replace "turned" with "is, are" or anything, as the grammar site said you have to be able to, if it is actually a linking verb, so maybe adding an adverb makes them stop being linking verbs??

Help...

here is the site, by the way: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/linkingverb.htm

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousCan an adverb modify a linking verb?

It depends what you include as 'modifying' and what you include as a 'linking verb'.

The bank is here may seem to be a case where the adverb 'here' modifies the linking verb 'is', but that doesn't strike me as the correct analysis. All we can say is that the location 'here' is predicated of the bank. It's not a 'here' kind of bank, nor can you say that how it is is 'here' or 'in a here manner', so 'here' doesn't modify anything in the sentence.

If you expand the concept of 'linking verb' to include inchoatives ("becoming" types), then, as illustrated in a previous post, you can use an adverb to modify at least the semantic component of the verb that indicates change, if not the vacuous linking component. Thus, starting with

The litmus paper turned blue. ~ The litmus paper came to be blue.

The litmus paper quickly turned blue. ~ The litmus paper quickly came to be blue. (changed to blue)

Here quickly modifies the change component (came) of the verb turned without modifying the linking component (to be). It [changed quickly] to blue. Not It [was quickly] blue.

In general, I'd say that adverbs don't modify linking verbs. If they seem to, there's probably a more complex analysis that shows that it is not really the linking function itself that is being modified. After all, the link is like an equal sign. You have a statement of equality. Equality is equality. You can't modify it without changing what it is. There aren't various kinds of equality.

CJ

Adverbs and linking verbs

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