Words ending in the letter y are little more complicated. When the singular form of a word ends in a consonant + the letter y (that is, when the letter/represents a vowel sound), we form the regular plural by changing the y to i and adding -es. (There is a schoolroom saying that goes like this: "Change they to /and add -cs.") | 160 Verb Phrases This identity of subject and predicate nominative is the key to recognizing a linking verb when the complement is a noun phrase. Here are some more examples Sally became a professional tennis player. Sally a professional tennis player. Cinderella s coach turned into a pumpkin. Cinderella s coach a pumpkin I felt like a complete idiot. I complete idiot. In an action verb sentence of course the subject and the object do not refer to the same person or thing. For example Sally met a professional tennis player. Sally A a professional tennis player Cinderella s coach impressed her sisters. Cinderella s coach her sisters. I talked to a complete idiot. I A a complete idiot. Exercise Label the italicized verbs as Act for action verb or Link for linking verbs. Confirm your answer by using equal and unequal signs to indicate whether the subject and the complement refer to each other. Link The keys looked like the ones I lost yesterday. The keys the ones I lost yesterday. 1. The keys unlock the storage cabinet. 2. The plan seemed a good idea at the time. Simple Verb Complements 161 3. The board approved the plan. 4. Richard became a highly successful salesman. 5. Her new car is a Ford. 6. Unfortunately his new mansion looks like a cheap motel. 7. Louise greatly resembles her sister Thelma. 8. Louise called up her sister Thelma. 9. The new nominee really seems like a good choice for the job. 10. The housing market has turned into a complete disaster. 11. My first choice would be an apartment near where I work. 12. Albuquerque resembles a typical city in the 1960s. 13. The actor seemed a man in his midfifties. 14. My brother ended up a lawyer in a big law firm. 15. What you can see is all that we have left. 162 Verb Phrases The second complement type that linking verbs can take is a predicate adjective. Here are some examples with the linking verb in italics and the predicate adjective in bold. Senator Blather s speech was pretty dull. The soup is cold. .
