Part 2: Verbs
Relating Verbs
Examples
The area of a rectangle is base times height.
Writing has become more important in the curriculum.
The crust refers to the outer layer of the earth.
Definition
Relating verbs are used in clauses that tell us what something is, means, or comprises. There are sometimes called linking verbs because the verb links the two participants (the subject and its complement), or being verbs because they are fundamentally about states not actions.
The most common relating verbs are be and have, but others include:
|
relating verbs that describe characteristics |
relating verbs that define or state identity |
|
become, turn into, keep, stay, remain, seem, grow, appear, look, sound, feel, measure, weigh, cost, vary, differ |
mean, suggest, show, represent, define, indicate, constitute, resemble, refer to, reflect, comprise, feature, make, express, stand for |
| (Source: Caplan, Grammar Choices for Graduate and Professional Writers 2nd edition, 2019.) |
Discovery
Explanation: In Sentence 1, there is only one person (Ahlam, the known in functional grammar as the Token), she is described as a great teacher because is (the verb be) is a relating verb, so a great teacher is the Value, or subject complement. In Sentences 2 and 3, there are two different people, Ahlam and a great teacher. Know is a thinking verb (a great teacher is the Phenomenon, or the thing that is known). Meet is an action verb, and the great teacher here is the Goal, or direct object (the person whom Ahlam met). This analysis shows why relative verbs are special: they enable us to say something about the Token.
Form
Relational verbs typically link a Token to its Value. In traditional grammar, these can be called subject and subject complement, but Token and Value better explain the relationship between the terms. The subject is usually but not always the Token as many of these verbs are reversible. As you read the examples, think about which word or phrase is the thing being defined or explained (the more specific participant), and which is the value, characteristic, or attribute that the verb links to it (the more general word, phrase, or category).
|
Subject/Token |
relating verb |
Complement/Value |
|
Miss Daisy |
is |
crazy. |
|
My school |
is called |
Ella Mentry. |
|
The author |
has |
a vivid imagination. |
|
The box set |
includes |
21 books. |
|
Dan Gutman |
has become |
a very famous author. |
In all of the examples above, the subject is the Token and the complement (the word or phrase after the verb) is the Value. This is the most common clause pattern with relating verbs. However, the reverse is sometimes possible:
|
Subject/Value |
relating verb |
Complement/Token |
|
Miss Daisy |
is |
my teacher. |
|
Three layers |
comprise |
the earth’s structure. |
|
Red |
indicates |
an acidic solution. |
The Value in a relating clause can take several different parts of speech:
- Nouns and noun groups (Washington was the first president of the United States)
- Adjectives (the solution turns red; the causes of the conflict appear clear)
- Prepositional phrases (velocity is defined as speed in a given direction)
- Nonfinite clauses (the problem seems to be the design of the engine)
Functions
Relating verbs are especially important in texts that Explain and Inform across all subject areas because they fundamentally describe what things are. Although the most common relative verb is be, a wide range of other verbs can also be found, and variety will improve the quality and reception of students’ writing, especially at older grades and in more sophisticated concepts.
