Linking

Linking skeletons have a nominative noun (or equivalent) subject, a linking verb, and a subject complement (also called a predicate nominative).

The most common linking verb is "sum, esse, fui" in the sense of "is".  Other verbs that have a linking sense and so take nominative subject complements (or the equivalent) are:

bulletappellatur, "is named, is called"
bulletfit, "becomes"
bullethabetur, "is considered" but not "is had"
bullettenetur, "is considred" but not "is held"
bulletvidetur, "seems" but not "is seen"
bulletvocatur, "is named" but not "is called/summoned"

For the intransitive use of sum in the sense of "there is" or "there exists", see the Intransitive Active Topic.

Here are some examples (the skeleton in each is underlined):

bulletHoratia est puella, "Horatia is a girl".
bulletHoratia fessa est, "Horatia is tired"
bulletSapientia ars vivendi habetur, "wisdom is considered the art of living" ("vivendi" is a genitive adjectival modifier and so not part of the skeleton).

Other Skeleton Types

Transitive Active
Intransitive Active
Linking
Passive
Impersonal Passive

----------------------------------

Main Index

General Principles
Sentence Structure
Morphology
Skeleton Types
Verbs
Case Usage
Adverbs
Infinitives
Gerunds
Gerundives
Dependent Clauses
Connection
The Book

Home

----------------------------------

Related Topics

Sentence Structure Index

Transitive/Intransitive Verbs

Nominative as Subj. Comp.

Lesson Chapter 1

Last Updated March 18, 2003

Questions, comments and corrections should be sent to Brian K. Harvey, Kent State University