Linking verbs: describing style in English

What is your style? Learning to answer this question in English starts with linking verbs, the small connectors that help you describe how people and clothes appear, look, or feel. This first class of the Clothes module is perfect for ESL learners who want to talk about fashion and personal style with confidence.

What are linking verbs and why do they matter?

When you describe someone's outfit, you are not talking about an action. You are connecting a person to a quality. That connection is what a linking verb does.

A linking verb joins the subject of a sentence to an adjective, a noun, or a pronoun [0:41]. Since this class focuses on style, you will mostly connect subjects to adjectives that describe appearance.

Take the picture of a woman with a bright outfit. You could say:

• Her style appears colorful.
• She looks beautiful.
• Her accessories are cute.

The words appears, looks, and are are all linking verbs [0:28]. They do not show an action like running or eating. Instead, they link who or what you are describing to the word that describes it.

What is a linking verb in English? It is a verb that connects the subject to an adjective, noun, or pronoun, describing a state instead of an action. Example: She looks beautiful.

How do you build a sentence with a linking verb?

The structure is simple and repeatable once you see it. You place the subject first, then the linking verb, then the adjective that describes.

Look at she looks beautiful [1:00]. Here the subject is she, the linking verb is looks, and the adjective is beautiful. That is the full formula: subject + linking verb + adjective.

The same pattern works with her style appears colorful [1:10]. Change the subject and the adjective, keep a linking verb in the middle, and you can describe almost any style you see.

How do I describe someone's clothes in English? Use a linking verb plus an adjective: His clothes look casual or His jacket feels warm. Match the verb to what you observe.

Which linking verbs can you use to describe style?

Beyond looks and appears, English gives you a whole set of linking verbs to make your descriptions richer. Learning several of them helps you avoid repeating the same word.

Here are the linking verbs practiced in the lesson [1:20]:

• to be in all its forms (am, is, are, was, were).
• become.
• seem.
• appear.
• get.
• feel.
• sound.
• taste.
• look.

Notice how many connect to the senses. Feel, sound, taste, and look all describe impressions, which makes them perfect for talking about clothes and style.

Now apply them to a man's outfit [1:35]. You could describe his clothes this way:

• His clothes look casual.
• He seems comfortable.
• His jacket feels warm.
• His sneakers are vintage.

Each sentence uses a different linking verb, look, seems, feels, and are, yet the pattern stays the same. That repetition is what makes the structure easy to remember and reuse.

How can you practice describing style right now?

The best way to lock in these verbs is to use them on a real example. Pick a person, look at their outfit, and choose the linking verb that fits what you notice.

Ask yourself: does the style look casual? Does the jacket feel warm? Do the sneakers seem vintage? Each question pushes you to pair a subject with a linking verb and an adjective.

So here is your turn. What is his style? Head to the comment section and describe the outfit using the linking verbs you just practiced. Share your sentence and see how naturally the pattern flows.