Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Cursive, Spelling and Sentences

Linking Verbs and the Progressive Tense

B3.2 B2.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can tell an action verb from a linking verb.
  • I can use linking verbs like is, are, was, were, seems, feels, looks to describe the subject.
  • I can use the progressive tense (am running, was running, will be running) to show an action that keeps going.
  • I can spell -ing verbs correctly.

Words to know

verb
A word that shows an action (jump) or links the subject to more information (is).
action verb
A verb that shows something being done: run, eat, build, skate.
linking verb
A verb that links the subject to a word that names or describes it: The lake is frozen.
helping verb
A verb that helps the main verb: is in is running, was in was skating.
progressive tense
A verb form that shows an action that is (or was, or will be) going on for a while: am reading, was reading, will be reading.
tense
The form of a verb that shows when: past, present or future.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you learned the verb to be: am, is, are, was, were. You learned it doesn't show an action. It tells what someone or something is like or where it is.

In Grade 3, you will learn that to be is a linking verb, meet some more linking verbs, and use to be as a helping verb to make the progressive tense.

Action verbs and linking verbs

An action verb shows something being done: The goalie caught the puck.

A linking verb doesn't show an action. It works like a bridge. It links the subject to a word that names or describes it:

  • The soup is hot. (hot describes the soup)
  • My aunt is a nurse. (a nurse names what my aunt is)
  • The children were sleepy.
The soupishot.subjectlinking verbdescribing word
A linking verb is like a bridge between the subject and a word that describes it.

More linking verbs

All the forms of to be are linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, will be.

Some other verbs can be linking verbs too, especially verbs about the senses and about seeming:

seem, become, feel, look, smell, taste, sound, grow, appear

  • The bread smells delicious.
  • You look happy today.
  • The puppy became sleepy.

The swap test

Some verbs can be action or linking. Try swapping the verb for is (or was, are):

  • The soup tastes salty. → The soup is salty. Makes sense: linking.
  • Ben tastes the soup. → Ben is the soup. Silly! So tastes is an action verb here.
The soup tastes salty.swap in isThe soup is salty.Makes sense: linking verbBen tastes the soup.swap in isBen is the soup?!Silly! An action verb
The swap test: put is in place of the verb. If the sentence still makes sense, it is a linking verb. If it turns silly (poor Ben!), it is an action verb.
Worked example

Let's find the linking verb

Is the verb an action verb or a linking verb?

  1. The ice looks thin.
  2. Maya looks at the map.
  1. Sentence 1: swap in is: The ice is thin. That makes sense. thin describes the ice. Linking verb.
  2. Sentence 2: swap in is: Maya is at the map? That's silly! Maya is doing something with her eyes. Action verb.

1 is a linking verb. 2 is an action verb.

The progressive tense: actions that keep going

Sometimes we want to show that an action is going on for a while. We use a form of to be as a helping verb, plus a verb ending in -ing. This is the progressive tense.

WhenFormExample
Present progressive (happening now)am / is / are + -ingI am reading. She is skating. They are building a snowman.
Past progressive (was going on in the past)was / were + -ingI was sleeping when the phone rang. We were eating dinner.
Future progressive (will be going on)will be + -ingTomorrow we will be travelling to Ottawa.
The progressive tense

Linking or helping?

In She is tall, is is a linking verb. In She is running, is is a helping verb: it helps the main verb running. If there's an -ing verb right after, is is helping!

Just for fun

Why is a linking verb such a good friend?

It always connects people to the nicest words! (Maya is kind.)

Choosing the right helper

Match the helper to the subject, just like with to be:

  • I am ... · he/she/it is ... · we/you/they are ...
  • I/he/she/it was ... · we/you/they were ...

So: We were skating (not we was skating).

Worked example

Let's change the tense

Change The kids play hockey. to the present, past and future progressive.

  1. Add -ing to play: playing (just add -ing; play ends in vowel + y).
  2. Present: the subject The kids is plural, so use are: The kids are playing hockey.
  3. Past: plural, so use were: The kids were playing hockey.
  4. Future: The kids will be playing hockey.

are playing, were playing, will be playing

Spelling -ing verbs

Remember your spelling changes:

  • Just add: read → reading, play → playing
  • Double: one short vowel + one consonant: swim → swimming, run → running, sit → sitting
  • Drop the e: skate → skating, ride → riding, make → making
  • Keep the y: cry → crying, fly → flying
Hands-on activity

Freeze-frame verbs

You need: a family member and a timer (or a phone clock).

  1. One person acts out an action (skating, eating, reading, swimming) while the other narrates in the present progressive: "You are skating!"
  2. Call "Freeze!" Then describe what was happening in the past progressive: "You were skating when I said freeze."
  3. Predict what you'll do tomorrow: "At 4 o'clock tomorrow, I will be practising piano."
  4. Linking verb game: pass a mystery object behind your back (a mitten, an orange, a spoon). Describe it with linking verbs: "It feels soft. It smells fresh. It seems round." Then guess!
  5. Write 3 sentences: one with a linking verb, one present progressive, one past progressive.

Your turn

1

Find the linking verb: The pancakes were delicious.

2

Action or linking? The dog smells the flowers.

3

Action or linking? The flowers smell sweet.

4

Write in the present progressive: I (read) a book.

5

Write in the past progressive: They (swim) in the lake.

6

Fix it: We was skating at the rink.

7

Write in the future progressive: Grandma (bake) bannock.

More practice: warm-up

1

Is jump an action verb or a linking verb?

2

Find the linking verb: I am hungry.

3

Add -ing to run.

4

Add -ing to ride.

5

Which helper goes with she in the present progressive: am, is or are?

More practice: on your own

1

Find the linking verb and the word it links to: The sky looks grey.

2

Is is linking or helping? The baby is crying.

3

Is is linking or helping? The baby is tiny.

4

Finish with the past progressive: I ______ (sleep) when the thunder started.

5

Write a sentence with the linking verb became.

Challenge

1

Write two sentences with feels: one where it's an action verb and one where it's a linking verb.

2

Why do we say I was walking home when it started to rain, and not I walked home when it started to rain?

3

Fix all the mistakes: Yesterday they was swiming and we was ridding bikes.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which sentence has a linking verb?

2.

In The milk smells sour, the verb smells is...

3.

Which is the present progressive?

4.

Which is correct?

5.

Which is spelled correctly?

6.

In She is singing, the word is is...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 3 students learn the function of linking verbs and the progressive tense (B3.2). A linking verb (is, seems, looks, feels) connects the subject to a describing or naming word. The progressive tense (am/is/are/was/were + -ing, or will be + -ing) shows an action in progress. Spelling the -ing form links back to morphology (B2.3).

How to help at home:

  • Narrate everyday actions together: "I am cooking. You are setting the table."
  • At dinner, describe food with linking verbs: "This tastes spicy. That looks crunchy."

Common difficulties:

  • We was / they was. Use were with we, you, they. This is common in casual speech, so gentle, repeated modelling helps.
  • Confusing linking and helping uses of is. Look for an -ing verb right after.
  • -ing spelling: runing, makeing. Revisit the doubling and drop-the-e rules.
  • The swap test with is is the easiest way to spot linking verbs.