English Language & Usage Asked on January 26, 2021
Linking verbs
do not describe any direct action taken or controlled by the subject.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linking_verb
Can "fall" be a linking verb, so that in e.g.
No-one has fell out the window
could "out the window" be a predicate adjective, rather than a prepositional phrase? The phrase may just seem like bad grammar. But it seems to have a different sense to "no-one has fallen out the window",. I think this version has more immediacy to it; that could be because it is incorrect grammar / informal, or perhaps because it redefines what has happened?
Yes, it can, but it isn't a linking verb where you use it.
A linking verb is a verb that connects the subject with a subject-complement, which by definition can only be a nominal phrase or adjective.
As it stands:
He has fallen ill.
He fell dead.
And many others are possible, using “fall” as a linking verb.
Like many linking verbs in English that are also used as unaccusative verbs without a complement, this one can only take adjectives as complement it seems, and not nominal phrases, thus:
*He has fallen an ill man.
Does not work, with say “become” or “be”, nominal phrases can also be used.
Answered by Zorf on January 26, 2021
Get help from others!
Recent Questions
Recent Answers
© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP