Action vs. Linking Verbs: What's the Difference?

Khan Academy

This educational video provides a clear and engaging introduction to the difference between action verbs and linking verbs (also known as state-of-being verbs). Through the use of simple hand-drawn visuals and a recurring character—a bear—the narrator illustrates how verbs function differently within sentences. The lesson begins by reviewing the forms of the verb "to be" and then proceeds to split the screen to contrast what a subject "does" (action) versus what a subject "is" (linking). Key grammatical themes explored include the identification of "to be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) and the concept that some verbs can function as either action or linking verbs depending on context. The video uses sensory verbs like "look" and "smell" to demonstrate this nuance, showing how "the bear looked at me" differs grammatically from "the bear looked lonely." For educators, this video serves as an excellent foundational tool for teaching parts of speech and sentence structure. It demystifies abstract grammatical concepts by grounding them in concrete examples, making it easier for students to distinguish between describing an action and describing a state or quality. The clear visual separation of concepts helps visual learners grasp the function of linking verbs as connectors rather than doers.