Should isn’t a linking verb; it’s a modal helping verb that can pair with a linking verb like be.
You’ve probably seen grammar charts that sort verbs into “action” and “linking,” then you hit should and the tidy boxes wobble. One worksheet calls it a helping verb. Another calls it a modal. Then a sentence like “You should be ready” makes it feel like should is doing the linking job.
This guide clears that up with plain tests you can run on any sentence. You’ll see what linking verbs actually do, where should fits, and how to label it the same way teachers and style guides do.
What Linking Verbs Do In A Sentence
A linking verb doesn’t show an action. It connects the subject to a word or phrase that describes or renames the subject. That “description or rename” piece is the giveaway.
What A Linking Verb Connects To
When a verb links, what comes after it is called a subject complement. It can be an adjective (“The soup smells salty”) or a noun (“My sister is a nurse”). In both cases, the complement points back to the subject.
Common Linking Verbs You’ll See
The verb be (am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being) is the one most people spot first. Others include sense verbs like seem, become, feel, look, sound, smell, taste, and remain when they connect the subject to a description.
| Term | What It Does | Quick Clue |
|---|---|---|
| Linking verb | Connects the subject to a description or a rename | You can swap in a form of be and the meaning stays close |
| Action verb | Shows something happening or being done | You can ask “What did the subject do?” |
| Helping verb | Teams with a main verb to form tense, voice, or mood | It sits before another verb |
| Modal verb | A helper that signals duty, advice, ability, or chance | Words like should, can, may, must don’t take -s |
| Main verb | Carries the core meaning (action or linking) | It can take tense endings: walks, walked, walking |
| Subject complement | Describes or renames the subject after a linking verb | Often an adjective or noun phrase |
| Predicate adjective | An adjective that follows a linking verb | “The dog is sleepy” |
| Predicate noun | A noun phrase that follows a linking verb | “Jordan is a pilot” |
That table points to the main idea: linking verbs link the subject to a complement. Helpers don’t do that job. Helpers set up the main verb that follows.
Is Should A Linking Verb?
No. In standard grammar labels, should is a modal helping verb. It works with a main verb to build meaning like advice, expectation, or duty. The main verb that follows can be an action verb (“You should call”) or a linking verb (“You should be ready”).
If you’ve asked yourself “is should a linking verb?” you’re spotting a real pattern: should often sits right before a linking verb, most often a form of be. That placement makes it feel like should is the connector. It isn’t. The connector is the verb that comes next.
Why “Should” Gets Mistaken For A Linking Verb
Linking verbs and modals both show up early in the verb phrase. English stacks helper verbs in front of the main verb. When that main verb is a linking verb, the stack can look like one long linking word.
Take “You should be honest.” The word be is the linking verb. It connects you to honest. The word should tells the attitude toward that link: advice or duty.
How Grammar References Classify “Should”
In most school grammar, should sits with the modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would). Many references call these “modal auxiliary verbs.” If you want a quick check from a trusted writing reference, Purdue OWL lists and describes linking verbs and subject complements in its section on sentence structure and verbs.
Here’s that reference as a quick, official anchor: Purdue OWL linking verbs.
Should And Linking Verbs In Quick Sentence Tests
When you’re labeling parts of speech, don’t label a word by vibe. Label it by job. These tests take less than a minute and work on real writing, not only on workbook sentences.
Test 1: Find The Verb That Can Carry Tense Endings
Modal verbs don’t take -s in the third person singular. You say “She should go,” not “She shoulds go.” The main verb can change form: go, goes, went, going. That tells you should isn’t the main verb, so it can’t be the linking verb either.
Test 2: Locate The Subject Complement
Look for an adjective or noun phrase that describes the subject. Then ask: which verb links the subject to that complement?
- “You should be calm.” The complement is calm. The verb that links is be.
- “He should become a doctor.” The complement is a doctor. The verb that links is become.
Test 3: Swap In A Form Of “Be”
This is a classic linking-verb check. If the verb can swap with a form of be and the core meaning stays close, you’ve found a linking verb. Try it on the verb after should, not on should itself.
“They should seem tired.” Swap seem with be: “They should be tired.” Close meaning. So seem is linking here. Should stays a helper in both versions.
Test 4: Ask What The Subject Did
If the verb answers “What did the subject do?” it’s an action verb, not a linking verb. “You should run” answers it. “You should be ready” doesn’t. The main verb shifts from action (run) to linking (be) while should stays the same type.
How “Should” Works With Linking Verbs
Think of should as a tone-setting helper. It colors the sentence with advice, expectation, or mild duty. The verb that follows does the main work: it either shows an action or links the subject to a description.
Common Patterns You’ll See
These patterns show up in school writing, work emails, and academic papers. They’re useful when you’re editing for clarity.
- should + be + adjective: “Your thesis should be clear.”
- should + be + noun phrase: “The first step should be a short outline.”
- should + seem/appear + adjective: “The tone should seem calm.”
- should + become/remain + complement: “The plan should remain flexible.”
In each line, the linking verb is the second verb: be, seem, remain. The complement after it describes or renames the subject. That’s the linking job.
Modal Meaning Versus Linking Meaning
One way to separate the roles is to ask two questions:
- What does the sentence say about duty, advice, or expectation? That’s should.
- What does the sentence say the subject is (or becomes, seems, remains)? That’s the linking verb and its complement.
If you like formal definitions, Cambridge Dictionary explains modal verbs as verbs used to show possibility, necessity, or permission. That description matches how should behaves in real sentences.
Here’s the reference: Cambridge Grammar on modals.
Spotting The Main Verb In Long Verb Phrases
English can stack helper verbs: “should have been,” “should be being,” “should have become.” The stack is where people lose track of the main verb.
A Simple Way To Read The Stack
Start at the left and mark each helper, then circle the last verb in the chain. In most sentences, the last verb is the main verb. If that last verb is a form of be followed by a complement, it’s linking. If it shows action, it’s action.
Take “You should have been polite.” The helpers are should and have. The main verb is been (a form of be). The complement is polite. So the linking job is done by been, not by should.
When “Be” Is Not Linking
A form of be can also act as a helper in the passive voice: “The files should be moved.” Here, be helps build the passive with moved. There’s no subject complement like an adjective or noun renaming the subject. So be isn’t linking in that sentence.
This is another reason the “find the complement” test is so handy. Linking needs a complement that points back to the subject. Passive voice needs a past participle.
Common Classroom Labels And What To Write On The Line
Teachers vary in wording, but the idea stays the same. If your assignment asks for “linking verb,” write the verb that links the subject to its complement. If it asks for “helping verb” or “auxiliary,” write should when it comes before another verb.
If You’re Doing A Two-Label Answer
Some worksheets want you to label both the helper and the main verb. In that case:
- should = modal helping verb
- be/seem/become/remain = linking verb (when followed by a complement)
If You’re Forced To Pick Only One Verb Type
Some exercises ask you to pick whether the sentence “has a linking verb” or “has an action verb.” Use the main verb for that choice. “You should be ready” counts as linking because be is linking. “You should run” counts as action because run is action. Should stays a helper in both.
| Sentence Pattern | Is “should” linking? | What’s The Linking Or Main Verb? |
|---|---|---|
| She should be late. | No | be links she to late |
| They should become friends. | No | become links they to friends |
| I should feel ready. | No | feel links I to ready |
| We should seem calm. | No | seem links we to calm |
| You should run now. | No | run is the main action verb |
| The reports should be filed. | No | filed is the main verb; be helps form passive voice |
| It should remain true. | No | remain links it to true |
| He should have been honest. | No | been links he to honest; should and have help |
A One-Page Checklist You Can Reuse
If you want a quick label that won’t get you tangled, run this list in order:
- Find the subject.
- Find the verb group (everything that acts as the verb).
- Circle the last verb in the group.
- Ask if a subject complement follows (adjective or noun phrase that points back to the subject).
- If there’s a complement, the circled verb is linking. If not, it’s action or passive voice.
- Label should as a modal helping verb whenever it sits before another verb.
Run that once or twice and the confusion drops fast. Also, if you catch yourself typing “is should a linking verb?” into a search bar again later, use the same tests on the sentence that sparked the doubt. The sentence will tell you what the word is doing.
Recap Without The Headache
Should doesn’t link a subject to a description. It sets meaning like advice or expectation, then hands the sentence off to the main verb. When the next verb is be, seem, become, or remain, that next verb is the linking verb if a complement follows.
So if a teacher asks for the linking verb in “You should be ready,” write be. If they ask for the helping verb, write should. Same sentence, two different jobs, clean labels.