Definition and Examples of Linking Verbs

A linking verb is a traditional term for a type of  verb  (such as a form of be or seem) that joins the subject of a sentence to a word or phrase that  tells something about the subject. For example, is  functions as a linking verb in the sentence The boss is  unhappy. The word or phrase that follows the linking verb (in our example, unhappy)  is called a subject  complement.  The subject complement that follows a linking verb is usually an adjective (or  adjective phrase), a noun (or  noun phrase) or a pronoun. Linking verbs (in contrast to action verbs) relate either to a state of being (be, become, seem, remain, appear) or to the senses (look, hear, feel, taste, smell).   In contemporary linguistics, linking verbs are usually called copulas,  or copular verbs. Examples and Observations of Linking Verbs The Grinch is grumpy.In the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the mayor of Whoville is  Augustus Maywho.In the book Horton Hears a Who!, Ned McDodd is the mayor of Whoville.This lemonade tastes sour, but the cookies smell delicious.Beth felt bad and wanted to go home.Tom felt Beths forehead and then he became upset.Though she appeared calm, Naomi was  extremely happy about her promotion.How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of Four, 1890)If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself. Tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches. (Rainer Maria Rilke)If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. (William Safire,  How Not to Write: The Essential Misrules of Grammar. W.W. Norton, 2005)I became a feminist as an alternative to becoming a masochist. (Sally Kempton) Two Tests for Linking Verbs A good trick to determine if a verb is  a linking verb is  to substitute the word seems for the verb. If the sentence still makes sense, the verb is a linking verb. The food looked spoiled.The food seemed spoiled. Seemed works, so looked is a linking verb in the sentence above. I looked at the dark clouds.I seemed at the dark clouds. Seemed doesnt work, so looked is not a linking verb in the sentence above. Verbs dealing with the senses (such as looks, smells, feels, tastes  and sounds) can also be linking verbs. A good way to tell if one of these verbs is used as a linking verb is to substitute a form of be for the verb: If the sentence retains the same meaning, the verb is a linking verb. For example, look at the way feels, looks  and tastes are used in the following sentences. Jane feels (is) sick.That color looks (is) awful on you.The casserole tastes (is) terrible. (Barbara Goldstein, Jack Waugh and Karen Linsky,  Grammar to Go: How It Works and How To Use It, 3rd ed. Wadsworth, Cengage, 2010) Two Types of Linking Verbs These copular verbs (also linking verbs) can be divided semantically into two types: (1) those like be that refer to a current state: appear, feel, remain, seem, sound; and  (2) those that indicate a result of some kind: become, get (wet); go (bad); grow (old); turn (nasty). Be is the copula that most often takes adverbial complements that characterize or identify the subject: I felt cold; I felt a fool. (Sylvia Chalker, Copula, in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, edited by Tom McArthur. Oxford University Press, 1992) Using Linking Verbs With Complements for Emphasis Like the be  pattern, linking verbs may take nouns as complements. Some of the linking verbs have a little more acute verbal action than the be  equations: Everything became a mist.(C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength, 380) He became a castaway in broad daylight.(William Golding, Pincher Martin, 56) A simple syntactic structure--a linking verb with a noun and two adjectives--here makes an urgent point: War remains the decisive human failure.(John Kenneth Galbraith, The Economics of Innocent Fraud, 62) As predicate complements, adjectives that follow linking verbs often carry the new information and draw the stress. Argument remains inescapable.(Julie Thompson Klein, Crossing Boundaries, 211) She looked new and fresh.(Carolyn See, The Handyman, 173) In these linking examples, the major emphasis tends to fall on the predicate complement or, sometimes, whatever word or structure is at the end of the sentence. (Virginia Tufte, Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style. Graphics Press, 2006)

What is the significance of Piggy in the novel The Lord...

What is the significance of Piggy in the novel The Lord of the Flies? The author William Golding uses the character of Piggy to relates to certain themes in the novel. He is linked closely with civilisation, time and the conch which itself represents order. As savagery becomes more intense in the novel, Piggy begins to suffer more injustices and eventually loses his life speaking out against it. Piggy is described by Golding as short and very fat. This has earned him the nickname Piggy in his previous school. Its no coincidence that Piggys nickname is such, it relates to the overwhelming emotion Jack and his hunters feel when they feel the urge to kill the pig. This indirect metaphor suggests that the boys are†¦show more content†¦You are acting like a crowd of kids. He could learn of the hatred being brought out of the boys without having to experience the thirst for blood that Ralph was exposed to. Although he is easily intimidated by the other boys, especially by Jack, he does not lack the self-confidence to protest or speak out against the indignities from the boys. Which is better - to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill? Again Golding uses Piggy as a voice representing civilisation, speaking out for its rules. Piggy represents the law and order of the adult world. Grown-ups know things. He is the part of mans personality which attempts to act according to an absolute set of standards. Throughout the novel, Piggy attempts to condition the island society to mirror the society they all lived in in England. The first thing we should have made was shelters down there by the beach.. Piggys continual references to his auntie demonstrate this. I used to live with my aunt. Whenll your dad rescue us? He tries to pull Ralph towards reason and logic. Throughout the novel, Piggy is often the one who comes up with ideas for Ralph to act out. We can use this (the conch) to call the others. Have a meeting. It is because while Piggy is probably the smartest boy on the island, he lacks any social skills and has trouble communicating or fitting in. Piggys glasses are very important in the novel. He took offShow MoreRelatedLord Of The Flies, By William Golding1346 Words   |  6 Pagesno deeper meanings in what is being read. In actuality, there could be many meaning if the reader discovers the symbolism in a piece of literature. In Lord of the Flies, there are many characters and objects that hold a symbolic value. Characters such as Ralph, the protagonist, and Jack, the antagonist, represent many things such as good and evil. But, there are also symbols that are within the title of the book and the name of the chapters. In Golding s Lord of the Flies, the narrator highlightsRead More Lord of the Flies Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pagestimes, authors use characters in their novels and stories as symbols. The characters may be symbolic of the tangible as well as the non-tangible. In addition, characters can often be looked at with a psychological approach to literature in order to better determine or understand their symbolic sig nificance. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, special symbolic significance may be found in the characters, Piggy, Ralph, and Jack. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Piggy, the heavy, asthmatic, nearsightedRead MoreLord Of The Flies Seniority Essay1194 Words   |  5 Pagesone which possess the ability to affect their environment, and one another, in significant and often destructive ways. War is a catastrophic event created by humans, who upon creating it neglect to comprehend its far-reaching effects. The novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, places a group of prepubescent males into one of these situations. After an evacuation aircraft crash-lands, the boys are left upon a deserted island to manage and fend for themselves. As Golding details the trials andRead MoreMichelle Duan Mrs. MJ English 10 H, per. 3 13 February 2014 A Symbol’s Worth a Thousand1500 Words   |  6 Pagesimportance as guides that tell us how to live, what to do and whom to believe is undeniable. Of all of these symbols, perhaps some of the most important are the symbols found in literature. In using simplistic symbols to represent profound ideas, authors construct a kind of â€Å"key†: one that allows readers to look past the surface of a story and reflect on the deeper messages beneath. Such is the nature of the symbols found in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As a group of boys stranded on an islandRead MoreSimon Allusion Essay954 Words   |  4 PagesSimon is a character who is a major significance in Lord of the Flies. Simon is one of the boys stranded on the island after his plane crashed. Additionally, Simon is a member of the choir. As part of the choir, he is under the leadership of Jack. Simon is described as â€Å"...a skinny, vivid little boy, with a glance coming up from under a hut of stra ight hair that hung down, black and coarse.† (24) He is also prone to fainting. For instance, shortly after the plane crashes, Simon faints in front ofRead MoreLord Of The Flies : Symbolism1012 Words   |  5 PagesBabatunde Carter (Jnr) English 102-0501 Mrs. Geneva Cannon 16th, November , 2015 Lord of the flies : The Symbolism of the Conch For Centuries philosophers and scholars have bantered about the topic of whether man is naturally fiendish. William Golding offers this conversation starter in his sensible novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies†. Set on a tropical island amid World War II, the novel starts when school boys from Incredible England are being traveled to well being and their plane is shotRead MoreOf Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies Analysis1477 Words   |  6 PagesdanskeLaura Valentiner-Bohse ‘An exploration of friendship in Lord of the Flies and of Mice and Men’ In both Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck evident components of friendship are persuaded throughout the storyline, particularly in Lennie and George’s friendship in Of Mice and Men and Ralph and Piggy’s friendship in Lord of the Flies. In both books the authors focus on the natural dependence human beings have on each other. Of particular importance is theRead MoreLord of the Flies Characters1582 Words   |  7 PagesLord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It discusses how culture created by man fails, using as an example a group of British school-boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Each British boys are a symbol that represents in ourself and also in our society, these are follow boys; Ralph, Piggy, Simon and Jack are the four main characters that represents a lot in our society that we canRead MoreThe Reveal of Society in Lord of the Flies by William Golding862 Words   |  4 PagesThe Reveal of Society in Lord of the Flies by William Golding What is Golding telling us about society in Lord of the Flies? William Golding is trying to show savagery through the children in this novel. He is telling us that anybody could have a savage side to themselves and it is how you control the savagery in yourself. In the first few chapters, the first point made is that there is a sense of normality and civility in the beginning that is occurring. 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Global Marketing Management By IKEA for Expansion in China

Question 1: Critically analyse the macro and micro environment of the market environment in CHINA using appropriate analytical tools Question 2: Develop appropriate marketing objectives and critically analyse supporting corporate and business strategies to support the expansion of the IKEA brand in the CHINA Question 3: Critically analyse the potential Business Model of IKEA and its adaptation for the expansion of the brand in CHINA. In addition, justify the most appropriate application of the marketing tactics that will support the expansion in CHINA Answer: Task 1:Critical analysis of macro and micro environment of market in China through appropriate analytical tools-900 The SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of IKEA efficiently highlights the micro environment of the company. Details from this analysis are efficient enough to identify the potential factors affecting the business of the company. In order to analyse the macro environment the PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental) analysis tool as opined by Li and Yang (2014, p. 4742), is an efficient one. It efficiently brings forth the eminent external factors affecting the business of IKEA in China. Porters Five Forces The potent industrial factors affecting the company are efficiently highlighted by conducting the Porters Five Forces Analysis. As stated by (Porter-Steele, 2010, p. 79), the five major forces of this tool identify and give the details of significant factors that influence on the business conduction of a company in the concerned market. The Porters Five Forces analysis of furniture industry of China points out relevant information as follows: The high Bargaining power of customers indicates the availability of adequate number of furniture organisations in Chinese market (Shi and Smith, 2012, p. 82). The low bargaining power of suppliers on the other hand, identifies the high price sensitivity among the customers of China. This factor accounts for the consideration of the prices of IKEA products to be high in the Chinese market while the same price is considered low elsewhere. The need for large amount of capital investment is a major barrier to entry in Chinese market for most organisations. IKEA however, being a well-established company is expected to overcome this barrier easily. At the same time, it restricts the other smaller companies from entering the market thus, reducing the competition intensity to an extent. However, as asserted by (Agnihotri, 2014, p. 207), there are large numbers of furniture businesses operating in the Chinese market at domestic level. Therefore, IKEA is about to face tough competition from t he domestic companies in Chinese furniture retail market. The analysis highlights a failure of the retail giant Home Depot in Chinese market. There also exists a specific market culture. Thus it lowers the threat of new entrants into the furniture retail market of China. However, the tool pinpoints on the high Threat of substitutes in Chinese market. Existence of fake IKEA stores and ease of copying the products of IKEA by other retailers is an eminent threat lingering over IKEA in conducting its business efficiently in the Chinese furniture retail market. The high Incumbent rivalry evident in Chinese market is a major factor and threat for IKEA. The presence of strong players as BQ and Taobao contributes to the increase in rivalry in the market of China. Jiang et al. (2013, p. 209) argued that there are several suppliers in China market who emerge as the direct competitors of IKEA. Task 2: Developing appropriate marketing objectives and critical analysis of business and corporate strategies supporting expansion of IKEA brand in China IKEA can apply techniques and procedures as Hofstede Index, Psychic Distance Model, Perceptual map on positioning, marketing mix and segmentation to analyse market in China. It will direct the company towards the development of appropriate marketing objectives (Luther, 2011, p. 62). Hofstede Index (Refer to Appendix 1) It indicates that there exist a remarkable distinction in culture of China and Sweden, the home country of IKEA with a highlight on the show-off mentality among people of China. The preferred style and need of furniture differs widely among the 2 countries with China consisting larger families than in Sweden. On-line shopping emerges as a viable scope of business in China where mostly people are busy in work. As stated by Bessant (2009, p. 41), the index drives IKEA towards innovative products through depiction of wide acceptance of innovative items in China with the property of accepting changes very fast. However, a deeper focus is required for advertisement and customer attraction in China than in Sweden due to the lesser fun-loving culture of China. Psychic Distance Model (Refer to Appendix 2) This model identifies the marked language distance between the country of Sweden and China. It drives IKEA towards adoption of Chinese main language Mandarin for its business and marketing operations in China. IKEA can also set the store locations near offices as per the Chinese culture. A major focus on maintaining low price products by IKEA is essential in China due to the unstable economic conditions. The rule of paying 25% corporate tax in China raises the business expense of IKEA in China. However, the company is provided with ample investing opportunities by the Chinese government (Jiang et al. 2013, p. 205). Perceptual map on positioning (Refer to Appendix 3) As per the Perceptual maps of IKEA products in terms of quality and price in different countries, the company can efficiently position itself against its rivals in the respective countries of China, US, France, Germany, Austria and UK. The products of IKEA depict standard quality level in all the mentioned countries. Hence, IKEA stands at a better position than its rivals in terms of quality. However, China being a developing country shows the consideration of prices of IKEA products to be high. It leads to the development of conception that IKEA products in China market can be considered of good quality but highly priced. Segmentation IKEA can segment its target market as per the following criteria of Demography, Geography, Psychograph and Socio-graphic: Corporate and business strategies of IKEA As far as the corporate and business strategies of IKEA are concerned, its corporate strategy of offering low price products with functional and well-designed characteristics poses a challenge to the organisation in face of competition in market. It strategy of global outsourcing is effective in enabling it in cost reduction facilitating international expansion. Its corporate strategy is also effective in attaining low-cost labour and less expensive raw materials by providing scope of long-term high-volume business relationship with the country as is found in Vietnam (Hgevold, 2011, p. 395). Its business strategy of open communication facilitated knowledge sharing, streamlining decision-making, mastering new technologies in furniture production and effective advertising methods enabled IKEA to develop unique competitive advantage over other rivals in the industry. Task 3:Critical analysis of potential business model of IKEA and its adaptation for brand expansion in China with most appropriate marketing tactics supporting the expansion According to Hwang et al. (2013, p. 1506), business canvas model is a tool to create and analyse business models. Most of the company can create this model easily. But the main thing that every company has to make sure is that they must analyze it and update the existing model with due course of time. As per the given case study organization IKEA has also a business model of its own. Customer Segments: The target customer of IKEA is basically the families. The age varies from 30 and 35 and about 70% of their customers are women. Customer Relationship: According to Hgevold (2011, p. 384), IKEA does all the necessary activities to maintain a healthy relationship with the customer. This is the reason why they have reduced the price of their products as per the demand of customers. Channels: IKEA mainly does its business through retail outlets. They provide very limited online service (Hellstrm and Nilsson, 2011, p. 640). Value Propositions: IKEA successfully provides quality service within a less price. But in China the pricing strategy of their products are generally high. Key Activities: In China market IKEA needs to expand more and they need to communicate with the customers through various social media sites. Key Resources: IKEA has been very successful on this as they recruited more than 120,000 people around the world for their 315 stores. According to Michael Sayeau (2009, p. 494), last year was one of the most successful year for the company as they have been able to generate a revenue of 28.5 Billions of Euros. Key Partners: IKEA being one of the top most furniture company brands has suppliers from almost different countries. 60% of their merchandise are sourced from Europe, Asia and North America (Hultman et al. 2012, p. 14). Cost Structure: IKEA sources the merchandise from cost effective sources so sourcing is not that costly for the organisation but reducing the price in China has been very costly for the company. Revenue Streams: As it is a furniture company so its main earning areas are from the hotel chains and restaurants. Their cheap rate and excellent product quality has made IKEA a popular household name in all over UK (Hellstrm and Nilsson, 2011, p. 640). Criticism of their business model: The main problem with their business model that sometimes their price leads them to loses. Although the pricing system is one of the major revenue generating components for the company, still they have to make some considerations while operating in countries like China where the pricing system is naturally high. Another point of concern in their model is that, they are not concentrating much on the online media. They have a very limited service in this media, hence they may face some problem in the near future because the trend of online shopping has exploded so much that people hardly goes to a shop now. Online shopping is less time consuming and very effective for those people who dont have time to visit shops personally. Figure 2: Business Model Canvas of IKEA (Source: As created by the learner) Conclusion: This study highlights the essential aspects of global marketing in the context of IKEA organisation in Chinese furniture retail market. Although the company faced challenges regarding price reduction, differential government laws, culture difference, etc IKEA identifies methods to improve its market position. Taobao and BQ the two main competitors of IKEA in Chinese furniture market can be well handled by the company through gaining adequate competitive advantage by adopting the measures as stated in the recommendations. Recommendations: In order to develop and attain an effective marketing operation and expansion in the Chinese market IKEA needs to focus on certain major factors. As per the issues highlighted in the study, the relevant recommendations are provided as follows: Development of online-marketing techniques IKEA with its sole focus on providing quality products at low prices, and market expansion overseas has neglected the adoption of technological features with time. The company lags behind in its online shopping provisions, which is highly advanced in most of the rival companies in Chinese market. The people in China with a busy schedule of work in their daily life show a high preference towards online-shopping. IKEA thus, needs to develop its online shopping infrastructure considerably to improve and enhance their efficiency of business in the Chinese market and attract more clients thus increasing sales and revenue. IKEA can also avail more customers and spread awareness of their products through improving their social networking activities which is quite popular in China. Opening more stores in China As highlighted in the business model section, IKEA has a smaller number of stores in Chinese market. In order to achieve an effective expansion, they need to set up more stores. Focusing on establishment of stores near the office area is a major recommendation for IKEA. As observed from the study, the Chinese people availing the stores mainly driven by need rather than luxury or fun. Therefore, setting the stores near the offices will attract more customers. Another recommendation for IKEA is to shift their focus from restaurants and hotels to offices. It is because in China, there are more offices and the focus is higher on office works than on hotels. Therefore, emphasising on offices, if IKEA designs their products as per the needs and expectations of office works, they can expect a better and more number of orders and purchase. Thus, the company needs to shift its focus as per the country needs. Reference List Books: Bessant, J. (2009). Innovation. London: DK Keegan, W. and Green, M. (2010). Global marketing. Harlow: Pearson Education Kotabe, M. and Helsen, K. (2010). Global marketing management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Luther, W. (2011). The marketing plan. New York: AMACOM Journals: Agnihotri, A. (2014). Mass-Media-based Corporate Reputation and Firms Market Valuation Evidence from Emerging Markets. Corporate Reputation Review, 17(3), pp.206-218 Dennis, C., Morgan, A., Wright, L. and Jayawardhena, C. (2010). The influences of social e-shopping in enhancing young women's online shopping behaviour. J. Cust. Behav., 9(2), pp.151-174 Hgevold, N. (2011). A corporate effort towards a sustainable business model. European Business Review, 23(4), pp.392-400 Hellstrm, D. and Nilsson, F. (2011). Logistics driven packaging innovation: a case study at IKEA. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 39(9), pp.638-657 Hultman, J., Johnsen, T., Johnsen, R. and Hertz, S. (2012). An interaction approach to global sourcing: A case study of IKEA. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 18(1), pp.9-21 Hwang, J., Han, H. and Hwang, C. (2013). A Study on the application of Architectural Business Model Canvas of Urban Single Houses on the Viewpoints of Prosumers. The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences, 8(10), pp.1505-1514 Jiang, N., Liping, W. and Sharma, K. (2013). Trends, Patters and Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in China. Global Business Review, 14(2), pp.201-210 Johansson, U. and Thelander, . (2009). A standardised approach to the world? IKEA in China. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 1(2), pp.199-219 Keller, H. and Thackeray, R. (2011). Social Marketing and the Creative Process: Staying True to Your Social Marketing Objectives. Health Promotion Practice, 12(5), pp.651-653 Li, L. and Yang, T. (2014). An Analysis of Furniture Manufacturing Industry Competitiveness Based on Design Innovation Investment. AMM, 687-691, pp.4741-4745 Lindqvist, U. (2009). The Cultural Archive of the IKEA Store. Space and Culture, 12(1), pp.43-62 Michael Sayeau, (2009). IKEA Modernism and the Perils of Innovation. Modernism/modernity, 16(3), pp.493-495 Mochon, D., Norton, M. and Ariely, D. (2012). Bolstering and restoring feelings of competence via the IKEA effect. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(4), pp.363-369 Porter-Steele, N. (2010). Book Review: Transactional Analysis: 100 Key Points and Techniques. Transactional Analysis Journal, 40(1), pp.79-80 Prasad, A. and Prasad, P. (2013). Innovation in the Global Age: Implications for Business and Management in the Knowledge Economy. IJBA, 4(6), pp. 102-106 Rask, M., Korsgaard, S. and Lauring, J. (2010). When international management meets diversity management: the case of IKEA. EJIM, 4(4), p.396. Scott, A. (2009). Notes from a recession. Business Strategy Review, 20(3), pp.4-10 Shi, W. and Smith, P. (2012). Exploring Market Opportunities for American Hardwoods through Chinese International Furniture Supply Trade Shows. Forest Products Journal, 62(2), pp.80-89 Websites: China, C. (2015). Case analysis Ikea in China. [online] Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/6652225/Case_analysis_Ikea_in_China [Accessed 8 Jan. 2015]. Dudovskiy, J. (2014). IKEA Porters Five Forces Analysis - Research Methodology. [online] Research-methodology.net. Available at: https://research-methodology.net/ikea-porters-five-forces-analysis/ [Accessed 8 Jan. 2015]. Ikea.com, (2015). Facts Figures - IKEA. [online] Available at: https://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/facts_and_figures/facts_figures.html [Accessed 8 Jan. 2015] APPENDICES Appendix 1 Hofstede Index (IKEA) Appendix 2 Psychic Distance Model Appendix 3 Perceptual Map of IKEA products in Terms of Quality and Price in China Perceptual Map of IKEA products in Terms of Quality and Price in France Perceptual Map of IKEA products in Terms of Quality and Price in USA Perceptual Map of IKEA products in Terms of Quality and Price in Austria