WRITING
Why My High School Teacher Banned Linking Verbs
And when he finally freed me from my shackles
I was taught English under unusually confining circumstances. But perhaps no struggle throughout my high school career was more arduous than the circuitous lengths I needed to go in order to avoid linking verbs.
And for those who don’t know what linking verbs are — an apparent majority of those who grew up outside of my small Suburban PA district — I include the following diagram:
In nearly every regard, the English education I got in high school soared well beyond anything my college professors ever provided me, but the one issue that’s only perplexed me more and more as years have gone by was our high school’s fervent insistence that linking verbs be avoided at all costs.
For entire years, the matter gnawed at me. Each time I wrote the word “is,” or “are” on a page, it was with the subtle knowledge that an entire English department full of teachers was shaking their heads in quiet and unanimous disapproval.
