Tuesday, February 2, 2016

adjectives - adverbs after linking verbs

They write we must use adjectives rather than adverbs after linking verbs. For example https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/taste_2:




Food can taste sweet like sugar.





But here's an adverb https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/smell_2:




The laboratory smelled strongly of chemicals.




"to smell" as "to have a particular smell" can be only a linking verb. Therefore we must say:





The laboratory smelled strong of/like chemicals.




I'm confused in what cases we must use adjectives after linking verbs and in what cases adverbs. Help me please.

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