When adjectives come after linking verbs, they usually describe the subject: I am patient. Note that in specific sentences, some verbs may or may not act as linking verbs—look, appear, sound, feel, smell, taste, grow, and prove, for instance. When a word following one of these verbs modifies the subject, use an adjective; when the word modifies the verb, use an adverb.

Linking verbs suggest a state of being, not an action. In the preceding examples, looked angry suggests the state of being angry; looked angrily suggests an angry action.