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I'm struggling to make some distinctions regarding copular, or linking, verbs.

  1. She sounds like a lawyer.

  2. She has become like her mother.

  3. She looks like a princess.

#1: Is "sounds" an intransitive verb with "like a lawyer" modifying "sounds"? Or is "sounds like" a copular verb phrase with "a lawyer" as a predicative nominal?

#2: Similar questions: is "become like" a copular verb? Is it just "Become"? Prepositional phrases cannot be subjective complements, right? So what is "like" in this context?

#3: Same questions as #2.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

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    sounds, become and looks are all copular verbs, adverbially modified by like [something or other]. Compare those adverbial usages with straightforward adjectives: She sounds upset, She has become wealthy, She looks happy. Commented Sep 7, 2022 at 18:59
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    This could be a full answer. @FumbleFingers Commented Sep 7, 2022 at 20:11
  • But don't copular verbs require a complement? If "like a lawyer" and rest are adverbials, wouldn't that make them optional? Commented Sep 7, 2022 at 23:27
  • @Educator22 Why do you think adverbial complements are optional? Commented Sep 8, 2022 at 2:06
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    @DialFrost: I can't answer the actual point OP is querying here - as phrased in the comment If "like a lawyer" and rest are adverbials, wouldn't that make them optional? Perhaps you should take the OP to task for asking the real question in a comment! :) Commented Sep 8, 2022 at 10:36

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