What is the linking verb in sentence Maria seemed relaxed as she began to give her speech?

The linking verb in the sentence "Maria seemed relaxed as she began to give her speech" is seemed.

Here's why:

* Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a word or phrase that describes or renames the subject.

* In this sentence, "Maria" is the subject, and "relaxed" is the word that describes her.

* The verb "seemed" links the subject "Maria" to the description "relaxed".

Let me know if you have any other sentences you'd like to analyze!