Rephrase the whole statement to avoid the linking verb. (When I get in a really bad mood, I torture my children by making them write without linking verbs.)
LOL...ahh, that sounds exactly like the editing job I'm working at right now. Can't figure it out, completely avoid the problem!! ;)
When I'm in a really bad mood, I just point out that since grammarians get their rules from usage and noted authors, I should be telling them what to do and not the other way around!