Predicatives

Predicatives are linguistic elements that complete the predicate of a clause, typically functioning as complements after a linking verb. They provide information about the subject or object and are not part of a noun phrase’s adjectival modifier position. In many grammars, predicatives include predicative adjectives and predicative nouns (also called predicate nominals or predicative complements).

Predicative adjectives occur after linking verbs such as be, seem, become, look, or feel, and describe the subject or object. Example: The sky looks blue. The meal tasted delicious. In these cases the adjective is not inside the noun phrase but serves to complete the meaning of the clause. Adjectives can often be both attributive (a red car) and predicative (the car is red), though not all adjectives behave identically in all constructions.

Predicative nouns (or pronouns) function as predicative complements, naming or identifying the subject or object. Example: She is a teacher. They elected him president. Here the noun phrase after the linking verb identifies the subject or object, rather than modifying it. In transitive predication, a predicative noun follows a verb that assigns a role or identity to its object, such as elect, appoint, or call.

Cross-linguistically, predicatives can interact with agreement, case marking, and word order differently. Some languages require agreement on the predicative element with the subject or object, while others show more flexibility. The distinction between predicatives and attributive modifiers is central to syntactic analyses of copular constructions and predication in many languages.