adjectivepredicate

An adjectivepredicate, more commonly called a predicate adjective or predicative adjective, is an adjective that functions as part of the predicate of a sentence and describes the subject. It is typically positioned after a linking (copular) verb such as be, seem, appear, become, taste, look, feel, smell, or sound, and it completes the information about the subject introduced by the verb.

Predicative adjectives vs. attributive adjectives: Predicative adjectives do not directly modify a noun; instead they describe the subject via the linking verb. In contrast, attributive adjectives directly modify a noun and typically appear before the noun: a red apple, a tall building.

Common patterns and examples: The cat is hungry. The task seems difficult. The soup tastes salty. The discussion remained inconclusive. In these sentences, the adjective follows the linking verb and provides a property of the subject.

Varieties and restrictions: Many adjectives can be used both predicatively and attributively (for example, a big problems vs. the problem is big). Some adjectives are much more common in predicative position and may be uncommon or awkward attributively, and some adjectives require a certain syntactic environment to appear predicatively (for example, seem, become, or taste in certain constructions).

Cross-linguistic note: The concept exists in many languages, though the exact syntax and permissible verb classes vary. The general idea remains: a predicative adjective expresses a property of the subject through the verb linking the subject to the adjective.

See also: predicative construction, copular verb, subject complement.