predikatives

Predikatives (also known as predicatives) are a grammatical category consisting of elements that complete the meaning of the predicate in sentences containing a copular or linking verb. They express a property, identity, or classification of the subject rather than modifying a noun directly. In traditional grammar, predikatives function as subject complements, occupying the predicative slot after the verb.

Predikatives take several forms. Predicative adjectives describe a subject’s state or quality (The sky is blue; She seems tired). Predicative nouns or noun phrases label the subject (They elected him president; The winner is you). Predicative pronouns (It was I) also occur. In English, predicatives generally follow linking verbs such as be, seem, become, look, taste, or turn, and they do not agree with the subject in gender or number, unlike attributive modifiers that attach to nouns.

Cross-linguistically, predikatives interact with a language’s syntax in diverse ways. Some languages require case marking or agreement for predicative nominals, while others rely on a separate copula or omit the copula in the present tense. In many languages, predikative constructions extend to adjectives, nouns, or other classes of words, and the distinction between predikatives and attributive modifiers helps encode the sentence’s predication. Examples across languages illustrate how predicatives convey states, identities, or classifications following linking verbs, and how the choice of form interacts with morphosyntax in a given language.