Questions tagged [predicative-complement]
The predicative-complement tag has no usage guidance.
42
questions
-1
votes
2answers
102 views
That car is the color of a ripe cherry. (How can a car be a color?)
Good day!
That car is the color of a ripe cherry.
"Color" is a noun that is in the same case as "car", i.e. in the subjective case. But how can it be possible? A car is a vehicle, a construction, ...
2
votes
0answers
22 views
Hear it used this way? - Complement or Modifier
While writing the following sentence I was curious whether the sentence was correct. But after checking COCA, I came to now that similar expressions are in use. The sentence I wrote is:
Have you ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
Function of PPs with predicative complements
According to CaGEL* (e.g. p.636 ff), prepositions can take predicative complements, as in
[1] She worked as a waitress
[2] He passed for dead
[3] I took you for granted
[4] They left him for ...
0
votes
3answers
181 views
What exactly falls under the label of “complement”?
There seems to be a lot of contradicting beliefs out there regarding complements and what they cover -- or maybe I am just confusing myself. However, I cannot seem to find an answer that I understand.
...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
Correct or not: noun and adjective being predicative together
I'm thinking about such a sentence:
He is a lawyer, arrogant and smart.
or
He is an idiot, arrogant and short-sighted.
Please note that here I just want to list the noun and the ...
4
votes
1answer
104 views
Do metaphorical agents follow special rules?
While I can easily parse this sentence, something feels grammatically incorrect and I can't figure out what rule would make it right or wrong.
"Fatigue from traveling had him in bed by midnight."
...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
They are not merely <inconveniences/an inconvenience>, they are <dangers/a danger> to health
This Guardian article titled "William Wordsworth review – inspiration and smoking chimneys" has this passage:
It is 14 years since the publication of Lyrical Ballads. Wordsworth’s
income from ...
2
votes
0answers
292 views
Which verb do I use in: “All you need in life is/are coffee and good grammar”? [duplicate]
Should I use 'is' or 'are' in the sentence below?
All you need in life is/are coffee and good grammar.
This question is different from Agreement in "[Singular Noun] Is/Are [Plural Noun]"...
2
votes
2answers
161 views
“I'm afraid she's gone too far this time” - Relative Clauses
I am going to have to explain all the parts of this sentence to a class, but I am having a little trouble identifying all the parts. The sentence is:
I'm afraid she's gone too far this time.
This ...
3
votes
1answer
168 views
He laid bare his soul
Generally, a predicative complement (PC) comes after the predicand:
(1) He laid his soul bare.
Here, 'bare' is the PC, and 'his soul' the predicand.
But when the predicand, genearlly a noun ...
0
votes
1answer
4k views
the majority of whom are male or males
Should I use singular or plural form of male here? I think it should be males. Am I correct?
Social and cultural traditions often make it difficult for aid workers, the majority of whom are [male/...
1
vote
3answers
107 views
“starting steep and leveling off horizontal” – adjective or adverb
Are steep and horizontal correctly written as adjectives or should they be adverbs in the following sentence?
Scaling around the trunk leads to a huge branch that expands out the other side ...
1
vote
2answers
4k views
Six feet/foot five: Does adding “inches” affect the grammatical form of “foot”?
Is it possible to say "six feet five" (inches are left out here)?
Or is "six foot five" the only correct variant? Does incluing "inches" affect the grammatical form of "foot"?
0
votes
1answer
111 views
subject verb agreement: “the downside are the messages” [duplicate]
Which is the correct one:
the big downside is the imperfect messages the user gets.
the big downside are the imperfect messages the user gets.
I am almost sure the second one is correct with "...
2
votes
1answer
367 views
What is the grammar structure? “I am not going to stand here watching you do it”?
Is this sentence correct?
I am not going to stand here watching you do it.
I saw it in an article. If it is - and I think it is - why is "watching" a gerund? What is the grammar structure? Is it a ...
1
vote
2answers
247 views
The main ingredient is blueberries or the main ingredient is blueberry?
Which sentence is grammatically accurate or they both acceptable? "The main ingredient is blueberries" sounds better to me. "The main ingredient" is indicative of one type of ingredient, so does that ...
1
vote
2answers
874 views
Has the use of the subject pronoun after the verb “to be” become archaic?
"Is that your wretched husband on the phone again, my love?"
"Yes, of course it's him!"
Well, we all might think the use of "him" instead of "he" is wrong, but following "is" with "he" in ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
What specifically is the difference between a 'content clause' and a 'complement clause'?
Here a complement clause is defined as:
a notional sentence or predication that is an argument of a predicate
Here a content clause is defined as:
a subordinate clause that provides content ...
4
votes
3answers
267 views
Does “turned a bright blue” contain a predicate nominative or predicate adjective?
The liquid in the bowl turned a bright blue.
Please tell me if blue is a predicate nominative or a predicate adjective in this sentence and please explain why.
1
vote
1answer
345 views
Is it possible for a sentence to have a direct object and predicate adjective?
In school, I was taught that action verbs have direct objects and linking verbs have predicate adjectives or nominatives; however, some verbs seem to use both simultaneously.
For example, in "I made ...
2
votes
1answer
330 views
Important to learn is this stuff
This song is fun to sing.
This pizza is too hot to eat.
Is the infinitive there considered a complement of the predicate adjective?
0
votes
1answer
166 views
Is it right to say “Draw it big”, and if so, does that mean that “big” is an adverb?
If I have already talked about drawing a circle and want to say to draw a big circle, is it right to say it like this:
Draw it big.
For this next sentence, would I need an adverb in the blank or ...
8
votes
2answers
993 views
When should we use an adjective instead of an adverb after verbs(main verb)?
Here's the SAT sentence that raised my curiosity:
Strong wind, sweeping almost unchecked over great distances, is
a prime component of the grassland climate.
Although I know the sentence above ...
0
votes
1answer
307 views
Can “ were known” be considered as a copular verb?
I have to analyze the valency pattern of this clause "These glorious full colour prints that resulted were known as brocade pictures". Can I consider "were known" as a copular verb followed by the ...
4
votes
4answers
4k views
Why do we ask “Who is she?” in the subjective form? [closed]
If "her" is objective and "she" is subjective, why do we say:
'Who is she?'
instead of:
'Who is her?'
apart from the latter sounding a bit strange?
For instance:
'That car belongs to her.'
...
18
votes
7answers
5k views
Why “be king”, not “be a king”? [duplicate]
I've heard people say "be king" (as in "I can't wait to be king") in movies and TV. Why don't they say "be a king"? Which is correct?
2
votes
2answers
413 views
“end up” peculiar properties
Just putting together a lexical lesson on making life changes and thought I'd use a sentence with 'end up'. However, when I ran through various sample sentences I noticed that it is quite an unusual ...
7
votes
4answers
639 views
Is 20 dollars here a direct object or a predicate complement? 'This book cost me 20 dollars.'
In this sentence:
This book cost me 20 dollars.
Is 20 dollars a direct object or a predicative complement?
0
votes
1answer
466 views
Not my cup of tea
Heard an English teacher claim that:
"Dogs is not my cup of tea" is correct; whereas
"Dogs are not my cup of tea" is incorrect.
The explanation was that the verb form of 'to be' must agree with ...
-2
votes
1answer
429 views
The function of “young”in these sentence
He left home young
He died young
Does the word "young" act as either a predicative complement or a incidental adverbial in those sentences？And how to distinguish them?
3
votes
0answers
682 views
Does a complement phrase always follow a be verb? [closed]
Summary question
Is there a formal name for the entire portion of a sentence that is connected to the copula?"
Is it "complement"?
Background
Be verb can be followed by various things: a noun (He ...
2
votes
1answer
317 views
“I am X” vs. “X is me”
Is there a difference in grammaticality, meaning, or usage between the following two ways of phrasing the same statement?
I am sure that I am the appropriate candidate for this position.
– versus
...
1
vote
1answer
178 views
“was” or “were” when there is number mismatch between subject and predicative complement [duplicate]
I have a question about this sentence:
The only thing he feared more than the wolves were the swirling buzzards.
I believe it to be correct, but someone suggested that the "were" should be changed ...
4
votes
4answers
872 views
verb or adjective in “The blue page is *stapled* to the red page”?
Consider the following sentence.
The blue page is stapled to the red page.
Although "stapled" is (apparently) past-tense, nonetheless the above sentence is clearly expressing something about the ...
20
votes
1answer
2k views
He died [as?] a broken man
He died a broken man.
One of my students came across this sentence in an article, and a quick search for "he died a * man" yields a plethora of similar ones.
I'm fairly certain this sentence is ...
12
votes
3answers
19k views
“That was me” vs. “That was I” [duplicate]
When telling a story about myself from the past, I have found myself in an internal debate over whether the correct way to segue into the present is:
That was me twelve years ago.
Or:
That was ...
3
votes
2answers
281 views
Who is Greek president vs Who is THE Greek President
I saw this in a quiz on Stuff:
Who is Greek president?
Surely the word "the" should be in there somewhere? But I get the feeling I've heard things like "US President Barack Obama" instead of "The ...
12
votes
2answers
927 views
How come “John is friends with Jane”?
The usage in the question title seems common enough to me, though it may be more common in Britain.
But I can't exactly see what "part of speech" the word friends is here, and I can't come up with ...
24
votes
5answers
20k views
Is there any other way you can “wax” as you do when you “wax philosophical”?
The wax in the phrase "wax philosophical" is a pretty strange bird. Its wax is obviously not the ordinary definition of wax, which my dictionary summarizes as an "oily, water-resistant substance", a ...
18
votes
2answers
14k views
Agreement in “[Singular Noun] Is/Are [Plural Noun]”?
My fish's native habitat is rice fields.
My fish's native habitat are rice fields.
Which one is correct? I'm pretty sure it's the first, since 'is' modifies 'habitat,' but it still sounds weird...
28
votes
8answers
115k views
Which one is correct to say: “It's me” or “It's I”?
I was taught at school that the following expression is not grammatically correct:
Who is there? It's me.
The correct one is:
Who is there? It's I.
Can you let me know which one is accurate?
...
28
votes
2answers
78k views
Which is correct: “This is her” or “This is she”? [duplicate]
Upon answering the telephone, the person calling asks if Joan is available. If Joan is the person who answered the phone, should she say "This is her" or "This is she"?
