A predicative expression (or just predicative) is part of a clause predicate, and is an expression that typically follows a copula or linking verb, e.g. be, seem, appear, or that appears as a second complement of a certain type of verb, e.g. call, make, name, etc.[1] The most frequently acknowledged types of predicative expressions are predicative adjectives (also predicate adjectives) and predicative nominals (also predicate nominals). The main trait of all predicative expressions is that they serve to express a property that is assigned to a "subject", whereby this subject is usually the clause subject, but at times it can be the clause object.[2] A primary distinction is drawn between predicative (also predicate) and attributive expressions. Further, predicative expressions are typically not clause arguments, and they are also typically not clause adjuncts. There is hence a three-way distinction between predicative expressions, arguments, and adjuncts.
The terms predicative expression on the one hand, and subject complement and object complement on the other hand overlap in meaning to a large extent.
^See for instance Burton-Roberts (1997:79).
^See for instance Radford (2004:353).
and 21 Related for: Predicative expression information
A predicativeexpression (or just predicative) is part of a clause predicate, and is an expression that typically follows a copula or linking verb, e.g...
grammatical predicate Predicative expression, part of a clause that typically follows a copula (linking verb) Predicative verb, a verb that behaves as a...
are functioning just like other predicativeexpressions, e.g. predicative adjectives (That was good) and predicative nominals (That was the truth). They...
kids are happy", wherein happy is a predicate adjective (see also: Predicativeexpression, Subject complement); or as an appositive adjective within a noun...
Noun phrases often function as verb subjects and objects, as predicativeexpressions, and as complements of prepositions. One NP can be embedded inside...
In traditional grammar, a subject complement is a predicativeexpression that follows a copula (commonly known as a linking verb), which complements the...
In grammar, an object complement is a predicativeexpression that follows a direct object of an attributive ditransitive verb or resultative verb and that...
(subject-copula-predicativeexpression, e.g. Fred is the plumber) is reversed in a sense, so that one appears to have the order PCS instead (predicativeexpression-copula-subject...
etc., as determined by the context. A related use is that of the predicativeexpression, as in sentences like the book is mine. Here mine may be considered...
e.g., The bird is in the tree. – is serves as a copula with a predicativeexpression not containing any other verb. Definitions of auxiliary verbs are...
(with present participle: She felt him breathing on her neck.) As a predicativeexpression in pseudo-cleft sentences of the following type: What I did was...
it as a "predicate nominal over the subject" (as in the article Predicativeexpression); but all would agree that it is not an object since became is not...
Predicative programming is the original name of a formal method for program specification and refinement, more recently called a Practical Theory of Programming...
"To err is human" or "To know me is to love me." the object of a predicativeexpression: "What you should do is make a list" or "To know me is to love me"...
book to Nikolai. A subject complement (variously called a predicativeexpression, predicative, predicate noun or adjective, or complement) appears in a...
him, someone gave him the ball, Mary was with him. When used as a predicativeexpression, i.e. as the complement of a form of the copula verb be, the subjective...
the weather in March cheese from France with live bacteria As a predicativeexpression (complement of a copula) The key is under the stone. As an adjunct...
introducing ad hoc aspects. One example is C++ template specialization. In a predicative type system (also known as a prenex polymorphic system), type variables...
A secondary predicate is a (mostly adjectival) predicativeexpression that conveys information about the subject or the object but is not the main predicate...
modifies the noun, "shortage." Adverbs can sometimes be used as predicativeexpressions; in English, this applies especially to adverbs of location: Your...
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