Definition:
The traditional term for a noun, pronoun, or other nominal that follows a linking verb (usually a form of the verb be). The contemporary term for a predicate nominative is subject complement.
In formal English, pronouns that serve as predicate nominatives are usually in the subjective (or nominative) case.
In her book Grammar Keepers, Gretchen Bernabei offers these tips: "If you think of [the] linking verb as an equal sign, what follows it is the predicate nominative.
If you switch the predicate nominative and the subject, they should still make sense" (Corwin, 2015).
See Examples and Observations, below. Also see:
Examples and Observations:
- "Cats, snakes andowls are natural enemies of mice."
(Marjorie Harris, Ecological Gardening, 3rd ed. Random House, 2009)
- Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
- Ahab is the captain of the Pequod, a whaling ship.
- "Contrary to what I believed as a little girl, being the boss almost never involves marching around, waving your arms, and chanting, 'I am the boss! I am the boss!'"
(Tina Fey, Bossypants. Little, Brown, 2011) - "We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving."
(Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, "We Are the World," 1985)
- Predicate Nominatives and Direct Objects
"A predicate nominative is identical to a direct object in that it answers the question what or who. The difference between the two is that a predicate nominative will be the 'object' of a linking verb. The most common linking verb is be."
(Pam Mathis, Blueprints for Writing: Building Essays. Wadsworth, Cengage, 2014)
- Uses of the Predicate Nominative
"The predicate nominative is used with the verb to be and all its forms: be, am, is, are, was, were and been. Think of the verb as an equal sign: What's on one side of it is the same as what's on the other side, especially when it comes to pronoun case.
"For example, when you answer a phone and someone asks for you, you should say, This is he or This is she. You know the subject is in the nominative case. He or she is the predicate nominative. Going by the rules you should say It is I. Through widespread use, however, It's me has become acceptable."
(Buck Ryan and Michael J. O'Donnell, The Editor's Toolbox: A Reference Guide for Beginners and Professionals. Wiley-Blackwell, 2001) - A Complement Question
Q. Can a predicate nominative and a predicate adjective be found in the same sentence?" asked a writer.
A. They certainly can. Here is an example: "He is a house husband and quite content." The subject of the sentence is he. The verb is is a linking verb. The noun husband is a predicate nominative and the adjectivecontent is a predicate adjective. Both types of subject complements follow a single linking verb. Contemporary grammarians view the entire phrase a house husband and quite content as a single subject complement.
(Michael Strumpf and Auriel Douglas, The Grammar Bible. Macmillan, 2004)
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