predicate adjective
nounGrammar.
an adjective used in the predicate, especially with a copulative verb and attributive to the subject, as in He is dead, or attributive to the direct object, as in It made him sick.
Origin of predicate adjective
1First recorded in 1880–85
Words Nearby predicate adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use predicate adjective in a sentence
In some of these examples, the predicate adjective has a modifier.
An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises | George Lyman KittredgeA Subjective predicate adjective is an adjective that completes the verb and modifies the subject.
Ontario Normal School Manuals: Science of Education | Ontario Ministry of EducationA predicate adjective completes the meaning of the predicate verb, but describes or limits the subject.
An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises | George Lyman KittredgeIn the second, the participle drenched expresses mere condition, and is therefore a predicate adjective.
An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises | George Lyman KittredgeThe past participle is often used as a predicate adjective expressing state or condition.
An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises | George Lyman Kittredge
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