Questions tagged [predicative-complement]
The predicative-complement tag has no usage guidance.
43 questions
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If it is "it wasn't me" then is it "it wasn't us"?
I've many times heard this phrase:
It wasn't me
Here the case of me is accusative. In that case should we say
It wasn't us
if the agent is plural?
- 193
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votes
2
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310
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What's "A Slave" in "12 Years A Slave"?
A grammatical analysis of the title for the movie "12 Years A Slave" has baffled me. Particularly the fact that possibly some kind of inversion (A Slave for 12 Years ⟶ 12 Years A Slave) has taken ...
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Articles: "as leader" -- why not "as the leader"?
Source: AP Exclusive: Afghan Taliban leader claims 'victory' in city
Example:
The dramatic Taliban assault on Kunduz, a city of some 300,000 — and the boasts of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor — appeared ...
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2
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'I am he' or 'I am him'?
I want to say that that person is me. But then, precisely, I want to keep the pronoun in place to add some spice and power to it! Otherwise, better choices are... That person is me/that's me, I'm that ...
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2
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Is "close" in this sentence an adjective or an adverb?
The sentence is the following.
"We came close to landing the deal, but the contractor turned us down at the last minute."
I would like to know whether "close" in that sentence is an adjective or ...
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3
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3
answers
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grammar difference between "to make dry dishes" vs "to make the dishes dry"
(Background: I'm a native English speaker who is learning French. The more I learn about French grammar, the more questions I have about English grammar).
(More Background: I wanted to translate the ...
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5
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what is the last thing you ordered takeout? -- how do you understand this sentence grammatically? I'm taking about "takeout"
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REgfziJqD14#t=1m48s (at 1 min. 48 sec., just click the link and it will take you to the exact timing automatically)
What is the last thing you ordered takeout?
...
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2
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Is it correct to say that any adjective consisting of "number + noun" cannot be used predicatively? E.g.: "The waist is thirty-inch" is unnatural
my conclusion from an answer on ell.stackexchange.com:
(1a) It is a five-story building. — natural
(1b) The building is five-story. — unnatural
(2a) It is a five-person tent. — natural
(2b) The tent ...
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3
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2
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Singular Subject X + is + Plural Noun Y & Plural Noun Y + are + Singular Subject X, right?
In the official translation of a policy statement by a German politician it reads
Our greatest strength is our alliances.
As a German native, this makes me cringe, because the German rule is
"...
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1
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Our eyes have remained the same size
Our eyes have remained the same size.
In this sentence, I can't think what is
the role of 'the same size' ?
is it object of remained or
is it a complement ?
Please explain this to me briefly.
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1
answer
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"Often" as complement of BE
Often is an adverb according to Oxford Dictionaries Online.
ADVERB
1 Frequently; many times.
'he often goes for long walks by himself'
'how often do you have your hair cut?'
1.1 ...
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3
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1
answer
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Can we call England "a member nation" of the UK?
Overall, these data support the hypothesis that the UK will see an older population after half a century, which is the result of increases in the proportion of elderly people in each member nation.
I ...
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3
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I am being hungry
We are being robbed.
Being means right now happening.
Can I say "I am being hungry"?
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3
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"He is king" vs "He is a king."
I'm reading a book and encountering the phrase "insert name is king" a lot. I'm wondering, what's the difference between them? When and why should I use "He is king" instead of "He is a king"?
...
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3
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Prepositional phrase modifies another prepositional phrase? Or both modify the verb?
Consider:
Smoke hung in the air above the city.
I see lots of sentences containing the structure of "verbal phrase + prepositional phrase + prepositional phrase" like the example above.
I just do ...
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2
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3
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what is the function of "a foot" in this sentence?
"Tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high."
Does "a foot" function as an adverbial phrase or subject complement?
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2
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1
answer
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Why doesn't "Kinda good" work as an attributive adjective?
The movie is kinda good. (Predicative - Sounds okay)
It is a kinda good movie. (Attributive - Sounds kinda wrong?)
Why is this so?
There were very few results for "is a kinda good movie" ...
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4
answers
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What is the function of ‘before clause’ in the sentence？
When I was reading the book The Giver， I read the following sentences.
There was a time, actually—you’ll see this in the memories later—when
flesh was many different colors. That was before we ...
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2
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How reliable is Word's grammar checker?
I am a foolish.
How s you.
Do these sentences have grammar problems?
Because I think foolish is an adjective.
In general, how reliable is Word's grammar checker? What do I have to watch out for?
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2
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Verbs which are always followed by past participle
You seem unconcerned.
The sauce tastes burned.
In these two sentences, past participle of verbs, unconcerned and burned, have been used after two especial verbs, seem and tastes. Are they always ...
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vote
3
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this trip is overnight?
It's grammatically correct to say this overnight trip but is it possible to say This trip is overnight?
And what is the difference between
It happened overnight.
It happened over the night.
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1
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They are called a cat/cat/cats/the cat
What are these animals called?
1) They are called a cat.
2) They are called cat.
3) They are called cats.
4) They are called the cat.
The first one doesn't look correct as I am ...
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3
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"The book fell open"
What is meaning of the sentence : The book fell open at a page of illustrations.
The sentence doesn’t have subject ( it is passive ) for example somebody has opened the book and the book is open ...
Ehsan
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2
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usage of "as + adjective"
Consider:
All cases involving children are treated as urgent.
The man was described as tall and dark, and aged about 20.
How "as" can collocate with adjectives here?
If I omitted "as&...
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vote
1
answer
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Is this a predicative adjunct?
Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and
sent it zigzagging away into the air. (Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone)
‘Zigzagging’ seems to be a predicative adjunct ...
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1
vote
1
answer
86
views
What is the object in "They want us to help."?
Quirk's CGEL (p.1171) classifies "B8 They want us to help." under Type SVO (To-infinitive+S as O), where "us" is supposed to be the semantic subject of the verb "help." ...
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4
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Differentiating between Passive verb and link verb plus adjective
Introduction
Get-passive is another way of passive construction. 'Get' instead of 'be' verb.
The window got (is) broken.
All passive voices should have an agent which can be omitted.
So, The window ...
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2
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"To Be" conjugation with Inversions?
Looking at the TV was/were John and Jane.
Should "to be" be conjugated in the singular or plural form? My first thought was that it should agree with Looking at the TV; after all it comes ...
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2
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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, ...
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4
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47
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"much" in predicative position
I'm wondering whether "seem / be like much" means "(seem to) cost a lot" in the following.
items such as paper and pens do not seem (like) much.
This pen seems like too much.
This pen seems ...
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1
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Can 'all' be used as a predicative complement?
"But what are you going to do with it [= dragon’s egg] when it's
hatched?" said Hermione. "Well, I've bin doin' some readin', said
Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this ...
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1
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"That would be more than enough". Is 'more' the head of the complement or 'enough'?
It has over 100,000 words and meanings. You'd think that would be
more than enough for most of us but meanings change and new words are being created all the time.
Might I trouble you to tell me ...
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1
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Is it correct to use "make" this way?
I saw a sentence on instagram: "make yourself protagonist". Shouldn't it be "make yourself be a protagonist"?
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1
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Is 'skeptical' an adverbial accusative in this sentence?
I understand 'good' is an adverb meaning 'well' in this example sentence of 'start out' in the Merriam-Webster dictionary :
The story started out good, but I didn't like the ending.
But I think '...
user157844
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1
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"the problem is + v-ing" vs "the problem is + bare infinitives" vs "the problem is + to-infinitives"
A: What is the problem?
B: The problem is making sure that everything works fine.
B: The problem is to make sure that everything works fine.
B: The problem is make sure that everything works fine.
...
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0
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1
answer
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dead: predicative or attributive?
I know that dead is an adjective.
however, in two sentences,
He is dead
Dead man is over there.
I am confused of property of adjective.
It seemed that 1 used as predicative adjective, whereas ...
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1
answer
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Which one is the ellipsis of the sentence?
So, I thought that by taking an unrealistically utopian approach, I
could keep the business from growing too much. Instead of trying to
make it big, I was going to make it small. It was the ...
- 1,891
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1
answer
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there is a great deal more going on
I want to know the grammatical rule of more in the following context and the meaning of going on. Also, why is the verb used in progressive tense?
"When you look at a tree, you may notice only the ...
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Object or complement?
'In that year Mary Carson, although she was suffering from cancer, wrote a wonderful book of poetry.'
Identifying the clause constituent, is 'a wonderful book of poetry' here a complement or an ...
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0
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"Named" only immediately after a noun, not after a linking verb
Collins cobuild usage says
You can use called either after a noun or after be, the book was
called The Goalkeeper's Revenge.
You only use named immediately after a noun, The victim was an
18-year-old ...
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2
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How do you identify the grammatical construction of these sentences?
Robby is so perplexed not being told about the accident.
Maudy always gets nervous when talking to strangers.
Both sentences have a predicative adjective as a subject complement. My confusion is ...
0
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1
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364
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Can any other word have the form grow + adjective?
While reading some books, I came across this phrase.
before Nate grows tired of walking in circles with me
And here's the whole paragraph.
I break for the oak tree, dragging Nate behind me. I find ...
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0
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May You Use a Predicative Complement in Front of I Feel, I, Subject, Feel, Copular Verb?
Badness, I feel.
Badness, feel I.
Bad, I feel.
May you grammatically use a predicative complement in front of feel (copular verb)?
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