Subject Complements for intermediate learners
Subject complements are placed after linking verbs. Follow the article to learn more about them.
What Are Subject Complements?
Subject complements, also known as predicative adjectives, are used after linking verbs like 'be', 'become', 'appear', 'taste' and etc. to describe the subject. These complements are necessary for the clauses to be meaningful and complete.
Types
We have five groups of subject complements in English. Take a look at the following list:
Now let us analyze some of them:
Noun Phrases as Subject Complements
As you probably know, noun phrases can be a single word or two or more words together. However, these noun phrases can describe the subject and function as subject complements. Study the following examples:
Miss Hale has a
Those two ladies there are
As you can see, the highlighted nouns are describing the subject.
Pronouns as Subject Complements
All kinds of pronouns (subjective, objective, demonstrative, interrogative, and indefinite) can be used as subject complements. Let us study the following examples:
Her favorite color is
Here, a demonstrative pronoun has been used to complement the subject.
Lana is doing
As you can see, an interrogative pronoun is functioning as a subject complement.
Warning!
Please note that subjective pronouns are not commonly used as subject complements nowadays.
Adjective Phrases as Complements
Adjective phrases can be a single word or more. They are used to describe subjects. Look at the following examples:
The blue roses are
The city is
As you can see, an adjective has been used to describe the subject.
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