Part 89 (2/2)

The number of copulative verbs is small They are: all forms of the verb _be_; also, _like_, _appear_, _look_, _feel_, _sound_, _smell_, _become_, _seem_, etc These verbs require a noun or an adjective or a phrase as a co They are really connective words serving to connect the noun or adjective or phrase used in the predicate with the noun which they modify The noun or adjective or phrase used to co of the copulative verb is called a predicate complement For example:

The man is a hero

Here we have a noun, _hero_, used as a predicate complement after the copulative verb, _is_, to describe the noun _man_

The man is class-conscious

In this sentence, we have an adjective, _class-conscious_, in the predicate to modify the subject, _man_ It is connected with the subject by the copulative verb _is_

The man is in earnest

Here we have a phrase, _in earnest_, used in the predicate to modify the noun _man_, and connected with the subject by the copulative verb _is_

+412+ So in the predicate with the copulative verbs--incomplete verbs which express state or condition--we may use a noun or an adjective or a phrase A noun used as the predicate complement may have modifiers It may be modified by one or more adjectives or adjective phrases These adjectives in turn may be modified by adverbs The complete predicate, then, is the copulative verb with its predicate complement and all its eneral of the Civil war

In this sentence, _Grant_ is the coeneral of the Civil war_ is the coeneral_ is the noun used as the predicate coeneral_; _ the adjective _famous_, and, _of the Civil war_ is an adjective phrase eneral_, so our coeneral of the Civil war_

When an adjective is used in the predicate complement it, too, may have modifiers and more than one adjective may be used For example:

The man is very brave and loyal to his class

Here we have two adjectives used in the predicate complement, _brave_ and _loyal_ _Brave_ is modified by the adverb _very_, and _loyal_ is modified by the adverb phrase, _to his class_ The complete predicate is, _is very brave and loyal to his class_

When we use a phrase as a predicate complement, it, too, may have modifiers and more than one phrase ht and deeply in earnest

In this sentence, two phrases are used in the predicate coht_ and _in earnest_ The second phrase, _in earnest_ is modified by the adverb _deeply_ The coht and deeply in earnest_

Exercise 5

Fill the blanks in the following sentences with a noun and its modifiers used as predicate complement Name all of the parts of speech which you have used in the predicate complement as we have done in the sentences analyzed above:

The men are _loyal members of the Union_

Slavery is

Liberty will be

War is

The machine is

The children were

Fill the blanks in the following sentences with one or more adjectives and their modifiers used in the predicate complement

The work is _hard and destructive to the children_

The history will be

Labor has been