A predicate noun, or predicate nominative, is a noun or noun phrase that renames or provides more information about the subject of the sentence. It follows a linking verb (such as “am,” “are” or “is”) or an action verb (such as “smell” or “taste”).
Predicate Nouns After Linking Verbs
- I am now acting president of the corporation.
- Wind turbines are a renewable source of power.
- Many people’s favorite movie genre is action or drama.
- Mario Garcia has been councilman for five years.
- When the plot is discovered, Andrea will be a suspect.
- A teenager’s favorite food must be hot dogs.
- My homes have been a basement apartment, a trailer and a house.
- Dinner can be whatever you find in the refrigerator.
- Kathy has been my neighbor since I moved in.
- J. K. Rowling may be one of the best writers ever.
- Rhonda used to be the tallest girl in her class.
- An honest man should have been the leader of the country.
- At the end of the tournament, my daughter was the leader.
- He is being a real help to his mother.
- Before the competition, they were the favorites to win.
- Pavarotti was a wonderful tenor.
- BMWs and Mercedes are luxury cars.
- For many of us on the team, the fans were an embarrassment.
- When I was younger, my favorite pastime was reading.
- You will be elected when the votes are counted.
- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first astronauts to walk in the moon.
Predicate Nouns After Action Verbs
- Smoking in bed appeared to be the cause of the fire.
- Carrie’s plan seemed a workable one.
- Bob and his brother stayed bitter enemies for years.
- During the heat wave, dehydration became a threat for active citizens.
- For the next twenty years, we remained friends.
- For a child, a short walk can turn into a fact-finding mission.
- Finding alternative sources of energy appears to be the answer.
- My son became a professional soccer player.
- Serena’s brother remains the leader in sales for this region.
- The secretary’s attitude seems a mystery to all her coworkers
- We stayed partners in spite of the recession.
- Nice people can turn into monsters if they get angry.
Predicate Nouns in Quotes
- “Today is a king in disguise.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “We are the world/We are the children/We are the ones who make a brighter day/So let’s start giving.” – “We Are the World” by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie
- “I am the king of the world!” – Titanic
- “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg.” – C. S. Lewis
- “A liar begins with making falsehood appear like truth, and ends with making truth itself appear like falsehood.” – William Shenstone
- ”When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That’s relativity.” – Albert Einstein
Hopefully these examples have given you a better understanding of exactly what predicate nouns are. Predicate nouns are handy little phrases that let you tell more information about the subject of the sentence.
