Predicate Adjectives: Definition and Examples

A predicate adjective modifies the subject of a sentence. This Penlighten article explains this type of adjective with the help of a list of commonly used predicate adjectives and their usage in sentences.

Quick Tip!

Predicate noun and predicate adjectives can often be confused with each other, since both appear after a linking verb. Remember that a predicate noun is a noun that follows a linking verb, while a predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb.

An adjective is a word that describes the subject of a sentence. It is an important part of speech, and is used to describe, quantify, and identify nouns and pronouns. Depending on their usage, adjectives are classified into the following types:

• Attributive
• Absolute
• Nominal
• Predicate

A predicate adjective is that type of adjective, which modifies the subject of a sentence, and is linked to the subject with a linking verb. The most common linking verbs used to connect the subject and predicate adjective are am, is, are, feel, get, grow, look, seem, smell, taste, sound, prove, stay, keep, remain, etc.

For example, in the sentence, “The shoes are small”, the subject ‘shoes’ is linked to the predicate adjective ‘small’ with the help of the linking verb ‘are’. Let us take a look at a list of the most commonly used predicate adjectives, and their usage in sentences.

Commonly Used Predicate Adjectives

Usage of Predicate Adjectives in Sentences

Apart from the ones mentioned above, adjectives are classified into several other types. They include possessive adjectives, interrogative adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, indefinite adjectives, descriptive adjectives, numeric adjectives, etc.