Subject complements are words that
mean the same.
follow linking verbs.
Oshow action.
follow proper names.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: follow linking verbs.
Explanation:
Subject complements are words or phrases that follow linking verbs and provide additional information about the subject of the sentence. They typically serve to describe or identify the subject. Linking verbs, such as “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “seem,” “become,” and others, act as connectors between the subject and the subject complement.
Subject complements can be either predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives:
- Predicate nominative: A noun or pronoun that renames or identifies the subject. It provides more specific information about the subject. For example:
- “She is a teacher.”
- In this sentence, the word “teacher” is a subject complement because it renames the subject “She” and follows the linking verb “is.”
- Predicate adjective: An adjective that describes the subject. It follows the linking verb and tells us something about the subject’s state or condition. For example:
- “The cake smells delicious.”
- Here, the word “delicious” is a subject complement because it describes the subject “cake” and follows the linking verb “smells.”
Subject complements do not show action. This is because action verbs express activity or movement, while linking verbs describe a state of being or condition, which is why they require a subject complement to give the sentence meaning.
Subject complements do not follow proper names either, as proper names are typically used to identify specific people, places, or things, and they do not function the same way as subject complements. For example, in the sentence “John is a student,” “John” is a proper noun, but “student” is the subject complement that follows the linking verb “is.”
Thus, the defining characteristic of a subject complement is its placement after a linking verb, either as a noun (predicate nominative) or an adjective (predicate adjective), to provide more information about the subject.