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Difference between complement and predicate

Murphy Wu

Senior Member
Chinese
Hi, my friends. Here is the question which keeps bothering me for a long time.
I know the subject complement is to describe the subject, such as a noun, adj, even a clause after be verb or linking.
But predicate nominative and complement, also called the subject complement, (I looked it up in website) are these which confuse me a lot.

May I say, "predicate nominative and adjective" are the same as a subject complement? Great thanks.
Can you give us some examples of the term you are asking about? Here are the basic uses in a simple sentence:

(1) The president resigned.
(2) The dog chased the cat.
(3) The idea seems a good one.
(4) The idea seems helpful.
(5) The president considers the idea helpful.

You know what the subject is. In these simple examples it's 'the' + another noun. The predicate is the rest: 'resigned', 'chased the cat', 'seems a good one', 'seems helpful'. Sentence (2) has an object, a noun phrase after the verb. Sentence (3) also has a noun phrase after the verb, but the cat and the dog are different things, whereas the idea and 'a good one' are the same thing, so in (3) it's a subject complement. This can also be an adjective phrase, as in (4). In (5) it is still the idea that is the same as 'helpful', but now the idea is the object, so 'helpful' is an object complement.

How does what you are asking about fit in with these?
Can you give us some examples of the term you are asking about? Here are the basic uses in a simple sentence:

(1) The president resigned.
(2) The dog chased the cat.
(3) The idea seems a good one.
(4) The idea seems helpful.
(5) The president considers the idea helpful.

You know what the subject is. In these simple examples it's 'the' + another noun. The predicate is the rest: 'resigned', 'chased the cat', 'seems a good one', 'seems helpful'. Sentence (2) has an object, a noun phrase after the verb. Sentence (3) also has a noun phrase after the verb, but the cat and the dog are different things, whereas the idea and 'a good one' are the same thing, so in (3) it's a subject complement. This can also be an adjective phrase, as in (4). In (5) it is still the idea that is the same as 'helpful', but now the idea is the object, so 'helpful' is an object complement.

How does what you are asking about fit in with these?
Thanks for replying soon. I mean are these terms the same meanings by predicate nominative (or adjective) and subject complement?
Can you give us some examples of the term you are asking about? Where did you see this term, and what examples did it give?
Hi, my friends. Here is the question which keeps bothering me for a long time.
I know the subject complement is to describe the subject, such as a noun, adj, even a clause after be verb or linking.
But predicate nominative and complement, also called the subject complement, (I looked it up in website) are these which confuse me a lot.

May I say, "predicate nominative and adjective" are the same as a subject complement? Great thanks.
Not quite: if they refer to the subject they are called subject complements, but if they refer to the object they are typically called object complements.

seems . [adjective phrase as subjective complement]
is . [noun phrase as subjective complement]
I consider . [adjective phrase as objective complement]
They elected . [noun phrase as objective complement]

Subjective and objective complements are subtypes of the more general term, 'predicative complement'.

Note that in the above examples, the adjective/noun phrase denotes a property that is ascribed to the referent of the subject or object.

It is also possible for the predicative complement to be of the specifying kind if the verb is "be":

The last person to leave was
What they gave me was .
Last edited:
I mean are these terms the same meanings by predicate nominative (or adjective) and subject complement?
Yes: "A predicate nominative (also called a predicate noun) is a word or group of words that completes a linking verb and renames the subject." (Predicate Nominative | What Is a Predicate Nominative?)
"A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies (i.e., describes) the subject of the linking verb."

A subject complement is typically one or other of the above.
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