Predicative position of adjectives
Adjectives can be placed after be (is, am, are, was, were) and other copular verbs like look, seem, appear, feel etc. In this case, the adjective describes the subject of the sentence.
-
She is beautiful.
- Our house is small.
- This car is new, isn't it?
- She looked tired.
- I felt sorry for her.
- The fish tasted awful.
- I was surprised to hear the news.
- She seemed upset.
Adjectives used only in predicative position
1. Some adjectives beginning with the letter 'a-' are used mainly in predicative position.
Examples are: afraid, afloat, alight, alike, alive, alone,
asleep, awake etc.
Before nouns we use other words.
-
The baby fell asleep.
- The deer saw a sleeping tiger. (NOT... saw an asleep
tiger.)
- He is afraid.
- He is a frightened man. (NOT...an afraid
man.)
2. The adjectives ill and well are most common
in predicative position.
Before a noun, we use other words.
- She is ill.
- He is an unhealthy child. (NOT... an ill
child.)
- Who looks after the sick people? (NOT...ill
people.)
- She speaks English well.
- I can speak good English. (NOT...well
English.)
See also
Common mistakes in the use of nouns
Common mistakes in the use of nouns | Exercise 1
Common mistakes in the use of nouns | Exercise 2
Common mistakes in the use of nouns | Exercise 3
More CBSE English Grammar worksheets
Passive voice worksheet | Simple past tensePassive voice worksheet | Past continuous tense
Passive voice worksheet | Simple future tense
Passive voice worksheet | Future perfect tense