According to traditional grammars, adjectives as words that modify or describe nouns. An adjective phrase is a phrase that consists of an adjective functioning as the head of the phrase plus any modifiers or complements.
In grammar, a subject complement is a word, phrase, or clause that follows a copular, or linking, verb and describes the subject of a clause. Adjectives and adjective phrases often function as subject complements in English. An adjective that performs the grammatical function of subject complement is also called a predicate adjective. Examples of adjectives and adjective phrases as subject complements include the following:
- Roses are red. (adjective)
- Violets are blue. (adjective)
- The patient appears ill. (adjective)
- My soup tastes peppery. (adjective)
- Those children are quite rowdy. (adjective phrase)
- That hand lotion is too sticky. (adjective phrase)
- Some men are fond of football. (adjective phrase)
- Your daughter seems much too shy to try out. (adjective phrase)
Adjective and Adjective Phrase as Subject Complements
Adjective Phrase as Subject Complement
References
Brinton, Laurel J. & Donna M. Brinton. 2010. The linguistic structure of Modern English, 2nd edn. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Hopper, Paul J. 1999. A short course in grammar. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Huddleston, Rodney. 1984. Introduction to the grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
