What Are Predicate Nouns and Predicate Pronouns?

What are Predicate Nouns and Predicate Pronouns?

Learning about English grammar doesn’t sound riveting, but knowing how to properly form and write sentences is instrumental for success in your personal or professional life. Understanding the format of a sentence and parts of speech, like the definition of a predicate pronoun, will make you sound more intelligent and better educated.

Predicate pronoun examples and other sample sentences can help you solidify your grasp on this concept. Predicate adjectives are also an option within the use of nouns and pronouns. Prepositional phrases can be used in certain instances of using these nouns and pronouns too, and action verbs and adverbs may also be needed in some situations. Conjunctions, subject complements and indirect objects can all be used with predicate nouns and predicate pronouns using English language tactics. Infinitives, nominative cases, noun phrases, object pronouns, personal pronouns, states of being, subjects of a sentence, subject pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and certain tenses will also be needed in some cases with these uses as well.

The following sentences and examples explain the inclusions of predicate nouns and pronouns:

Understand Sentences and Parts of Speech

Before you can understand predicate noun examples, you must understand what a predicate is. Simply put, sentences have two parts: ‌the subject‌ (who or what did the action) and a ‌predicate‌ (which contains the verb, or action word, and more information about the subject. Most of the time, the predicate of a sentence comes after the subject is introduced.

It’s also important to understand different types of words. A ‌noun‌ is a word that refers to a person, place or thing. Car, Mike, island and Miami are all nouns. Common nouns are used to name general things and are not capitalized. Examples of ‌common nouns‌ are city, kids and doctor. A proper noun names a specific person, place or idea and must be capitalized. Miami, Kate and Dr. Jones are all examples of proper nouns.

A ‌pronoun‌ is a word that stands in for a noun. Common pronouns are he, she, it or they; his, hers, theirs, etc. These words can be used to replace a noun so that it’s not repeated again and again. For example, instead of saying “Jim went to Jim’s house,” you would instead say, “Jim went to his house.”

Know the Predicate Pronoun Definition and Predicate Noun Definition

Once you understand parts of speech and sentence formation, it’s easy to understand the definition of predicate pronouns and predicate nouns. At the simplest level, they are nouns and pronouns that appear in the predicate of a sentence and provide more information on the ‌subject of the sentence‌.

Predicate nouns usually follow a form of the verb “to be.” The different forms of this verb include: is, was, am, are, be, being, been, has been, may be and were. Predicate nouns can also follow other “linking verbs,” action words that link the subject with the predicate noun. Linking verbs like “smell,” “grow” or “become” can also be used. Predicate nominatives are also a name of these sections of sentences as well.

Predicate Pronoun Examples and Predicate Noun Examples

Although the explanation may sound difficult, it’s easy to understand the definition of a predicate pronoun when you see examples of predicate nouns and pronouns. Consider these predicate pronoun examples:

• ‌Zander is my teacher.‌ In this sentence, “teacher” is the predicate noun that provides more information on the subject, Zander.
• ‌Caterpillars grow into butterflies.‌ In this sentence, butterflies is the predicate noun that provides more information on the subject, caterpillars.
• ‌The dog is hers.‌ In this sentence, hers is the predicate pronoun that provides more information on the subject, dog.

If you feel that you need more practice to understand predicate nouns and pronouns, it is easy to find predicate pronouns worksheets online. Completing predicate pronouns worksheets can help you feel more comfortable using predicate nouns and pronouns in your speech and writing.

Predicate Nouns Are Not Direct Objects

In order to really understand the predicate pronoun definition and what a predicate nouns is, you need to understand what they are not. Predicate nouns and pronouns are ‌not direct objects.‌ Direct objects are nouns or pronouns that the verb acts upon.

Predicate nouns and pronouns, however, provide additional information about the subject. So it’s important to remember that just because a noun or pronoun appears in the predicate, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a predicate noun.

Consider these examples:

• Josh kicked the ball. In this sentence, the noun ball is a direct object; it is what Josh kicked.
• Josh is an athlete. In this sentence, athlete is a predicate noun, which provides more information on the subject, Josh.

Predicate pronouns worksheets can help you practice identifying predicate nouns and pronouns, without confusing them with direct objects.