He felt afraid (how the heck is afraid an adjective)

[nq:1]I just looked up "afraid" in the Cambridge dictionary. It insists afraid is an "adjective". The sentence they provide slips in an adverb: He felt suddently afraid.[/nq]
The adverb "suddenly" modifies the adjective "afraid".
[nq:1]Yet, how is that different than: He felt afraid.[/nq]
Here, there is no adverb modifying the adjective "afraid".
[nq:1]It seems to me that "afraid"

[nq:1]I just looked up "afraid" in the Cambridge dictionary. It insists afraid is an "adjective". The sentence they provide slips ... did he "FEEL". Help me ... how the heck is afraid an adjective in this sentence from the Cambridge dictionary.[/nq]
Many verbs take an adjective complement:
He was afraid.
He felt afraid.
He felt happy.
He called me stupid.
Note the differenc

[nq:2]I just looked up "afraid" in the Cambridge dictionary. It ... they provide slips in an adverb: He felt suddently afraid.[/nq]
[nq:1]The adverb "suddenly" modifies the adjective "afraid".[/nq]
Quash me if I am wrong, Mike, but doesn't "suddenly" modify the verb "felt"? You could say, "He felt suddenly happy, anxious, elated, bla bla adjective of choice. Suddenly he felt something. See

[nq:2]The adverb "suddenly" modifies the adjective "afraid".[/nq]
[nq:1]Quash me if I am wrong, Mike, but doesn't "suddenly" modify the verb "felt"? You could say, "He felt suddenly ... like deeply, slightly, vividly, keenly, stupidly, jarringly (is that a word?) etc.. Is "suddenly" modifying the verb phrase "felt afraid"?[/nq]
The sentence can be parsed either way.

Mike Nitabach

It's a poorly written sentence. As it is written, the implication is that one can feel "suddenly afraid". I don't know how that could happen. I would expect that the person "suddenly felt" afraid, as that makes a lot more sense. The "suddenly" then does indeed apply to the "feel".
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

[nq:2]Quash me if I am wrong, Mike, but doesn't "suddenly" ... The addition of "suddenly" tells us when he "felt afraid."[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a poorly written sentence. As it is written, the implication is that one can feel "suddenly afraid". I don't ... person "suddenly felt" afraid, as that makes a lot more sense. The "suddenly" then does indeed apply to the "feel".[/nq]
You step off the cur

[nq:2]It's a poorly written sentence. As it is written, the ... sense. The "suddenly" then does indeed apply to the "feel".[/nq]
[nq:1]You step off the curb and a hitherto unseen car blows by you with inches to spare. You just experienced sudden fear. In other words, you were suddenly afraid.[/nq]
Good example. I see it now.

Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opu

[nq:2]The adverb "suddenly" modifies the adjective "afraid".[/nq]
[nq:1]Quash me if I am wrong, Mike, but doesn't "suddenly" modify the verb "felt"?[/nq]
No. For it to do so the sentence would need to be rewritten "He suddenly felt afraid."
[nq:1]You could say, "He felt suddenly happy, anxious, elated, bla bla adjective of choice. Suddenly he felt something. Seems to ... like deeply, s

[nq:2]Quash me if I am wrong, Mike, but doesn't "suddenly" ... The addition of "suddenly" tells us when he "felt afraid."[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a poorly written sentence. As it is written, the implication is that one can feel "suddenly afraid". I don't know how that could happen.[/nq]
Maybe you're bolder than the rest of us.
[nq:1]I would expect that the person "suddenly felt" afraid, as tha

[nq:1]Many verbs take an adjective complement: He was afraid. He felt afraid. He felt happy. He called me stupid.[/nq]
And when they do, we call them linking verbs. 'To be' is a linking verb as are many others which can be replaced by 'to be'. The adjective complements (further describes) the noun 'cloth', not the verb, so it's an adjective. Some other common verbs which can be used as linking