Need help

Question

what is the predicate adjective in this sentence: Mom has a tasty recipe for that dish.

Philip · Accepted Answer

Tasty is an adjective, and it appears in the predicate. It's not an example, however, of what I normally consider a predicate adjective, which would be: That dish is very tasty.

Regards · Answer

PhilipTasty is an adjective, and it appears in the predicate. It's not an example, however, of what I normally consider a predicate adjective, which would be: That dish is very tasty.

Hi,

I wouldn't say that tasty is a predicate adjective in this context. Predicate adjectives are adjectives followed by a linking verb. Popular linking verbs are: is, are, were, seem, look, smell, sound, have / has been, appear, become, remain, etc. However, I wouldn't consider "have / has (only!)" a linking verb.

Let's take a look at the following examples:

She is beautiful - Beautiful is the predicate adjective.

It sounds odd - Odd is the predicate adjective.

She has been annoying - Annoying is the predicate adjective.

She were annoying - Annoying is the predicate adjective.

The dish is tasty - Tasty is the predicate adjective.

She has a tasty dish - Tasty here isn't a predicate adjective as it doesn't describe her; it describes the dish!

Therefore, "have" is an auxiliary verb, not a linking verb.

For example: She has a black ball. Obviously, she is not a black ball; she only owns the ball.

Regards

Need help

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions