Passive Voice and Predicate Nouns/Adjectives

Question

I was wondering what you call a noun renaming the subject but located in the predicate when the sentence is in passive voice.

Active Voice example: The coach named the player captain.

Coach = Subject

named = transitive verb

player = direct object

captain = object complement noun

If this is transformed to passive voice it becomes: The player is named captain (by the coach).

Player = subject

is named = passive voice verb

captain = ?? Can I now call this a predicate nominative even though I wouldn't think of "is named" as a linking verb?

or

Active: I painted the wall green. (Green = object complement adjective)

Passive: The wall was painted green. Is green a predicate adjective even though was painted is not a linking verb?

Thank you for your help.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Purely by logic, since the element being complemented moves from being the object to being the subject when you passivize, it seems to me that what was once an object complement should become a subject complement.

CJ

Mamaverde · Answer

That makes sense to me. Thank you.

Would grammarians actually use the term "predicate nominative" in that case or is it reserved for nouns following linking verbs?

CalifJim · Answer

mamaverdeWould grammarians actually use the term "predicate nominative" in that case or is it reserved for nouns following linking verbs?

There are so many different systems of terminology proposed by so many different grammarians that I couldn't begin to guess what the "correct terms" are for such things.

What you call an object complement I've heard called an object-oriented predication.

When it appears in a passive structure, thus referring to the subject instead of the object, I've heard it called a subject-oriented predication.

What you call a predicate nominative I've heard called a subject complement.

There is often more than one name for the same thing! You may want to select a particular grammar book with a specific approach and stick to the terminology suggested there.

CJ

Mamaverde · Answer

Thank you, CJ.   I have heard the predicate nominative called a subject complement as well.  I like the idea of finding a particular grammar book and adhering to the terminology in that text.

BillJ · Answer

mamaverdeI was wondering what you call a noun renaming the subject but located in the predicate when the sentence is in passive voice.
Active Voice example: The coach named the player captain.
Coach = Subject
named = transitive verb
player = direct object
captain = object complement noun
If this is transformed to passive voice it becomes: The player is named captain (by the coach).
Player = subject
is named = passive voice verb
captain = ?? Can I now call this a predicate nominative even though I wouldn't think of "is named" as a linking verb

Have you considered that the passive version may be a catenative construction where the auxiliary verb "is" is a catenative verb and "named captain" is a subordinate clause functioning as its catenative complement? You could then make a case for "captain" being the object of "named".

What do you think?

BillJ

Mamaverde · Answer

Thank you for weighing in, Bill.

I am afraid that I'm not very familar with catenative verbs. I think I've seen the term used before with verbs connecting to infinitives, but I'd definitely need to research it more.

Thanks again.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

There is no doubt in my mine this is a passive construction. There may be some who would come up with other fancy terminology but If "is" used in "is named" is a linking verb, that would be the first time I heard of it. Sorry!

BillJ · Answer

mamaverdeI was wondering what you call a noun renaming the subject but located in the predicate when the sentence is in passive voice.
Active Voice example: The coach named the player captain.
Coach = Subject
named = transitive verb
player = direct object
captain = object complement noun
If this is transformed to passive voice it becomes: The player is named captain (by the coach).
Player = subject
is named = passive voice verb
captain = ?? Can I now call this a predicate nominative even though I wouldn't think of "is named" as a linking verb?

Yes, it is a predicative, though I’d avoid using the word ‘nominative’. A predicative complement, or PC, is object-oriented in transitive clauses, and subject-oriented in intransitive clauses. So, using your example, if we put “named” in a passive clause, as you have, the PC is automatically re-oriented to the subject.

In other words, in the passive “The player is named captain”, which is an intransitive clause, “player” is subject and “captain” is a PC with subject orientation (subjective complement).

It doesn’t matter that “is named” is not a linking verb; PCs can operate in both transitive and intransitive clauses as we’ve just seen.

mamaverdeor
Active: I painted the wall green. (Green = object complement adjective)
Passive: The wall was painted green. Is green a predicate adjective even though was painted is not a linking verb?

The same thing applies. The active “I painted the wall green” is a transitive clause with “wall” as object, so “green” is a predicative complement with object orientation (or objective PC). The passive “The wall was painted green” is an intransitive clause where “wall” is subject, so “green” becomes a PC with subject orientation (subjective PC).

The important things to remember are that PCs refer to S in intransitives and O in transitives, and are normally adjective phrases (like your “green” example) or noun phrases like your “captain" example).

I think that's more the kind of answer you were expecting and it ignores the somewhat irrelevant issue of whether the clauses are catenatives.

Does that clear things up?

BillJ

Mamaverde · Answer

Thanks, Bill.  That was helpful.    I have been on vacation and am just now seeing your reply

Passive Voice and Predicate Nouns/Adjectives

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