A
predicative expression (or just
predicative) is (part of) a
clause predicate. The term is used more specifically to denote expressions that typically follow a
copula (=
linking verb), e.g.
be,
seem,
appear, or that appear as a second
complement of a certain type of verb, e.g.
call,
make,
name, etc. The most frequently acknowledged types of predicative expressions are
predicative adjectives (also
predicate adjectives) and
predicative nominals (also
predicate nominals). The main trait of all predicative expressions is that they serve to express a property that is assigned to a "subject", whereby this subject is usually the clause
subject, but at times it can be the clause
object. A primary distinction is drawn between predicative (also
predicate) and attributive expressions. Further, predicative expressions are typically
not clause
arguments, and they are also typically
not clause
adjuncts. There is hence a three-way distinction between predicative expressions, arguments, and adjuncts.