From: B. Ward Powers (bwpowers@optusnet.com.au)
Date: Sun Apr 07 2002 - 03:07:56 EDT
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Here are alternative grammatical descriptions:
At 10:05 PM 020406 -0500, Clwinbery@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 4/6/02 7:58:48 PM, glensmail@juno.com writes:
>
> >Hello all,
> >
> >Can anyone provide me with information regarding "predicate nominatives"?
> > How does the predicate nominative function and how do we identify it?
> > I
> >would appreciate as much information on this as I can get because the few
> >grammars that I have are pretty sparse.
> >
>Glen, the predicate nominative is a substantive in the nominative case used
>with a verb to be (in Greek EIMI, GINOMAI, or hUPARCW some also count
>nominatives used with KALEW). The predicate nominative modifies (some say
>renames) the subject even though it is a noun or noun substitute. eg.hO QEOS
>AGAPH ESTIN, "God is love." God is the subject and love is the pred. nom.
>
>Carlton Winbery
>Louisiana College
This is one possible and completely valid grammatical description. An
alternative term for this, instead of "predicative nominative", is
"complement". After these verbs as listed above there is a sense of
incompleteness - something more is needed to complete the thought. If you
just say "God is ..." (unless you are using ESTIN here to assert the sense
"God exists") then it is incomplete, and there is an expectation that you
will continue and complete the statement: "light", "love", "holy",
"eternal", whatever. This completement can be called by a slightly
abbreviated term: the complement. This complement can be an adjective (as
above) or a noun (as in "Matthew became the treasurer"). Because it refers
to the same person as the subject, it takes the same case (nominative).
(Contrast "Matthew saw the treasurer".)
Thus this grammatical term "complement" is an alternative to "predicative
nominative". Some grammars will describe this grammatical feature under the
term "complement".
Regards,
Ward
http://www.netspace.net.au/~bwpowers
Rev Dr B. Ward Powers Phone (International): 61-2-8714-7255
259A Trafalgar Street Phone (Australia): (02) 8714-7255
PETERSHAM NSW 2049 email: bwpowers@optusnet.com.au
AUSTRALIA. Director, Tyndale College
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