III. The Predicative

A predicative (= the nominal part of a compound nominal
predicate) may be expressed by a noun, an adjective, anumeral, a
pronoun, an infinitive, an ing-form and sometimes an adverb.

e.g. He was not an artist,but he liked to create artistic things.
It was getting dark.
Henry, as usual, looked reserved.
The book is very amusing.
We were sixin the room.
This suit-case is mine.

My first thought was to askhim for support.
My job was gettingit alldone in time.
Everybody is in.

IV. The Second (Subsequent) Action
Expressed by a Verbal

Verbals in this function indicate a second action accompanying the
action of the predicate verb. If transformed, the two actions would
form homogeneous predicates connected by the conjunction and.

A second action may be expressed by an infinitive, an ing form
and a participle.

e.g. He woke up to see his wife sitting by his bed. (= He woke up

and saw...)
He walked down the path humming a tune. (= He walked...

and hummed...)
Having locked the office he started for home. (= He locked...

and started...)
Dressed, he stood staring at the fire. (= He was dressed and

stood...)

V. The Subjective Predicative

Words in this function occur after a limited number of verbs in
the Passive Voice (see "Verbs", §§ 192, 221, 248; "Nouns", § 21;
"Adjectives", § 7). They modify the subject of the sentence, forming
with it a syntactic complex, often known as the complex subject.

A subjective predicative may be expressed by a noun, a noun
introduced by as, an adjective, an infinitive, an ing-iorm and a
participle.

e.g. He was appointed secretary of the committee.
He was regarded as a promising young writer.
The box was found empty.
He was heard to mention it.
The children were seen running down the lane.
The note was found pinned to the door.

VI. The Objective Predicative

Words in this function occur after a limited number of verbs
in the Active Voice (see "Verbs", §§ 193, 222, 249; "Nouns", § 21;
"Adjectives" § 7). They modify the object of the sentence, forming
with it a syntactic complex, often known as the complex object.

An objective predicative may be expressed by a noun, a noun intro-
duced by as, an adjective, an infinitive, an ing-form and a participle.

e.g. They appointed him secretary of the committee.
We regarded him as a promising young writer.
I found the box empty.
We thought the game dull.
They heard him mention it.
He saw the children running down the lane.
She had her hair cut very short.

VII. The Object

Objects are words which modify verbs and adjectives. They
complete their meaning indicating the person, object or phe-
nomenon which the action of the predicate verb affects.

Objects may be expressed by a noun, a pronoun, a substan-
tivized adjective, an infinitive and an ing form. There are three
kinds of objects:

1) direct — a prepositionless object immediately following the
predicate,

e.g. I miss the opera here.
I heard him on the radio.
We did not find anyone there.
I found it difficult to cope with the task.
Do you want to speak with me?
It pained him to think of it.
I'm extremely sorry to disturb you.
It was foolish to speak like that.
They found it difficult to walk in the deep snow.
I usually avoid asking him questions.
She was busy packing upstairs.
It was pleasant lying on the warm sand.
I thought the book worth reading.

2) indirect — a prepositionless object placed between the pred-
icate verb and the direct object and indicating the person who is
the receiver of the action.

e.g. They offered Ed a new job.
I lent him my car.

3) prepositional —an object introduced by a preposition.

e.g. He had been waiting for Noraa long time.
That doesn't depend onme, you know.
He was afraid of dogs.
Do you believe in the supernatural?
He is keen on collectingshells.
He thought ofgoing awayfor the week-end.
He was used to havingan early breakfast.