What Is a Predicate Adjective? Definition, Examples, and How to Tell One From an Adverb

A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence. In "the coffee is strong," the adjective "strong" follows the linking verb "is" and describes the subject "coffee." That's a predicate adjective. This guide defines predicate adjectives, walks through the linking-verb test that confirms one, contrasts predicate adjectives with attributive adjectives, and explains how to tell a predicate adjective from an adverb when the same word can work as either.

What Is a Predicate Adjective?

A predicate adjective is one of two ways adjectives can appear in an English sentence. The other way is attributive: sitting directly in front of the noun the adjective modifies. Compare these two sentence structures:

• Attributive adjective: The rugged mountain rises above the valley. The adjective "rugged" sits directly in front of the noun "mountain."
• Predicate adjective: The mountain is rugged. The adjective "rugged" follows the linking verb "is" and describes the subject "mountain" from the predicate side of the sentence.

Both sentences describe the mountain as rugged. They use the same adjective. The difference is grammatical structure: where the adjective sits, and how it connects to the noun it describes. In the predicate version, a linking verb does the work of connecting the adjective back to the subject across the sentence.

Linking Verbs That Take a Predicate Adjective

Predicate adjectives can only follow linking verbs. The most common linking verb is "to be" in all its forms. Other linking verbs describe states of perception or condition.

• Forms of "to be": is, are, was, were, am, been, being, has been, will be, would be, could have been
• Verbs of perception: seem, appear, look, sound, feel, taste, smell
• Verbs of state or change: become, remain, stay, grow, turn, prove, get

Each of these verbs can connect a predicate adjective back to the sentence's subject. The reader's eye, in effect, has to travel back across the linking verb to attach the adjective to the right noun.

Predicate Adjective Examples

Here are predicate adjectives following each type of linking verb. The linking verb is italicized; the predicate adjective is in bold.

• The morning iscold.
• The proposal seemsreasonable.
• She appearstired after the long flight.
• The coffee tastesbitter this morning.
• The music soundedfamiliar.
• The room feltwarm after the cold porch.
• The cheese smelledpungent.
• The argument becamecircular.
• The path remainednarrow for the next mile.
• The window staysopen all summer.
• The conversation grewuncomfortable.
• The forecast provedaccurate.

In each sentence, the bolded adjective is functioning as a predicate adjective because it follows a linking verb and describes the subject of the sentence. For a much longer collection of adjectives that work in predicate position, see our list of adjectives by category.

The Linking-Verb Test: How to Confirm a Predicate Adjective

The simplest test for whether an adjective is functioning as a predicate adjective is the substitution test. Replace the linking verb with a form of "to be." If the sentence still makes basic sense and the adjective still describes the subject, the adjective is a predicate adjective.

• Original: The biscuits taste buttery. → Substitution: The biscuits are buttery. The substitution works. "Buttery" is a predicate adjective.
• Original: The music sounded familiar. → Substitution: The music was familiar. The substitution works. "Familiar" is a predicate adjective.
• Original: She became frustrated. → Substitution: She was frustrated. The substitution works. "Frustrated" is a predicate adjective.

If the substitution doesn't work, the verb isn't functioning as a linking verb and whatever follows it probably isn't a predicate adjective. For example: "She tasted the soup carefully." Substituting "to be" gives "She was the soup carefully," which is nonsense. That tells you "tasted" is functioning as an action verb here (she actively tasted), not a linking verb, and "carefully" is an adverb describing the action, not a predicate adjective describing the subject.

Attributive vs. Predicate Adjectives: Side by Side

English adjectives appear in one of two positions. The position determines how they're labeled and how the sentence is structured.

Most descriptive adjectives can work in either position. "The tired runner crossed the finish line" (attributive) and "the runner was tired at the finish line" (predicate) both work with the same adjective. The choice between positions is usually about emphasis, sentence rhythm, and how much the rest of the sentence depends on the adjective.

Predicate Adjective vs. Adverb: A Common Confusion

Predicate adjectives are sometimes confused with adverbs because the same word can occasionally function as either, depending on the verb it follows. The rule is straightforward: a linking verb takes a predicate adjective; an action verb takes an adverb.

• Predicate adjective (linking verb): The biscuits taste buttery. ("Taste" is linking the adjective "buttery" back to the subject "biscuits." The biscuits aren't doing anything. They're being described.)
• Adverb (action verb): The mechanic worked carefully. ("Worked" is an action verb. "Carefully" is describing how the mechanic performed the action.)

The trickiest cases involve verbs that can be either linking or action depending on context. "Look," "feel," "taste," and "smell" are all both linking and action verbs.

• Linking: She looked tired. ("Tired" describes her. Predicate adjective.)
• Action: She looked carefully at the receipt. ("Carefully" describes how she looked. Adverb.)
• Linking: The soup tasted spicy. ("Spicy" describes the soup. Predicate adjective.)
• Action: The chef tasted the soup carefully. ("Carefully" describes how the chef tasted. Adverb.)

The test, again, is the substitution test. If you can replace the verb with a form of "to be" and the sentence still makes sense, the verb is linking and the word that follows is a predicate adjective. If "to be" doesn't work, the verb is acting as an action verb and the word that follows is an adverb. For more on this and other common errors, see our article on common grammar mistakes and how to fix them.

Why the Distinction Matters

Knowing whether you're looking at a predicate adjective or an adverb matters because the wrong form is grammatically incorrect. "She felt badly about the mistake" is a common error: "badly" is an adverb, but "felt" here is functioning as a linking verb describing her emotional state, so the correct form is "she felt bad." The mistake happens because writers know adverbs end in "-ly" and try to apply the "-ly" form whenever a verb is in the sentence, but linking verbs don't take adverbs. They take predicate adjectives.

Similarly, "the cake tastes sweetly" is wrong: "tastes" is a linking verb describing the cake's flavor, so the correct form is "the cake tastes sweet." A predicate adjective, not an adverb. These are common formal-writing errors that an editor will flag.

Related Articles in This Cluster

For more on adjectives in English, see our companion articles:

• Adjectives in English: a quick guide covers the definition, the eight types, adjective order, and common mistakes.
• List of adjectives by category provides more than 300 adjectives organized into 10 scannable lists with example sentences.
• Adjectives in business, academic, and fiction writing covers how adjective use differs by genre and which adjectives work best in each context.

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