The Subjective Complement not always a Noun or Adjective.—Often, as was stated in Chapter XXIII, a prepositional phrase takes the place of a predicate adjective, usually because we have no adjective adequate to express the meaning of the phrase. In this sentence from Lowell,—“Popular literature is of value,” the adjective valuable might well be substituted for the phrase; but in the following sentences the language affords no equivalent adjectives.—“I am in love with this green earth.”—Lamb. “J. G. Whittier is of a Quaker family and was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts.”
The noun clause, the root infinitive, the gerund, and the participle used as subjective complements, have been discussed in preceding chapters.
To this use must also be referred the personal pronoun in the possessive case used as in the sentence,—“All the beauty of these summer days is mine.” Is this pronoun a predicate nominative meaning my beauty, or is it a predicate adjective meaning possessed by me, or shall we make no attempt to classify it at all?
The word so often does duty as a subjective complement. It is used to avoid a repetition of some noun or adjective; as, “The house is empty and has been so for months.”
Verbs that take a Subjective Complement.—The verb be is by no means the only one that may be completed by a subjective complement. There are numerous others, most of which will fall in the following classes.
1. Become, and verbs of similar meaning, like grow, get, turn; as, “Bob had grown up very handsome.”—Page.
2. Certain verbs of position like stand, sit, lie; as, “The moon stood bright and full in the heavens.”—Howells.
3. Verbs signifying to appear to the senses, like look, feel, smell, sound, taste; as, “Our own thought sounds new and larger from his mouth.”—Emerson. “Both he and his wife looked outwardly gentlefolks.”—Lamb.
4. A few verbs denoting action, like begin, come, go, rise, spring; as, “One that goes in a nurse may come out an angel.”—Holmes. With this class of verbs an adjective complement often seems to partake of the nature of an adverb; as, “They descended fearless into all gulfs and bedlams.”—Carlyle. The author must decide whether to use the adjective or the adverb by his purpose. That is, does he wish to make more prominent the condition of the subject or the manner of the action?
5. Certain passive verbs. In general these are:—