Adjectives in predicative position

Adjectives in predicative position

When they are used after a verb such as be, become, grow, feel, turn, look, or seem, they are called predicative.

For example:

The dog was brown.

The girl looks glamorous.

The woman looks sad.

The suitcase seems heavy.

Some adjectives are only used in predicative position. They usually begin with the letter a. The examples of these adjectives

are: afloat, afraid, alight, ashamed, alike, alive, alone, asleep, awake and afire.

Now let’s look closely at these adjectives.

The first word is afloat.

The translation is “на воде, на плаву, плывущий по воде, покрытый водой”.

For example:

Bobby, how long did you spend afloat?

Or

That beautiful ship was set afloat in the evening.

The second word is afraid.

The translation is “боящийся, испуганный, напуганный”.

For example:

Jillian, don't be afraid to ask for help next time.

Or

Hillary was afraid to jump down from the sofa.

The following word is alight.

The translation is “зажжённый, горящий, охваченный огнём”.

For example:

The night sky was alight with stars.

Or

His blue eyes were alight with mischief.

The fourth word is ashamed.

The translation is “пристыжённый, совестно, стыдно”.

For example:

Paul and Felix were ashamed to admit their mistake.

Or

Wendy was ashamed that her family was poor.