STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION SKILL 50: USE PREDICATE ADJECTIVES CORRECTLY

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL TEST

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

SKILL 50:USE PREDICATE ADJECTIVES CORRECTLY

 Certain adjectives appear only in the predicate of the sentence; that is, they appear after a linking verb such as be, and they cannot appear directly in front of the nouns that they describe.

The snake on the rock was alive. The alive* snake was lying on the rock.

In the first example, the predicate adjective alive is used correctly after the linking verb was to describe the subject snake. In the second example, the predicate adjective alive is used incorrectly in front of the noun snake. In this position, the adjective live should be used.

The following chart lists common predicate adjectives and the corresponding forms that can be used in front of the noun:

EXERCISE 50: Each of the following sentences contains a predicate adjective or its related form. Circle the predicate adjectives or related forms. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

……………	3	Are you going to be lone in the house tonight?
……………	4	The afraid child cried for his mother.
……………	5	Everyone else was asleep by the time I arrived home.
……………	6	We completed our two projects in a like manner.
……………	7	All of the crash victims were alive when they were found.
……………	8	She tried to walk quietly by the asleep dogs without waking them.
……………	9	Were you feeling afraid when you heard the noise?
……………	10	According to the report, the president was hot by an alone gunman.

ANSWER KEY

1	C
2	I	(alive should be live)
3	I	(lone should be alone)
4	I	(afraid should be frightened)
5	C
6	C
7	C
8	I	(asleep should be sleeping)
9	C
10	I	(an alone should be lone)