Okay, so I am in the unit of predicate nominatives and all that good stuff now..

I've been struggling with these since 6th grade, and the books they gave me throughout the years, never described them all that well, even my mom had some trouble figuring these out, when she helped me.

Can somebody explain them to me? I'm completely clueless honestly.

Every sentence needs to have a subject and a verb, right?

Some verbs are action verbs (do, go, run, speak, etc.), and if they are transitive, they have direct objects. These verbs are not what you're asking about!

Other verbs are linking verbs ~~> am, is, are, was, were, etc.
Linking verbs are usually followed by a predicate noun/nominative or a predicate adjective. These nouns or adjectives re-name or describe the subject.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/objects.htm#predicate
A predicate adjective follows a linking verb and tells us something about the subject:

Ramonita is beautiful.
His behavior has been outrageous.
That garbage on the street smells bad.

A predicate nominative follows a linking verb and tells us what the subject is:
Dr. Couchworthy [subject] is acting president [predicate noun] of the university.
She [subject] used to be the tallest girl [predicate noun] on the team.
She [subject] used to be the tallest [predicate adjective] on the team.

If you have some examples you need help understanding, please post them.

Here's another website for you.

https://www.really-learn-english.com/predicate-nouns-and-predicate-adjectives.html

Scroll down and study the examples of predicate nouns and predicate adjectives.

Thanks so much! You probably just explained this better than all the English I've gotten over the years combined lol

You're very welcome!

=)

Of course, I'd be happy to help explain predicate nominatives to you!

In grammar, a predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb (such as "is," "are," "was," "were," etc.) and renames or identifies the subject of the sentence. It essentially completes the linking verb by providing more information about the subject.

To identify predicate nominatives in a sentence, follow these steps:

1. Identify the subject of the sentence (the person, thing, or idea that the sentence is about).
2. Look for a linking verb (e.g., "is," "are," "was," "were," "appear," "seem," etc.) in the sentence.
3. Once you've located the linking verb, look for a noun or pronoun that renames or identifies the subject. This noun or pronoun is the predicate nominative.

Let's break it down with an example sentence:
"The cat is my pet."

1. In this sentence, the subject is "the cat."
2. The linking verb is "is."
3. Now we need to find the noun or pronoun that renames or identifies the subject. In this case, it is "my pet." It gives us additional information about "the cat," so "my pet" is the predicate nominative.

Remember, a predicate nominative is not the same as a direct object. A direct object receives the action of the verb, while a predicate nominative renames or identifies the subject.

If you're still having trouble, it can be helpful to practice identifying predicate nominatives in different sentences. Additionally, some grammar resources or online tutorials may provide more examples and explanations to support your learning.