what is a predicate nominative
Definition: The traditional term for a noun, pronoun, or other nominal that follows a linking verb (usually a form of the verb be). The contemporary term for a predicate nominative is subject complement. In formal English, pronouns that serve as predicate nominatives are usually in the subjective (or nominative) case. The predicate nominative is used with the verb to be and all its forms: be, am, is, are, was, were and been. 2  Think of the verb as an equal sign: What's on one side of it is the same as what's on the other side, especially when it comes to pronoun case.