Which term is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject?

• A. Predicate nominative
• B. Indirect object
• C. Direct object
• D. Prepositional phrase

Answer: (A)

A noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames or identifies the subject is called a predicate nominative. Linking verbs connect the subject to more information about it, rather than showing action. When what follows is a noun or pronoun that names the subject, that word completes the idea by identifying who or what the subject is. For example, in a sentence like “The winner is she,” the word after the linking verb is a noun that renames the subject, so it’s a predicate nominative.

This differs from direct and indirect objects, which follow action verbs and receive or indicate to whom the action is done, not rename the subject. A prepositional phrase, meanwhile, starts with a preposition and adds information but does not serve as the renaming noun or pronoun after the verb. If the word after the linking verb is an adjective describing the subject, that would be a predicate adjective, not a predicate nominative.