Predicate Nominatives and Possessive Pronouns
* Predicate Nominative: A noun or pronoun that renames or identifies the subject of the sentence. It follows a linking verb (like "is," "are," "was," "were," "seems," "becomes").
* Possessive Pronouns: Pronouns that show ownership (e.g., mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs).
The Catch: Possessive pronouns cannot function as predicate nominatives. They are designed to indicate possession, not to rename the subject.
Example:
* Incorrect: The book is *mine*. (This is grammatically incorrect because "mine" is a possessive pronoun and not a renaming term for "book")
* Correct: The book is *my* book. ("My" is an adjective modifying "book")
Why? Predicate nominatives must have the same grammatical function as the subject. Possessive pronouns function as adjectives, not nouns.
Instead of using a possessive pronoun, use a noun phrase that includes the possessive pronoun as an adjective:
* The house is *hers*. (Incorrect)
* The house is *her* house. (Correct)
Remember: Possessive pronouns are powerful for showing ownership, but they have a specific grammatical role that doesn't include acting as predicate nominatives.