Основы теории английского языка. Листунова Е.И. - 109 стр.

      d) A numeral:
      We were only three at table... (Conrad). She was seventeen then...
(Galsworthy). Bigg’s boy was the first to come round (Jerome).
      e) An adjective or apartici ple:
      The spring was late that year (Galsworthy). I’m sorry to have
been of so little assistance (Shaw). The sky is still warm with the
afterglow of sunset... (Gissing). «You look tired,» he said (Joyce). The
street was deserted (Snow).
      f) An infinitive:
      Our intention is to help you. To prolong doubt was to prolong hope
(Bronte). ...The first thing of all would be to get a grammar (London).
      g) A gerund:
      Our aim is mastering grammar. Seeing is believing.
      h) An adverb (such as in, out, up, over, so-so, etc.; also the
interrogative adverb how):
      ...My guardian was out... (Dickens). The sun was off, dew falling
(Galsworthy). ...All the lights were out (Dickens).
      How is your mother? (Galsworthy). Our lesson is over. Our
time is up.
      An adverb used as a predicative loses its adverbial meaning and
begins to indicate state.
      Compare:
      She speaks English so-so (an adverbial modifier of manner).
How are you? — I am so-so (a predicative).
      Note. — The pronouns it, and such and the adverb so are used
to replace a preceding predicative:
      «I am very much obliged to you,» said my aunt; «and so is he...»
(Dickens). His niece looked just the same. So did Topper when he
came (Dickens). He was a very learned man but he didn’t look it...
(Maugham). He is honest and you will always find him so (such).
      i) A whole syntactical word-combination:
      They were all above the average height (Maugham). She was
thirty-one years old... (Lawrence).
      j) a complex predicative» Sometimes the predicative is expressed
by an infinitival or gerundial complex:
      That is for me to decide... (Doyle). The greatest trouble was our
not knowing all the details.

             The Modal and Aspective Nominal Predicate
     Similar to the verbal predicate the nominal predicate may also
be associated with verbs which impart to the predicate a modal or
aspective character. Accordingly the nominal predicate may be a) modal,
or b) aspective.

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