[Grammar] predicate words

[momof2]

I need a lesson to help my son with English. He is working on linking verbs and predicate words. They are to write if the predicte word is a noun or an adjective. I am having trouble when the predicate noun has a modifier. Ex. Dried foods are good meals for campers. Is good or meal the predicate word. I think meal, but what is good?

 

[yuriya]

I need a lesson to help my son with English. He is working on linking verbs and predicate words. They are to write if the predicte word is a noun or an adjective. I am having trouble when the predicate noun has a modifier. Ex. Dried foods are good meals for campers. Is good or meal the predicate word. I think meal, but what is good?

A predicate is what you say about a subject. So in your example, are good meals for campers is a predicate.
Confused? Don't worry. Another grammar word you should be looking for is a complement, which can be either a noun (noun phrase) or an adjective. Good meals for campers is a noun phrase and the complement in the above sentence. And if you say, "Dried foods are good," then the complement is good, which is an adjective. Hope it helped.