Question

Which word in the sentence is a predicate nominative?


Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only president of the United States to serve three terms.









A.
terms







B.
only







C.
president







D.
three

@Kristen17

Answer 1

If you're picking only one word, that word must be "president".

The subject is "Franklin D. Roosevelt". The verb is "was". Obviously, neither of those can be the subject complement. If there is a predicate nominative, it will be something that refers to FDR.

The phrase "to serve three terms" is an infinitive phrase that modifies "president". The phrase "of the United States" is a prepositional phrase that modifies "president". The adjectives "the" and "only" both modify "president". None of those modifiers are the same thing as FDR.

The only thing that's left to serve as the predicate nominative is "president". It's a noun, so it is a nominative construction. It's in the predicate, since it's not part of the subject. It refers to the same person as the subject. It follows a linking verb.

We have every reason to pick "president", and no reason to avoid picking it.