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We are certain to come to an agreement.
You are not likely to believe my story.
A strawberry, unless fresh-picked, is bound to exude juice.
These objects are sure to be wanted as evidence.
He is always liable to do idiotic things.
A girl is apt to be a little nervous on her wedding day.
Chrisis is apt to strike suddenly like influenza.
Subjective predicative constructions with non-verbal (nominal) second parts
These constructions structurally belong to the same type of subjective predicative constructions, but
semantically they are different from those with verbal parts, because the second part of the predicate being a
noun or an adjective denotes a new quality or state acquired as a result of the action or denote judgement,
opinion of the quality. Because of its meaning the nominal part is sometimes called a subjective predicative.
The door was painted green.
Suddenly the door was flung open.
Some verbs require the second part of the predicate with the preposition as.
The plan was declared as ridiculous and absurd.
The list of verbs used in these constructions partly coincides with verbs mentioned above as preceding the
infinitive. Their number is limited.
The following verbs are used in the passive voice:
1. Verbs of mental perception (to accept, to believe, to think, to consider, to expect, to presume, to
estimate, to regard, to suppose, etc.); also verbs of saying and reporting (to declare, to describe, to call, to say,
to report).
He is believed as honest as anyone here.
The girl was thought clever.
The plan is considered impractical.
He was called ‘rising’, ‘promising’ before.
2. Verbs implying that the result of the action will be a new quality, state, or reaction. These verbs are
rather numerous and fall into several subclasses:
A. Verbs with causative meaning (to make, to render)
The room was made comfortable for the child.
He was made a knight.
The audience were rendered speechless by these words.
B. Verbs denoting an action resulting in the change of colour
(to paint, to tinge, to dye, to stain, to dust, etc.).
The walls were painted light pink.
Her hair was dyed red.
After staying on the beach an hour his skin was tinged pink.
His car had been dusted grey by the journey over bad roads.
. Verbs denoting actions resulting in the change of social rank, status, function of, or giving
identification to, a person (to appoint, to call, to christen, to elect, to raise, to select) to mark, etc.); also to
train, to bring up, which acquire the meaning of “the change of social status” only in this construction.