Lesson: how to extend the predicate
Is cat dubh é. It is a black cat.
The predicate can be extended by adding an adjective to the noun in the predicate. So the predicate's scope becomes limited. This is an extended job far more often required than than a bare noun predicate expression - at least in the case of obvious well known categories: dog, cat, man, bird, person. The structure remains the same.
1. copula 2. predicate 3. subject
Is (cat dubh) é.
For clarity we can put the extended predicate in parenthesis.
Examples:
Is (duine deas) é.
Ní (bean an-deas) í.
Is (ainmhithe contúireacha) iad.
Is (droch-dhuine) é sin.
An (duine deas) é? Ní hea.
Is droch-bheathach é.
Vocabulary:
duine - person
deas - nice
an-deas - very nice
droch-dhuine - bad person - a compound but containing an adjective
droch-bheathach - bad beast
Note:
It is the category that is expressed, the adjective is not being predicated of the noun. Noun + adjective form a unit as predicate and as category.