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Subject Complement Practice (B1-B2) - English Grammar Quiz

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: B1, B2 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +16 (on pass)

7-minute daily practice: 15 Subject Complement exercises for Level B1-B2. Short enough to fit into a coffee break, thorough enough to make real progress. Covers the most important aspects of subject complement with instant feedback on every answer.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: The soup smells ___ after sitting on the stove all afternoon.

Question 1 options
'Wonderful' is correct because after a linking verb like 'smells', a subject complement must be an adjective describing the subject (the soup), not an adverb. 'Wonderfully', 'more wonderfully', and 'most wonderfully' are adverbs and cannot serve as subject complements.
Q2 15

Question 2: After years of hard work, she finally became ___ in her company.

Question 2 options
'A senior manager' is correct because after the linking verb 'became', a noun phrase functions as a subject complement (predicate nominative), renaming the subject. 'Managerially', 'managing', and 'managed' do not function as noun phrase subject complements here.
Q3 15

Question 3: A subject complement always follows a linking verb and gives information about the subject of the sentence.

Question 3 options
True because a subject complement is defined as a word, phrase, or clause that follows a linking verb and describes or renames the subject. This is its core grammatical function.
Q4 15

Question 4: In the sentence 'The children seem very tired today,' why is 'very tired' used after 'seem'?

Question 4 options
'Very tired' is a subject complement (adjective phrase) that describes the subject 'the children'. After a linking verb like 'seem', we use a subject complement to give information about the subject, not to describe the verb's action.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • is
  • collecting
  • old coins
  • His favourite hobby

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'His favourite hobby is collecting old coins' because 'collecting old coins' is a verb phrase (present participle) functioning as a subject complement after the linking verb 'is', describing the subject 'His favourite hobby'.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence uses a subject complement correctly?

Question 6 options
'The cake tastes delicious' is correct because 'delicious' is an adjective functioning as a subject complement after the linking verb 'tastes'. The other sentences incorrectly use an adverb or noun in positions that violate subject complement rules with these linking verbs.
Q7 15

Question 7: Customer: 'What is your job title now?' Employee: 'I am ___ in the marketing department.' What completes the employee's answer naturally?

Question 7 options
'The head of digital campaigns' is correct because after the linking verb 'am', a noun phrase is used as a subject complement to rename or identify the subject 'I'. The other options are adjective phrases or verb phrases that do not naturally name a job title.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence uses a subject complement (not a direct object) after the verb?

Question 8 options
'She remained calm during the interview' is correct because 'remained' is a linking verb and 'calm' is an adjective subject complement describing the subject. In the other sentences, the verbs are action verbs taking direct objects, not subject complements.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • is
  • listens carefully
  • that nobody
  • The real problem

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'The real problem is that nobody listens carefully' because 'that nobody listens carefully' is a noun clause functioning as a subject complement after the linking verb 'is', completing the meaning of the subject 'The real problem'.
Q10 15

Question 10: The manager's biggest concern about the project ___.

Question 10 options
'Is whether the team will meet the deadline' is correct because a noun clause introduced by 'whether' can function as a subject complement after the linking verb 'is', completing information about the subject. The other options are action verb constructions that do not form subject complements.
Q11 15

Question 11: In the sentence 'The best time to call her is in the evening,' what type of subject complement is 'in the evening'?

Question 11 options
'A prepositional phrase used as a subject complement' is the correct label. 'In the evening' begins with a preposition ('in') and follows a linking verb ('is'), functioning to complete the meaning of the subject. It is not a noun phrase, adjective phrase, or adverb phrase in this role.
Q12 15

Question 12: Rewrite using a subject complement: 'People know him as an expert chef.' → He is considered ___.

Question 12 options
'An expert chef' is correct because the subject complement 'an expert chef' is a noun phrase that renames the subject 'He' after the linking verb 'is considered'. The other options are adjective phrases or verb phrases that change the original meaning.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct type of subject complement.

Question 13 options
My sister is a qualified nurse.
The water feels extremely cold today.
Her dream is to travel the world.
The issue is that no one responded.
Noun phrase as subject complement
Noun clause as subject complement
Adjective phrase as subject complement
Verb phrase (infinitive) as subject complement

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Subject complements follow linking verbs and can be noun phrases (renaming the subject), adjective phrases (describing the subject), verb phrases with infinitives or participles (describing activity), or noun clauses introduced by 'that/whether/whoever' (stating a fact or condition about the subject).
Q14 15

Question 14: Only adjectives and nouns can function as subject complements in English; phrases and clauses cannot serve this role.

Question 14 options
False because subject complements can also be verb phrases (infinitives or present participles), noun clauses (introduced by 'that', 'whether', 'whoever'), and prepositional phrases, not just single adjectives or nouns.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which sentence uses the subject complement to express a future identity or role, rather than a current state?

Question 15 options
'She will become the team leader next month' uses 'will become' with a noun phrase subject complement ('the team leader') to express a future role. The other options describe current states or current descriptions, not a future identity.