a clause construction defined by the function of predicating an object concept of a referent -- that is, asserting what object category the referent belongs to. Example: Ira is a writer is an example of an English predicate nominal construction; it predicates that the referent of Ira belongs to the category of writer. Predicational construction is another term for a predicate nominal construction. Sometimes predicate nominal is used to cover predicational, presentational and equational constructions; we will use it in the narrow sense only. (Sections 1.4, 2.2.5, 10.3)