Examine this sentence:   The man was exhausted.

With no more context than this simple 4-word sentence, does this sentence reflect a subject +verb pattern?   [Exhaust is a transitive verb usually, isn’t it?]

Or, does it reflect a subject + verb (to be) + predicate adjective pattern?


Now, more context: The man was exhausted because he worked a double shift.

In this sentence, "exhausted" is a predicate adjective following the pattern: subject + to be verb+ subject complement:  "exhausted" is a past participle functioning as an adjective, followed by an adverbial clause.

But look at this formulation:  The man was exhausted by the volume of work.

In this sentence, "was exhausted" is the verb phrase reflecting the passive voice.  If made active, the sentence would read           The volume of work exhausted the man.

What might I be overlooking in examining how this basic sentence works?  Would you agree with my explanations? 

Thanks.

Jack
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