This book investigates the cross-linguistic structural patterns governing intransitive predication to establish a universal model for how languages categorize events, classes, properties, and locations. Leon Stassen, a prominent figure in linguistic typology, utilizes a massive empirical sample of 410 languages to identify the underlying constraints of predicate construction. By analyzing how different languages handle the relationship between subjects and their predicates, he proposes a framework that explains the variation and commonalities found in natural language systems.

Experts in the field of linguistics recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the typology of predication. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for researchers and advanced students of linguistic theory.