The paper addresses the status of non-core dative arguments in nominal and verbal predication. Non-core dative arguments (N-CDA) can be added to some verbal predicates in English (e.g. John bought (me) a pie). However, in English N-CDAs are impossible with nominal predicates (e.g. *He was me a friend). In contrast, Russian allows N-CDAs in verbal and nominal predication; i.e. the analogue of 'He was me a friend' is grammatical in Russian. By treating N-CDAs in nominal and verbal predication as High and Low Applicatives respectively, the paper explains (a) why N-CDAs are necessarily interpreted as possessors in nominal but not in verbal predication and (b) why English forbids N-CDAs in nominal predication, but allows them with verbal predicates.