PREDICATE
Every sentence and clause
must have two components: the subject and the predicate. The subject is the
noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that performs the action of the sentence’s main
verb.
The predicate includes the
action (the verb) and all attributes of the action.
The two most basic parts of
a sentence are the subject and predicate.
The subject and predicate
make up the two basic structural parts of any complete sentence. In addition,
there are other elements, contained within the subject or predicate, that add
meaning or detail. These elements include the direct object, indirect object,
and subject complement. All of these elements can be expanded and
further combined into simple, compound, complex, or compound/complex sentences.
The predicate of a sentence
is the part that modifies the subject in some way. Because the subject is the
person, place, or thing that a sentence is about, the predicate must
contain a verb explaining what the subject does and can also include a
modifier.
There are three kinds of
predicates, they are:
1 Predicates can be one verb
or verb phrase is called “Simple
predicate”,
2 Two or more verbs joined
with a conjunction is called “Compound predicate” and
3 all the words in the
sentence that give more information about the subject is called “Complete
Predicate”.
To find the predicate,
simply look for what the subject is doing.
1 SIMPLE PREDICATE:
A simple predicate is the
word that shows the action in a sentence. It is used to tell you what the subject
of the sentence does.
FOR EXAMPLE:
•She danced.
The subject of the sentence
is "she," the person being spoken about, but what is being conveyed
or expressed about this person? She performed an action, of course; she moved
her body; she danced. The word that modifies the subject "she"
is the past-tense verb "danced."
•It talked!
It might be a baby saying a
word for the first time, a parrot squawking "hello," or even an
inanimate object somehow bestowed with the power of speech. What you know about
"it" is that, according to the speaker, it spoke. "Talked"
modifies the subject "it."
These sentences are very
simple examples of what predicates are, since the predicate is expressed
entirely by one verb. A simple predicate may also be a short verb phrase.
SOME MORE EXAMPLES OF SIMPLE
PREDICATES:
•I sing.
•He was cooking dinner.
•We saw the cat outside.
•I walked the dog.
•Anthony wrote to his
friend.
•They ate all the candy.
•My aunt moved.
•The house has a new roof.
•Andrew threw the ball.
•He is sad.
2 COMPOUND PREDICATES:
In addition to simple
predicates, there are also compound predicates. A compound predicate gives two
or more details about the same subject and has two or more verbs joined by a
conjunction.
FOR EXAMPLE:
"She visited her
cousins and met all their friends." In this example, "she" is
the subject and "visited" and "met" are the predicates
joined by the conjunction "and".
SOME MORE EXAMPLES:
•He did homework and played
video games.
•She likes dolls but hates
trains.
•The mail was late but
arrived later that evening.
•He lives in Italy and
speaks English and Italian.
•We completed the project
and won a prize.
•She slept in and was late
for work.
•My sister fell and hurt her
shoulder.
•Mark broke his computer so
borrowed one from his friend.
•The cat chased the mouse
and trapped it in the kitchen.
•We shopped and ate lunch at
the mall.
3 COMPLETE PREDICATES:
A complete predicate is the
verb that shows the action and also the modifying phrase that completes the
thought, basically everything in the sentence that isn't the subject.
FOR EXAMPLE:
•She is dancing on stage for
the first time.
•My family is arriving early
tomorrow.
•She was upset for a long
time over the break-up.
•I have been studying for
hours.
•We are going to the movies
later.
•My parents just finished
repainting their house.
•You were visiting us this
time last year.
•He has left his hometown
for the big city.
•The children believe in
Santa Claus.
•Our new puppy has been
crying all night.
UNDERSTANDING OTHER EXAMPLES
OF PREDICATES:
"I am" is often
described as the shortest sentence in the English language, but this is not
exactly true. While it can be a complete thought and does contain a subject and
a verb, it doesn't explain what "I am." An additional piece of the
phrase is usually necessary to complement the verb. When you answer "I
am," you are usually leaving out an implied word which completes the
sentence.
Whatever you add to "I
am" technically forms the predicate of the sentence.
FOR EXAMPLE:
"I am playing
guitar." You must add "playing guitar" to complete what you are
doing in the sentence. Another example: "I am tired." The word
"tired" is used to describe what you are.
Now that you know "I
am" is not technically a complete sentence, you'll probably be quick to
notice other examples that seem like complete sentences but lack a predicate,
such as "I can" and "I will."
As surprising as it may
sound, the shortest complete sentence in the English language is the
imperative, "Go!" How can this be? After all, "go" is a
verb seemingly without a subject or a predicate.