LoginPredicates
In this lesson, master predicates, which are essential parts of a sentence that tell what the subject does or is. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Predicates?
A predicate is a fundamental component of a sentence that provides information about the subject. It typically includes a verb and its complements which modify or complete the action of the verb.
Predicates: Structure
Predicates can be:
Simple
Complex
Compound
Simple Predicates
A predicate can consist of a single verb or the main verb and its auxiliaries that show the action or state of being in a sentence, without any complements. The predicate is used to convey what the subject of the sentence does or is. For example:
The frog jumped.
I understand.
I will go.
She has been studying.
Complex Predicates
A complex predicate is a verb that is accompanied by one or more complements, such as direct or indirect objects, subject or object complements as well as any adjuncts, that together complete the meaning of the sentence. The complex predicate contains everything except for the subject.
She gave birth to a baby on Thursday.
The fact that he betrayed me like that continues to bother me.
"that he betrayed me like that" is a noun complement for the subject "the fact" so it is still part of the subject, not the predicate.
Mike has moved to a new town in pursuit of his dream job.
Tip!
In complex sentences that include a main clause and a dependent clause, the dependent clause might be part of the complex predicate of the main clause, but it also has its own predicate. Look at the example:
She met a professor who specializes in ancient history.
In this sentence, "met a professor who specializes in ancient history" is the predicate of the sentence. The relative clause "who specializes in ancient history" contains a subject "who" and a predicate of its own "specializes in ancient history".
Predicates with Linking Verbs
When a linking verb is used to connect the subject and the predicate, the predicate can be a:
Nominal predicate:
A nominal predicate (also called a predicative noun) is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames the subject.
She is a nurse.
Sean was a policeman.
Adjectival predicate:
An adjectival predicate (also called a predicative adjective) is an adjective that comes after a linking verb and describes the subject. For example:
The baby is cute.
That dress looks gorgeous.
Warning
A predicative adjective is different from an attributive adjective. Attributive adjectives normally come before the noun they modify. Pay attention to the example:
That gorgeous (attributive adjective) dress was expensive (predicate adjective).
Adverbial predicate:
An adverbial predicate consists of a preposition and a noun, pronoun, or adverb that immediately follows a linking verb.
Someone is in the kitchen.
I am at a disco.
Compound Predicates
A compound predicate contains two or more verbs that share the same subject and are joined by a conjunction. It provides additional information about the same subject without repeating it. Pay attention to the examples:
She went to Spain with her friends and visited all the famous tourist attractions.
In this example, 'she' is the subject and 'went to Spain with her friends' and 'visited all the famous tourist attractions' are the compound predicates joined by the conjunction 'and'.
They rushed to the hospital, but were too late.
Warning
Do not confuse compound predicates with compound sentences. The following sentence does not have a compound predicate. It is a compound sentence with two subjects.
Martha fell down the stairs and Mary took her to the hospital.
Predicates in Different Moods
In declarative sentences which follow the normal word order, the predicate is fairly easy to identify, as it typically follows the subject. For example:
The book was very interesting.
In imperative sentences, the subject is usually implied but the predicate is not in any way different from the predicate of declarative sentences. Just keep in mind that the apparent absence of a subject does not affect the predicate. In other words, the whole sentence is a predicate, unless the subject "you" is explicitly expressed.
Give me those cups from the top shelf.
In questions, things get more complicated. Formation of both wh-questions and yes/no questions involves inversion of subject and auxiliary verb. So it is important to find the subject and separate it to find the predicate. Look at the examples:
Has the student who won the competition received a scholarship?
Although the auxiliary "has" is separated from the rest of the predicate, it is still part of the predicate.
What are they saying about the new movie?
Do not confuse "what" at the beginning of this sentence with the subject. It actually refers to the object of the verb.
However, there are cases where certain interrogative pronouns ("who", "what", "which") act as the subject in questions, in which case there is no need for an auxiliary and inversion does not happen. In these cases the subject and predicate are similar to declarative sentences. For example:
What caused the accident?
Review
The predicate is everything in a standard declarative sentence except the subject. In other words, the part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the subject is called the predicate.
There are three types of predicates in English:
Simple predicate: can be just a single verb or the main verb and its auxiliaries
Complex predicate: is a verb plus all its dependents
Compound predicate: gives us two or more details about the same subject and has two or more verbs that are joined by a conjunction
Predicates are put in three groups when it comes to using linking verbs.
Nominal predicate: is a noun or group of nouns that comes after a linking verb.
Adjectival predicate: is an adjective that comes after a linking verb.
Adverbial predicate: consists of preposition + noun or pronoun or adverb that immediately comes after a linking verb.
Quiz:
Which sentence contains a compound predicate?
The chef prepared a five-course meal for the guests.
The chef, who trained in Paris, opened a new restaurant.
The chef chopped vegetables, sautéed meat, and plated the dish elegantly.
The chef is extremely talented and creative.
Sort these words into a sentence with a complex predicate.
Identify the type of predicate in the sentence: "The keys are under the mat."
Simple predicate
Nominal predicate
Adjectival predicate
Adverbial predicate
Match each sentence with the correct type of predicate.
Fill in the blank with the correct word or phrase. (There is one extra option.)
In a
sentence, the predicate usually follows the subject.
In imperative sentences, the subject is often implied but the
remains unchanged.
In questions, the
of subject and auxiliary verb can make identifying the predicate more difficult.
In some questions, words like "who" or "what" act as the
and the predicate is the same as declarative sentences.
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