Predicate in English

In English grammar, the predicate is a crucial part of a sentence that provides information about the subject. In this reference, we will dive deep into the world of predicates, their types, and their functions.

What is a predicate?

Predicates are parts of a sentence that express the action or state of the subject. They can be a verb, a verb phrase, or a clause that tells us what our subject is doing and what is happening to it. In simpler terms, the predicate is what the subject is or what it is doing.

For example, in the sentence "John is running," "is running" is the predicate, and "John" is the subject. The predicate is telling us what John is doing.

Understanding the components of a sentence

Before we delve deeper into the predicate, it's important to understand the different components of a sentence. A sentence is made up of two main parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the person, thing, or place, that the sentence is about, while the predicate provides information about the subject.

Consider the following sentence: "The dog is barking." In this sentence, "the dog" is our subject, and "is barking" is the predicate. The subject tells us what our sentence is about, while the predicate tells us what the subject is doing.

The Role of Predicate in a Sentence

Without the predicate, the sentence would be incomplete, and we would not know what the subject is doing or what's happening to it.

For example, consider the sentence "The bird." This sentence does not have a predicate, and as a result, it is incomplete. We don't know what the bird is doing or what is happening to it. To make the sentence complete, we need to add a predicate. For instance, "The bird is singing" makes the sentence complete because it provides information about what the bird is doing.

Types of Predicates - Simple and Compound

There are two types of predicates: simple and compound. A simple predicate is a predicate that consists of only one verb or verb phrase. A compound predicate, on the other hand, is a predicate that consists of two or more verbs or verb phrases that share the same subject.

In the sentence "The cat is sleeping and purring," "is sleeping and purring" is a compound predicate because it consists of two verbs that share the same subject, "the cat."

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Examples of Simple Predicate

A simple predicate is a predicate that consists of only one verb or verb phrase. Here are some examples:

• The dog barks.
• She sings beautifully.
• We danced all night.
• They will leave at dawn.

Examples of Compound Predicate

A compound predicate is a predicate that includes two or more verbs or verb phrases which share the same subject. Here are some examples:

• The cat is sleeping and purring.
• He ran to the store and bought some milk.
• They laughed and cried during the movie.
• She sings and plays the guitar.

Summary

The predicate provides us with information about the subject. It can be simple or compound and can consist of a verb, a verb phrase, or a clause. Without the predicate, a sentence would be incomplete, and we would not know what the subject is doing. If you want to understand more about sentences and how to create them, check out more handy references below!