What is a predicate in a sentence?
In English, a complete sentence or clause requires two parts: an action and the person or thing that’s performing the action. While the subject describes who is doing the action, the predicate describes the action itself. Along with subjects, predicates are a necessary part of English sentence structure.
I ate.
subject: I
predicate: ate
Godzilla roars.
subject: Godzilla
predicate: roars
Predicates always include at least one verb to represent the action, even if that verb is be. In complete predicates (which we explain below), a predicate can also include other words and phrases that modify the action, such as prepositional phrases or direct and indirect objects.
There are a few different types of predicates, each with its own unique qualities. Let’s take a more detailed look at each now.
What is a simple predicate?
A simple predicate is the most basic form of the predicate. It consists of only the main verb and auxiliary verbs, also known as helper verbs.
The little pig went to the market.
The simple predicate in this example is only the word went.
We have been waiting for hours!
In this example, the simple predicate includes the verb “waiting” and the auxiliary verbs “have” and “been.”
In this example, the simple predicate includes the verb “waiting” and the auxiliary verbs “have” and “been.”
Modal verbs like can, might, will, or must are also auxiliary verbs, so they too are part of the simple predicate.
I might be wrong.
What is a complete predicate?
A complete predicate includes the simple predicate as well as all other words that describe the action. Essentially, the complete predicate is all the words in a sentence or clause except the subject and words that describe the subject.
The little pig went to the market.
Using the example above, “went” is the simple predicate, but the entire phrase “went to the market” is the complete predicate. The modifiers “the” and “little” are not part of the complete predicate because they relate to the subject.
As you can see, the complete predicate can sometimes include nouns like “market” if they’re part of descriptive phrases that do not relate to the subject.
What is a compound predicate?
A compound predicate includes two or more verbs that all share the same subject.
He showered, shaved, and dressed in his finest clothes for his cat’s birthday party.
The verbs “showered,” “shaved,” and “dressed” all use the same subject, “he.” In this example, all the verbs belong to the same clause and therefore to the same compound predicate.
However, be careful with sentences that have more than one clause. In these cases, each clause has its own different predicate.
He showered, shaved, and dressed in his finest clothes for his cat’s birthday party, but the cat never showed.
In this example, there are two separate predicates: the original compound predicate and the second predicate “never showed” that uses a new subject, “the cat.”
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