A predicate of a sentence is that part of it, which defines what is being done by the Subject; it may consist of verb, complements, modifiers or objects. In other words a Predicate is part of a sentence which consists of everything except the subject.
As the subject is a noun or pronoun, the predicate is that part of a sentence which tells us about what the subject is doing.
Consider the sentence–
In the sentence ‘he’ – a pronoun is the subject and ‘is laughing’ is the predicate. The predicate defines and modifies the subject declaring what is being done by it.
Go through some more examples sentences and try to determine the predicate.
The subject is ‘Ronny’; therefore the predicate is ‘was leaving for the office’.
‘Sam’ is the subject; therefore, the predicate is ‘went to the grocery store’.
The subject of the sentence is a pronoun i.e. ‘They’; therefore the predicate is ‘were skeptical about his decision’.
‘Delhi’ is the subject; therefore ‘is the capital of India’ is the predicate.
‘Ramnath Kovind’ is the subject; and ‘is the President of India ‘is the predicate.
The subject in the above sentence is Complex-‘when I reached there’; and the predicate is ‘the train was leaving’.
Subject- ‘The teacher’; Predicate- ‘was happy with his performance’.
Subject- ‘In his marriage Roy’; predicate- ‘was wearing a black suit’.
Subject- ‘the man with grey hairs’; predicate-‘was standing below the tree’.
Subject-‘The bus with yellow paint’; predicate-‘was parked on the road’.
A predicate may or may not contain a direct verb or an object.
Examples of predicate having direct verbs are given below-
Predicate-‘is sleeping’.
Predicate-‘is leaving for the office’.
Predicate- ‘is worried’.
All the above sentences contain a definite verb which defines what the subject is doing. That is, sleeping, leaving and worried.
The second sentence ‘Ronny is leaving for the office’ also has an object- ‘office’.
Similarly a predicate may not contain a direct verb but rather an adjective which elaborates the subject; as in the sentences below-
The above sentences have no verb (no instance of something being performed by the subject);
Below given are some sentences with ‘Objects’-
Subject- ‘My dog’, Predicate- ‘loves to play with toys’, Object- ‘toys’.
Subject- ‘He’, Predicate-‘Is leaving for the grocery stores’, Object- ‘Grocery store’.
Subject- ‘They’, Predicate- ‘are discussing the finances’, Object- ‘finances’.
The types of predicate based on its composition are simple predicate, compound predicate and complete predicate as explained below-
A simple predicate does not contain any object or modifier; it just contains only the verb and a helping verb. Refer to the sentences given below-
Simple Predicate- ‘is walking’; with the supporting verb ‘is’ and the verb ‘walking’.
Simple predicate- ‘was sleeping’; with the supporting verb ‘was’ and the verb ‘sleeping’.
Simple Predicate- ‘are playing’; with the supporting verb ‘are’ and the verb ‘playing’.
Similarly Simple Predicates may also be identified in longer sentences as given below-
The subject in the sentence is ‘He’, and the simple predicate is ‘started eating’.
Subject- ‘They’ and the simple predicate is ‘are leaving’.
Subject-‘She’ and the simple predicate is ‘sang’.
2. Compound Predicate
A Compound Predicate has two verbs shared by the same object. The verbs are joined by a conjunction and make the sentence more declarative and expressive.
Go through the following example sentences to better understand the Compound Predicates-
Subject in the above sentence is- ‘The Crowds’; but, there are two verbs- singing and cheering, performed by the same subject. The predicate of the above sentence; therefore has two verbs and it is a Compound Predicate – ‘were singing and cheering their respective teams’.
Subject- ‘He’, two verbs are- fell and broke; Compound Predicate-‘fell in a ditch and broke his leg’.
Subject-‘Ronny and I’, Verbs- Joined and made; compound Predicate is- ‘joined the same college and made new friends’.
3. Complete Predicate
The complete predicate of a sentence is everything except the subject i.e. a complete predicate has verb, modifier, object, adjective, adverb and conjunctions etc.
For Example-
The subject in the above sentence is – ‘The teacher’. There are two verbs- pleased and perform’, two adverbs- very and well; The Complete Predicate of the above subject is- ‘was very pleased to see his students perform well’.
Complete Predicate- ‘was obeying the orders when the commander called him’.
Complete Predicate- ‘was writing a letter while her boss was dictating’.
Forming a Compound Predicate
A predicate of a sentence is very important as it is the predicate which forms a complete sentence and provides meaning to what is being said or done. Care must be taken to use correct form (past, present or future) of a verb as needed.
Moreover two completely different sentences may be joined to form a sentence having Compound Predicate; which makes the sentence more compact and easy to understand. To better understand read the example sentences given below-
The above statement has two sentences talking about the same subject- Mohit. As the same subject is performing two verbs- singing and cheering; the above statements can be joined together forming a Compound Predicate as below-
The sentence is shorter and more convenient to convey rather than the preceding one. The two verbs get joined by a conjunction to give a Compound Predicate- ‘was singing and cheering his friend’.
Go through some more examples-
The sentences can be joined to form- ‘I am drinking tea; though, I don’t like it.
The Compound Predicate would be- ‘drinking tea though I don’t like it’.
Joined sentence would be- ‘My friends are going on the trip but they don’t want to leave me’.
Compound Predicate- ‘are going on the trip but they don’t want to leave me’.
The joined sentence would be –‘I and Ronny were going to the college’.
Compound Predicate- ‘were going to the college’.
A predicate nominative is a noun which identifies the subject and follows a linking verb as – is, was, has been, can be etc. Consider the below sentences-
The subject is undoubtedly ‘Tears of the sun’ and the predicate is ‘is a novel’. In this case the predicate nominative is ‘novel’.
Few more examples-
‘Identify the Subject and Predicate’ Exercises/Worksheets/Activities with Answers:
Identify the subject and predicate in the sentences given below. Crosscheck your answers with those provided at the end of the exercise-
1) The book you gave me is lost.
2) He is going to the party with his friends.
3) They are leaving for New Jersey tomorrow.
4) The girl in the black dress was walking with a nervous stride.
5) The dogs were barking continuously.
6) He talks loudly.
7) He was not expected early although he arrived on time.
8) She was singing beautifully.
9) My father works in the police department.
10) My son and his friends are studying for the exams.
11) His brother and cousin are always planning a tour.
12) You should never judge others.
13) They should have been to their native town.
14) A man wearing a black hat was standing behind the curtain.
15) They will not accept his request.
16) The car you sold me is having some trouble.
17) Barking dogs seldom bite.
18) A huge parcel was lying on my office floor.
19) She called me to wish good luck.
20) He is doubtful of his efforts.
Answers-
1) Subject – The book
Predicate – you gave me is lost
2) Subject– He
Predicate – is going to the party with his friends
3) Subject– They
Predicate- are leaving for New Jersey tomorrow.
4) Subject– The girl
Predicate-in the black dress was walking with a nervous stride.
5) Subject– The dogs
Predicate-were barking continuously
6) Subject-He
Predicate-talks loudly
7) Subject-He
Predicate-was not expected early although he arrived on time
8) Subject-She
Predicate-was singing beautifully
9) Subject-My father
Predicate-works in the police department
10) Subject- My son and his friends
Predicate- are studying for the exams.
11) Subject- His brother and cousin
Predicate-are always planning a tour.
12) Subject- You
Predicate-should never judge others
13) Subject– They
Predicate-should have been to their native town.
14) Subject- A man wearing a black hat
Predicate-was standing behind the curtain.
15) Subject-They
Predicate-will not accept his request.
16) Subject-The car you sold me
Predicate-is having some trouble
17) Subject-Barking dogs
Predicate-seldom bite
18) Subject-A huge parcel
Predicate– was lying on my office floor.
19) Subject- She
Predicate- called me to wish good luck
20) Subject– He
Predicate- is doubtful of his efforts
Choose the correct predicate adjective of the sentences; from the choices given. Also crosscheck your answer with those provided at the end of the exercise.
1) His father was very angry.
2) He was deeply saddened by the outcome.
3) The train is moving very fast.
4) The teacher is very strict with his students.
5) The apple you gave me was rotten.
6) The batsman of the other team was very good.
7) The water we consume may be contaminated.
8) Freight trains are longer than the passenger ones.
9) My old car is better than my new car.
10) That place is scary.
11) The cup cakes made by you were delicious.
12) The movie was very boring.
13) He bought a nice house.
14) He is sad today because he didn’t get the feedback.
15) You should be confident in your exams.
16) His room is small, therefore, he didn’t stay with friends.
17) He purchased an expensive pen.
18) The coffee was cold.
19) The ring she was wearing was expensive.
20) The sea voyage by Columbus was risky.
Answers- 1)c, 2)b, 3)a, 4)c, 5)c, 6)a, 7)b, 8)b, 9)c, 10)b, 11)c, 12)a, 13)b, 14)a, 15)b, 16)c, 17)a, 18)c, 19)c, 20)b
Choose the correct ‘Predicate Nominative’ of the sentences from the choices given; also verify your answer with those provided at the end of the exercise-
1) Sachin Tendulkar still is a great cricketer.
2) While in extreme pain, morphine is the best pain killer.
3) Deforestation is a threat to the environment.
4) That boy is the fastest bowler in our team.
5) Those are my best pair of shoes.
6) The car looks dirty after a long ride.
7) The cakes given were the real joy.
8) The man with in the black suit was the leader of the bunch.
9) The bakery is famous for its cookies.
10) Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India.
11) My teacher is a kind human being.
12) The dog in the house was a furry animal.
13) My brother is a rich businessman.
14) My favorite friends are Ronny, Rohit and Mohit.
15) Dogs and cows were the first domesticated animals.
16) Is the boy standing there is our classmate?
17) The transport company is looking for an experienced driver.
18) The prize for the tournament was cash and a trophy.
19) All the people here are friends.
20) Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a poet and a political leader.
Answers- 1)b, 2)c, 3)a, 4)b, 5)c, 6)a, 7)c, 8)b, 9)a, 10)c, 11)a, 12)b, 13)a, 14)c, 15)b, 16)c, 17)a, 18)c, 19)a, 20)c
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