What is a Predicate?
The predicate of a sentence describes the state or action of the subject. The predicate has two forms: the simple predicate and the complete predicate.
Simple predicate
The simple predicate refers to the verb or verbs of the sentence.
- Example: Fish swim.
Multiple verbs can function as the predicate of a sentence.
- Example: Flying fish swim and fly.
Linking verbs can function as the predicate of a sentence.
- Example: Fish are beautiful.
The predicate can include a verb participle and a form of the verb to be.
- Example: Fish are breeding.
- Example: Fish have been breeding.
Complete predicate
The complete predicate refers to everything in the sentence that is not part of the subject.
- Example: Bruce Wayne is a wealthy playboy.
In the above example, the complete predicate consists of the verb (is), a particle (a), an adjective (wealthy), and a complement (playboy).
- Example: By day, Bruce Wayne is a wealthy playboy.
- Example: Bruce Wayne is a wealthy playboy by day.
In the above example, the prepositional phrase by day is part of the complete predicate regardless of its position in the sentence. This is because by day modifies playboy, which is part of the predicate.
