English/Parts of the Sentence/Predicates
| English Wikibook (edit) |
| General: Introduction - Grammar |
| Parts of speech: Nouns - Verbs - Adjectives - Adverbs - Pronouns - Conjunctions - Prepositions - Interjections |
| Parts of the sentence: Subjects - Predicates |
| Word functions: Subjects - Predicates - Direct Objects - Indirect Objects - Objects of the Preposition |
| Types of sentences: Simple Sentences - Complex Sentences |
| Types of Phrases: Adjective - Adverb - Noun |
| Types of Clauses: Adjective - Adverb - Noun |
| Other English topics: Gerunds - Idiomatic Phrases - Spelling - Vocabulary - Punctuation - Syntax - Appositives - Phonics - Pronunciation |
A predicate describes the subject or tells what the subject does. All sentences have predicates. The predicate is usually the last part of a sentence. It often starts with a verb. Sometimes the verb is all of the predicate.
For example: The duck swims.
- "The duck" is the subject.
- "swims" is the predicate.
- "swims" is a verb.
- Because it is the verb that starts the predicate, we call it the main verb.
Sometimes the verb is only the start of the predicate. The predicate can also include adjectives or adverbs that change the verb. It can include a direct object that the subject acts on directly, or an indirect object that the subject acts on indirectly. The predicate may include a preposition or two that explain more about the verb or other parts of the predicate.
You may go back to the page on subjects as a part of the sentence, or forward to learn about word functions.