What is a Predicate? Examples and Simple Explanations

Have you ever tried building a sentence but wondered what makes it complete? Every sentence needs two main parts: a subject and a predicate. Let’s explore what a predicate is and how it makes sentences come alive!

The Subject and the Predicate

subject is the part of the sentence that tells us who or what the sentence is about. For example:

  • The cat is sleeping.
  • My friend likes ice cream.

The subject here is ‘The cat and ‘My friend.’ But these sentences don’t stop there—they have more information! That extra part of the sentence is the predicate.


What is a predicate?

The predicate is the part of a sentence that tells us what the subject does, what happens to the subject, or gives more details about the subject. It usually starts with a verb (an action word or a state of being).

Let’s break down some examples:

  1. The dog barks.
    • The subject is The dog.
    • The predicate is barks. It tells us what the dog is doing.
  2. My brother plays soccer in the park.
    • The subject is My brother.
    • The predicate is plays soccer in the park. It tells us what he is doing and where.

Parts of a predicate

A predicate often has several parts:

  1. The verb – shows the action or state of being (e.g., runs, is, eats).
  2. Other words – provide extra details, like where, how, or when something happens.

For example:

  • She is reading a book quietly.
    • Verb: is reading
    • Extra details: a book quietly

Types of predicates

  1. Simple Predicate
    • The verb or verb phrase only.
    • Example: The bird sings. (Predicate: sings)
  2. Complete Predicate
    • The verb and all the words that describe it or complete its meaning.
    • Example: The bird sings beautifully in the morning. (Predicate: sings beautifully in the morning)
  3. Compound Predicate
    • When the subject does two or more actions.
    • Example: The dog barked and ran away. (Predicate: barked and ran away)

Fun activity for learning this concept.

Try these sentences and find the predicates:

  1. The stars twinkle in the night sky.
  2. My mom baked cookies and made lemonade.
  3. We are going to the zoo tomorrow.

Answers:

  1. twinkle in the night sky
  2. baked cookies and made lemonade
  3. are going to the zoo tomorrow

Understanding what is a predicate is easy once you remember this: The subject is the “who” or “what,” and the predicate is the “what they do” or “what happens.”

Happy learning! 😊

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