What Does Predicate Mean
We explain what the predicate of a sentence is, its nucleus, structure and types that exist. Also examples of sentences with subject and predicate.
What is the predicate?
From a syntactic point of view , two-member sentences are divided into a subject and a predicate. The subject is the person or object to which we refer. Instead, the predicate of a sentence is everything that is not part of the subject (that is, the noun phrase of the subject).
Seen in another way, it is everything in a proposition that is affirmed of the subject: the actions that he carried out, the conditions in which he is, the actions he received from others, etc. The predicate is essential in a sentence for it to make sense.
There are different forms and types of predicate, but it is almost always made up of a verb phrase, larger or smaller and with more or fewer elements. Its axis is the main verb of the sentence .
This main verb is recognizable because it is conjugated in such a way that it responds to the subject (person). In addition, in the predicate is the contextual or complementary information (in the form of direct, indirect or circumstantial complements) of the verb.
See also: Subject
Predicate types
In simple sentences, predicates can be basically of two types:
- Verbal predicate . It is the predicate that details actions or events that concern the subject, and is characterized by verbs accompanied by verbal complements (direct, indirect or circumstantial complement), attributes or adverbial elements. For example: “My cat meows ” (only verb), “My cat eats sardines ” (verb with direct object ), “My cat meows to the neighbor ” (verb with indirect object ), “My cat meows strangely ” ( verb with complement of regime).
- Nominal predicate . In this case, the predicate consists of an attribute that is expressed by the subject, which requires a copulative or semicopulative verb, and a noun phrase. For example: "My cat is gray ", "My cat was the winner of the contest ", "My cat was angry this morning ".
Core of the predicate
The phrases of the predicate and the subject always have a nucleus, which is the word on which the greatest syntactic importance falls within their respective segments of the sentence. In the case of the verb phrase, the nucleus is the main verb of the sentence , that is, the verb conjugated with the subject, whatever the type.
For example: in "My cat eats the best food available", we can identify a subject ("My cat") and a verbal predicate: "eat the best food available". From this predicate, the nucleus has been the verb come (eat). But at the same time, in "My cat is a little fat", the subject will be the same, but it will have a nominal predicate: "he is a little fat", whose core will be the verb is (to be).
More in: Core of the subject and predicate
Structure of the predicate
Generally, the predicate is made up of a verb phrase. This phrase can be, as we saw in the previous case, of a verbal or copulative type, depending on whether it is a verbal or nominal predicate. But broadly speaking, every predicate is structured by:
A nucleus , which corresponds to the main verb of the sentence.
Verbal complements , which accompany the verb and allow it to fully express its content, that is, they complement it, as its name says. These might be:
- Direct plugins (or direct objects) . Abbreviated as CD (or OD), these are the typical complements of a transitive verb, which refer to the object on which the action indicated by the verb and performed by the subject falls. It is easily identified because it answers the question "what?" or to the change for the pronoun "that." For example: in "My cat hunts mice " the CD will be mice ("What does my cat hunt?"), And in "My cat has fleas and ticks ", the CD will be fleas and ticks ("My cat has that " ).
- Indirect complements (or indirect objects) . Abbreviated as CI (or OI), they are generally non-mandatory complements, which refer to the recipient, benefactor or injured party by the action referred to by the verb. It usually answers the question "to whom?" or to the change for the pronoun “le / les”. For example: in “My cat scratches the neighbor ”, the CI will be the neighbor (“Who is my cat scratching?”).
- Situational complements . It consists of a nominal, adverbial or prepositional phrase that accompanies the verb and indicates some temporal, spatial or mode circumstance regarding the referred action. The most common circumstantial complements are: time (CCT, answers the question “when?”), Place (CCL, answers the question “where?”), So (CCM, answers the question “¿¿ how? ”), of cause (CCC, answers the question“ why? ”), of purpose (CCF, answers the question“ for what? ”), among others. For example: “My cat eats very quickly ” (CCM: very quickly ), “My cat eats in the kitchen ” (CCL: in the kitchen ), “My cat ate yesterday ” (CCT: yesterday ).
- Agent plugin . This complement appears only in sentences in their passive form, and consists of a prepositional phrase that, if the sentence is in its active form, would correspond to the subject. For example: in “My cat was caressed by the neighbor ”, the agent complement will be for the neighbor , since if the sentence were in active voice it would be “The neighbor caressed my cat”.
- Verbal regime complement . In this case we refer to a propositional phrase that does not fulfill the functions of CO, CI or CC, nor of agent or attribute, but is a necessary part of the syntactic way of expressing the verb. They are merely syntactic supplements, which prepositions are invariable, such as daring to , remember to , mock of , etc. For example: "My cat dares to meow at dawn " (CRV).
Attributes . The attributes are complementary to the copulative verbs generally, since they are adjectives or noun phrases that express qualities, capacities or traits of the subject. For example: in "My cat is Persian with angora ", the copulative verb "to be" asks for an attribute that is Persian with angora .
Sentences with subject and predicate
Sentences endowed with discernible subject and predicate are known as two-member (that is, two-member) sentences. These include those that have an unspoken subject or an elided predicate, because in both cases the absent content can be inferred from the context. Some examples of bimembre sentences are:
- My father cleans the yard with the rake
Subject : My father Core of the subject : father Predicate : clean the yard with the rake Core of the predicate : clean Direct complement : the yard Situational complement : with the rake
- The artists were applauded by the public
Subject : The artists Core of the subject : artists Predicate : they were applauded by the public Core of the predicate : they were Attribute : cheered Complement agent : by the public
- A Persian cat wanders through the dining room
Sujeto : Un gato persa Núcleo del sujeto : gato Predicado : se pasea por el comedor Núcleo del predicado : se pasea (pasearse) Complemento circunstancial : por el comedor
Sigue con: Adverbio
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