Constructions of the English Predicate

What Can the Predicate Look Like in English?

Apr 26, 2009 Heather Marie Kosur

The following article explains the six main constructions of the predicate in English that students must learn.

All sentences and clauses in English must contain both a subject and a predicate. English predicates can be formed through six constructions of a verb followed by combinations of five other grammatical functions. The five grammatical functions found in predicates are subject complements, direct objects, object complements, indirect objects, and verb phrase complements. The six main constructions of the predicate are:

1. Verb
2. Verb-Subject Complement
3. Verb-Direct Object
4. Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement
5. Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object
6. Verb-Verb Phrase Complement

Verb Predicates

The first construction of the predicate in English is Verb. The most basic simple sentences in English contain single clauses formed by a grammatical subject and a verb functioning as a predicate. For example, the following sentences contain predicates constructed of only verbs:

• Subject | Verb
• The dog | barked.
• The toddler | threw up.
• The fat lady | has sung.
• You | will have been studying.

Verb-Subject Complement Predicates

The second construction of the predicate in English is Verb-Subject Complement. Subject complements are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that follow a copular verb and refer back to modify the subject. For example, the following sentences contain predicates constructed of verbs and subject complements:

• Subject | Verb | Subject Complement
• Grammar | is | an interesting topic.
• Drinking milk | is | healthy.
• The boy in the photo | became | an actor.
• That child | appears | sleepy.

Verb-Direct Object Predicates

The third construction of the predicate in English is Verb-Direct Object. Direct objects are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that follow a transitive verb and receive the action of the verb. For example, the following sentences contain predicates constructed of verbs and direct objects:

• Subject | Verb | Direct Object
• Squirrels | stole | my decorative corn.
• Rabbits | have destroyed | the garden.
• That woman | kissed | the man in the ugly pants.
• I | looked up | studying graduate-level linguistics.

Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement Predicates

The fourth construction of the predicate in English is Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement. Object complements are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that directly follow and modify the direct object. For example, the following sentences contain predicates constructed of verbs, direct objects, and object complements:

• Subject | Verb | Direct Object | Object Complement
• The farmer | painted | his tractor | red.
• We | elected | our supervisor | team leader.
• I | consider | linguistics | exciting.
• The committee | has declared | the fundraiser | a success.

Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object Predicates

The fifth construction of the predicate in English is Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object. Indirect objects are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that follow a ditransitive verb and indicate to or for whom or what the action of the verb is performed. For example, the following sentences contain predicates constructed of verbs, direct objects, and indirect objects:

• Subject | Verb | Indirect Object | Direct Object
• A bird | brought | its baby | some food.
• He | will give | me | a kiss.
• The graduate | has mailed | the university | her application.
• The child | sneaks | the dog | a cookie.

Sentences that contain indirect objects must also contain direct objects.

Verb-Verb Phrase Complement Predicates

The sixth construction of the predicate in English is Verb-Verb Phrase Complement. Verb phrase complements are defined as words and phrases that complete the meaning of the verb phrase. For example, the following sentences contain predicates constructed of verbs and verb phrase complements:

• Subject | Verb | Verb Phrase Complement
• I | am looking | at the weather forecast.
• The producer | listened | to the demo.
• The puppy | waits | for his owner.
• Parents | fear | for the safety of their children.

Prepositional phrases most frequently perform the function of verb phrase complement.

The six main constructions of the English predicate are Verb, Verb-Subject Complement, Verb-Direct Object, Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement, Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object, and Verb-Verb Phrase Complement. Both native English-speaking and ESL students must learn and understand the six constructions of the predicate to properly and fully form sentences and clauses in both spoken and written English.

Sources

Hopper, Paul J. A Short Course in Grammar. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.

Huddleston, Rodney. Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1984.

Jacobs, Roderick A. English Syntax: A Grammar for English Language Professionals. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

The copyright of the article Constructions of the English Predicate in Language Study is owned by Heather Marie Kosur. Permission to republish Constructions of the English Predicate in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Verb Predicate Grammar Tree

Verb-Direct Object Predicate Grammar Tree

Verb-Verb Phrase Complement Predicate Grammar Tree