PREDICATES: Complete, Simple, & Compound Mrs. Davis’s 5 th Grade Language Arts Classes

PREDICATES The predicate of a sentence tells about the subject (what happened to it) of a sentence; or it tells what the subject is/was, has/had, does/did. The predicate is usually found at the end of the sentence. The predicate begins with the first verb (helping, linking, or action) in the sentence.

Timothy won the race. What did Timothy DO? WON THE RACE! PREDICATES

The door is locked. What about the door? It IS LOCKED! PREDICATES

The complete predicate includes ALL of the words that tell what happened in the sentence. The complete predicate starts with the verb (predicate) and continues until the end of the sentence. COMPLETE PREDICATES

My little sister’s teacher assigns a lot of homework. The early morning dew sparkled on the grass. I left my lunch in Dad’s truck this morning. An NFL quarterback will visit our school next week.

What is the complete predicate? 1. The bird flew over the pond. What did the bird DO? flew over the pond 2. Dad is angry at my sister. WHAT ABOUT Dad? is angry at my sister 3. A strong wind is blowing in our direction. WHAT ABOUT the wind? is blowing in our direction COMPLETE PREDICATES R E V I E W

SIMPLE PREDICATES The simple predicate includes the single verb (or helping verb and main verb) that tells what happened in the sentence. The simple predicate can ALWAYS be found at the beginning of the complete predicate.

SIMPLE PREDICATES My little sister’s teacher assigns a lot of homework. The early morning dew sparkled on the grass. I left my lunch in Dad’s truck this morning. An NFL quarterback will visit our school next week.

What is the simple predicate? 1. The bird flew over the pond. What is the VERB in the sentence? flew (action verb) 2. Dad is angry at my sister. What is the VERB in the sentence? is (linking verb) 3. A strong wind is blowing in our direction. What is the VERB in the sentence? is blowing (helping + action verbs) SIMPLE PREDICATES R E V I E W

COMPOUND PREDICATES Compound predicates are two or more simple predicates together in one sentence. Compound predicates are usually joined by and/or.

COMPOUND PREDICATES My new kitten played and slept all day. The children ate lunch, watched TV, and finished their homework. You need to finish your book or go outside to play. The truck sputtered down the driveway and rumbled down the road.

What is the compound predicate? 1. We made hot dogs and gobbled them up. What are the VERBS in the sentence? made, gobbled 2. Mom hugged me, gave me some money, and sent me on my way. What are the VERBS in the sentence? hugged, gave, sent 3. The computer crackled, fizzled, then caught fire. What are the VERBS in the sentence? crackled, fizzled, caught COMPOUND PREDICATES R E V I E W