Predicate
What is a predicate?
In traditional grammar, a sentence consists of two parts:- a subject,
- a predicate which modifies the subject.
consider the following sentence:
- Bill likes soccer.
Bill is the subject and likes soccer acts
as the predicate (a subsequent description of the subject which is headed with
the verb likes.)
Predicates
provide information about the subject, such as what the subject is doing or
what the subject is like. It must contain a verb but may also contain other
sentence elements. These elements may be objects (direct and
indirect objects), adverbials...
Examples of predicates
- He laughs. (Predicate containing only a verb)
- She writes poems. (Direct object)
- They gave me a gift . (Indirect object and a direct object)
- He saw her in the hospital . (Adverbial)
When the subject and the predicate are connected with a linking verb, the predicate is either nominal, adjectival or adverbial complement:
Nominal predicates:
- He is the president.
- These are the candidates.
Adjectival predicates:
- She is beautiful.
- They are careless.
Adverbial complement:
- He is in the kitchen.
- We are in the house.
OBJECT
What is an object?
An object
in grammar is a part of a sentence, and often part of the predicate.
It refers to someone or something involved in the subject's
"performance" of the verb. It is what the verb is being done to. As
an example, the following sentence is given:
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
Object
|
|
Leila
|
wrote
|
the poem
|
·
"Leila" is the subject,
the doer or performer,
·
"wrote" is a verb
that refers to the action,
·
"the poem" is the object involved in the action.
Transitive and intransitive verbs
A verb can be
classified as transitive or intransitive according to whether it
takes or doesn't take an object:
·
If a verb takes objects, then it is a transitive verb.
Example:
They played soccer. → (The verb play takes ONE object 'soccer')
They sent him a postcard. → (The verb send takes TWO objects 'him' and 'a postcard')
They played soccer. → (The verb play takes ONE object 'soccer')
They sent him a postcard. → (The verb send takes TWO objects 'him' and 'a postcard')
·
If a verb doesn't take an object, then it is an intransitive verb.
Example:
She lies. → (The verb 'lie' doesn't take any object)
Example:
She lies. → (The verb 'lie' doesn't take any object)
The building
collapsed. → (The verb 'collapse' doesn't take any object)
Types of objects
There are two
types of objects: direct and indirect objects:
Direct object
A direct object
answers the question "what?" or "whom?"
Examples:
·
David repaired his car → his car is the direct
object of the verb repaired. ( What did David repair?)
·
He invited Mary to the party → Mary is the direct
object of the verb invited. (Whom did he invite?)
Indirect Object
An indirect
object answers the question "to whom?", "for whom?",
"for what?"...
An indirect
object is the recipient of the direct object, or an otherwise affected
participant in the event. There must be a direct object for an indirect object
to be placed in a sentence. In other words an indirect object cannot exist
without a direct object.
Examples:
·
They sent him a postcard - him is the indirect object of the
verb sent. (To whom did they send a postcard?)
·
He bought his son a bike - his son is the indirect object of
the verb bought. (For whom did he buy a bike?)
Exercise 1:
Underline the Subject / Verb/ DO / IO!
1.
The
grandma kiss her grandson.
2.
Samuel sent his aunt a postcard
from Martha’s Vineyard.
3.
Marc paints the house for his
family.
4.
Alexa gave me her algebra
notes.
5.
Alice wrote a book on the French revolution.
6.
She sent her
friend an email
Exercise 2: Rewrite the following sentences putting the
indirect objects before the direct objects.
1. Jane told a secret to me.
2. John’s father left a huge
property for him.
3. Call a taxi for me.
4. They promised their help for
us.
5. My mother gifted a necklace to
me.
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