What is said in English is an integral part of both oral and written speech. Those who are even a little familiar with the grammatical structure of this language are well aware that it is impossible to build the correct English sentence without the predicate. Along with the subject, it forms the grammatical basis of the sentence. Even when using the imperative mood - this is the only case when the subject in English can be omitted - the predicate remains and serves as a "frame" for the whole idea that the speaker or writer is trying to convey.
As in Russian, the predicate in English can be nominal or verbal, simple or compound. To understand the intricacies of using each of these types, you need to look at each of them individually.
Simple verb predicate
This is the first predicate in English that anyone who starts to learn English grammar encounters. It is thanks to him that it is possible to create such a large number of species-time forms and designs. With its help, you can express almost any simple thought or idea, talk about some event that has already happened, is happening or should happen in the future.
For a simple verb predicate, tenses in English vary, defining the components that make up this predicate. So, for the times of the Simple category, when forming a predicate, only the main verb, modified in accordance with the rules, is sufficient. In more complex constructions, as well as in questions and negatives, the composition of a simple verb predicate in English may include one or more auxiliary verbs and a particle not.
Examples of a simple verb predicate
As mentioned earlier, it can consist exclusively of the main verb:
- It happened yesterday - It happened yesterday.
- She reads interesting books - She reads interesting books.
From the main and auxiliary verb:
- Will you marry me? - Will you marry me?
- This boy is playing - This boy is playing.
From one main and several auxiliary verbs:
- They will be watching TV all evening tomorrow - Tomorrow they will watch TV all evening.
- Will you have finished this work till next Monday? “Will you finish this work by next Monday?”
From the main and auxiliary verbs and particles not:
- I am not working at the moment - I am not working at the moment.
- She has not met him yet - She has not met him yet.
For a simple verb predicate, the verb in the English language does not matter. It can be both active, as in all the above examples, and passive:
- This house was build four years ago - This house was built four years ago.
Compound verb predicate
The composite predicate in English, in addition to the main verb, includes an additional member of the sentence, introducing additional semantic load and changing the meaning of what was said. The compound verb predicate always contains the main verb and the verb supplement, which is most often used for clarification. In addition, it may include one or more auxiliary verbs and the particle not.
It is important to distinguish between a compound verb predicate in English and complex forms of a simple verb predicate. In a simple predicate, only one verb - the main one - has a real semantic meaning. In a complex predicate, there are at least two of them.
Examples of compound verb predicate
The simplest example of this predicate in English is sentences of the following type:
- I like to read. - I like to read.
- She wants to travel all over the world. - She wants to travel around the world.
You can complicate them by choosing a more complex species-time form:
- She has never proposed to spend time together before. “She had never offered to spend time together before.”
- Are you planning to move somewhere? “Are you planning to move somewhere?”
Or using more verbs depending on the main and sequentially from each other:
- We decided not to refuse to start to work at this project - We decided not to refuse to start working on this project.
True, such designs look and sound overloaded. They are very rarely used in oral speech and are recommended to be avoided in writing.
Compound nominal predicate
This type of predicate in English consists of the nominal part and the verb-connective. The nominal part conveys the main meaning, while the verb-connective is necessary in most cases only to maintain the correct grammatical structure.
The most commonly used verb as a connective is to be, in translation into Russian, to be. Of course, it changes in accordance with the used time-form. In addition to to, the following verbs can act as an auxiliary verb:
- to become - to become;
- to remain - to "remain";
- to seem - "seem";
- to look - "look".
It is not difficult to distinguish the nominal part of the predicate from a simple addition. The following two sentences can be taken as an example:
- He was here some years ago. “He was here a few years ago.”
- He was tired. - He was tired.
In the first case, a simple verb predicate is used. The main semantic load is the verb was - "was". In the second case, what matters is not that he was, but the fact that he was "tired." Without a nominal part, a sentence completely loses its meaning. Therefore, it is a compound nominal predicate.
Examples of compound nominal predicate
In English, examples of this kind of predicate can be found no less than in Russian. Here are the simplest of them, suitable in order to understand the general principle of their preparation:
- We are professionals. - We are professionals.
- She became a doctor. - She became a doctor.
- Let's remain friends forever. - Let's stay friends forever.
- You seem tired. You didn't sleep enough this night, did you? “You seem tired.” You didn't get enough sleep tonight, did you?
- I don't want to look silly! “I don't want to look silly!”
Like the two previous types of the predicate, the compound nominal predicate can be varied by complicating the nominal part or using the complex temporal form of the conjugation verb.
- He is a very interesting man - He is a very interesting man. (The passage “a very interesting person” can be considered the nominal part. At the same time, it will not be a mistake to name the word “person” only, and consider the rest, respectively, as an adverb of measure and degree and definition).
To summarize
Types of predicate in English is not such an important topic, as, for example, formulas of species-time forms, infinitive or gerund. Without knowing it, you can still build the right sentences and communicate in English without blushing in front of the native speakers. Nevertheless, for those who want to not only use the English language, but also understand its structure, the types of predicate can become an indispensable tool for analyzing sentences and identifying complex grammatical structures.