In traditional
grammar, a
predicate is one of the two main parts of a
sentence (the other being the
subject, which the predicate modifies). In current
linguistic semantics, a
predicate is an expression that can be
true of something. Thus, the expressions "is yellow" or "like broccoli" are true of those things that are yellow or like broccoli, respectively. The latter notion is closely related to the notion of a
predicate in
formal logic, and includes more expressions than the former one, like, for example,
nouns and some kinds of
adjectives.
In traditional English grammar, a predicate is one of the two main parts of a sentence (the other being the subject, which the predicate modifies). (2004) The Merriam Webster Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusettes Merriam-Webster, 566. ISBN 13.&_160;[citation needed] The predicate must contain a verb, and the verb requires, permits or precludes other sentence elements to complete the predicate. These elements are objects (direct, indirect, prepositional), predicatives (aka predicate complements subject complements and object complements) and adverbials (either obligatory or adjuncts). In the following examples, the predicate is underlined.
The predicate provides information about the subject, such as what the subject is doing or what the subject is like.
The relation between a subject and its predicate is sometimes called a nexus.
