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Complete Predicate Examples

Introduction

Understanding the parts of a sentence is critical to successful generation and review of clear written work. 

A complete predicate is the verb in a sentence as well as the words that describe the action or state of being of the subject. Simply put, it is all of the words within a sentence except for the subject itself.  

Remember, the subject is the noun: the person, place, or thing that performs the action of the verb. The subject can also appear as a pronoun. 

Definition

A complete predicate includes all of the words within a sentence except for the subject, the “doer,” itself.  

Examples

A subject and its complete predicate are represented in the following sentences:

    Teddy drove to school on Monday and Tuesday. 

The subject, “Teddy,” is followed by the complete predicate “drove to school on Monday and Tuesday.” The complete predicate gives us information about what Teddy did and when. 

Here is another: 

   Gina put on her makeup. 

The subject “Gina” is completed by the predicate “put on her makeup” because it tells us what Gina was doing. 

Here’s one more than contains two verbs: 

   Ernie napped in his bed all afternoon and watched television.  

The subject “Ernie” is followed by the complete predicate “napped in his bed all afternoon and watched television.” This sentence is a compound predicate because it has two verbs: “napped” and “watched” that are about the same subject. 

Practice

Here are sentences that contain complete predicates. Italicize, note, or underline the complete predicate in each example. 

  1. The statue sits in the window for all of the passing neighbors to see. 
  2. The driver honked the horn to alert the other vehicle. 
  3. The tree was glowing in the living room. 
  4. The girl felt cold with the windows open. 
  5. The secretary tapped the keyboard keys. 
  6. The cat purred as his owner pet his head. 
  7. The light bulb glowed under the lampshade. 
  8. The ice melted in the cup. 
  9. The soap sudsed the dishes. 
  10. The candle burned brightly on the table. 

Answer Key for Practice Sentences

The italicized words indicate the part of the sentence that is the complete predicate.

  1. The statue sits in the window for all of the passing neighbors to see. 
  2. The driver honked the horn to alert the other vehicle. 
  3. The tree was glowing in the living room. 
  4. The girl felt cold with the windows open. 
  5. The secretary tapped the keyboard keys. 
  6. The cat purred as his owner pet his head. 
  7. The light bulb glowed under the lampshade. 
  8. The ice melted in the cup. 
  9. The soap sudsed the dishes. 
  10. The candle burned brightly on the table. 

Conclusion

As you learn about the different parts of grammar, knowing the terms for each part of a sentence can help you write and review more successfully. 

If ever you’re wondering why a sentence feels or seems incomplete, always be sure to check for a subject and a complete predicate. Without these two parts, the sentence is incomplete.