Lesson 16 Predicate/Verbs – Sentences
One part of a sentence is the subject. The other part is the action or the predicate. The predicate tells us what the subject in the sentence is doing or feeling. The predicate in a sentence is the action of the subject. The predicate can be physical, mental (feeling), or it can be a helping/linking word in the sentence.
Note: The predicate in a sentence is sometimes referred to as the verb.
VERBS/PREDICATES
Verbs are words that tell us what the subject in a sentence is doing or feeling. Verbs also act as helping verbs or linking verbs in a sentence.
Running (doing)
Love (feeling)
Linking
This woman is a nurse.
HELPING VERBS
Some sentences need a helping verb. A helping verb generally comes before a verb that ends in ‘ing’.
In the following sentence, we could not say:
Serena going to the movies.
A helping verb is needed.
Example
HV V
Serena is going to the movies.
COMMON HELPING VERBS
| be | have | shall | can |
| do | am | has | should |
| could | does | is | had |
| will | may | did | are |
| would | might | must | was |
| were | been |
LINKING VERBS
Some sentences need a linking verb.
A linking verb is used to connect, or link, the subject of a sentence with another word that either renames or describes the subject.
In this sentence, we could not say: Peter carpenter. A linking verb is needed.
Example
Peter is a carpenter.
In the above sentence, is links the subject – Peter – to a phrase that renames Peter.
Peter = carpenter. The linking verb is renamed Peter.
In this next sentence, we could not say: That carpet dirty. A linking verb is needed.
Example
That carpet was dirty.
In the above sentence, was links the subject – carpet – to the word dirty to describe the carpet.
carpet = dirty. The linking verb was describes the carpet.
Place a checkmark in the correct column for each predicate/verb.
| Predicate | Physical | Feeling | Helping/Linking |
| slip | |||
| was | |||
| take | |||
| love | |||
| will | |||
| swam | |||
| trust | |||
| is | |||
| use | |||
| pass | |||
| fill | |||
| stash |
Read each word. Are these words nouns or verbs? Place a checkmark in the appropriate column.
| Word | Noun | Verb |
| chase | ||
| cloth | ||
| run | ||
| hide | ||
| dismiss | ||
| invent | ||
| cupcake | ||
| homerun |
What Says?
| 1. | 6. |
| 2. | 7. |
| 3. | 8. |
| 4. | 9. |
| 5. | 10. |
Spelling and Sentence Dictation
| 1. | 6. |
| 2. | 7. |
| 3. | 8. |
| 4. | 9. |
| 5. | 10. |
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
Review
In the lesson we learned about predicates/verbs. One part of a sentence is the subject. The other part is the action or the predicate. The predicate tells us what the subject in the sentence is doing or feeling. The predicate in a sentence is the action of the subject. The predicate can be physical or it can be a helping/linking word in the sentence.
Note: The predicate in a sentence is sometimes referred to as the verb.
VERBS/PREDICATES
Verbs are words that tell us what the subject in a sentence is doing or feeling. Verbs also act as helping verbs or linking verbs in a sentence.
Running (doing)
Love (feeling)
Linking
This woman is a nurse.
HELPING VERBS
Some sentences need a helping verb.
A helping verb generally comes before a verb that ends in ‘ing’.
In the following sentence, we could not say:
Serena going to the movies.
A helping verb is needed.
Example
HV V
Serena is going to the movies.
COMMON HELPING VERBS
| be | have | shall | can |
| do | am | has | should |
| could | does | is | had |
| will | may | sis | are |
| would | might | must | was |
| were | been |
LINKING VERBS
Some sentences need a linking verb.
A linking verb is used to connect, or link, the subject of a sentence with another word that either renames or describes the subject.
In the sentence below, we could not say:
Peter carpenter. A linking verb is needed.
Example
Peter is a carpenter.
In the above sentence, is links the subject – Peter – to a phrase that renames Peter.
Peter = carpenter. The linking verb is renamed Peter.
In this next sentence, we could not say:
That carpet dirty. A linking verb is needed.
Example
That carpet was dirty.
In the above sentence, was links the subject – carpet – to the word dirty to describe the carpet.
carpet = dirty. The linking verb was describes the carpet.
Practice
Underline the subject once, and the predicate twice in each sentence?
- The dog ate my homework.
- Jack ran on the track.
- There is a frog in the pond.
- Where is my dress?
Place each verb in the correct column.
| Verb | Physical | Mental | Helping/Linking |
| slip | |||
| drop | |||
| take | |||
| would | |||
| grill | |||
| swam | |||
| trust | |||
| ran | |||
| shall | |||
| pass | |||
| fill | |||
| stash |
Underline or highlight the predicate in each sentence.
- Anna has a job in a nursing home.
- Jane likes her teacher Mrs. Jones.
- Bill will run in the race.
- Fran can bake a cake for the class.
- Do you drive your car to work?
- Paul went to church on Sunday.
