What describes what the subject is doing or being; it contains the verb(s) and any modifiers or objects that accompany it/them?

• A. Predicate
• B. Subject
• C. Clause
• D. Object complement

Answer: (A)

The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject does or is like. It includes the verb or verb phrase and all the words that complete its meaning—objects, complements, and any modifiers. For example, in “The cat slept on the mat,” the subject is “The cat,” and the predicate is “slept on the mat,” which contains the verb and the prepositional phrase that completes the action. In “The teacher is explaining the lesson,” the predicate is “is explaining the lesson,” including the auxiliary “is,” the main verb “explaining,” and the object “the lesson.” The predicate can also include adverbs or other modifiers, as in “The student quickly finished the assignment,” where “quickly finished the assignment” is the predicate. The subject names who or what the sentence is about, while a clause is a larger unit that contains a subject and a predicate, and an object complement is a specific part within the predicate that renames or describes the object.