Note the terms highlighted in the following sentences:
(1) Maria learned the alphabet.
(2) Mary he likesof sweets.
You may notice that, in prayer (1), the proper name Mary is the being about which a statement is made. This term receives a specific name in Portuguese. We say he is the subject of prayer.
In clause (2), we realize that the highlighted term is everything that is declared/said about the subject, isn't it? This term of prayer is known as predicate.
Note that these terms analyzed are responsible for building the basic structure of the sentences, as it would be difficult to understand the utterance without their presence and, therefore, they are called essential terms of prayer. Look:
(1)... learned the utterance. Who?
(2) Mary... What?
Due to the great possibility of creating statements, there are different types of subject and predicate. Note the table below:
- Types of subject
Subject |
Definition |
Example |
simple subject |
It is one that has only one core. |
Fabiano told stories. |
compound subject |
It is one that has more than one core. |
Peter and Maria went to the cinema. |
Hidden subject |
It is the one who is not explicit in the prayer but can be identified. |
likeO of strawberries. (identified by the verbal ending) |
Indeterminate subject |
It occurs when it is not possible to identify an explicit referent in the clause (or in the context of the utterance) by verbal inflection |
They set the buses on fire. (Direct transitive verb inflected in the 3rd person plural.) |
Non-existent subject or prayer without subject |
occurs when there is a impersonal verb. |
- In the winter, nightfall earlier. - This month, there was lots of sales. - I already arrived there is two days. - It's still too early. |
- Predicate types
Predicate |
Definition |
Example |
Nominal predicate |
It is one that has a name as its nucleus and is formed by a connecting verb+ subject predicative. |
The boy looked anxious. V. link + P. of the subject (the core of the predicate is the adjective “anxious”) |
verbal predicate |
It is the one that has as its core a transitive verb or an intransitive verb. |
The girl loves candy. Direct transitive verb. Rained much. Intransitive Verb |
Nominal-verb predicate |
It's the one that has how core a verb form (transitive verb or intransitive verb that expresses action) and a nominal form (noun, adjective, adjective phrase) or a pronominal form, which acts as a predicative of the subject or object to which it refers. |
- Peter left happy. (intransitive verb + P. of the subject) - Maria got the desired promotion. (VTD + Obj. direct+ P. of the object) He read the letter anxious. (VTD + Obj. direct+ Q. of the subject) |
Thus, the subject and predicate are essential terms of the clause..
