What is a complete predicate?

The complete predicate of a sentence is the part that tells what the subject does or is. It includes the verb and all the words that modify or complete the meaning of the verb. It's everything except the subject.

Here's a breakdown:

• It always contains the verb: The verb is the core of the predicate, indicating action or a state of being.

• It can include objects: Direct objects receive the action of the verb, while indirect objects receive the direct object. For example, in "She gave him the book," "gave him the book" is the complete predicate, with "book" as the direct object and "him" as the indirect object.

• It can include complements: Complements complete the meaning of the verb, but aren't objects. Subject complements rename or describe the subject (e.g., "She is a doctor"), while object complements rename or describe the direct object (e.g., "They elected him president").

• It includes adverbial modifiers: These words, phrases, or clauses modify the verb, telling how, when, where, why, to what extent, etc., the action or state of being occurs. For example, in "He carefully read the book in the library yesterday," "carefully read the book in the library yesterday" is the complete predicate, with "carefully," "in the library," and "yesterday" being adverbial modifiers.

Example:

Sentence: The tired dog slept soundly on the porch all afternoon.

• Subject: The tired dog
• Complete Predicate: slept soundly on the porch all afternoon

Within the complete predicate:

• Verb: slept
• Adverbial modifiers: soundly, on the porch, all afternoon

In short, the complete predicate paints a full picture of what's happening in the sentence beyond just the subject's identity.