The nominal part of the predicate in English. Predicate and ways of its expression. Compound turnover with gerund or infinitive

In English, subject-verb agreement is very important. Without knowing its principles, you will not be able to construct even a simple sentence. Let's find out how to correctly coordinate the predicate with the subject in English.

1. If the subject in a sentence consists of two or more nouns (pronouns) connected by a union and, you should use the verb in the plural. Example:

   • He and his colleagues are in the cinema.

2. However, if two or more nouns (pronouns) that make up the subject are connected in a sentence by conjunctions or or nor, the verb referring to them must be used in the singular. Examples:

   • My mother or sister is going to cook a dinner.

3. If the compound subject consists of a noun (pronoun) in the plural and singular, and they are joined together by unions or or nor, the verb of the predicate should be coordinated with the part of the subject that is in the sentence close to the verb.

   Examples:

   • Neither the coach nor the players know the score.
   • Neither the players nor the coachknows the score.

4. Doesn't is a shortened form of does not and is used with the subject in the singular. Don't is an abbreviation do not and suitable for plural subjects. An exception to this rule are 1st and 2nd person pronouns. I And you as a subject. They should be used with don't. Examples:

   • She doesn't play football.
   • They don't like coffee.
   • I don't like cooking.
   • You don't play chess.

5. The verb should agree with the subject, and not with another noun (pronoun) that may be between them in the sentence. Examples:

   • One of the chickens was ill.
   • The woman with all her children stays at the bus stop.
   • The people who trust the president are many.

6. In English, pronouns each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, someone, somebody And no one possess the singular and require the verb in the singular, respectively. Examples:

   

   • Everyone likes apples.
   • Neither is correct.
   • Nobody in the team wants to give up.
   • each of these apricots on the table is ripe.

7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, news, measles require the use of the verb-predicate in the singular. Examples:

   Note: noun dollars in the meaning of the amount of money is used with the verb in the singular. If we are talking about the currency in general, then the verb will be in the plural.
   • in my mind, mathematics is the most important science.
   • Yesterday the news was at seven.
   • one hundred dollars is a lot of money.
   • dollars are convertible throughout the world.

8. Nouns such as scissors, shears, tweezers, trousers require plural form verb (since they all consist of two parts). Examples:

   • These trousers are style.
   • Your scissors are keen.

9. Expressions such as such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, as well do not change the number of the subject, as well as the verb-predicate. Examples:

   

   • My brother accompanied by his friends, is playing football.
   • all cats, including small kittens, have strong claws.

10. In sentences that begin with turnovers there is or there are, the subject follows after the verb-predicate, however, they still agree. Examples:

    • There are many students.
    • There is a student.

11. Collective nouns, meaning more than one person, however, have a singular form and are used with a verb in the singular. Examples:

    • Today the team demonstrates outstanding performance.
    • His family was pretty big.
    • The crew is ready for departure.

The topic of the article is very important, because the rules for agreeing the subject and the predicate are applicable in almost every sentence.
Now, having replenished your knowledge base, you can better prepare, for example, for, and you will feel much more confident when speaking in English with a native speaker.

Expressed by the verb in personal form in any tense, voice and mood. The form of the verb can be simple, i.e. without auxiliary verbs (He speaks English. He speaks English), or complex, i.e. with auxiliary verbs (Not is reading now. He is reading now. I shall be waiting for you at 5. I'll be waiting for you at 5).

Note. In Russian, the forms I will wait, I will read, etc. are also a simple predicate expressed by a complex form of the verb in the future tense.

Verbs with postpositions (such as to carry out) stable combinations with a verbal meaning (such as to take care to care) also form a simple predicate in the sentence.

• The beta-rays are known to move with high velocity. -- Beta rays are known to travel at high speeds.
• I seem to have promised you that I "d take you in my lab. - It seems that I promised you that I would take you to my laboratory.
• He is sure to be sent there. “He will certainly be sent there.
• He was seen crossing the bridge. We saw him cross the bridge

If two subjects expressed by nouns or pronouns are connected by the union and or Both ... and, the predicate is plural:

• The earth and other plans ets move around the sun. The earth and other planets revolve around the sun.
• Both the dog and his master were dragged ashore by Pete and Hans. “Both the dog and its owner were dragged ashore by Piet and Hans.

If two subjects are joined by a conjunction as well as as well as, the predicate agrees in person and number with the first subject:

• Liquid, as well as solids. becomes radioactive when put through a nuclear reactor. -- Liquids, like solids, become radioactive when passed through nuclear reactor
• Gases, as well as liquids, return to their original volume as soon as the applied force is removed. -- Gases, like liquids, return to their original volume as soon as the applied force is removed.

Hello future English learners! Friends, you have probably heard more than once about such a phenomenon in the English language as a fixed word order. And it represents a strict observance of the position in the proposal of its members.

And here the problem arises - how much do you know about the members of the sentence in English? It cannot be said that the grammatical concept of "member of a sentence" differs in many respects from that in Russian, but by making short review you will no doubt discover some useful information or simply brush up on the grammar material that you learned in school. Let's get started! IN English sentence there is a certain word order

English sentences: construction rules and members

The main difference between English declarative sentences and Russian ones is that in English one cannot arrange words as one pleases, and the sentence formula indicating a strict word order is as follows:

Subject + predicate + object + adverb of place + adverb of time

Of course, this formula is not absolute. Some members may be absent in both the English and Russian sentences, or, on the contrary, additional ones may appear, for example:

• circumstances of the course of action
• cause and effect, etc.

The priority of circumstances in sentences will be discussed a little later.

If in Russian there are sentences without a subject, then in English - the presence of a subject is mandatory

For example, the Russian version of the absence of a subject:

• I see the city has become so beautiful!

In the English version, the literal translation will be incorrect, the presence of the pronoun "I" is required here:

• I see the city has become so beautiful!

Let us now take a closer look at the important constituent elements of the proposals.
The subject and predicate are the grammatical basis of the sentence

The Subject

The subject is a member of a sentence that names the subject in question.

The subject in English answers the question:

• who? — Who?
• what? — What?

The subject in English can be expressed:

• noun
• numeral
• pronoun
• gerund (impersonal form of the verb)
• infinitive

John is a pupil. — John (who?) is a student.
The book was on the desk. — The book (what?) was on the table.

The Predicate (Predicate)

The predicate indicates what is said about the subject, that is, what action it performs. Therefore, it is in close connection with the subject and is consistent with it.

The predicate in English answers the questions:

• what does the subject do
• what happens to the subject
• who is the subject / object (subject)

Mary studies. — Mary is studying. (What is Mary doing?)
The letter was burned. — The letter was burned. (What happened to the letter?)
Ann is a housewife. — Anna is a housewife. (Who is Anna?)

This sentence member in English has many nuances, so let's stop to consider them without delay.

The predicate is of two types:

• Simple
• composite

A simple predicate is expressed by a personal verb and can be in any of the tenses, voices and moods

He likes this song. — He loves this song.

To avoid the misunderstanding that may arise, it should be understood that a simple predicate can consist of several components, provided that they are components of one verb form.

We are writing a test. — We are writing a test.
She had been writing a letter. — She was writing a letter.

The compound predicate is subdivided into two more types:

• Compound verb predicate
• Compound nominal predicate

Compound verb predicate forms its forms according to two schemes:

1. Modal verb ( can, ought to, May etc.) + infinitive
   • I can read English. — I can read in English
2. Verb (expressing the beginning, continuation or end of an action) + infinitive / gerund
   • I began to study at the University of St. Nicholas. — I started studying at the University of St. Nicholas
   • It continued snowing. — The snow kept falling
   • He has finished reading the story. — He finished reading the story

Compound nominal predicate formed in the following way:

verb link to be(to be) in any of the times + nominal part, which can be:

• noun
• pronoun
• numeral
• participle
• infinitive
• adverb,
• gerund

• My dad is a pilot. - My father is a pilot (+ noun)
• The wall is high. - The wall is high (+ adjective)
• She is forty-two. - She is 42 years old (+ numeral)
• The game is over. - Game over (+ adverb)
• His heart is broken. - His heart is broken (+ participle)
• His goal was traveling the world. - His goal was to travel the world ( + gerund)

The Object (Add-on)

An object is a member of a sentence denoting an object or person that is affected by

Addition in English answers a huge number of questions:

• whom- whom
• what- What
• to whom to whom
• by whom by whom
• about what- about what etc.

It may be direct, indirect And prepositional.

direct complement names the person or object to which the action expressed by the transitive verb passes directly. Questions answered by:

• whom - whom
• what- What

I read an article. — I am reading an article.

indirect addition in English indicates the addressee or the person for whom the action is performed. An indirect addition answers the questions:

• to whom to whom
• for whom - for whom
• to what- what

She gave me a letter. — She gave me a letter.
Mother read us a fairy tale. — Mom read us a fairy tale.

prepositional object formed by adding a preposition and a noun, pronoun or gerund. Answers the questions:

• for whom - for whom
• about whom about whom
• about what- about what
• with whom with whom
• with what- with what

Tom gave a newspaper for my grandfather. — Tom gave a newspaper to my grandfather.

The Attribute (Definition)

A definition in English is a member of a sentence that names the attribute of an object, it also clarifies or supplements its meaning.

As a rule, a definition in English refers to a noun, a little less often to a pronoun, and answers the questions:

• which - which
• what- Which
• whose- whose

I want to buy that white T-shirt. — I want to buy that white t-shirt.
Wedding is an important moment in our life. - A wedding is an important moment in our life.

In an English sentence, as in Russian, a definition can be attached to any member of the sentence. The difference is that in English in this bundle the definition is always comes first, in Russian it can take second place:

The painting, small and inconspicuous, cost a fortune. — The small and imperceptible picture costs a fortune.

The Adverbial Modifier (Circumstance)

Circumstance - a member of the sentence, indicating the circumstances under which the action occurs

The circumstance in English, as well as in Russian, can indicate the place, time, cause, purpose, mode of action, consequence, etc. In most cases, the circumstance refers to the verb and answers the questions:

• when- When
• where- Where
• how- How
• why- Why

She'll meet you at 9 o'clock. — She will meet you at 9 o'clock.
I waited for him at the railway station. — I was waiting for him at the railway station.

If there are several circumstances in the proposal, then they will be located in the following order.

From the Russian language, we know that the predicate is one of the main members of the sentence, which expresses the action of the subject. The predicate is included in the grammatical basis of the sentence. All this is the same in English. And, just like in Russian, the English sentence has a compound predicate or Compound Predicate.

Since we have already considered the predicate in general on our website, today we will talk about the Compound Predicate, that is, about the compound predicate. Why is it so important to get acquainted with Compound Predicate, to know it and use it in speech? What is a compound predicate, what is its construction and structure? We will try to answer these questions in this article. In any case, the use of a compound predicate in speech will make it richer and more complex.

If you want to thoroughly study the compound predicate in an English sentence, then you are in the right place by opening this article. So, let's begin!

Features of Compound Predicate in an English sentence

In English, a compound predicate is not just a compound, but a compound nominal, that is, Compound Nominal Predicate. Its structure is as follows: the linking verb to be in the personal form + the predicative (nominal part). The predicative denotes the sign of the subject, and the linking verb connects the subject with the predicative (nominal part) and expresses the person, number, mood and time.

Unlike Russian, in English the verb to be is never omitted. Compare:

• Susan is so beautiful in this dress. — SusansuchbeautifulVthisdress.
• Are you busy this evening? - Are you busy tonight?
• Thomas is sick and tired of all these problems. — Thomastiredfromalltheseproblems.
• We are ready to go to the cinema with you. - WereadygoVmovieWithyou.
• Michael is very intelligent. - MichaelVerysmart.

But not only the verb to be can act as a linking verb. The following verbs can also be a linking verb, they are:

• To seem - to seem
• To look - seem to look
• To appear - seem to appear
• To feel - feel

For example:

• Alexseemedveryexcited. Alex seemed very excited.
• Youlookverywell! - You look very good.
• Itappearsverystrange. - It seems very strange.
• Howdoyoufeeltoday? — How do you feel today?
• Thechildlookstiredafterphysicalexercises. The child looks tired after exercise.

In addition, the linking verb can be the verbs to get, to become, to turn, to grow in the meaning of "become, become". Eg:

• Amanda turned pale suddenly. — Amandaall of a suddenturned pale.
• My elder sister will become a teacher. - Myoldersisterwill becometeacher.
• Michael got angry with me. Michael was angry with me.
• Hegrewold. - He got older (older).
• Alexbecomesmoreandmoreirritable. Alex is getting more and more irritable.

Also, the following linking verbs:

• To remain - stay
• To keep - keep, continue
• To continue - continue
• To begin - begin
• To start - start
• To finish - finish
• To stop - finish, stop (sya)
• To cease - stop
• To go on - continue

For example:

• PaulandMarykepttalking. Paul and Mary continued to talk.
• Everybody in the room remained silent. - AllToroomkeptsilence.
• Start writing the dictation, please. — Startwritedictation, Please.
• They stopped chatting. - All of a suddenTheystoppedto chat.
• They began working in the early morning. - Theystartedworkearlyin the morning.
• Continue reading, please. - Keep reading, please.
• stoptalking,please! - Stop talking, please!
• Icannotstopadmiringmymother. I can't stop admiring my mom.
• Goonwriting,please. - Keep writing, please.
• We finished discussing at two o'clock. We finished the discussion at two o'clock.

Now, dear readers, let's move on to the predicate, that is, to the nominal part of the compound predicate.

How is the predicate expressed in the compound predicate?

The predicate or nominal part in the Compound Predicate is expressed by the following words or groups of words:

A noun in the general or possessive case, with or without a preposition:

• This is my brother Alex. Heisapupil. This is my brother Alex. He's a student.
• Is it your pencil? No, it is not mine, it is Michael's. - Thisis yourspencil? No, it's not mine, it's Michael's.
• My parents are in good health. - MyparentsVgoodin good health.
• It is my book. - Thismybook.
• It is Nick's cat. - ThiscatNika.

It can be expressed as participle or adjective:

• Willyoubebusytonight? — Will you be busy tonight?
• Thisgirlisbeautiful. - This girl is beautiful.
• We are glad to see you. - Wegladyousee.
• I'm happy. - I'm happy.
• Theseconditionsarebeneficialforoursituation. These conditions are favorable for our situation.

Sometimes expressed by a pronoun in the general or object case, which replaces a noun. Or a possessive pronoun in the absolute form:

• It is him. - ThisHe.
• Thatissomething! - That's something!
• Whosewatchisthis?It is mine. — WhoseThiswatch? These are my.
• Who is there? It is me. - Whothere? It's me.
• This is your pencil and that is mine. - Thisis yourspencil, AThat- my.

Can be ordinal or cardinal number:

• They came only ten. - TheircameTotalten.
• Alex was the first to come. Alex was the first one to come.
• We are twenty-five in our classroom. - UstwentyfiveVourclassroom.
• Thomas is the third in the group. — Thomas- thirdVgroup.
• We were just two. “There were only two of us.

It can be expressed as an infinitive or an infinitive phrase:

• Our discussion was to start at once. — Ourdiscussionstartedstraightaway.
• It is up to my mother to decide. - Thisdecidemymom.
• I want to help my children. - IWanthelpminechildren.
• We desire to see you every day. We wish to see you every day.
• Our conversation was to finish suddenly. - Ourtalksuddenlyended.

It happens as a participle (gerund):

• My hobby is collecting books. - Myhobby- collectingbooks.
• I hate smoking. - Ihatesmoking.
• Myfatherhatesconsumingalcohol. My father hates drinking alcohol.
• His favorite occupation is reading books. - Hisfavoriteclass- readingbooks.
• Mybesttimeisbeingwithmyparentsandfriends. My favorite pastime is being with my parents and friends.

It can be expressed as a complex with a gerund or an infinitive:

• My parents are against my entering the college this autumn. - MyparentsagainstmyreceiptsVcollegethisautumn.
• We do not accept going to the cinema tonight. We do not agree to go to the cinema tonight.
• Ichoosestayingathometoday. I choose to stay at home today.
• Amanda prefers reading at the library. — AmandaprefersreadingVlibrary.
• I want listening to the music. - IWantlistenmusic.

And, finally, it can be expressed by an adverb.

Predicate ( The Predicate)
There are four types of predicate in English:
1) simple verbal predicate;
2) modal verbal predicate;
3) phrasal verbal predicate;
4) compound nominal predicate.

Simple verb predicate ( The Simple Verbal Predicate)
expressed by a semantic verb in a personal form, which can be a simple or complex form of any tense, voice and mood:
I am going to the library today. - I am today I'm going to the library.
Shall I change your books? -Change you books?
Wait forme.I am coming too. -Wait me. Me too I'm going.
Ann is not at home. - Anna No Houses.
A special kind of simple verbal predicate is the predicate expressed by turnover thereis:
There is a fine park in our town. - In our city There is good park.
There wasn't a shop in our street. - On our street Not was shop.
In such sentences, the subject always follows the verb.

Modal verb predicate ( The Modal Verbal Predicate)
A modal verbal predicate consists of a modal verb ( can,may,must,should,need,ought,be,have,havegot) in the personal form and the infinitive or its base of the semantic verb. The second part of the modal predicate can also be a combination of the infinitive of the linking verb tobe,tolook,toappear,toseem,tofeel etc. and predicate. The modal predicate expresses the attitude of a person to an action or state (possibility, necessity, probability, desirability, etc.):
Can youswim? - You can you swim?
He ought to be more polite. - Him should be more polite.
It must be about ten. - It's probably around ten now.

Phrasal predicate ( The Group Verb Predicate)
A phrasal predicate consists of a verb with a weakened meaning in a personal form (most often - verbs tohave And totake) and a noun. This combination forms a single semantic and grammatical whole. It is often equivalent to a simple verbal predicate:
I have dinner. - I having lunch.
I din.
I have a rest. - I Resting.
Irest.
A phrasal predicate usually denotes a short (single) action. The most common combinations of this type are:
to have dinner (breakfast, supper, lunch, tea, a snack); to have a lesson (lessons); to have a talk; to have a look; to have a cold; to have a good time; to have a rest; to have a bite; to have a drink; to have a smoke; to have a quarrel; to have (take) a walk; to take a bath; to take a seat; to take a tram (bus, etc.); to take care, to pay a visit; to pay attention, to catch cold.
Let's have a swim. - Let's swim.
Did you have a talk with him? - You are with him talked?

Compound nominal predicate ( The Compound Nominal Predicate)
A compound nominal predicate consists of a linking verb tobe in personal form and predicative (nominal part). The predicative denotes some sign of the subject, and the linking verb serves to connect the subject and the predicate and expresses person, number, tense and mood. Unlike the Russian language, the verb tobe never goes down. Compare:
Our town is very beautiful. - Our city is very handsome.
Are you ready? - You ready?

Except the verb tobe, the following verbs can also be used as a linking verb:
1) verbs toseem, tolook,toappear with the meaning "seem to look like" and the verb tofeel with the meaning of feel:
Youlook tired. - You are looking tired.
She seemed veryexcited. - She seemed very excited.
Hefeels fine. - He feels yourself perfectly.

2) verbs to get, to become, to turn, to grow with the meaning "become":
Mu brother will become an engineer.- My brother will become engineer.
She turned pale. - She turned pale.

3) verbs to remain, to keep, to continue, to begin, to start, to finish, to stop, to cease, to go on with the value of the beginning, continuation and end of the action or state:
Hekept talking. - He continued speak.
Everybody remained silent. - All kept silence.
Startworking, please. -start work please.
He stopped chatting at once. - He stopped chat instantly.
Predicative (T he predictive) can be expressed by the following words and groups of words:

• a noun in the general or (rarely) possessive case without a preposition or with a preposition:

This is mine sister Ann. Sheisa student . - That's mine sister Anna. She student.
Is it your book? – No, it's not mine, it is Nick's. - This yoursbook? - No, it's not mine. Nicholas.
She is in good health. - She is quite healthy.

• adjective or participle:

When will you be free today? - When will you free Today?
This chair is broken. - This chair broken.

• a pronoun in the general or object case, replacing a noun, or a possessive pronoun in the absolute form:

It's me. - This I.
That's something! - It's already something-What!
Whose book is this? – It's mine. - Whose book is this? - My.

• quantitative or ordinal number:

We were only two. - We were only two.
I was the first to come. - I came first.

• infinitive or infinitive phrase:

Our plan was to start at once. - We planned begin straightaway.
It'suptoyouto decide. - You decide.

• gerund:

My hobby is collecting postage- My hobbies - collecting stamps. postage stamps.

• adverb:

The lesson is over. - Lesson finished.
Our time is up. - Nowadays expired.

• complex with an infinitive or gerund:

My father is against my entrycollege this autumn. - My father is against my receipt to college this autumn.

Agreement of the predicate with the subject
The predicate agrees in person and number with the subject of the sentence:
What areyou doing? - Iam preparing for my lessons. - What are you doing? - I'm getting ready for class.

If the subject is expressed by an indefinite, negative or generalizing pronoun, the predicate is put in the singular:
Everybody knows it. - Everyone knows this.
Either month is all right. - Either of these two months is fine.

If the subject is expressed by a gerund or an infinitive, the predicate is in the singular:
meeting her was a pleasure. - It was nice to meet her.

If the subject is a collective noun, then the predicate can be singular or plural, depending on whether the person or thing indicated by collective noun, as a single whole, or the individual persons (objects) that make up this single whole are meant:
Thecrowd was helpless. - The crowd couldn't help it.
The fleeing crowd were scattered by the mounted police. - The running crowd was scattered mounted police.

If the subject is expressed by a numeral or a noun denoting a measure of time, distance, weight, etc., with a definition expressed by a numeral, the predicate can be in the singular or in the plural, depending on whether this quantity is considered as one whole or there are in view of the constituent parts of this unified whole:
30 miles is a day's journey in these hills. - 30 miles is a day's journey among these hills.
6 cm aluminum are required to stop all beta rays. - It takes 6 centimeters of aluminum to stop all beta particles.

If two homogeneous subjects, expressed by nouns or pronouns, are connected by unions and or both… And, the predicate is plural:
T he Earth and other planets move aroundtheSun.- The earth and other planets move around the sun.
Both the dog and his master were dragged ashore by Peter and Hans. Both the dog and its owner were dragged ashore by Piet and Hans.

If two subjects, expressed by pronouns or nouns, are connected by conjunctions neither...nor,either…ornotonly…butalso, the verb-predicate agrees in person and number with the last subject:
Either Margaret or I'm going with you. - Margaret or I will go with you.
Neither Margaret nor her sisters were ready. - Neither Margaret nor her sisters were ready.

If two subjects are joined by a conjunction aswellas, the predicate agrees in person and number with the first subject:
John as well as his brothers, doesn't bear townfolk.-John, like his brothers, can't stand the townspeople.