Simple predicate is the verb in the sentence which expresses what is said about the subject. Which option best captures this idea?

• A. The verb in the sentence which expresses what is said about the subject
• B. The subject of the sentence
• C. The object of the sentence
• D. The phrase following the subject

Answer: (B)

The simple predicate is the verb that tells what the subject does or what state the subject is in. In any sentence, the subject names who or what the sentence is about, while the simple predicate shows what is said about that subject. So, the option that defines the simple predicate as the verb (or verb phrase) that expresses the subject’s action or condition best captures the idea. For example, in “The cat sleeps,” the subject is “The cat,” and the simple predicate is “sleeps,” the verb that states what the subject does. The subject isn’t the predicate, the object is what the action may affect, and the phrase after the subject can include modifiers but isn’t the predicate itself.