Hello, little storyteller! Every great story has a hero. That hero is the subject of your sentence. But what does the hero do? What happens to them? That is the story itself! The predicate is the story of the sentence. It is everything that is not the subject. It tells us what the subject does or what the subject is. The subject is the hero, and the predicate is the hero's tale! Today, we will learn forty exciting tales for our sentence heroes. Our guide is Teller the Turtle. Teller loves to tell long, wonderful stories about his friends! He will show us predicates at home, the playground, school, and by the pond. Let's listen to the tales!
What Is a Predicate? The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells the story. It tells us what the hero does or what the hero is like. It is the action and all the details. You find the subject first. Everything else is the predicate. At home, you say "Mommy sings a song." The hero is "Mommy". What is her tale? "sings a song". That is the predicate. At the playground, you say "The ball bounces high." The hero is "The ball". Its tale is "bounces high". At school, you say "My teacher is kind." The hero is "My teacher". The tale is "is kind". In nature, Teller says "The frog jumps into the water." The hero is "The frog". The tale is "jumps into the water". "Teller walks slowly." The hero is Teller. His tale is "walks slowly". Learning these predicates helps you finish every story you start.
Why Does the Tale Matter? The predicate is the action and the detail! It helps your ears listen. You hear what is happening in the story. It helps your mouth speak. You can tell people what is going on. "The dog barks!" is a complete tale. It helps your eyes read. You will follow the action in every sentence. It helps your hand write. You can write exciting stories about what heroes do. Without a predicate, you just have a hero standing there. With a predicate, your hero comes to life!
What Kinds of Tales Can We Tell? We can tell two main types of tales about our hero. Each type is fun and important.
First, action tales. These tales have an action verb. They show the hero doing something. "The baby crawls." "The bird flies." "I eat." "You run." These are exciting tales of movement.
Next, being tales. These tales use a linking verb like "is", "am", "are". They tell us what the hero is or is like. "The sky is blue." "I am happy." "You are my friend." "They are here." These tales describe our hero.
A predicate can be short or long. It can be just one word. "Dogs bark." Or it can have many words that give more detail. "The little, brown dog barks loudly at the big, red truck." The whole tale after "dog" is the predicate!
How Can You Find the Tale? Finding the predicate is easy and fun! Here is the best trick. First, find the hero of the sentence (the subject). Ask "Who or what is this about?" Cover that part with your finger. Everything else is the predicate! It is the tale. Look at the sentence "My brother laughs." The hero is "My brother". Cover it. What is left? "laughs". That is the predicate! Another trick is to ask "What is happening?" or "What is said about the hero?" The answer is the predicate. Teller says "The pond is shiny." What is said about the pond? It "is shiny". That is the predicate.
How Do We Tell a Good Tale? To tell a good tale, you need a hero and something about the hero. The predicate always has a verb. That verb is the heart of the tale. The simplest formula is: Hero (Subject) + Tale (Predicate with a verb). "Birds sing." "Flowers grow." "I sleep." You can add more to the tale. Add an object. "I eat an apple." Add a place. "We play at the park." Add a describing word. "The soup is hot." Teller uses this pattern. "Teller tells a story." The hero is Teller. The tale is "tells a story". The verb "tells" is the heart.
Let's Fix Some Broken Tales! Sometimes our tales are not complete. Let's fix them. A common mix-up is having a hero but no real tale. A child might say "My doll " and then stop. What about the doll? We need a predicate. The right way is "My doll is pretty." or "My doll sits on the bed." Another mix-up is putting the tale in the wrong place. Someone might say "Runs the boy fast." This sounds mixed up. The hero should come first. The right way is "The boy runs fast." Remember, first the hero, then the tale.
Can You Be a Tale Teller? You are a wonderful storyteller! Let's play a game. The "Tale Teller" game. I will give you a hero. You give me a tale. Hero: "The cat." You say: "The cat sleeps." or "The cat is fluffy." Great! Now try with this hero: "My sandwich." You say: "My sandwich is tasty." or "I eat my sandwich." Here is a harder challenge. Look at a toy. First, say it is the hero. Then, tell three different tales about it. "My teddy bear. My teddy bear is soft. My teddy bear sits on my bed. I love my teddy bear." You are creating must-know predicates.
Your Book of 40 Must-Know Predicates Ready to fill your storybook? Here are forty wonderful tales for your sentence heroes. You can mix and match them! Teller has sorted them for you. Let's read the book.
Action Tales (What the hero DOES). These tales have action verbs. Runs fast. Eats lunch. Drinks milk. Sleeps well. Plays ball. Jumps high. Reads a book. Draws a picture. Sings a song. Laughs loudly. Cries softly. Walks slowly. Talks to me. Sees a bird. Hears a sound. Throws a ball. Catches it. Washes hands. Brushes teeth. Opens the door.
Being Tales (What the hero IS). These tales use is/am/are. Is happy. Is sad. Is big. Is small. Is hot. Is cold. Is funny. Is sleepy. Is my friend. Is here. Is there. Is up. Is down. Am three. Am tall. Am here. Are kind. Are funny. Are wet. Are dry. Are messy.
Longer Tales with More Detail. These tales give us more of the story. Is on the table. Is under the bed. Is in the box. Plays with me. Eats with a spoon. Drinks from a cup. Sleeps in a bed. Reads to me. Loves you very much. Wants more juice. Needs a hug. Has a ball. Finds a toy. Likes cookies. Goes to school.
These forty predicates are your must-know tales. Use them with your sentence heroes every day. Tell short tales and long tales. Make your heroes come alive!
Telling Complete Stories with Every Sentence You did it! You are now a predicate expert. You know the predicate is the tale of the sentence. It tells what the subject does or is. You know why the predicate is so important. You can find it by looking for everything that is not the subject. You know the two main types of tales. Teller the Turtle uses predicates to tell his best stories. Now you can too! Every sentence you say can have a hero and a wonderful tale. Your stories will be complete and exciting.
Here is what you can learn from our storytelling adventure. You will know what a predicate is. You will understand the difference between action tales and being tales. You can find the predicate in any sentence. You can use predicates to make your sentences complete. You have a book of forty great tales to tell about any hero.
Now, let's do some life practice! Your mission is today. Look around you. Pick a hero - a person, a toy, a pet. Tell a tale about them. Say: "My mom is working. My dog is sleeping. The sun is shining." For each one, you found the hero and told their tale! Keep telling tales about all the heroes in your world. Have fun, little storyteller!