What is the difference between a simple and compound predicate?

Simple and Complete Predicates

Simple Predicate (Verb) Definition

A simple predicate is a grammatical construct (part of a sentence) that typically refers to the action that the subject is performing. The simple predicate (simple verb) is a single word (or group of words if a verb phrase) representing the verb without any of its modifiers whereas a complete predicate refers to the predicate/verb as well as all of its modifiers.

Examples of Simple and Complete Predicates (Verbs)

Simple Predicates

The taxi-driver drove very quickly through the neighborhood.

Our team’s injured player scored the winning goal.

Their water supplies were running very low yesterday.

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Complete Predicates

The taxi-driver drove very quickly through the neighborhood.

Our team’s injured player scored the winning goal.

Their water supplies were running very low yesterday.

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The two main components of English sentences are subjects and predicates. Together, they form clauses.

The complete subject is the main part of the sentence that contains at least one noun (or noun equivalent) and all of its modifiers.

The complete predicate contains at least one verb and its auxiliaries, modifiers, and completing words if they are present. It explains all that is being said about the singular or compound sentence subject.

If you remove the subject and its modifiers from a sentence, everything that remains is the predicate.

Examples
J.J. (complete subject) is an excellent football player (complete predicate).

The lady in red (complete subject) has the envelope (complete predicate).

Always eager to help, Miranda (complete subject) is volunteering at the food drive today (complete predicate).

Josh and Emily (complete subject) will graduate college in two more years (complete predicate).

What Is a Compound Predicate?

A compound predicate is a predicate with two or more verbs or verb phrases connected by a conjunction. It says two or more things about the same singular or compound subject.

Examples
J.J. plays football in the fall and runs track in the spring.

The lady in red has the envelope but does not yet know who will request it from her.

Always eager to help, Miranda is volunteering at the food drive today and assisting with the bake sale tomorrow.

In two more years, Josh and Emily will graduate college, take a short break, and then enroll in a master’s program.

Compound predicates can also be formed by simple predicates alone. Simple predicates are the main verbs and their auxiliaries without complements or modifiers.

Examples
J.J. trains and competes.

The lady in red observes and calculates.

Miranda volunteers and assists.

Josh and Emily study and plan.

Compound Predicates vs. Compound Sentences

Compound predicates are different from compound sentences. A compound sentence is made of two more independent clauses. The clauses each have their own subject, and they are separated by a conjunction. They are also typically separated by a comma.

Examples
J.J. plays football in the fall, and his brother plays baseball in the spring.

The lady in red observed the crowd, and the agent waited to approach her.

The food drive takes place today, and the bake sale will happen tomorrow.

Josh studies behavioral science, Emily studies Eastern languages, and they will both enroll in a master’s program shortly after graduating college.

How Compound Predicates Are Useful

Compound predicates serve crisper, more-precise writing by replacing wordy, loose, or redundant sentence constructions.

Wordy: J.J. plays football in the fall, and he runs track in the spring, and then in summer he attends athletic camps.
Better with compound predicate: J.J. plays football in the fall, runs track in the spring, and attends athletic camps in summer.

Loose: First the lady in red with the envelope entered the crowd, and then she looked around, and next she waited for the recipient to appear.
Better with compound predicate: The lady in red with the envelope entered the crowd, looked around, and waited for the recipient to appear.

Redundant: Josh will graduate college in two more years. Josh will also take a short break. Josh will enroll in a master’s program as well.
Better with compound predicate: In two more years, Josh will graduate college, take a short break, and enroll in a master’s program.

Related Topics

Predicating Our Knowledge of Predicates
Simple Predicates
Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects
Dependent and Independent Clauses
Connecting Sentences with Commas and Semicolons

Pop Quiz

Applying what you’ve learned about compound predicates, identify any compound predicates that appear in the sentences below.

1. Tom and Kate want to visit the museum, but Barbara and Brian prefer the aquarium.

2. Chinedu finished the experiment and submitted his report to the review board.

3. It rained in the morning. The sun came back out in the afternoon.

4. Ethan will prepare dinner and seat the guests.

5. The accountant said that Jia Li should track her expenses and keep the receipts.

Pop Quiz Answers

1. Tom and Kate want to visit the museum, but Barbara and Brian prefer the aquarium.

2. Chinedu finished the experiment and submitted his report to the review board.

3. It rained in the morning. The sun came back out in the afternoon.

4. Ethan will prepare dinner and seat the guests.

5. The accountant said that Jia Li should track her expenses and keep the receipts.

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A compound predicate is when two (or more) verbs share the same subject. Note: The predicate is the part of the sentence that makes a statement about the subject. The predicate usually tells us what the subject is doing or what is happening to the subject.

Here is an example of a simple predicate. (The predicate is shaded and the verb is in bold.)

• Adam lives in Bangor.
(Here, there is one subject (Adam) and one verb (lives). This is not a compound predicate.)

This is a compound predicate:

• Adam lives in Bangor and speaks Welsh.
(Here, there is one subject (Adam) and two verbs (lives and speaks). This is a compound predicate.)

Here are some easy examples of compound predicates:

• The telegram was late but contained exciting news.
• The wolves ran away and never returned.
• The bottle toppled and fell off the table.
• They need to absorb nitrogen and keep above 20 degrees.

Here are some real-life examples of compound predicates:

• Woman begins by resisting a man's advances and ends by blocking his retreat. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)
• Leaders in all spheres who are living with HIV must lead by example and disclose their HIV status. (South African President Nelson Mandela)
• In Hollywood, brides keep the bouquets and throw away the groom. (Comedian Groucho Marx)

A compound predicate tells us at least two things about one subject. So, the following sentence is not an example of a compound predicate:

• Adam lives in Bangor, and he speaks Welsh.
(This is a compound sentence. It has two subjects (Adam and he). Each subject has one simple predicate.)

The following sentence is an example of a compound predicate:

• Adam and his brother live in Bangor and speak Welsh.
(The predicate tell us two things about the subject (Adam and his brother). Even though it has two elements, this is one subject. It is called a compound subject.)

Here are two good reasons to care about compound predicates. Writers are often unsure when to use a comma before words like "and," "or," and "but" (called conjunctions).

Let's look at some examples:

• John likes chicken and loves Nando's.
• John likes chicken but hates turkey.
(These are both examples of compound predicates. There is one subject and two verbs. Note that there is no comma before the "and" or the "but.")

Compare the two examples above with these sentences:

• John likes chicken, and he loves Nando's.
• John likes chicken, but he hates turkey.
(These are not examples of compound predicates. There are two subjects (John and he), each with its own verb. Note that there is now a comma before the "and" and the "but." These are examples of compound sentences not compound predicates.)

Here's the rule: Use a comma before an "and" that joins two independent clauses (i.e., clauses that could stand alone as sentences).

With a compound predicate, the second half of the predicate cannot stand alone as a sentence because it doesn't have its own subject. Here's a graphic to help explain this point:

Read more about using commas with compound sentences. Read more about using commas with conjunctions.

When two adjacent sentences have the same subject, consider merging them into one sentence with a compound predicate. For example:

• John likes chicken. John loves Nando's.
(This example features two sentences with the same subject (John). The sentences are too short, and they're repetitious.)
• The stegosaurus was around 9 metres in length. The stegosaurus had 17 plates along its back that arose from the skin rather than being attached to the skeleton.
(This example features two sentences with the same subject (The stegosaurus). Even though the second sentence isn't short, the two sentences are still unnecessarily repetitious.)

Here are better versions that feature compound predicates:

• John likes chicken and loves Nando's.
• The stegosaurus was around 9 metres in length and had 17 plates along its back that arose from the skin rather than being attached to the skeleton.
(Both of these examples are simple sentences, each with a compound predicate. They are sharper.)

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