Sometimes more than one word is used to assert som thing. How many asserting words are there in the pred cate of the following sentence?

The other birds I have flown away.

The most important words in this predicate are thos which assert something about the subject. The word have flown assert something about the subject. Such group of words is called a verb phrase.

Select from each of the following sentences the word that assert:

1. The child goes home.

2. The child is going home.
3. The child went home.
4. The child was going home.
5. The child will go home.
6. The child has gone home.

7. The child had gone home.

8. The child will have gone home.

9. The child should go home.

10. The child should have gone home.

11. The child may go home.

12. The child may have gone home.

13. The child will be going home.

14. The child must go home.

15. The child should be going home.

Construct sentences on the plan of those given above, using see instead of go. Underline in each sentence the word or words that assert.

Select the asserting word or words in the predicate of each of the sentences in the following group. If you change each interrogative sentence to a declarative sentence, you will have no difficulty in finding the subject and the predicate.

1. Was the child going home?
2. Has the child gone home?
3. Had the child gone home?
4. Will the child go home?
5. May the child go home?
6. Did the child go home?

7. Should the child have gone home?

Find the asserting word in the predicate of the following sentence:

The children I were happy.

Although were is the asserting word in this predicate, it does not seem as important as the word happy, because it does not tell anything definite. The predicate of this sentence does not assert an action but a condition. The condition of the subject is asserted by means of the asserting word were and the adjective happy. The asserting word in this sentence links the subject children with the adjective happy.

Find the asserting word in the predicate of the following sentence. What words are linked by it?

Find the asserting word in the following sentence:

There was a terrible storm.

There is used merely to introduce the sentence. The asserting word is the word was. The predicate of this sentence asserts neither action nor condition. It asserts being or existence.

2. Written Exercise.

Write five interrogative sentences and underline the verb in each.

1. The Predicate Noun or pronoun.

Select the asserting word and the noun or pronoun in the predicate of each of the following sentences:

1. The lighthouse was Celia's home.

2. Her father's name was Leighton.

3. The lighting of the lamps was a great pleasure to the children.

4. The children and the sandpipers soon became great friends.

5. This is the rock.

6. It is I.

7. It was he.

8. Was it she?

9. Celia was a thoughtful child.

10. She became a writer.

11. Mr. Leighton was appointed keeper of the lighthouse.
12. White Island became our home.

13. It was we who lighted the lamps.
14. Was it they who visited us?
15. The island seemed a lonely place.
16. Was it you who came to see us?

Select the words that are linked by the asserting word in each sentence.

Notice that the predicate of each sentence contains a noun or a pronoun that means, or refers to, the same person or thing as the subject. A noun or a pronoun used in this way is called a predicate noun or a.predicate pronoun, and is said to agree in case-use or construction with the subject.

Learn:

The use of a word as a predicate noun or a predicate pronoun is a nominative case-use.

2. The Predicate Adjective.

Select from each of the following sentences the asserting word and the words that are linked by the asserting word:

1. The lighthouse was strong.

2. The sea was rough.

3. The night was stormy.
4. The beach was lonely.

5. The tide is high.
6. The fire is bright.
7. The house is warm.
8. The bird is safe.

9. The shore seems distant.

10. The clouds look sullen.

11. The bird appears tame.

12. He becomes brave.

13. The children felt very happy.

14. The sea grew rough.

15. The whale oil smelled disagreeable.

16. The waves sounded loud.

17. The food tasted good after our exercise.

18. The salt air smelled sweet to us.

Notice that the predicate of each sentence contains an adjective which describes the subject. An adjective used in this way is called a predicate adjective.

Learn:

An adjective in the predicate, describing or limiting the subject, is called a predicate adjective.

3. Written Exercise.

Write five sentences each of which contains a predicatę noun or pronoun.

Write five sentences each of which contains a predicate adjective.

LESSON 46-VERBS, NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, PRONOUNS Classify according to form the following sentences. Give the subject and the predicate of each clause, and the principal word of each subject. Select the verb in each predicate.

Select the nouns; the pronouns, telling the class and the antecedent of each; the adjectives, telling how each is used.

SENTENCE

A group of goats looked dark against the red sky.

MODEL

This is a simple sentence. A group of goats is the subject, of which group is the principal word; looked dark against the red sky is the predicate. Looked is a verb; group, goats, and sky are nouns; dark is a predicate adjective modifying the subject group; a is an adjective modifying the noun group; the and red are adjectives modifying the noun sky.

1. The children in the lighthouse were very happy.

2. The cottage in which they lived was quaint and old. 3. The winters seemed long, and the children were always

glad when spring came.

4. How beautiful the flowers were!

5. They were dearer because there were not many of them.

6. A new lighthouse has been built on the island.

7. At the time of migration, many birds were killed by dashing against the lighthouse.

8. One stormy night a flock of wild geese rested on the rock on which the lighthouse stood.

9. Is the sandpiper a shore bird?

10. Its food consists of worms and insects.