In addition to a subject, every sentence has a predicate, which asserts or asks something about the subject or tells the subject to do something. The hinge, or key word, of a predicate is the verb. The simple predicate of a sentence consists of the main verb and any auxiliaries (22b); the complete predicate includes the simple predicate plus any modifiers of the verb and any objects or complements and their modifiers.

A compound predicate contains two or more verbs that have the same subject, usually joined by a coordinating or a correlative conjunction.

On the basis of how they function in predicates, verbs can be divided into three categories: linking, transitive, and intransitive.