All types of sentences have predicates, but sometimes they are used in different ways.
Declarative sentences are the most straightforward: the subject comes before the simple predicate. This is the standard way to make a sentence and the most common sentence type. Likewise, exclamatory sentences follow this same format but with an exclamation point at the end!
Everyone loves my new outfit! subject:everyone simple predicate:loves complete predicate:loves my new outfit Imperative sentences, or commands, are a little different because their subject is assumed, which means it’s not included. People will understand that the subject is whomever the speaker is talking to. Although imperative sentences don’t include their subject, the predicate still acts normally. Often, an imperative sentence starts with the simple predicate.
Meet me after class. subject: although it’s not stated, we can assume the subject is you simple predicate:meet complete predicate:meet me after class Interrogative sentences, or questions, are when the predicate becomes tricky. When asking a question in English, you typically split up the predicate and stick the subject somewhere in the middle. A lot of the time, you put an auxiliary verb before the subject and the main verb after the subject.
Did you cry during the movie? The word “did,” the past tense of the auxiliary verb do, comes before the subject “you.” The main verb “cry,” along with the rest of the complete predicate, follows afterward.
In questions that use interrogative pronouns like who or what, the interrogative pronoun usually comes first, followed by an auxiliary verb, then the subject, then the rest of the complete predicate.
Why did I eat the entire pint of ice cream? Interrogative pronouns sometimes work together with other nouns. In these cases, keep them together before the auxiliary verb.
