THE compound predicate

The compound predicate consists of two parts: a) a finite verb and b) some other part of speech: a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, a verbal (a participle, a gerund, an infinitive). The second component is the significant part of the predicate that refers to the state or the action performed by the subject.

The first part expresses the verbal categories of person, number, tense, aspect, mood and voice; besides it can have a certain lexical meaning of its own. The compound predicate can be nominal and verbal.

THE COMPOUND NOMINAL PREDICATE

The compound nominal predicate denotes the state or quality of the person or thing expressed by the subject, or the class of persons or things to which this person or thing belongs. The compound nominal predicate consists of a link verb and a predicative.

THE LINK VERB expresses the verbal categories of person, number, tense, aspect, mood, sometimes voice. The following are the most common link verbs: be, appear, get, grow, continue, feel, keep, look, turn, hold, prove, turn out, rank, remain, run, seem, to smell, taste, fall, stand, go, work.

His wife sighed and remained silent.

Many of these verbs can be used both as verbs of complete predication fully preserving their concrete meaning and as link verbs.

The tree grew large. – Дерево выросло большим.

It grew dark. – Стемнело.

Some verbs though fully preserving their concrete meaning perform the function of link verbs: they are used with a predicative and form a compound nominal predicate: lie, sit, die, marry, return, leave, come, stand, fall, go, etc.

The poor woman sat amazed.

Sometimes the predicative does not immediately follow these verbs but is separated from them by an adverbial modifier.