A predicate?

What is a predicate?

The predicate is the part of the sentence which makes a statement or asks a question.
The predicate always contains a verb. Along with that verb it can also contain any auxiliary verbs, any modifiers of the verb, and any objects or complements and their modifiers. Examples: Ali paints. This is an example of a sentence with only a subject and a verb. The predicate of this sentence is "paints", since the subject is never part of the predicate, and "Mary" is the subject. Ali paints portraits of Saad. The predicate of this sentence is "paints portraits of Sue" since the predicate includes objects or complements and their modifiers. Ali is painting a portrait of Saad. The predicate of this sentence is "is painting a portrait of Sue" since the predicate includes any auxiliary verbs or modifiers of the verb.