Predicates and Its Types

Muhammad AzamResearch Scholar

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Lahore, Pakistan

Predicates and Its Types

• Noun• GRAMMAR

– The part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the subject (e.g. went home in John went home ).

• LOGIC• something which is affirmed or denied concerning an argument of a

proposition.

• verb• GRAMMAR LOGIC

– state, affirm, or assert (something) about the subject of a sentence or an argument of a proposition.• "a word which predicates something about its subject"

– found or base something on.– "the theory of structure on which later chemistry was predicated"

Predicates and Its Types• One of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying

the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb. Adjective: predicative.

• In both grammar and logic, the predicate serves to make an assertion or denial about the subject of the sentence, as in "Merdine sneezes" and "Gusnever smiles."

• Don't confuse the term predicate with the traditional grammatical terms predicate nominative (a noun that follows a linking verb) and predicate adjective (an adjective that follows a linking verb).

Predicates and Its Types

• There are three types of predicate:

• Attitudinal predicates

• Enabling and preventing predicates

• Perceptual predicates

Attitudinal predicates

• We frequently use language to talk about the way human beings think about other humans, various physical phenomena, and the states and activities they observe and the states and activities they experience, or have experienced, or expect to experience.

• An attitudinal predicate is a verb or adjective that expresses the feelings of the subject:

• I hate this music I’m fond of swimming

Attitudinal predicates

• We start with prospective attitudes, mental states regarding what may come to be. In the first six types (A-F) the subject of the sentences is the Affected and what affects is a specific predication, a potential act.

• (A) Intent regarding one’s own possible performance

– Jenkins intends to withdraw from the race.– verbs: aim, mean, intend

Attitudinal predicates

Attitudinal predicates

• We start with prospective attitudes, mental states regarding what may come to be. In the first six types (A-F) the subject of the sentences is the Affected and what affects is a specific predication, a potential act.

• (A) Intent regarding one’s own possible performance

– Jenkins intends to withdraw from the race.– verbs: aim, mean, intend

Attitudinal predicates

• (B) Mental rehearsing of possible performance– 2 Jenkins considered withdrawing from the race,– verbs: consider, contemplate

• (C) Conclusion regarding possible performance– 3 Jenkins decided to withdraw from the race,– verbs: decide, determine choose, elect, prefer

• The role structure of the both is the same as 1.

Attitudinal predicates

• (D) Getting ready for performance– a Jenkins planned to withdraw from the race.– b Jenkins planned for his supporters to withdraw his name,– verbs: arrange, plan, prepare

• Plan is more precise than arrange; prepare signifies physical activity, which the others do not necessarily indicate.

Attitudinal predicates

• (D) Getting ready for performance– a Jenkins planned to withdraw from the race.– b Jenkins planned for his supporters to withdraw his name,– verbs: arrange, plan, prepare

• Plan is more precise than arrange; prepare signifies physical activity, which the others do not necessarily indicate.

Attitudinal predicates• (E) Proceeding to perform

– 5a We tried to start the motor (but we couldn’t).– 5b We tried running the motor for a while.– verbs: attempt, endeavor, seek, strive, try, undertake, venture

• (F) Readiness for a possible act or event– 6a I’m afraid to look at my test marks.– 6b I dread looking at my test marks.

• predicates:– (a) aspire, desire, hope, long, want, wish, yearn expect disposed,

eager, impatient, inclined, keen, ready, willing afraid, dread, fear disinclined, reluctant anxious

– (b) feel-like anticipate dread, fear

Enabling and preventing Predicates

• An enabling predicate is a verb or adjective which tells that the following predication is made possible: We allowed the car to pass.

• A preventing predicate is a verb which states that an agent causes the non-occurrence of the predication that follows: – I kept the ball from rolling away.

Enabling and preventing Predicates

• Some predicates, followed by an infinitive clause, express the fact that one person makes it possible for another person or persons to do something.

• Stated another way, Person1, with power or knowledge, causes Person2 to have power or knowledge to perform an act.

• Three types of such predicates can be recognized.

Enabling and preventing Predicates

• {A} Enabling by use of authority– 12 Henry’s teacher allowed him to come late to class.– verbs: allow authorize permit

Enabling and preventing Predicates

• {B} Enabling by effort or action:– Henry helped his teacher (to) distribute books.– verbs: assist help

• {C} Enabling by instruction– 14 Henry taught his dog to roll over and play dead,– verbs: instruct teach train

• The role structure is the same as for {A}

Enabling and preventing Predicates

• The opposite of enabling is preventing, ‘disenabling.’ Here again three types can be recognized. Person1 acts so that Person2 does not act as Person2 wants to act.

• [A] Preventing by use of authority:– Henry’s teacher forbade him to leave the room.– verbs: forbid prohibit

Enabling and preventing Predicates

• [B] Preventing through effort– Henry’s teacher kept him from leaving the room,– verbs: bar block curb deter hinder keep• prevent restrain stop turn-away (from+gerund clause)

• [C] Preventing through speech– Henry’s teacher discouraged him from entering

the contest.– verbs: discourage inhibit (from+gerund clause)

Perceptual predicates

• Perceptual verbs, also called ‘sensory verbs,’ express the sensations that we receive from outside stimuli through our five senses. Most of the basic English ones are illustrated in these fifteen key sentences (Viberg 1983:123–6).– We saw some penguins.– We looked at the penguins (with considerable interest).– The penguins looked strange (to us).– Alice heard a funny song.– Alice listened (intently) to the song.– The song sounded awful (to Alice).

Perceptual predicates

• Ted tasted onion in the soup.• Ted tasted the soup (cautiously).• The soup tasted good (to Ted).• I felt a sharp pain.• I felt the table top (carefully).• The table felt rough (to me).• Mama smelled smoke.• Mama smelled the soup (suspiciously).• The soup smelled rather odd (to Mama).

Perceptual predicates

• The five groups of sentences are about visual, auditory, gustatory, tactile and olfactory experiences, respectively. In the (a) sentences here (22a–26a) the verb expresses the particular sense through which the experience comes; the subject of the verb names the affected, the animate being affected by a stimulus, and the object of the verb names the stimulus that affects.

Conclusion

• Attitudinal predicates have the structure of affected and an S-theme. They express the way some situation or event, actual or potential, indicated in the S-theme, impinges on some entity, the affected.

• The aspect may be prospective, retrospective or neutral.

• Attitudinal predicates are further distinguished by favorable or unfavorable reactions to the event or situation.

Conclusion

• Enabling and preventing generally require an agent who enables or prevents, an entity affected by this action, and an event (S-theme) that is made possible or impossible.

Conclusion

• Perceptual predicates express our intake of knowledge through the five senses. The person who sees, hears, etc., is affected, the source of the stimulus affects.

• There may be a lexical difference between merely being affected (e.g. see) and being actively involved in the perception (look at).

• Verbs differ in expressing momentary or enduring perception. English—and perhaps not just English—makes more distinctions regarding vision than hearing, and more about hearing than feeling, tasting, or smelling.