Here, the predicate is the entire phrase drives a car to work each day. In addition to the verb drives, it also contains the phrases a car (the direct object of the verb), to work (a prepositional phrase that modifies the verb), and each day (an adverbial phrase that also modifies the verb).

(여기서, 술어는 매일 차를 운전하여 출근한다는  전체 구절이다. 동사인 ‘drive (운전)’에 외에도, ‘car (차)’라는 명사(동사의 직접 목적어)와 ‘to work(회사로 출근)’라는 전치사 구(동사의 수식어)와 ‘each day (매일)’이라는 부사 구(동사의 또 다른 수식어)도 포함된다.)

Modifiers (수식어)

Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that provide descriptive meaning to another word and are classified as adjectives or adverbs. Modifiers can appear anywhere in a sentence, and they can be a part of either the subject or the predicate.

For example:

• “The red car went too fast.”

In this sentence, we have three modifiers. The adjective red is modifying the noun car and is part of the subject. The adverb too is an intensifier modifying the adverb fast; together, they modify the verb went as an adverbial phrase.

The modifier red in this sentence is known as an adjunct, because it does not provide essential information to the sentence; if we were to remove it, the meaning would not change in any significant way.

The adverbial phrase too fast, on the other hand, is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Without the phrase, it would read “The red car went.” This is still a complete sentence, but the intended meaning is completely changed. Modifiers that are necessary to the meaning of the sentence are known as complements, and they are always part of the predicate.

Phrases

Phrases are groups of two or more words that do not consist of both a subject and a predicate. They are formed when a determiner, modifier, or complement is used to describe or complete the meaning of another word. It is also common for a phrase to be composed of smaller phrases. For example:

• “The bright red car is mine.”

The subject the bright red car is all a single phrase. It is considered a noun phrase with the noun car at its root (sometimes referred to as the “head” noun). The phrase is also made up of the determiner the and the adjective phrase bright red (the adjective red plus its own modifier, the adverb bright).

Likewise, the predicate of the sentence, is mine, is a verb phrase made up of the verb is and the possessive pronoun mine.

Because phrases can be part of both the subject and the predicate, they are often a constituent part of clauses.

Clauses

A clause is a group of words that contain both a subject and a predicate, which work together to convey a complete thought. Clauses can be classified as either dependent or independent based on their structure. A dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, is unable to function as a complete sentence on its own, as it relies on an independent clause for logical and meaningful context. These clauses are typically marked by certain linking words, such as “because” or “while,” that connect them to an independent clause. On the other hand, independent clauses are capable of standing alone as a complete sentence, as they do not require information from other clauses to convey a complete thought.

Take these two examples:

• “when they were younger”
• “Mark and Betty often traveled together”

Both examples have a subject—they in the first example and Mark and Betty (a compound subject) in the second—and a predicate—were younger and often traveled together.

However, the first example is a dependent clause because of the word when. This subordinating conjunction tells the reader that more information is required for a complete thought.

The second example, on the other hand, is an independent clause—it has everything in it that the reader needs to know. We must always have at least one independent clause when we are forming a sentence.

Sentences

A sentence is the most comprehensive unit of syntax in English and is composed of at least one independent clause, which includes a subject and predicate. A sentence containing only a single independent clause is referred to as a simple sentence, such as our example from earlier:

• “Mark and Betty often traveled together.”

To provide additional information or expand on the meaning of a sentence, we can attach a dependent clause, also known as a subordinate clause, to the beginning or end of an independent clause, resulting in a complex sentence. For example: “While the dog barked, the mailman quickly delivered the mail” is a complex sentence made up of an independent clause “the mailman quickly delivered the mail” and a dependent clause “while the dog barked.”

It’s also common to join two or more independent clauses together, either by using a coordinating conjunction and a comma; a conjunctive adverb, a comma (usually), and a semicolon; or just a semicolon. These are known as compound sentences. For example:

• “Mark and Betty often traveled together, and they have been to many different countries.”
• “Mark and Betty often traveled together; as a result, they have been to many different countries.”
• “Mark and Betty often traveled together; they have been to many different countries.”

If we link a complex sentence to a simple sentence or another complex sentence, we form what’s called a compound-complex sentence:

• “Mark and Betty often traveled together when they were younger, and they have been to many different countries.”

In addition to the four categories of structure (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex), there are several categories of sentences based on their purpose. We’ll look at those more closely in the chapter on Sentences.