Predicate-Related Phrases in Nominal Sentences

Read the bilingual lesson for Predicate-Related Phrases in Nominal Sentences and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. What Will We Learn?

● A nominal sentence may contain a phrase connected to its predicate. This is called mutaʿalliq-e-khabar (a predicate-related phrase). ● We will distinguish an ordinary predicate from a complete predicate made from a prepositional or adverbial phrase. ● We will recognise when the predicate comes before the subject. ● We will identify the subject correctly when a sentence begins with a prepositional phrase or an adverb of place.

2. The Third Part of a Nominal Sentence

A nominal sentence may contain a subject, a predicate, and a phrase connected to the predicate. In the usual order, the predicate-related phrase comes after the predicate. Sentence Subject Predicate Predicate-related phrase اَلرَّجُلُ مَوْجُوْدٌ فِي الْبَيْتِ اَلرَّجُلُ مَوْجُوْدٌ فِي الْبَيْتِ طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيْضَةٌ عَلٰى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيْضَةٌ عَلٰى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ

3. Where the Predicate-Related Phrase Appears

The usual order is subject → predicate → predicate-related phrase. Sometimes the predicate-related phrase appears before the predicate. The grammatical roles remain the same. Order Example Analysis After the predicate اَلرَّجُلُ مَوْجُوْدٌ فِي الْبَيْتِ فِي الْبَيْتِ is connected to مَوْجُوْدٌ Before the predicate اللّٰهُ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ comes before قَدِيْرٌ

4. When There Is No Separate Predicate

Sometimes there is no separate one-word predicate. The prepositional or adverbial phrase then gives the complete predicate meaning. Sentence Subject Complete predicate Meaning اَلرَّجُلُ فِي الْبَيْتِ اَلرَّجُلُ فِي الْبَيْتِ The man is in the house اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ All praise belongs to Allah اَلْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ اَلْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِيْنَ Paradise is for the God-conscious اَلْحَيَاءُ مِنَ الْإِيْمَانِ اَلْحَيَاءُ مِنَ الْإِيْمَانِ Modesty is part of faith

5. Adverbs of Place

Words such as أَمَامَ، خَلْفَ، فَوْقَ، تَحْتَ، عِنْدَ show position or place. They are adverbs of place and may form the complete predicate. Adverb Meaning Example أَمَامَ in front of بَيْتِي أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ خَلْفَ behind الْفَصْلُ خَلْفَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ فَوْقَ above الْكِتَابُ فَوْقَ الْمَكْتَبِ تَحْتَ under السَّيَّارَةُ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ عِنْدَ with/at عِنْدِيْ سَيَّارَةٌ

6. The Predicate Before the Subject

A complete predicate may come before the subject. It is then called a fronted predicate (khabar muqaddam), while the subject comes later. Sentence Fronted predicate Later subject لِلّٰهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لِلّٰهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لِلّٰهِ خَزَائِنُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لِلّٰهِ خَزَائِنُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُكُمْ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُكُمْ

7. Finding the Subject After an Initial Phrase

A prepositional phrase or an adverb may be a predicate, but it is not the subject. When a nominal sentence begins with one of these phrases, look after it for the subject. Sentence Fronted predicate Subject فِي الْبَيْتِ رَجُلٌ فِي الْبَيْتِ رَجُلٌ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرٌ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرٌ فِي الْجِسْمِ مُضْغَةٌ فِي الْجِسْمِ مُضْغَةٌ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيْمٌ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيْمٌ

8. Source-Supported Examples: Place and Possession

Arabic sentence How to read the structure Meaning عَلٰى قُلُوْبِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ predicate first, subject later A covering is over their hearts أَمَامَ الْمَسْجِدِ شَجَرَةٌ adverb first, subject later There is a tree in front of the mosque فِيْ حَيَاةِ الرَّسُوْلِ أُسْوَةٌ predicate first, subject later There is an example in the life of the Messenger فِيْ بَيْتِيْ حَدِيْقَةٌ predicate first, subject later There is a garden in my house عِنْدِيْ سَيَّارَةٌ adverb first, subject later I have a car

9. Source-Supported Examples: Meaning and Description

Arabic sentence Fronted predicate Subject فِي الصُّلْحِ خَيْرٌ فِي الصُّلْحِ خَيْرٌ فِي الْفَسَادِ شَرٌّ فِي الْفَسَادِ شَرٌّ لِي أَخٌ لِي أَخٌ فِيْ غُرْفَتِيْ مِرْوَحَةٌ جَمِيْلَةٌ فِيْ غُرْفَتِيْ مِرْوَحَةٌ جَمِيْلَةٌ عِنْدَهُ سَاعَةٌ جَمِيْلَةٌ عِنْدَهُ سَاعَةٌ جَمِيْلَةٌ

10. Lesson Summary

● A predicate-related phrase explains where, when, for whom, or in what relation the predicate applies. ● If a separate predicate is absent, a prepositional or adverbial phrase can give the complete predicate meaning. ● This complete predicate may come before the subject; it is then a fronted predicate. ● A sentence-initial prepositional phrase or adverb is not the subject. Look after it for the subject.

Practice questions

Question 1

What is mutaʿalliq-e-khabar?

  • A phrase connected to the predicate that completes or further explains its meaning
  • A second subject in every nominal sentence
  • A particle that always changes a noun to the accusative

Question 2

Match each part of the sentence with its grammatical role.

Question 3

In the usual order, where does the predicate-related phrase appear?

  • After the predicate
  • Before the subject in every sentence
  • Inside the subject

Question 4

In اللّٰهُ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ, which part comes before the predicate?

  • عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
  • اللّٰهُ as a second predicate
  • قَدِيْرٌ as the subject

Question 5

Every nominal sentence must contain a separate one-word predicate.

Question 6

Match each complete-predicate sentence with its meaning.

Question 7

Sort the complete predicates into prepositional phrases and adverbs of place.

Question 8

In فِي الْبَيْتِ رَجُلٌ, which word is the subject?

  • رَجُلٌ
  • فِي
  • الْبَيْتِ

Question 9

A prepositional phrase can itself be the subject of a nominal sentence.

Question 10

Match each fronted predicate with the later subject that completes its sentence.

Question 11

There is a tree in front of the mosque.

Question 12

There is goodness in reconciliation.

Question 13

Sort the sentences by whether the predicate follows or precedes the subject.

Question 14

In the new example فِي الْفَصْلِ طَالِبٌ, what is the correct analysis?

  • فِي الْفَصْلِ is the fronted predicate and طَالِبٌ is the subject
  • فِي is the subject and الْفَصْلِ is the predicate
  • The sentence has no subject

Question 15

There is a hardworking student in the classroom.

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