What part of speech is a simple predicate?

A simple predicate is a verb phrase, but it's not a part of speech in the traditional sense.

Here's why:

* Parts of speech (like nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.) describe individual words based on their function in a sentence.

* Simple predicate refers to the core verb (or verb phrase) within the predicate of a sentence. It tells us what the subject is doing or being.

Think of it like this:

* Sentence: The dog barked loudly.

* Predicate: barked loudly (tells us what the subject is doing)

* Simple Predicate: barked (the core verb)

So, while the simple predicate is made up of a verb phrase, it's not a part of speech itself. It's a grammatical element that helps us understand the action or state of being within a sentence.