Complements

Complement - a word or word group that completes the meaning of a verb

Types

• Nouns, Pronouns, and adjectives can be complements.

• Adverbs and the object of a prepositional phrase can not be complements.

• Types of complements include direct objects indirect objects,objective complements, and subject complements (predicate nominative and predicate adjective)

Direct and Indirect Objects• Direct Object - a complement that tells who or

what receives the action of a verb or shows the result of that action. The employer interviewed several applicants for the job.

• Indirect Object - a complement that often appears in sentences containing direct objects and that tells to whom or for whom or to what or for what the action of a transitive verb is done.Julia’s part-time work experience earned her a full-time position.

Objective Complements• Objective Complement - a complement that helps

complete the meaning of a transitive verb by identifying or modifying the direct object.

• Only a few verbs take objective complements - consider, make, appoint, believe, call, choose, color, cut, dye , elect, find, keep, name, paint, render, and sweep. France made Miles Davis a knight in the Legion of Honor. The referee called the line drive foul.

Subject Complements• Subject Complement - a complement that

identifies or modifies the subject of a linking verb.

• It is important to note that subject complements only occur with linking verbs

• 2 types of subject complements: Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives.

Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives

• Predicate Nominative - identifies or refers to the subject of a lining verb. Robert Hayden is my favorite poet.

• Predicate Adjective - an adjective that is in the predicate and that modifies the subject of a linking verb. Your lotus-blossom necklace is lovely.