Complement
Some sentences are complete with just a subject and a verb. But the meaning of many sentences depends
on additional words called complements to finish the idea.
- A complement is a word or group of words that completes the meaning of a sentence.
Kind of Complements: 1. Direct objects
2. Indirect objects
3. Objective complements
4. Subjective complements
Note: The last two are often grouped together and called subjective complements.
1. Direct objects
- A direct object is a noun, a pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that receives the action of a
transitive verb.
sub + transitive verb + direct object
EX. The man is watching football.
Many people don’t know me.
I don’t like waiting anyone.
Note: To find direct object, ask Whom or What after an action verb.
Some sentences have more than one direct object called compound direct object.
EX. The carpenter is sanding the table and the chair.
My son loves apples and grapes.
* Direct object or object of a preposition?
A direct object is never the noun or pronoun following a preposition or prepositional phrase. Don’t
confuse these two sentence parts.
Ex. Theara is looking through the window. (object of a preposition)
I know the answer. (direct object)
2. Indirect objects
- An indirect object is a noun, a pronoun that appears with a direct object and names the person or
thing something is given to or done for.
sub + transitive verb + indirect object + direct object
EX. The president has promised us to build a new school.
The teacher gave me a gift.
Dara will buy his wife a ring.
Note: To find indirect object, ask To Whom or For What after an action verb.
* Indirect object or object of a preposition?
An indirect object is never preceded by to or for. Don’t confuse these two sentence parts.
Ex. The teacher told us the news. (indirect object)
The teacher told the news to us. (object of a preposition)
3. Objective complements
- An objective complement is an adjective or a noun that appears with a direct object and describes or
renames it.
sub + transitive verb + direct object + objective complement
Objective complements are found only after verbs like appoint, call, consider, declare, elect, judge, label,
make, name, select, or think.
Ex. American people elected Donald Trump president. (objective complement)
I consider studying important. (objective complement)
Note: To know whether a word is an objective complement, say the verb and direct object, and then ask
what. Like other sentence parts objective complement can be compound.
Ex. The professor called Dara clever and polite. (compound objective complement)
4. Subjective complements
- A subjective complement is a noun, a pronoun or an adjective that appears with a linking verb and
tells something about the subject.
A. Predicate Nominatives
- A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that appears with a linking verb and renames,
identifies, or explains the subject.
sub + linking verb + noun or pronoun
Ex. Bora and Apple are friends. (predicate nominative)
Hun Sen is a prime minister. (predicate nominative)
My mother becomes a grandma. (predicate nominative)
B. Predicate Adjectives
- A predicate adjective is not a noun or pronoun but an adjective. It refers to the subject by describing
it in a way that adjectives modify nouns or pronouns.
sub + linking verb + adjective
Ex. The new student seems clever. (predicate adjective)
The books look interesting. (predicate adjective)
The melody sounds cheerful. (predicate adjective)
Note: Both predicate nominative and predicate adjective can be compound.
Ex. I am happy and fresh.
The food becomes smelly and disgusting.
Bora is a student and a teacher.
PRACTICE
I. Underline direct objects in the following text. Some are compound direct objects.
You should never use unnecessary lights. In daylight hours, the sun can often provide enough light. You can
also use bulbs of lower wattage in some areas of a home or business. These use less energy. Some areas,
however, requires a lot of light. You should use one larger bulb there. Everyone should regularly practice
these methods of energy conservation in their homes and places of business.
II. Underline indirect objects in the sentences. If the sentence doesn’t have an indirect object, write none.
1. The constitution guarantees all citizens freedom.
2. The university granted the incoming freshmen a four-year scholarship.
3. The builders showed the owner some special additions to the house.
4. The articles give smokers some warning.
5. Doctors must be able to read symptoms correctly.
6. He brought me a wedding present although he could not attend my wedding.
7. He has told her child a lot of stories before he fell asleep.
8. Save me some the food because I may be late for the party.
9. I have ordered you a plate of chicken rice and a glass of iced-lemon tea.
10. She sent me a card congratulating my good exam result.
III. Underline subjective complements and identify predicate nominative or predicate adjective.
1. The child grew lazy and sullen. ………………………………………………………………
2. He is a heavy drinker. He never stays undrunk. ……………………………………………..
3. All of the vegetables, I hate bitter gourds the most because they always taste bitter. ………………………
4. His face looks tired and pale. ……………………………………………..
5. After questioning, the suspect no longer seemed defensive. ……………………………………………….
6. That restaurant is very expensive. …………………………………………………
7. His salary is little and insufficient, so he finds it difficult to support his family. …………………………..
8. The blister grew more painful although I had applied some ointment on it. ………………………………..
9. Cockroaches are pests in many households. ……………………………………………
10. Good sources of protein are eggs, meat, or beans. ………………………………………………..
IV. Add an objective complement to the following sentences.
1. All my friends in the class appointed me …………………………………… (noun)
2. After asking his teacher, Dara made her …………………………………… (adjective)
3. He hasn’t made anything published and he calls himself ………………………………….. (noun)
4. How can you call yourself ……………………………… (adjective)? Your marks are never over 10.
5. The government declared the air……………………………… (adjective) because of a lot of smoke from
factories.
6. I consider my parents ……………………………… (noun).
7. They name their new born daughter …………………………….. (noun).
8. The court judged the suspect ………………………………. (adjective)
9. The teacher made me ………………………………. (adjective) because he had admired me a lot.
10. The members of the company elected Mr. Dave ………………………… (noun).