Complements

toc Complements A complement is a sentence completer! It completes the meaning begun by the subject and the verb.

Complements That Follow Action Verbs

Direct Objects
A **direct object ** is a **noun **or a ** pronoun ** that receives the action of an action verb . It answers the question //**whom **//or //** what **// __**<span style="color: #00a4ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">after **__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> the verb. It is //**NEVER**// in a prepositional phrase! It can be compound! <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Examples:
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">We are writing a persuasive **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">essay **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The snake shed its **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">skin **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The kids rode the **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">sled **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> to the bottom of the hill.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Our family enjoys scrambled **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">eggs **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">and orange **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> juice **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> for breakfast.

<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">Indirect Objects
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">An <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">**indirect objec**t <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> is a **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">noun **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">or a **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> pronoun **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">that comes between the action verb and the direct object. It answers the questions //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">to or for whom **//<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">or //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> to or for what **//__**<span style="color: #00a4ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">after **__<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> the verb. It is //**NEVER**// in a prepositional phrase! It can be compound! **YOU CAN NEVER HAVE AN INDIRECT OBJECT WITHOUT A DIRECT OBJECT!** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Examples: (All of these sentences also have a direct object.)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">I sent my **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">friend **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> a <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">card <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> for her birthday.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The coach told his **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">team **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> the game plan.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The president gave the **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">members **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> of the club a pin.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Mrs. Arroyo bought her **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">daughter **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> a phone of her own.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The storyteller told the **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">students **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> and their **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">teachers **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> tales of his childhood.

<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 180%; text-align: center;">Complements That Follow Linking Verbs <span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 180%; text-align: center;">Complements that follow linking verbs are called **subject complements**. There are two subject complements:

**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Predicate Nominatives **
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">A **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> predicate nominative **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">is a **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">noun **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> or a **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">pronoun **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> that follows a <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">linking verb <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">. It **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">renames **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> or **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">explains **<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">the subject. A predicate nominative can be compound. It is **//NEVER//** in a prepositional phrase! (Most commonly used linking verbs for predicate nominatives: //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">am, is, are, was, were, be, been, become, became //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Can you find the **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">predicate nominatives **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> in the following sentences? Hint: Which word follows the linking verb and renames the subject?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Mr. Vincent <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">is <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> the principal of Woodward North.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">I <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">am <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> your friendly tour guide today.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">All of those pretty yellow flowers <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">are <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> daffodils.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Martin Luther King, Jr. <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">became <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> a preacher as a young man.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Yesterday <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">was <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> Sunday all day long.

<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 180%; text-align: center;">Predicate Adjectives
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">A **<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">predicate adjective **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> is an <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">adjective <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> that follows a <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">linking verb. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> It modifies the subject. It will never have a noun after it because the noun it modifies is the simple subject. It can be compound. Of course it will never be in a prepositional phrase.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Can you find the predicate adjectives in the following sentences?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">That apple <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">tasted <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> crisp.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">That cup of coffee <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">looks <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> very hot.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">You <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">seem <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> confused about the directions.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Sathvik <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">was <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> the tallest of all the players.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The lost puppy suddenly <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">became <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> frightened.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The contestants <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">remained <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> calm throughout the competition.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Have <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">n't you <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">been <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> absent lately?