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What is a complement?
What is an object complement?
What is a subject complement?
What's the difference between complement and adjunct?
Types of Complements
What is a subject complement?
What is a complement?

A complement is used with verbs like be, seem, look etc. Complements give more information about the subject or, in some structures, about the object.

There are various definitions of 'complement', which range from the very general (anything in the predicate except the verb, including the direct object and adverbs) to the much more restrictive one used here.

A complement is the part of the sentence that gives you more information about the subject (a subject complement) or the object (an object complement) of the sentence.

The complement to be used, if any, is dependent on the verb used in the sentence. Subject complements normally follow certain verbs.

For example:

* He is Spanish.
* She became an engineer.
* That man looks like John.

Object complements follow the direct object of the verb-

For example.

* They painted the house red.

* She called him an idiot!
* I saw her standing there.

The complement often consists of an adjective or noun phrase, but can also be a participle phrase, as in the last example. It is often not very clear whether a phrase is a complement or an adverbial.

Types of Complements

Direct Object
Indirect Object and Direct Object
Object Complement
Predicate Adjective
Predicate Noun
Gerund
Noun Clause
Infinitive
Adverb

Types of Complements

Direct object

 In the following pattern the complement is called a direct object. 

Subject

Verb

Complement

The gunner

hit

the target
 Here are more examples of this pattern.

  • The teacher taught the lesson.
  • The pilot flew the plane.
  • The students asked a question.

 2.    Indirect object and Direct object

 In the following pattern the complement consists of an indirect object and a direct object.  

Subject

Verb

Indirect Object – Direct object

The teacher

gave

the students              the books
 Here are more examples of this pattern.

  • The instructor taught the class the lesson.
  • The students asked me a question.
  • I told him the story.

 3.    Object complement

 After verbs of choosing, judging, appointing, etc. in the active voice, a second noun denoting quality, rank or office is placed in a complementary position to the direct object. (noun or pronoun)

 

Subject

 

Verb

Complement

Object

Object complement

They

elected

him

President.
 Other examples:
  • They considered that activitya waste of time.
  • The team chose Joe captain by unanimous vote.
  • The President appointed him Ambassador to Great Britain.

 In the passive voice, the noun of rank, quality, or office functions rather like a predicate noun.  See the following example

 

Subject

Verb

Complement

She

was chosen

Miss Universe in 1959
 Other examples:

  • He was made full colonel at the end of World War II.
  • Mr. Smith was elected chairman of the Board of Plastic Industries Inc.

4. Predicate Adjective

 The complement in the following pattern is known as predicate adjective. 

Subject

Verb

Complement

He

is

sick
 Here are more examples:

  • They are nice.
  • I am sleepy.
  • She is pretty.

 5.  Predicate Noun

The complement in the following pattern is a predicate noun. 

Subject

Verb

Complement

I

am

a student
Other examples are:

  • You are a pilot.
  • She’s a teacher.
  • They are officers.

 6.  Gerund

The complement in the following pattern is a gerund. (Used as object) 

Subject

Verb

Complement

Mr. Jackson

teaches

reading
More examples are:

  • I like swimming.
  • He teaches flying.
  • We prefer staying here.

 Note: See list of verbs followed by the gerund in this construction (here)

 The complement in the following is also a gerund (used as a predicate noun substitute).

 

Subject

Verb

Complement

His Job

is

teaching
 Other examples are:

  • His hobby is collecting stamps.
  • Their favorite sport was fishing.

 7. Noun Clause

The complement in the following pattern is a noun clause. (used as object) 

Subject

Verb

Complement

He

decided

that he would go.
 Here are more examples:

  • They say that they study every night.
  • John admitted that he was wrong.
  • She thinks that the book is good.

After words like wonder, ask, tell, explain, the noun clauses may begin with interrogatives.

Examples:

  • I wonder how you do that.
  • He asked when we were leaving.
  • He told me where the book was.
  • He explained why this method is better than that one.

The complement in the following pattern is also a noun clause (used as predicate noun substitute)

Subject

Verb

Complement

His excuse

is

that he was ill.

Other examples:

  • This is how you do it.
  • Here is what you asked for.

 8.    Infinitive

 The complement in the following pattern is an infinitive (used as object).

Subject

Verb

Complement

I

want

to dance

More examples are:

  • He likes to read.
  • They plan to go.
  • She hates to drive.

Note: See  list of verbs followed by the infinitive in this construction. (here)

The complement in the following is also an infinitive (used as a predicate noun substitute)

Subject

Verb

Complement

Our intention

is

to fly.
The infinitive does not, however, usually occur alone in this construction, but with an object or modifier.

Examples:

  • His ambition is to fly a jet.
  • Hers is to become a nurse.
  • Their plan is to leave early.

9.    Adverb

 The complement in the following pattern is an adverb, an adverbial phrase, or an adverbial clause.  

Subject

Verb

Complement

He

spoke

rapidly
More examples:

  • She dances beautifully.
  • She danced all night long.
  • She danced till the sun came up.

 
Object Complement

Some transitive verbs can be followed by an object together with an adjective or a noun phrase that gives more information about the object. This adjective or noun phrase that complements the object is called an object complement.

She made me angry. (Here the adjective angry is the complement of the object me.)
You are driving us crazy. (Here the adjective crazy is the complement of the object us.)
They appointed him monitor. (Here the noun monitor is the complement of the object him.)
I found his attitude strange.
Don’t call me a liar.
They painted the wall green.
The noise drove him mad.
That case made the lawyer famous.
We find the cost of living in cities rather high.

Verb + Object + As + Complement

Note that after some verbs the object complement is introduced by as. This is common when we are describing somebody or something.

They elected John as their leader.
I regard him as a genius.

She described her attacker as a tall dark man.

Note that the structure is also possible with as being.

We do not regard him as being dangerous. OR We do not regard him as dangerous.

Verb + object + to be + complement

Verbs such as believe, consider, feel, know, find, think, prove, understand etc., can be followed by object + to be + adjective/noun phrase.

Events proved him to be wrong.
Most people supposed him to be innocent.
I considered the plan to be unwise.
I knew him to be conscientious.

Note that in an informal style, these sentences can be re-written using that-clauses.

Events proved that he was wrong.
Most people supposed that he was innocent.
I considered that the plan was unwise.
I knew that he was conscientious.

Predicates

A predicate is the completer of a sentence. The subject names the "do-er" or "be-er" of the sentence; the predicate does the rest of the work. A simple predicate consists of only a verb, verb string, or compound verb:

  • The glacier melted.
  • The glacier has been melting.
  • The glacier melted, broke apart, and slipped into the sea.

A compound predicate consists of two (or more) such predicates connected:

  • The glacier began to slip down the mountainside and eventually crushed some of the village's outlying buildings.

A complete predicate consists of the verb and all accompanying modifiers and other words that receive the action of a tran

Examples (English)
 
  • Robin read the book. (direct object complement of the verb)
  • Robin gave it to me. (indirect object complement of the verb)
  • Erin put it on the shelf. (obligatory locative complement of the verb--one cannot say, *Erin put it.)
  • This problem seems quite difficult. (adjective phrase complement of the verb)
  • They doubted whether it was possible. (sentential complement of the verb)
  • ...under the table (noun phrase complement of a preposition)
  • ...hard to understand (verb phrase complement of an adjective)

In English, prepositions and prepositional phrases perform eleven prototypical prepositional functions:
1. Prepositional phrase head
2. Noun phrase modifier
3. Adjective phrase modifier
4. Verb phrase modifier
5. Noun phrase complement
6. Adjective phrase complement
7. Verb Phrase complement
8. Particle
9. Infinitive marker
10. Adjunct
11. Adverbial

The following examples illustrate some uses of English prepositional phrases:

  • as a modifier to a verb
    • sleep throughout the winter
    • danced atop the tables for hours
  • as a modifier to a noun
    • the weather in May
    • cheese from France with live bacteria
  • as a modifier of an adjective
    • happy for them
    • sick until recently
  • as the complement of a verb
    • insist on staying home
    • dispose of unwanted items
  • as the complement of a noun
    • a thirst for revenge
    • an amendment to the constitution
  • as the complement of an adjective or adverb
    • attentive to their needs
    • separately from its neighbors
  • as the complement of another preposition
    • until after supper
    • from beneath the bed
Direct Object
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Subject Complements
Linking verb with subject complement
Linking verb with subject complement
Transitive verb with direct object
Intransitive verb with no object
Object Complements
What is the difference between a direct object and an indirect object?
How can I find the indirect object in a sentence?

Indirect object
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