Objects and Complements

Sentences - Objects and Complements

By Andres Trevino

Multiple Choice

Subordinate clauses are also known as:

• insubordinate clause

• independent clause

• dependent clause

• simple sentence

Multiple Choice

Subjects are:

• Adjectives

• Nouns/Pronouns

• Adverbs

• Verbs

​Complements

​​A complement is a word or group of words that completes the meaning of the predicate​ of a sentence.

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There are five kinds of complements in English: direct objects, indirect objects, object complements, predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives​.

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The first three occur in sentences that have TRANSITIVE VERBS. The last two are often called subject complements. Subject complements are found only with LINKING VERBS. ​

Multiple Choice

Predicates are:

• Verbs

• Adverbs

• Nouns/Pronouns

• Adjectives

​Direct Objects

Direct objects are the most common of the five types of complements. They complete the meaning of action verbs by telling who or what receives the action. ​

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Direct Object: is a noun, pronoun, or group of words acting as a noun that receives the action of a transitive verb.

Direct Objects and Action Verbs

The direct object answers the question WHOM? or WHAT? about the action (transitive) verb. If you cannot answer those questions, then there is no direct object because the verb is intransitive.

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Multiple Choice

Direct Objects appear with which kinds of verbs?

• Transitive Verbs

• Intransitive Verbs

• Linking Verbs

Indirect Objects

Indirect Objects appear only in sentences that contain transitive verbs and direct objects. Indirect objects are common with verbs like: ask, bring, buy, give, lend, make, show, teach, tell, and write.​

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An INDIRECT OBJECT is a noun or pronoun that appears with a DIRECT OBJECT. ​It often names the person or thing that something is given to or done for.

To identify an indirect object, find the direct object, then ask: To or For Whom? or To? or For What?

Locating Indirect Objects

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An indirect object almost always appears between the verb and the direct object. In a sentence with subject-verb order, the indirect object never follows the direct object, nor will it ever be the object of the preposition TO or FOR.

Multiple Choice

Indirect Objects only appear when:

• there is a linking verb.

• there is a direct object.

​Object Complement: an adjective or noun that appears with a direct object and describes it or renames it.

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​A sentence that contains an object complement may seem to have two direct objects. However, object complements occurs with the verbs: appoint, call, consider, declare, elect, judge, label, make, name, select, and think. The words to be are often understood before an object complement.

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​Object Complement

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Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of an OBJECT COMPLEMENT?

• to describe or rename a direct object

• to make the object feel special/valued

​Subject Complements

LINKING VERBS (is, am, are, be, been, being, was, were, etc.) require subject complements to complete their meaning.

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A subject complement is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that appears with a linking verb and gives more information about the subject.

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There are two kinds of subject complements: predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives. ​

The predicate nominative refers to the same person, place, or thing as the subject of the sentence.​

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Predicate Nominative: a noun or pronoun that appears with a linking verb and renames, identifies, or explains the subject. Some sentences may contain a compound predicate nominative. ​

Predicative Nominatives

A predicate adjective is an adjective that appears with a linking verb. It describes the subject in a similar way that an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun.

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Predicate Adjective: an adjective that appears with a linking verb and describes the subject of a sentence. ​

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​Predicate Adjectives

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