MORE ON COMPLEMENTS



MORE ON COMPLEMENTS

Essentially, you need to remember this:

Complements are functional “parts” of sentences – just as objects and subjects are. They “complete” various other structures.

They “complete” verbs and adjectives and subjects and objects.

Adjective and verb complements consist of a basic structure: prepositional complement plus object. The object is a noun phrase.

So far we have studied subject and object complements as adjective phrases, but as you should have seen from the book and the disk, subject and object complements can also be noun phrases.

I. More about verb complements

Example: A verb complement: To comply (with)

The unhappy taxpayer complied with the tax regulations.

A. Test for this by:

1. Making a “what question” with the noun phrase that is the object of the preposition “with” as the answer: the tax regulations.

What did the unhappy taxpayer comply with?

Check: If you are unable to remove the “with” from the question, you have a complement.

**What did the unhappy taxpayer comply?

Check: If you are unable to make a “where” “how” “when” “why” type question with the whole phrase as the answer, you have a complement.

**Where d id the unhappy taxpayer comply?

**How . . .

**When. . .

** Why . . .

2. Contrast this with a “regular” adverbial prepositional phrase. In a “regular” (non-complement) structure, you should be able to make a “where” “how” “when” “why” question and subsume the WHOLE prepositional phrase into the answer.

The unhappy taxpayer filled out the form in a hurry.

How did the unhappy taxpayer fill out the form? In a hurry.

The unhappy taxpayer sent his return and his check to an office in Fresno.

Where did the unhappy taxpayer send his return and his check? To an office in Fresno.

B. Two common verb complement patterns:

1. Verb immediately followed by prepositional complement + object of prepositional complement.

The unhappy taxpayer complied with the law.

2. Verb immediately followed by an object and then the prepositional complement and its object.

The agent provided him with a form.

II. Other types of complements

Two often-connected complements are subject complements and adjective complements.

A. Subject complements are adjective phrases (an adjective and all its assorted modifiers) that follow linking verbs. All of the following underlined adjective phrases are subject complements.

1. The taxpayer was afraid of the IRS.

2. The IRS seemed really scary.

3. The return appeared too simple.

4. His accountant was furious at him.

5. His wife was also furious with him.

B. Adjective complements are part of adjective phrases. They happen when an adjective “triggers” a specific following preposition: afraid of, furious at, furious with.

C. Object complements are also adjective phrases. They happen when an adjective phrase follows and modifies the object of a verb.

1. The IRS agent considered him very guilty .

2. His wife found him totally useless.

III. NOUN PHRASES as subject and object complements.

If you’ve been reading the book and looking at the disk, you’ll see that we can also have subject and object complements that are noun phrases. Here are some examples:

A. Noun phrase subject complements after linking verbs.

The man is an idiot.

B. Noun phrase object complements – after the direct object of a noun.

Often there is an implied “to be” linking these.

The agent considered the man a total fool.

Complete Sentence Breakdowns

1. My incredibly energetic, very winsome dog has chewed that smelly bone raw.

2. That demonstrator is protesting against the war in Iraq.

3. She grew disgusted with his politics.

4. The agent called him a liar.

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