The Object and the Complement
The Object and the
Complement
What
is an object?
An object in grammar is a part of a clause,
and often part of the predicate. It refers to someone or something involved in
the subject's "performance" of the verb. It is what the verb is being
done to. As an example, the following clause is given:
|
Subject |
Verb |
Object |
|
Leila |
wrote |
the poem |
- "Leila" is the subject, the doer or performer,
- "wrote" is a verb that refers to the action,
- "the poem" is the object involved in the action.
Transitive and intransitive verbs
A verb can be classified as transitive or intransitive according to whether it takes or doesn't take an object:
If a verb takes objects, then it is a transitive verb.
- They played soccer. → (The verb play takes ONE object 'soccer')
- They sent him a postcard. → (The verb send takes TWO objects 'him' and 'a postcard')
If a verb doesn't take an object, then it is an intransitive verb.
- She lies. → (The verb 'lie' doesn't take any object)
- The building collapsed. → (The verb 'collapse' doesn't take any object)
Types
of objects
There are two types of objects: direct
and indirect objects:
Direct
object
A direct object answers the question "what?" or "who?"
- David repaired his car → his car is the direct object of the verb repaired. ( What did David repair?)
- He invited Mary to the party → Mary is the direct object of the verb invited. (Who did he invite?)
Indirect
Object
An indirect object answers the
question "to whom?", "for whom?"
An indirect object is the recipient of the direct object, or an otherwise affected participant in the event. There must be a direct object for an indirect object to be placed in a sentence. In other words an indirect object cannot exist without a direct object.
- They sent him a postcard - him is the indirect object of the verb sent. (To whom did they send a postcard?)
- He bought his son a bike - his son is the indirect object of the verb bought. (For whom did he buy a bike?)
What is a Complement?
What Is a
Complement in Grammar?
What is a
complement in grammar? It's a word, clause, or phrase that's needed to complete
a given expression.
For example, "Every morning is a gift."
In this sentence, "every morning" is the subject, "is" is
the linking verb, and "a gift" is the complement. It completes the
idea. Without it, we wouldn't understand what every morning is.
Another example would be, "The air smells beautiful."
In this sentence, "the air" is the subject, "smells" is the
linking verb, and "beautiful" is the complement. Let's explore the
different kinds of complements, as well as how to spot them in a sentence.
Types of Complements
There are
two main types of complements: subject and object complements. You won't be
surprised to learn subject complements have to do with the subject of a
sentence and object complements deal with the object.
Subject Complements
The subject of a clause is the person, place, thing,
or idea that the sentence is about. Subject complements follow linking verbs
only (and not action verbs). Linking verbs are forms of the verb "to
be." Some of the most popular linking verbs include am, is, are, was, and
were. While "to be" verbs are always linking verbs, you also have
verbs that can act as action verbs or linking verbs, depending on the sentence.
Popular examples include appear, feel, grow, look, sound, smell, and taste.
Subject complements can be a noun, an adjective, a
single word, or a group of words that act like a noun or adjective. Subject
complements can be further broken down into predicate nominatives and predicate
adjectives.
Predicate Nominatives
Predicate
nominatives effectively "rename" the subject in theclause,
answering who they are in the form of another noun.
· I am a writer.
(Providing more information about "I")
· Brenna is a
gifted singer. (Providing more information about Brenna)
· They were employees
there. (Providing more information about "they")
Predicate Adjectives
Whereas
predicate nominatives rename the subject, predicate adjectives describe or
modify the subject the way an adjective would.
· Mary looked frustrated.
(Providing more information about Mary)
· She seemed nice.
(Providing more information about "she")
· He appears smart.
(Providing more information about "he")
Subject Complements vs.
Objects
At this
point, you may be wondering, "What's the difference between an object and
a subject complement?"
Linking verbs have subject complements. Action verbs
have direct objects. An object will answer the question "who" or
"what" in reference to the verb. A complement will provide greater
detail about the subject.
In the clause, "She ran fast," "fast" is a subject complement.
It's not answering the question "who" or "what" and it's
not receiving the action of the verb "ran." Rather, it's providing
more detail about the subject "she." Now we know she's a fast runner.
Object Complements
The object of a clause is the person, place, thing,
or idea that's receiving the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence,
"He makes gingerbread houses," gingerbread houses is the
object. It's receiving the action of the linking verb "makes." It
answers the question "who" or "what."
Object complements follow linking verbs as well. However, they provide more information about the object. So, while the object of the sentence receives the action of the verb, object complements can beef up, or complement, those objects. Object complements can also be a noun, an adjective, a single word, or a group of words that act like a noun or adjective.
- He makes me very sad. (Providing more information about the object "me")
- A wool scarf will keep your neck very warm in the winter. (Providing more information about the object "your neck")
- We appointed Barry treasurer. (Providing more information about the object "Barry")
- The gentle music rendered Janine quite drowsy. (Providing more information about the object "Janine")
- Darren found his son fast asleep under his blanket. (Providing more information about the object "son")