complements in grammar

Meanings

1. 1phrasepluraltechnical

   Words or phrases that complete the meaning of a verb, adjective, or noun in a sentence.

   Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; the singular is 'complement in grammar', but the topic is usually discussed in the plural.

   Patterns

   • a complement in grammar
   • the complement of a verb
   • subject complement
   • object complement

   In 'She became a doctor', 'a doctor' is a complement in grammar because it tells us what she became.

   Teachers often ask students to underline the complements in grammar exercises.

   The phrase 'very happy' contains a complement in grammar that follows the linking verb 'seems'.

2. 2phrasepluraltechnical

   A word or group of words, such as a noun phrase or adjective phrase, that follows a linking verb and describes the subject.

   Grammar: This narrower use refers specifically to subject complements after verbs like 'be', 'seem', and 'become'.

   Patterns

   • subject complement
   • a complement after a linking verb
   • function as a complement

   In 'The soup tastes salty', 'salty' is a complement in grammar describing the soup.

   Students learn that a complement in grammar can be a noun, an adjective, or a phrase.

   After the verb 'be', a complement in grammar usually gives information about the subject.

3. 3phrasepluraltechnical

   A word or phrase that follows a direct object and describes or identifies it, as in 'They elected her president'.

   Grammar: This is called an object complement; it comes after the object, not after the subject.

   Patterns

   • object complement
   • a complement after an object
   • name someone something

   In 'We painted the door red', 'red' is a complement in grammar that describes the door.

   The committee named him chairman, where 'chairman' works as a complement in grammar.

   Learners sometimes confuse an object complement in grammar with an adverb.

Common combinations

subject complement

In 'He seems tired', 'tired' is a subject complement.

object complement

They called the baby Lily, using 'Lily' as an object complement.

function as a complement

A noun phrase can function as a complement after a linking verb.

take a complement

Linking verbs such as 'become' take a complement.

complement clause

'That she left' is a complement clause in 'I know that she left'.

Synonyms and how they differ

predicative

A more technical term for a word that completes a linking verb; it focuses on position rather than function.

object

An object receives the action of a verb, while a complement describes or identifies the subject or object.

Word family

complement noun

The singular form; a word or phrase that completes another part of a sentence.

complementary adjective

Describing two things that complete each other; not the same as grammatical complement.

complementation noun

The grammatical process of adding a complement to a word.

Commonly confused: complements in grammar or compliment? complements in grammar or adjunct?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “complements in grammar”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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