Complements
Background:
Every sentence contains a subject and a predicate (verb). Some sentences
may also contain complements – direct objects, indirect objects, predicate
nominatives, or predicate adjectives. Any of these sentence parts may be compound.
Examples:
Definition
Direct Object: A noun, pronoun, or
word group that tells who or what
receives the action of a verb or
shows the result of an action.
Sample Sentence with Complement
Tony threw the ball to John.
This year, New York will host the Super Bowl.
Kansas City played Green Bay in the first
Super Bowl game.
Indirect Object: A noun, pronoun,
or word group that often appears in
sentences containing direct
objects; tells to whom or to what
(or for whom or for what) the
action of the transitive verb is
done.
Predicate Nominative: A word or
group of words that is in the
predicate (i.e., follows the main
verb) and that identifies the subject
or refers to it; will typically be a
noun or pronoun. (Think: NOUN =
NOMINATIVE)
Predicate Adjective: An adjective
that is in the predicate (i.e., follows
the main verb) and that modifies
the subject.
Has the NFC or the AFC won more Super Bowl
titles?
Ms. Thompson gave us a math quiz today.
I lent Tamara my baseball glove.
The Nineteenth Amendment gives women the
right to vote.
Maxine baked our class cupcakes.
Bob is a boy.
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina.
Is that your new bicycle?
You have been a loyal friend to me!
Jane is beautiful.
Is that volcano extinct?
All of the contestants appear calm and
confident.
This song was popular in 1999.
Practice:
Directions: In each of the following sentences, underline or highlight the sentence
part or parts given in parenthesis.
Example: (direct object)
1. (direct object)
Give your tickets to the person at that window.
Have you ever visited a county fair?
2. (predicate adjective)
entertaining.
The playful antics of the rodeo clowns were quite
3. (predicate nominative)
“These animals can be good pets,” sald the ranchhand.
4. (compound direct object)
fish as good pets.
5. (predicate adjective)
Until then, I had considered only cats, dogs, or
“By now these sheep are hungry.”
6. (indirect object)
“Would you give them lunch?”
7. (indirect object)
The ranchhand gave each of us a handful of pet food pellets.
8. (direct object)
The sheep gave me a brilliant idea.
9. (compound predicate adjective)
and dull.
Yard work certainly can become tiresome
10. (predicate nominative) In other words, a sheep is a natural lawn mower!
**If you have some extra time, try to diagram #2 and #9. 