Nouns and their jobs

1. Nouns and their jobs
Persons, places, things and
ideas
AND HOW TO USE THEM

2. The Jobs
• Subject: Noun that completes the
verb/action.
• Complement: To complete the
meaning of a sentence.
– HOW?
» Predicate Noun
» Direct Object
» Indirect Object
» Object of the preposition

3. Subjects
• Subjects tell who or what is doing the
verb.
• Examples
– The food is very spicy.
• The subject noun is “food.” It tells what the
sentence is about.
– Margo and Simon biked to the mall.
• The subject nouns are “Margo” and “Simon.”
Although mall is a noun, the sentence tells about
Margo and Simon, not the mall.

4. More Examples
• The boy ran and jumped into the lake.
– The “boy” is who is doing the action. It tells
who the sentence is about.
• Tina’s dog ran barking down the street.
– The “dog” is the subject of the sentence
because the possessive noun (Tina’s) is used
as an adjective and street is used as an
object of a preposition.

5. Complements:
Not the “You act nice” kind
• Completes the meaning of a verb
• Four ways a noun is used as a
complement:
–Predicate noun
–Direct object
–Indirect object
–Objects of the Preposition

6. Predicate Noun - compliment
• Renames, identifies, or defines the subject
after a linking verb. (see LV review!)
• Predicate Noun Examples:
–King Kong is a huge gorilla.
–Ben Franklin was a Founding Father of
the United States.

7. Direct Objects - Compliment
• Names the receiver of the action after an
action verb. (answers what/who to the action verb)
• Direct Object Examples:
– Dave threw the ball. (Dave threw WHAT?)
– Mac hit Sam in the leg. (Mac hit WHO?)
– We ate lunch at Paneras. (We ate WHAT?)

8. Indirect Object - compliment
• Tells to whom or what or for whom or what
an action is done. You CAN NOT have an
indirect object without a direct object.
• Indirect Object Examples:
– I gave Cindy the letter.
– Sharon knitted Lisa a scarf for her birthday.
– Randy and Kirk made Mr. Ford laugh.

9. Object of the Preposition
• The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition. It
is normally the last word of a prepositional
phrase. (See Preposition Review!)
• HELPFUL HINT
– Possessive nouns (Kim’s, Rod’s) stand in for objects
of the prepositions.
• Kim’s car is the ’68 Mustang.
– (The car of Kim) is the ’68 Mustang.
• Rod’s garage is known for repairing classic cars.
– (The garage of Rod) is known for repairing classic cars.

10. Object of the Preposition
• Object of the Preposition Examples:
– The lake behind the blue house has sailboats.
– The yachts are painted white with green trim.
– The ducks and swans on the lake live there
until September.

11. Preposition Review
• About
• Above
• Across
• After
• Against
• Along
• Among
• Around
• As
• At
• Before
• behind
• From
• In
• Inside
• Into
• Like
• Near
• Of
• Off
• On
• Out
• Over
• Below
• Beneath
• Beside
• Between
• Beyond
• By
• Despite
• Down
• During
• Except
• For
• Past
• Through
• To
• Toward
• Under
• Until
• Up
• With
• Within
• Without

12. Review Key Points
• Nouns can be subjects or complements
• Subjects tell who/what is doing the action.
• Complements are:
– Predicate nouns (use LV to rename sub.)
– Direct Objects (names the receiver of action)
– Indirect Objects (answers TO Whom/what)
– Objects of the Preposition (follows a prep.)