This document provides an overview of different types of complements in the English language, including direct objects, indirect objects, and subject complements. It discusses how direct objects receive the action of a transitive verb and can be identified by answering "whom?" or "what?" after the verb. Indirect objects indicate who or what receives the direct object. Subject complements complete linking verbs and can be a predicate nominative that identifies the subject or a predicate adjective that describes the subject. The document provides examples for each type of complement.

1. COMPLEMENTS
English 7th Grade
Prof. Dario VanHorne

2. COMPLEMENTS: Overview
• A. A complement is a word or word
group that completes the meaning of
a verb.
• Every sentence has a subject and a
verb. But some sentences need
complements in order to be complete.
– Dr. Charles Drew made [made what?]
– Dr. Charles Drew made advances in the
study of blood plasma.

3. COMPLEMENTS: Overview
– Medical societies honored [honored whom?]
– Medical societies honored him.
– Dr. Drew’s research was [was what?]
– Dr. Drew’s research was important.
An adverb is never a complement.
– The package is here. [not a complement
because here is modifying the verb is]
– The package is heavy. [complement]

4. DIRECT OBJECTS
• B. A direct object is a noun, pronoun,
or word group that tells who or what
receives the action of a verb.
– A direct object answers the question
Whom? or What? after a transitive verb.
• Remember transitive verbs? They are the
verbs that carry energy from one source to
another.

5. DIRECT OBJECTS
• You can think of a direct object as the thing
into which the verb carries the energy.
– I punched a wall. [punched what?]
– I punched a wall.
– I met Dr. Mason. [met whom?]
– I met Dr. Mason.
– My uncle repairs engines and sells them. [repairs
what? and sells what?]
– My uncle repairs engines and
sells them.

6. DIRECT OBJECTS
• Linking verbs express no action, so they never
take direct objects.
– She was a sculptor. [sculptor is NOT the direct
object of was—was carries no energy]
• Direct objects are never in prepositional
phrases.
– She worked with the clay. [no direct object,
because with the clay is a prepositional phrase]
– She worked the clay. [now clay is the direct object
of the transitive verb worked]

7. INDIRECT OBJECTS
• C. An indirect object is a noun, pronoun, or
word group that sometimes appears in
sentences containing direct objects.
• An indirect object tells to whom/to what or for
whom/for what the verb is done.
– You can think of an indirect object as being the
thing/person who receives the direct object.

8. INDIRECT OBJECTS
• There is good news: Sentences with
indirect objects follow the same pattern:
subject, main verb, indirect object, direct
object.
– The waiter gave her the bill.
– Pam left the waiter a tip.
– Did she tip him five dollars or ten dollars?
– Either way, she gave him a generous amount.

9. INDIRECT OBJECTS
• Just like direct objects, indirect objects
cannot appear in prepositional phrases.
– The captain gave the crew orders. [crew is the
indirect object]
– The captain gave orders to the crew. [no indirect
object, because to the crew is a prepositional
phrase]
– Mom made us lasagna. [us is the indirect object]
– Mom made lasagna for us. [no indirect object—for
is the beginning of a prepositional phrase]

10. Okay, so…
• If direct objects and
indirect objects can’t
follow linking verbs,
what can?
• Subject compliments!
• D. A subject
compliment is a word
or word group in the
predicate that
identifies or describes
the subject.

11. SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS
• E. A predicate nominative is a word or word
group that is in the predicate and that
identifies the subject.
• Predicate nominatives complete linking
verbs (remember, direct objects couldn’t).
– A dictionary is a valuable tool. [tool is a predicate
nominative that identifies the subject, dictionary.]
– The winner of the race was she. [she is a
predicate nominative identifying the subject,
winner.]

12. • The second subject complement:
• F. A predicate adjective is an adjective that
is in the predicate and that describes the
subject.
• A predicate adjective is connected to the
subject by a linking verb.
– Cold milk tastes good on a hot day.
– The pita bread was light and delicious.
– How kind you are!
SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS

13. FIN