Chapter 2 | Complements | 10

CHAPTER _____________________________________________________________________

2 Complements

A Complement is a word or group of words that completes the meaning of a

verb.
There are four kinds of complements: direct object, indirect object, object
complement, and subject complement.

Direct Objects
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A Direct Object is nouns, pronouns, or words acting as nouns receive the direct
action of a TRANSITIVE VERB. And it is usually answered the question what
or whom? Only transitive verbs have direct objects.
Carlos served dinner.
[Carlos served what?]
Marie admires him deeply.
[Marie admires whom?]
Carlos served a Mexican dinner and a fabulous dessert.
[Carlos served what?]

A direct object never follows by a linking verb because a linking verb does not
express the action.
Julia Morgan was an architect.
(The word was does not express action; therefore, architect is not a direct
object.)

PRACTICE 1 Identifying Direct Objects

U.S. Cowboys
1. U.S. cowboys copied the style of Mexican cowboys.
2. Historians see the Mexican vaqueros as the first real cowboys.
3. At all times of the year, the vaquero wore a floppy sombrero.
4. This large hat kept snow, rain, or sun off his face.
5. The U.S. cowboy modeled his own hat on the Mexican sombrero.
6. During branding season the vaqueros roped cows with a sturdy riata.
7. Cowboys in the United States lassoed cows with a lariat.
8. Mexican cowboys protected their shins and thighs with leather chaparejos.
9. In similar fashion, U.S. cowboys put leather chaps over their pants.
10. Cowboys also roam the grassy plains, or pampas, of Argentina and Uruguay.
11. These plains provide excellent food for cattle or sheep.
12. These plains provide excellent food for cattle or sheep.
13. These plains provide excellent food for cattle or sheep.
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14. These plains provide excellent food for cattle or sheep.

15. The cowboys, or gauchos, of these areas share many qualities with U.S.
cowboys.
16. For example, gauchos wear hats and chaps for protection against the
elements.
17. Cowboys in any country do the same sort of jobs.
18. Cowboys from North and South America would probably tell very similar
tales.

Indirect Objects
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An Indirect Object is complements that answer the question for what? to what?
for whom? or to whom? after an action verb. In most cases, the indirect object
will always come between the verb and the direct object.
Tyrone served his sisters dinner.
[Tyrone served dinner to whom?]
Greta saved him a seat
[Greta saved a seat for whom?]
Kim saved Rosa and José seats.
[Kim saved seats for whom?]
The children gave the worthy charity all their savings.
[The children gave all their savings to what?]
Marsha gave the game her best effort.
[Marsha gave her best effort for what?]

PRACTICE 2 Identifying Indirect Objects

For each sentence, write the direct object, and list any indirect object(s). (Not all
sentences have an indirect object.) Labels the objects DO for Direct Object and
IO for Indirect object.
Careers in Sports
1. _______Professional sports offer many careers.
2. _______Television or radio sportscasters broadcast sports events.
3. _______A good sports announcer gives fans play-by-play descriptions of the
game.
4. _______The announcer tells them anecdotes.
5. _______Newspapers writers and photographers also cover athletic
competitions.
6. _______Newspapers give their readers sports coverage.
7. _______Teaching may give a person satisfaction.
8. _______Managers, coaches, and trainers all bring teams success.
9. _______Sports also give referees, umpires, and doctors jobs.
10. Athletic events even give hot-dog and peanut vendors work.
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11. _______Some boys and girls contemplate sports careers at a very young age.
12. _______They give famous basketball stars attention.
13. _______They show their coaches their dedication to their sports.
14. _______They tell their friends endless stories about their skill on the court or
field.
15. _______Unfortunately, few young athletes will achieve success as
professionals.

PRACTICE 3 Using Indirect Object

Using the nouns or pronouns in parentheses, rewrite each sentence so that it
contains an indirect object. (Remember to place the indirect object between the
verb and the direct object.)
1. Ralph saved a ticket. (Pamela)
2. Dr. Prankas offered his professional opinion. (Michelle)
3. Chris made his special meatless chili. (Kevin)
4. The stand-up comedian promised an encore. (his fans)

Subject Complements
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A Subject Complement follows a subject and a linking verb and identifies or

describes the subject.

There are two kinds of subject complements: predicate nominatives and

predicate adjectives.

Predicate A Predicate Nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb to

Nominatives refer back to the subject to identify it further.
Sopranos are singers.
Many current opera stars are Italians or Spaniards.
Clearly the star of the opera was she.

Predicate Nominatives are usually found in sentences that contain forms of the
linking verb “be”. A few other linking verbs (for example, become and remain)
can be followed by a predicate nominative.
Julia became both a musician and an actress.
That experience remains a cherished memory for me.

PRACTICE 4 Identify Predicate Nominatives

On your paper, write the predicate nominatives that appear in the following
sentences. (Not all sentences contain predicate nominatives.)
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Dwight D. Eisenhower
1. Dwight Eisenhower was one of seven sons.
2. Eisenhower was a student at West Point.
3. He graduated from the academy with the class of 1915.
4. During World War II, he rose to the rank of supreme Allied Commander in
Europe.
5. After that, Eisenhower’s name became a household word.
6. He was the Republican presidential candidate in 1952.
7. His election was the first presidential candidate in 1952.
8. Eisenhower was a proponent of “Modern Republicanism.”
9. He remained an advocate of reducing the federal government’s power.
10. He also was a supporter of higher minimum wages.

Predicate A Predicate Adjective is another kind of subject complement, and it follows

Adjectives the linking verb and points back to describe subject.
Ballerinas are graceful.
She looks beautiful.
I felt very carefree.
The food tastes delicious.
This flower smells bad.
The story sounds scared.

The most common linking verbs

look remain seem become sound feel be
appear smell taste stay grow turn get

PRACTICE 5 Identifying Predicate Adjectives

Write each simple subject and each predicate adjective. Underline the predicate
adjectives.
Dinner Is Served
1. The gym was ready for the class banquet.
2. The tables looked beautiful in the soft candlelight.
3. On the walls, portraits of the class members appeared almost alive.
4. Their unwavering gazes seemed lifelike.
5. The music the combo sounded romantic.
6. All 0f the students felt ravenous.
7. The onion soup smelled especially good.
8. The food tasted excellent to all of the elegantly dressed diners.
9. The students remained unusually talkative throughout the meal.
10. The chaperones, however, grew sleepy early.

PRACTICE 6 Identifying Subject complements

On your paper, write all the subject complements that appear in the following
sentences. Write predicate nominative or predicate adjective to identify each.
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Japanese Flower Arrangements

(1)
Flower arrangement is an ancient Japanese art. (2) This tradition grew popular in
the sixth century. (3) Early flower arrangements were decorations for Buddhist
temple altars. (4) Over the centuries the art of flower arrangement become
increasingly specific. (5) Important materials in Japanese floral arrangement are
leaves, stems, and branches. (6) The lines of the branches should be graceful and
sleek. (7) In Western countries blossoms are generally the only important features.
(8)
The Japanese floral arrangements look natural and colorful. (9) A Japanese
florist must be a designer and an artist. (10) The art of Japanese flower
arrangement is both simple and complex.

Object Complements
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Object An Object Complement is a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective which follows a

Complements direct object to complete the meaning of direct objects by identifying or
describing it.

Object complement occurs only in sentences with direct objects and only in
those sentences with action verbs that have the general meaning of “make or
consider”, such as the following:
appoint elect render consider name
choose paint declare make call
find think keep sweep cause
Residents find the park peaceful. [adjective]
She made me sad. [adjective]
I named my daughter Lysiefin. [noun]
My boss appointed me sale manager. [noun]
We wanted Jasmine as our representative, but they elected her theirs.
[pronoun]

PRACTICE 7 Identifying Object Complements

Write the object complement(s) that appear in the following sentences. (Not
every sentence has an object complement.)
Musical Tastes
1. The Music Club has appointed Felipe president.
2. He finds that honor extraordinary.
3. One member, Maya, thinks Mozard the best composer.
4. Another member, Diane, considers Bach stupendous.
5. Felipe, Maya, and Diane make music a priority.
6. Diane calls Verdi a great composer and a musical genius.
7. Felipe likes chamber music better than opera.
8. Maya thinks opera sublime.
9. Diane names the basso singer Justino Diaz.
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PRACTICE 8 Identifying Object Complements.

Underline the object complements in the following sentences and indicate
whether each is an adjective (ADJ), a noun (N), or a pronoun (PRO).
1. Most gardeners consider dandelions ugly and offensive.
2. In a moment of madness, he declared his dead father king.
3. Bonnie thought the mistake hers, but it wasn’t.
4. Do you consider Ohio the Midwest or the East?
5. He called the project foolish and slammed the receiver down.

PRACTICE 9 Identifying the complements

On your paper, write the complements that appear in the following sentences.
Next to each complement, write the kind of complement it is: direct object,
indirect object, object complement, predicate nominative, or predicate adjective.
A Jazz Musician
1. Davenport, Iowa, was the hometown of Leon Bix Beiderbecke.
2. Mississippi riverboats passing by Davenport gave Bix Beiderbecke a taste for
jazz.
3. Bix Beiderbecke played the cornet and the piano.
4. The cornet’s sound is mellow and rich.
5. Bix Beiderbecke carried his cornet with him.
6. Beiderbecke’s music attracted attention and praise.
7. Louis Armstrong called Beiderbecke’s “In a Mist” immortal.
8. No one gave Bix any financial assistance for his musical career.
9. Beiderbecke’s reputation is still great in music circles today.
10. In fact, many musicians consider him a true classic of American jazz.

PRACTICE 10 Underline the subject complements in the following conversation and indicate
whether each is a predicate nominative (PN) or a predicate adjective (PA).
1. Cynthia: Paree, you’re Chinese, aren’t you?
2. Paree: No, I’m Cambodian.
I do look Chinese though because my grandfather was from
Shanghai. He was an acupuncturist.
3. Cynthia: Really? That’s interesting, but to tell you the truth, acupuncture
scares me.
4. Paree: That’s because you are an American. For many Asians,
acupuncture is a respected medical art. It isn’t frightening at all.
5. Cynthia: It still seems scary to me, but maybe I’m wrong.

PRACTICE 11 Identifying Direct Objects

On your paper, underline the action verb that appears in each of the following
sentences. Then list any direct objects.
Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish Conqueror
1. Francisco Pizarro, a sixteenth-century Spanish explorer, won much fame and
fortune for his country.
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2. Around 1520 Pizarro heard rumors of a vast and rich empire in the central
highlands of South America.
3. In 1524 Pizarro began an expedition to the west coast of South America.
4. Bad weather hindered him in his first visit to the region.
5. In 1528, however, Pizarro located the Inca and their extensive empire.
6. Signs of gold and other riches in the Inca capital of Cuzco pleased the
explorer greatly.
7. In 1532 Pizarro captured Atahualpa, a great Inca ruler, in the town of
Cajamarca.
8. The Incas gave a vast quantity of gold and silver objects to Pizarro in order
to save Atahualpa.
9. In the end Pizarro heartlessly killed the Inca ruler.
10. After the death of Atahualpa, Pizarro conquered the Inca and their capital
city.

PRACTICE 12 Identifying Direct and Indirect Objects

On your paper, write the direct object in each of the following sentences. Then
write and underline any indirect objects. (There may be more than one indirect
object in a sentence, or there may be none at all.)
Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Champion
1. Kristi Yamaguchi, a fourth-generation Japanese American, showed many
female athletes and Asian Americans the rewards of dedication.
2. At age four, Yamaguchi started ballet study and ice-skating lessons.
3. She entered her first ice-skating competition at age eight.
4. As a young skater, Yamaguchi won many titles and medals.
5. She gave the audience and judges the best free-skate performance of her
career.
6. Yamaguchi completed six triple jumps in this program.
7. At the 1992 Winter Olympics, Yamaguchi brought the United States a gold
medal in figure skating.
8. Having won her Olympic gold medal just a month earlier, Yamaguchi
provided her hometown a thrill by winning a second consecutive world
championship.
9. She joined a professional tour in 1993.
10. Yamaguchi’s artistry and athleticism have given her family, her country, and
many audiences great pride and much pleasure.

PRACTICE 13 Identifying Object Complements

On your paper, underline the object complements that appear in the following
sentences. (Two sentences have two object complements, and one sentence has
none.)
Japanese Prints
1. Art historians and critics consider many Japanese prints masterpieces.
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2. A museum curator calls seventeenth-century Japanese prints irreplaceable

and priceless.
3. Some scholars think the early black-and-white prints particularly delicate and
expressive.
4. Harunobu, a master of the print, found children a worthy subject.
5. Somehow he rendered the children interesting.
6. An eighteenth-century printmaker, Harunobu, made color prints popular.
7. Some collectors prefer Utamaro’s color prints.
8. Many in the art world have named Utamaro a master.
9. Quite often Utamaro made women his subjects.
10. Some artists consider the art of printmaking fascinating.

PRACTICE 14 Identifying Predicate Nominatives

On your paper, write the predicate nominatives that appear in the following
sentences. (If a sentence has no predicate nominative, write none.)
George Mason
1. ______________George Mason was a statesman during the Revolutionary
War era.
2. ______________Born in Virginia, Mason became a brilliant student of law.
3. ______________Mason was not a supporter of slavery.
4. ______________Public officials appreciated Mason’s legal genius.
5. ______________Mason’s work became the basis for Thomas Jefferson’s Bill
of Rights.

PRACTICE 15 Identifying Predicate Adjectives

On your paper, write the simple subject and predicate adjective in each of the
following sentences. If a sentence has no predicate adjective, write none.
Rabies
1. ______________The behavior of an animal with rabies seems strange.
2. ______________A rabid animal grows irritable.
3. ______________It ventures fearlessly into contact with people.
4. ______________The sick animal looks normal.
5. ______________Its appearance often does not change.
6. ______________The animal’s strange actions, not its appearance, should be
watched often.
7. ______________Do not go near a strange-acting animal.
8. ______________An animal with rabies feels unusually restless.
9. ______________A normally friendly animal may become unfriendly.
10. ______________Call an authority about a possibly rabid animal.
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PRACTICE 16 Identifying Subject Complements

On your paper, write all the subject complements that appear in the following
sentences. Identify each as a predicate nominative or a predicate adjective. (One
sentence has more than one subject complement; other sentences have none.)
The Farmer’s Market
1. _______________A farmer’s market is a place for the sale of the produce of
local farmers.
2. _______________In many communities, these markets have become quite
popular.
3. _______________With the eager crowds, colorful stands, and shouting
vendors, a farmer’s market seems festive.
4. _______________Locally grown fruits and vegetables, arranged on open
stands, look crisp and fresh.
5. _______________Breads and rolls, often still warm from the oven, smell
delicious.
6. _______________The farmers must be early risers.
7. _______________Many of them sell preserves or handicrafts as well as
fruits and vegetables.
8. _______________Their loud sales pitches always sound persuasive.
9. _______________Spend a morning at a farmer’s market.
10. _______________Soon you will be a regular customer.

PRACTICE 17 Identifying Complements

On your paper, underline the complements that appear in the following
sentences. Then write the kind of complement it is: direct object, indirect object,
object complement, predicate nominative, or predicate adjective.
Batik and Tie-dyeing
1. _______________Batik is a method of fabric decoration.
2. _______________The batik artist applies wax to parts of the cloth.
3. _______________The artist then gives the cloth a dye bath.
4. _______________The bath dyes the unwaxed part a vivid color.
5. _______________The part of the cloth with wax resists the dye.
6. _______________This method gives the cloth intricate designs.
7. _______________The colors of batik appear rich and often subtle.
8. _______________The process of tie-dyeing is similar but easier.
9. _______________Common to both of these crafts is the resist-dyeing
technique.
10. _______________The tie-dye artist ties string around the cloth in different
places.
11. _______________The artist then dyes the fabric a color.
12. _______________The tied areas give the cloth its design.
13. _______________This design often appears random.
14. _______________Usually, the fabric does not resist the dye uniformly
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PRACTICE 18 Identifying Complements

On your paper, underline the complements that appear in the following
paragraph. Next to each complement, write the kind of complement it is: direct
object, indirect object, object complement, predicate nominative, or predicate
adjective.
The Mystery of Lightning
1
Lightning was mysterious to the ancient Greeks. 2In fact, for them lightning was
a weapon used by their chief god, Zeus. 3According to mythology, the Greeks
gave Zeus the thunderbolt. 4Many persons today still consider lightning scary.
5
Of course, the reasons for this fear seem sound. 6During a storm, lightning
strikes the earth about one hundred times a second. 7Sometimes lightning strikes
the tallest tree in a field. 8Lightning may cause fire. 9In addition, in the United
States alone, lightning kills approximately one hundred people every year.
10
Lightning can be both mysterious and dangerous.