Complement (linguistics)
Encyclopedia
In grammar
the term complement is used with different meanings. The primary meaning is a word
, phrase
or clause
that is necessary in a sentence to complete its meaning. We find complements that function as an argument
(i.e., of equal status to subjects and objects) and complements that exist within arguments.
Both complements and modifiers add to the meaning of a sentence. However, a complement is necessary to complete a sentence; a modifier
is not. For example, "Put the bread on the table" needs "on the table" to make it complete. In most dialects of English, you cannot merely put something; you need to put it somewhere. In this context, the phrase "on the table" is a complement. By contrast, "The bread on the table is fresh." does not require "on the table" to be complete, so here, the phrase "on the table" is a modifier. A modifier, unlike a complement, is an optional element of a sentence.
. A predicate is the completer of a sentence; a predicator (verb) + complement. The term predicate complement refers to the fact that the predication depends on the attribution of a subject and its predicator (a verb, verb string, or compound verb). The predicative complement consists of few contrasting varieties:
complement tells more about the subject by means of the verb. In the examples below the sentence elements are (SUBJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENT)
Mr. Johnson is a management consultant. (a predicative nominative)
She looks ill. (a predicative adjective)
complement tells us more about the object by means of the verb. In the examples below the sentence elements are (SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + COMPLEMENT). Object complements can often be removed leaving a well-formed sentence, thus the use of the term complement is slightly illogical.
We elected him chairman. (a predicative nominal)
We painted the house red. (a predicative adjective)
An object complement can be a noun, pronoun, or adjective that follows and modifies a direct object. It can describe, clarify, re-name, or show completion of a process. It is most often used with verbs involving judgement, nomination, or creation.
My son painted his room blue. (Blue modifies the direct object room.)
The class elected the smallest boy President. (President modifies boy and shows the result of the election.)
The clown made the children very excited. (The participle excited describes children.)
It can be confused with subject complements (predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives).
The waitress seems grumpy. (Grumpy is a subject complement modifying the subject, waitress.)
I consider the waitress grumpy. (Grumpy modifies the direct object, waitress.)
s, central to the meaning of a sentence, are usually adjuncts
(i.e. they can be removed and a well-formed sentence remains). If, however, an adverbial is a necessary sentence element, then it is an adverbial complement
. Adverbial complements often occur with a form of the copula be acting as a clause's main verb. The structure of the sentence below is (SUBJECT + VERB + ADVERBIAL COMPLEMENT)
John is in the garden.
s as complements.
, which is only part of an argument
, a complement clause is itself an argument
, i.e. a subject (S/A) or an object (O/E). There are several criteria to distinguish between relative and complement clauses, for example passivization, topicalization, coordination and interrogation.
An example of a complement clause is "that she is beautiful" in the following sentence, that acting as a complementizer
:
I know that she is beautiful.
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
the term complement is used with different meanings. The primary meaning is a word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
, phrase
Phrase
In everyday speech, a phrase may refer to any group of words. In linguistics, a phrase is a group of words which form a constituent and so function as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. A phrase is lower on the grammatical hierarchy than a clause....
or clause
Clause
In grammar, a clause is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition. In some languages it may be a pair or group of words that consists of a subject and a predicate, although in other languages in certain clauses the subject may not appear explicitly as a noun phrase,...
that is necessary in a sentence to complete its meaning. We find complements that function as an argument
Verb argument
In linguistics, a verb argument is a phrase that appears in a syntactic relationship with the verb in a clause. In English, for example, the two most important arguments are the subject and the direct object....
(i.e., of equal status to subjects and objects) and complements that exist within arguments.
Both complements and modifiers add to the meaning of a sentence. However, a complement is necessary to complete a sentence; a modifier
Modifier
Modifier may refer to:* Grammatical modifier, a word that modifies the meaning of another word or limits its meaning* Dangling modifier, a word or phrase that modifies a clause in an ambiguous manner...
is not. For example, "Put the bread on the table" needs "on the table" to make it complete. In most dialects of English, you cannot merely put something; you need to put it somewhere. In this context, the phrase "on the table" is a complement. By contrast, "The bread on the table is fresh." does not require "on the table" to be complete, so here, the phrase "on the table" is a modifier. A modifier, unlike a complement, is an optional element of a sentence.
Predicative complements
In linguistics, complement refers only to the predicative complement. A predicative complement is the complement that is predicated by a predicatePredicate (grammar)
There are two competing notions of the predicate in theories of grammar. Traditional grammar tends to view a predicate as one of two main parts of a sentence, the other being the subject, which the predicate modifies. The other understanding of predicates is inspired from work in predicate calculus...
. A predicate is the completer of a sentence; a predicator (verb) + complement. The term predicate complement refers to the fact that the predication depends on the attribution of a subject and its predicator (a verb, verb string, or compound verb). The predicative complement consists of few contrasting varieties:
- Object complement (common complement)
- Predicative nominal (noun,nominal,pronominal; common in SUB or OBJ complement)
- Predicative adjective (or adjectival, common in subject complement)
- Predicative adverb (or adverbial, common in intransitive predication)
- Predicative adjunct (optional complement)....
Subject complements
A subjectSubject (grammar)
The subject is one of the two main constituents of a clause, according to a tradition that can be tracked back to Aristotle and that is associated with phrase structure grammars; the other constituent is the predicate. According to another tradition, i.e...
complement tells more about the subject by means of the verb. In the examples below the sentence elements are (SUBJECT + VERB + COMPLEMENT)
Mr. Johnson is a management consultant. (a predicative nominative)
She looks ill. (a predicative adjective)
Objective predicative complements
An objectObject (grammar)
An object in grammar is part of a sentence, and often part of the predicate. It denotes somebody or something involved in the subject's "performance" of the verb. Basically, it is what or whom the verb is acting upon...
complement tells us more about the object by means of the verb. In the examples below the sentence elements are (SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT + COMPLEMENT). Object complements can often be removed leaving a well-formed sentence, thus the use of the term complement is slightly illogical.
We elected him chairman. (a predicative nominal)
We painted the house red. (a predicative adjective)
An object complement can be a noun, pronoun, or adjective that follows and modifies a direct object. It can describe, clarify, re-name, or show completion of a process. It is most often used with verbs involving judgement, nomination, or creation.
- Examples:
My son painted his room blue. (Blue modifies the direct object room.)
The class elected the smallest boy President. (President modifies boy and shows the result of the election.)
The clown made the children very excited. (The participle excited describes children.)
It can be confused with subject complements (predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives).
- For example:
The waitress seems grumpy. (Grumpy is a subject complement modifying the subject, waitress.)
I consider the waitress grumpy. (Grumpy modifies the direct object, waitress.)
Adverbials as complements
AdverbialAdverbial
In grammar an adverbial is a word or a group of words that modifies or tells us something about the sentence or the verb. The word adverbial is also used as an adjective, meaning 'having the same function as an adverb'...
s, central to the meaning of a sentence, are usually adjuncts
Adjunct (grammar)
In linguistics, an adjunct is an optional, or structurally dispensable, part of a sentence that, when removed, will not affect the remainder of the sentence except to discard from it some auxiliary information...
(i.e. they can be removed and a well-formed sentence remains). If, however, an adverbial is a necessary sentence element, then it is an adverbial complement
Adverbial complement
An adverbial complement is an adverbial that is obligatorily subcategorized for by a verb, such that if removed, it will yield an ungrammatical sentence:*She put the cheese back**She put the cheese...
. Adverbial complements often occur with a form of the copula be acting as a clause's main verb. The structure of the sentence below is (SUBJECT + VERB + ADVERBIAL COMPLEMENT)
John is in the garden.
Verb objects
Some grammarians refer to objectObject (grammar)
An object in grammar is part of a sentence, and often part of the predicate. It denotes somebody or something involved in the subject's "performance" of the verb. Basically, it is what or whom the verb is acting upon...
s as complements.
Complement clauses
Unlike a relative clauseRelative clause
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that modifies a noun phrase, most commonly a noun. For example, the phrase "the man who wasn't there" contains the noun man, which is modified by the relative clause who wasn't there...
, which is only part of an argument
Verb argument
In linguistics, a verb argument is a phrase that appears in a syntactic relationship with the verb in a clause. In English, for example, the two most important arguments are the subject and the direct object....
, a complement clause is itself an argument
Verb argument
In linguistics, a verb argument is a phrase that appears in a syntactic relationship with the verb in a clause. In English, for example, the two most important arguments are the subject and the direct object....
, i.e. a subject (S/A) or an object (O/E). There are several criteria to distinguish between relative and complement clauses, for example passivization, topicalization, coordination and interrogation.
An example of a complement clause is "that she is beautiful" in the following sentence, that acting as a complementizer
Complementizer
In linguistics , a complementizer is a syntactic category roughly equivalent to the term subordinating conjunction in traditional grammar. For example, the word that is generally called a complementizer in English sentences like Mary believes that it is raining...
:
I know that she is beautiful.
External links
- http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/objcompl.html
- http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/objects.htm
- http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000020.htm
- http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/grammar/cl_oc.htm