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LectureNotes

Module1,Lesson4:ObjectsandComplements

Grammarisaboutrelativelysimpleunitsorganizedininfinitelycomplexways.Aclauseisoneofthoserelativelysimpleunits.(Iamspeakinghereofthemainlineofaclause,notitsmodifiers.)Aclausetellswhodidwhat.Ithasasubjectandaverb.AnditmayhaveTWO(andonlytwo)otherthings:OBJECTSandCOMPLEMENTS.AnOBJECTisaNOUN—aperson,placeorthingthatRECEIVEStheactionofaverb.ThesubjectPERFORMStheaction,theobjectRECEIVEStheaction(atleastinanactiveconstruction;passiveconstructions,aswewillsee,areadifferentmatter).

Lindakickedtheball.

Lindaisthesubject—shedidthekicking.Theballistheobject.Itgotkicked.ItRECEIVEDthekick.FindingDirectObjects

JustaswehadaVerbFinderandaSubjectFinder,thereisalsoaDirectObjectFinder.Onceyouhavefoundyourverbandyoursubject,youplugthemintothisquestion:

SUBJECTVERBwhoorwhat?

Ifthatquestionhasananswer,theanswerisyourdirectobject.InthecaseofLINDAKICKEDTHEBALL,theDirectObjectFinderisthequestion,

Lindakickedwhat?Theball.Ballisthedirectobject.

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InthecaseofAgoatatemycellphone,theDirectObjectFinderisthequestion,Goatatewhat?Mycellphone.

Cellphoneisthedirectobject.FindingIndirectObjects

IFyouhaveadirectobject,youmayALSOhaveanindirectobject—anothernounthatdoesn’tdirectlyreceivetheaction,butFORWHOMorTOWHOMtheactionisperformed.Thisindirectobjectalwaysappearsimmediatelybeforethedirectobject.Solet’slookatthissentence:Iwillpouryouaglassofwater.First,usetheDirectObjectFinder:Iwillpourwhat?Becarefulhere:don’tsayYOU.I’mnotpouringYOU.Iwillpouraglassofwater.Nowthatwe’vefoundtheDirectObject,wecanapplytheIndirectObjectFinder.TheIndirectObjectFinder,liketheSubjectFinderandtheDirectObjectFinder,isafill-in-the-blankquestion:

SUBJECTVERBDIRECTOBJECTtoorforwhom?Iwillpouraglassofwatertoorforwhom?You.

Youistheindirectobject.

GrandpareadCindyabook.

Grandpareadabooktoorforwhom?Cindy.

Cindyistheindirectobject.DirectandIndirectObjectReview

• Anobjectisalwaysanounoranounequivalent.• Youcan’thaveanindirectobjectwithoutadirectobject.• Theindirectobject,ifyouhaveone,alwayscomesimmediatelybeforethedirect

object.• Anindirectcanalwaysberephrasedasaprepositionalphrasebeginningwithtoor

for.KengaveBarbieflowers=KengaveflowerstoBarbie.GrandpareadCindyabook=GrandpareadabooktoCindy.

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PredicateComplements

Acomplementeitherrenamesthesubject,ordescribesthesubject.Thefollowingsentencescontainpredicatecomplements:

• Myheroeshavealwaysbeencowboys.(Heroesrenamescowboys.)• Youareasweetheart.(Sweetheartrenamesyou.)• Mydogislazy.(Lazydescribesmydog.)• Mydogsmellsfunny.(Funnydescribesmydog.)

Apredicatenominativeisanounthatrenamesthesubject.Apredicateadjectiveisanadjectivethatdescribesthesubject.Theverbthatconnectsorlinksthesubjectandthecomplementiscalledalinkingverb.Thinkofalinkingverbasan‘equalsign’:

• Myheroes=cowboys• You=sweetheart• Mydog=lazy• Mydog=funny(asregardsherodor)

Themostcommonlinkingverb(byfar)istobe:AM,IS,ARE,WAS,WERE,BE,BEING,BEENThereareotherlinkingverbs:

• YouLOOKlovely.• LutherSMELLSstrange.• ThattestPROVEDdifficult.

Thereisnoreasontotrytomemorizeallthelinkingverbs.Ifthenounafteraverbrenamesthesubject,orifanadjectiveafteraverbdescribesthesubject,thatverbisservingasalinkingverb.DistinguishingObjectsfromComplements

What’sthedifferencebetweenanOBJECTandaCOMPLEMENT?Anobjectisanounthatisseparatefromthesubject.Thesubjectdoessomethingtoorfortheobject.AcomplementISthesubject(or,rather,itISthesubjectifit’sanoun,itDESCRIBESthesubjectifit’sanadjective).

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Considerthesetwosentences:

• Mydogsmellsfunny.• Mydogsmellsahamburger.

Thesesentenceslookalotalike,butoneofthemhasadirectobject,andoneofthemhasacomplement.Toputitanotherway,inoneofthesesentences,SMELLSisanactionverb,andinoneofthesesentences,smellsisalinkingverb.Inthefirstsentence,funnyisacomplement.Itdescribesthedog.Sosmellsisoperatingasalinkingverb.Inthesecondsentence,hamburgerisaDIRECTOBJECT.Thedogisnotahamburger.Inthiscase,smellsisanactionverb;ittellssomethingthatthedogisdoingTOthehamburger.Toreview:

• Onthemainlineofaclause,youMUSThaveasubjectandaverb,andyouMAYhaveanobject(possiblytwo—directandindirect)oracomplement.

• Therearetwokindsofobjects.Thedirectobjectreceivestheaction.Theindirectobjectistheentitytowhomorforwhomtheactionisperformed.

• Therearetwotypesofcomplements:predicatenominatives(nounsthatrenameasubject)andpredicateadjectives(adjectivesthatdescribeasubject).

• Acomplementrenamesordescribesthesubject,butanobjectisanounthatisseparatefromthesubject.

• Alesscommontypeofcomplement,theobjectivecomplement,renamesordescribesadirectobject,justasapredicatecomplementrenamesordescribesthesubject.Wewillseeexamplesofobjectivecomplementsinthenextlesson.

Incredibly,wehavenowlookedateverythingthatcanhappenonthemainlineofaclause:subjects,verbs,objects,complements.Theseelementscanonlyoccurincertaincombinationsandincertainorders.Thereareonlyfivesuchcombinations—thefiveclausepatternsofthenextlesson.