CHAPTER IV

COMPLEMENTS

+482.+ 1. Some verbs have a meaning that is +complete in itself+. Such a verb needs only a subject. When this has been supplied, we have a sentence, for the mere verb, without any additional word or words, is capable of being a predicate.

Birds _fly_.

Fishes _swim_.

The sun _shines_.

The moon _rose_.

The man _scowled_.

The girl _laughed_.

The owls _hooted_.

The clock _ticked_.

Verbs of this kind are sometimes called +complete verbs+, or +verbs of complete predication+.

2. Other verbs are not, by themselves, capable of serving as predicates. Thus,--

The Indians killed ----.

Mr. Harris makes ----.

Tom is ----.

The man seemed ----.

These are not sentences, for the predicate of each is unfinished. The verb requires the addition of a substantive or an adjective to complete its sense.

The Indians killed _deer_.

Mr. Harris makes _shoes_.

Tom is _captain_.

The man seemed _sorry_.

Verbs of this kind are often called +incomplete verbs+, or +verbs of incomplete predication+.

NOTE. The meaning of the verb determines to which of these classes it belongs. Accordingly, the same verb may belong to the first class in some of its senses and to the second in others (§§ 212–215).

+483.+ +A substantive or adjective added to the predicate verb to complete its meaning is called a complement.+

+Complements are of four kinds,--the direct object, the predicate objective, the predicate nominative, and the predicate adjective.+

In the examples in § 482, _deer_ and _shoes_ are +direct objects+,--the former denoting the +receiver+ of the action, the latter denoting the +product+; _captain_ is a +predicate nominative+, denoting the same person as the subject _Tom_ (§ 88, 2); _sorry_ is a predicate adjective describing the subject _man_.

Complements may, of course, be modified. If they are substantives, they may take adjective modifiers; if adjectives, they may take adverbial modifiers (§§ 464, 494).

+484.+ For convenience, the definitions of the four kinds of complements are here repeated, with examples.

1. THE DIRECT OBJECT

+485.+ +Some verbs may be followed by a substantive denoting that which receives the action or is produced by it. These are called transitive verbs. All other verbs are called intransitive.+

+A substantive that completes the meaning of a transitive verb is called its direct object+ (§ 100).

The direct object is often called the +object complement+, or merely the +object of the verb+.

Alfred has broken his _arm_.

Morse invented the electric _telegraph_.

Black foxes command a high _price_.

You have accomplished a _task_ of great difficulty.

Have you lost the _dog_ which your uncle gave you?

He asked _me_ the _news_. [Two direct objects (§ 103).]

Most of these objects are modified,--_arm_ by the possessive _his_; _telegraph_ by _the_ and _electric_; _price_ by _a_ and _high_; _task_ by the adjective phrase _of great difficulty_; _dog_ by _the_ and by the adjective clause _which your uncle gave you_.

+486.+ A noun clause may be used as the direct object of a verb (§ 386).

You promised _that my coat should be ready to-day_.

The mayor ordered _that the street should be closed for three hours_.

I begged _that my passport might be returned to me_.

For further examples, see §§ 407, 432, 439, 441.

2. THE PREDICATE OBJECTIVE

+487.+ +Verbs of _choosing_, _calling_, _naming_, _making_, and _thinking_ may take two objects referring to the same person or thing.+

+The first of these is the direct object, and the second, which completes the sense of the predicate, is called a predicate objective+ (§ 104).

The +predicate objective+ is often called the +complementary object+ or the +objective attribute+.

The people have elected Chamberlain _governor_.

Peter calls Richard my _shadow_.

The court has appointed you the child’s _guardian_.

John thinks himself a _hero_.

+488.+ An +adjective+ may serve as a +predicate objective+. Thus,--

I thought your decision _hasty_.

I call that answer _impertinent_.

The jury found the prisoner _guilty_.

Your letter made him _joyful_.

Care should be taken not to confuse adverbs with adjectives in _-ly_ serving as predicate objectives.

You called him _sickly_. [Adjective.]

You called him _early_. [Adverb.]

After the passive, a predicate objective becomes a +predicate nominative+ (§ 489).

3. THE PREDICATE NOMINATIVE

+489.+ +A substantive standing in the predicate, but describing or defining the subject, agrees with the subject in case and is called a predicate nominative+ (§ 88, 2).

A predicate nominative is often called a +subject complement+ or an +attribute+.

The predicate nominative is common after _is_ and other copulative verbs, and after certain transitive verbs in the passive voice.

Chemistry is a useful _science_.

Boston is the _capital_ of Massachusetts.

Jefferson became _President_.

This bird is called a _flamingo_.

Mr. Hale was appointed _secretary_.

Albert has been chosen _captain_ of the crew.

You are a _friend_ upon whom I can rely.

In most of the examples, the predicate nominative has one or more modifiers. In the first sentence, _science_ is modified by the two adjectives _a_ and _useful_; in the second, _capital_ is modified by the adjective phrase _of Massachusetts_; in the last, _friend_ is modified by the adjective clause _upon whom I can rely_.

For the distinction between the +predicate nominative+ and the +direct object+, see § 102.

+490.+ A +noun clause+ may be used as a predicate nominative (§ 386).

My plan is _that the well should be dug to-morrow_.

His intention was _that you should remain here_.

The result is _that he is bankrupt_.

Ruth’s fear was _that the door might be locked_.

+491.+ An +infinitive+ may be used as a predicate nominative.

To hear is _to obey_.

My hope was _to reach_ the summit before dark.

Their plan was _to undermine_ the tower.

My habit is _to rise_ early.

The infinitive may have a complement or modifiers. In the second and third examples, it takes an object; in the fourth it is modified by an adverb.

4. THE PREDICATE ADJECTIVE

+492.+ +An adjective in the predicate belonging to a noun or pronoun in the subject is called a predicate adjective.+

+A predicate adjective completes the meaning of the predicate verb and is therefore a complement+ (§ 172, 3.)

Like the predicate nominative, the predicate adjective is common after copulative verbs and after certain transitive verbs in the passive voice (§§ 172, 3; 252).

John was _angry_.

My knife is growing _dull_.

The task seemed very _easy_.

The report proved _false_ in every particular.

The boat was thought _unsafe_.

The cover was made perfectly _tight_.

In some of these examples, the predicate adjective has a modifier. In the third, _easy_ is modified by the adverb _very_; in the fourth, _false_ is modified by the adverbial phrase _in every particular_; in the last, _tight_ is modified by _perfectly_.

+493.+ An +adjective phrase+ may be used as a predicate adjective. Thus,--

Richard was _out of health_. [Compare: Richard was _ill_.]

Rachel seemed _in a passion_. [Compare: seemed _angry_.]

This act is _against my interests_. [Compare: is _harmful_ to me.]

The adjective phrase may consist of an infinitive with or without the preposition _about_ (§ 319).

I was _about to speak_.

This house is _to let_.

I am _to sail_ to-morrow.