COMPLEMENTS

1
COMPLEMENTS
2
Complements

• A complement is a word or group of words that
  completes the meaning begun by the subject and
  verb

3
Complements

• Example
• Snow blanketed the sidewalk.
• Snow (subject)
• Blanketed (verb)
• Sidewalk (complement)
• If we just had the subject and the verb (snow
  blanketed), the sentence would be incomplete.
• The complement tells us what was blanketed by the
  snow.

4
Complements

• Like the subject of a sentence, a complement is
  never part of a prepositional phrase.

5
Complements

• Example
• He ate one of the sandwiches.
• The complement is one, not sandwiches sandwiches
  is part of the prepositional phrase

6
Complements

• An adverb modifying a verb is not a complement.
• Complements may be nouns, pronouns, or adjectives.

7
Complements

• Example
• She plays hard.
• Hard is an adverb, modifying how she plays and is
  therefore not a complement.
• The baseball is hard.
• Hard, here an adjective, is a complement.

8
The Subject Complement

• A subject complement is a noun, pronoun, or
  adjective that follows a linking verb. It
  identifies, describes, or explains the subject.

9
The Subject Complement

• Examples
• Jim is a good student.
• Student identifies the subject, Jim.
• Lisa is humble.
• Humble identifies the subject, Lisa

10
Types of Subject Complements

• Predicate Nominative
• If the subject complement is a noun or pronoun,
  it is a predicate nominative
• Predicate Adjective
• If the subject complement is an adjective, it is
  called a predicate adjective

11
Types of Subject Complements

• Examples
• Jim is a good student.
• student is a noun and therefore a predicate
  nominative
• Lisa is humble.
• humble is an adjective and therefore a predicate
  adjective

12
Distinguishing BetweenSubject and Complement

• When the sentence is not composed in the
  traditional order (Subject Verb Complement),
  it may be difficult to tell the subject from the
  complement

13
Distinguishing BetweenSubject and Complement

• Verb Subject Complement
• Was he the donor of the organs?
• WasVerb
• HeSubject
• DonorComplement
• Usually, the subject comes before the complement.

14
Distinguishing BetweenSubject and Complement

• Complement Coming First
• How strange is life!
• StrangeComplement
• IsVerb
• LifeSubject

15
Distinguishing BetweenSubject and Complement

• Helpful Hint
• Consider which word is more likely to be the
  subject of the sentence
• Use common sense!

16
Assignment

• Please rewrite the following sentences. For each
  sentence, underline the simple subject one time
  underline the simple predicate two times and
  circle the subject complement. Finally, identify
  the subject complement as predicate nominate (PN)
  or predicate adjective (PA).

17
Assignment

• Are those girls your cousins?
• How friendly everyone seems!
• Ginger is a superb athlete.
• The Canterbury Tales is a great poem.
• How bright the stars seem tonight.

18
Assignment

• 6. What a fine cook your mother is!
• 7. When does a house become a home?
• 8. Our dog is usually friendly.
• 9. Mr. Thomas was a teacher of extraordinary
  dedication.
• 10. Borat is a great movie.