Complements are crucial for adding depth to sentences. They come in two main types: subject complements, which describe the subject after a linking verb, and object complements, which modify the direct object after certain verbs.

Understanding these complements helps you craft more precise and varied sentences. By mastering their use, you can enhance your descriptive writing, improve sentence structure, and avoid common grammatical errors in your work.

Understanding Complements in Sentences

Definition of subject complements

• Subject complement follows linking verb describes subject (predicate nominative or adjective)
• Types include predicate nominatives (nouns/pronouns) and predicate adjectives
• Linking verbs preceding: forms of "to be" (is, am, are), sensory verbs (look, smell, taste), state of being verbs (appear, seem, become)
• Examples: "She is a doctor" (predicate nominative), "The flowers smell sweet" (predicate adjective)

Function of object complements

• Object complement modifies or describes direct object completes sentence meaning
• Types: nouns and adjectives
• Verbs preceding: causative (make, name, elect) and perception (consider, find, think)
• Examples: "The committee elected her chairperson" (noun), "The chef made the sauce spicy" (adjective)

Comparing and Applying Complements

Subject vs object complements

• Key differences: subject complements follow linking verbs describe subject; object complements follow transitive verbs describe direct object
• Sentence structures: Subject + linking verb + subject complement; Subject + transitive verb + direct object + object complement
• Complex sentences: analyze compound sentences with multiple clauses and sentences with dependent clauses

Effective use of complements

• Enhance descriptive writing: use precise adjectives as subject complements vivid nouns as object complements
• Improve sentence variety: alternate between subject and object complements vary complement types
• Avoid errors: proper placement of complements distinguish from other sentence elements
• Proofread: identify linking and transitive verbs check complement placement