Questions tagged [complements]
For questions about the use of, or meaning of, complements.
120
questions
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Grammar of sentence “He helps people find happiness”? Object Complement or Indirect object?
He helps people find happiness.
Is this an example of an Indirect Object (People) or an Object Complement (find happiness)?
0
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1answer
47 views
Temporal Participial Phrases
He lay staring into the sky.
He came running towards me.
He arrived finding nobody there.
I have read this by John Lawler but am struggling to put these into one of the five categories he mentioned.
...
3
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2answers
66 views
Omitting “by” preposition and the resulted phrase
Consider the following examples:
I paid for it by using my credit card.
I was in contact with my friends by sending letters.
I learned how to dance by watching online videos
if I remove the ...
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2answers
36 views
Grammar analysis: why is “Fufu” in the following sentence object complement rather than direct object
I called my pug Fufu: subject...object...object complement(Introducing English Grammar, p.93)
Yet if I say:
I give my pug some water.
then pug would be indirect object and some water would be ...
0
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1answer
39 views
What kind of complementation for “be regarded”?
I'm trying to find where the passive form "be regarded" belongs in terms of transitivity.
In the sentence:
Only a minority of countries would be regarded as part of the third world.
Is the verb would ...
2
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1answer
160 views
Is an object of a verb a complement of a verb or of a verb phrase (a predicate)?
a. I love you.
Here, you is the object of the verb love. It's also a complement, because it completes the meaning of the sentence.
Per Wikipedia, complement is defined as:
In grammar, a ...
0
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1answer
131 views
Singular or plural of 'type' [duplicate]
I have the following two sentences:
In Germany, the most common type are air-water heat pumps, followed by brine-water heat pumps.
In this thesis three type(s) of optimization approaches are ...
2
votes
2answers
80 views
Is 'the course' a complement or an adjunct in 'Stay the course'?
Stay the course is a fixed expression, but I'd like to know how to analyze the course. At first blush, it seems to be complement of the verb stay.
But then, you have a similar-looking example stay ...
2
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0answers
39 views
Is the relative clause always an adjunct/modifier of the antecedent?
The first two sentences mean the same thing, and so do the last two.
(1) She's obviously the person to finish the job.
(1') She's obviously the person who should finish the job.
(2) She was the first ...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
noun as object complement, which is in S + V + O + N
Considering noun object-complements, can we use prepositions in front of them at will? (S + V + O + Noun OC)
e.g.
He elected me president./He elected me as president
He considers them hypocrites./He ...
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0answers
12 views
S + V + O + N , noun as object complement
About S + V + O + N, the 'n' of which is used as an object complement, can we use 'prep + N' instead of 'N' at will?
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1answer
56 views
Is this sentence missing a noun?
I know in some cases a prepositional phrase can be a complement to another prepositional phrase, but this sentence just sounds like it is missing a noun.
So I made myself this little promise that I ...
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0answers
132 views
Appositive or Complement?
The way (that) he eats amuses me.
I found the way (that) leads out of here.
I love ice-cream in the same way (that) I love my mom.
1) The part of speech of the word that is conjunction in ...
0
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4answers
266 views
Is 'to resign' an object or subject complement in 'The teacher wishes to resign'?
The teacher (S) wishes (V) to resign
It is no doubt that 'to resign' is a complement of something, but is it a complement of the noun The teacher or the verb wishes?
Subject complement [analysis 1]:...
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109 views
complement vs adjunct/modifier
In the following noun phrase, is the prepositional phrase from Lloyds complement or adjunct/modifier?
even all the preposterous salary from Lloyds that Bill gets
The Cambridge Grammar of The ...
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1answer
66 views
The way which you should hold them
The Cambridge Grammar of the english Language, page 224, reads
Complements are most often NPs, and conversely NPs are usually
complements. Some NPs can occur with adjunct function, but they tend
...
0
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0answers
41 views
How to determine if a complement is a predicative complement or a locative complement?
(1) She is out and will be back in soon.
(2) She is out and will be conscious soon.
Is out a locative complement in (1) but a predicative complement in (2)?
If so, is the distinction between the two ...
0
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1answer
201 views
participles as object complements
Can participles or participial phrases serve as object complements in traditional grammar? And are direct objects viewed as a type of complement in traditional grammar?
I'd appreciate reference to ...
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1answer
38 views
Structure after All/What with predicative complement
Possibly didn’t make the subject clear enough. I don’t know if that can be changed?
To me, structures of this type should follow what you normally use after the main verb.
For instance:
All I want ...
0
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3answers
100 views
What is the grammatical topic of this shortening technique?
Extracted from English cloze test:
.....these virtual selves exist in the same online spaces that many people use every day. And this is a new and unfamiliar phenomenon that some people might ...
1
vote
1answer
104 views
Object or complement with “have”
Take the following sentence:
"He has blue eyes"
Does "blue eyes" act as an object or a complemet?
Would the answer be different in a sentence such as:
3
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1answer
77 views
Is 'to smoke' a complement or adjunct in this sentence?
I hope you are all well.
He stopped to smoke.
Is to smoke a complement of stop or is it an infinitive-of-purpose adjunct?
0
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1answer
92 views
Can 'smart home' and similar phrases be adjectives if followed by a noun, or do they become complements? [closed]
I'm having some confusion here as I've been tasked with checking that some texts fit a style guide for work, and it requires that two adjectives directly preceding a noun be hyphenated, e.g. 'well-...
2
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1answer
50 views
How to understand the “of somebody” part
It is recounted of Thomas Carlyle that when he heard of the illness of his friend, Henry Taylor, he went off immediately to visit him, carrying with him in his pocket what remained of a bottle of ...
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2answers
97 views
“They reported being told to…” Trying to explain
I have never really thought about this one before, but out of curiosity, is it grammatical to have "being" after the verb "report"? Here is an example:
"They reported being told to stay behind the ...
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0answers
50 views
Why aren't degree modifiers complements?
As far as I've been able to figure out, in the CaGEL* framework, complements are items that are licensed by some other element (generally the head), so that if an item has to be licensed, it is per ...
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0answers
54 views
Function of PPs with predicative complements
According to CaGEL* (e.g. p.636 ff), prepositions can take predicative complements, as in
[1] She worked as a waitress
[2] He passed for dead
[3] I took you for granted
[4] They left him for ...
5
votes
2answers
247 views
What is the nature of, and syntactic distinction between, modifier and complement?
I am struggling to understand the syntactic relevance of the distinction between complement and modifier in theories such as the one presented in the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views
CaGEL equivalent to obligatory adverbial?
When I learnt grammar in school, I was taught that there are optional and obligatory adverbials. Trying to understand grammar in the form presented by Huddleston and Pullum (e.g. the Cambridge Grammar ...
6
votes
2answers
523 views
How is transitivity defined in CGEL?
This question is specifically for those who are familiar with the 2002
edition of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Huddleston
and Pullum.
The book has this passage at ...
1
vote
1answer
139 views
Are these 'that'-clauses complements or adjuncts?
(1) It's a plan [that is being touted as the most modest proposal considered yet in Congress].
Here, the that-clause is a relative clause that modifies the antecedent 'plan', so I believe it's not a ...
5
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1answer
146 views
Determining licensing in CaGel by means of substitution test
I read a comment on licensing in another post, which made me revisit this concept. Unfortunately I haven't got access to CaGEL – only to its "little brother", Huddleston and Pullum's A Student's ...
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2answers
131 views
Indirect complement or postmodifier in NP
In the sentence
[1] He is the most talented artist (that) I know
what is (that) I know in terms of function – an indirect complement, licensed by most, or simply a common postmodifier? Why?
...
1
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1answer
173 views
“Far from happy” Preposition followed by an adjective?
It occurs me that in such sentences as
He is far from happy.
However, just as the critics are not of one mind in their criticism, so they are far from united on what to do.
the preposition from is ...
0
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3answers
226 views
What exactly falls under the label of “complement”?
There seems to be a lot of contradicting beliefs out there regarding complements and what they cover -- or maybe I am just confusing myself. However, I cannot seem to find an answer that I understand.
...
2
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1answer
419 views
The exit to or exit from a place?
New York Times article about restuarant employees blocking patrons from leaving the building:
One of the arresting officers, Anthony Sengco, wrote in his criminal
complaint that he observed Dr. ...
2
votes
1answer
86 views
I am confused with usage about 'the' and object complement
Is the sentence as below correct in grammar? And is it clear enough?
Please copy & paste keyword, mykeyword, into the search box of Google
Play Store app or website to locate this pure app ...
5
votes
2answers
948 views
How to tell if something is a core complement or a non-core complement?
CaGEL on page 216 cite the following:
"Kim gave the key to Pat"
An NP indirectly related to the verb through the preposition is referred as an oblique. The phrase "to Pat" is a non-core ...
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votes
1answer
892 views
What distinguishes a predicative complement from an object?
Asked this on ELL but with no answer:
What makes be an intransitive verb? How do we know that the analysis of It is me as transitive by tradtional grammars is incorrect?
Take for example:
1. I gave ...
6
votes
2answers
426 views
Similar adjectives to “worth”
This laptop is worth $140.
Here worth does not need a following preposition. However, when I say, for example:
I am curious about his motivation behind his decision.
The word curious is an ...
9
votes
3answers
4k views
Is “I am who(m) God made me” grammatical?
SAH asked an interesting question about case, I am [who/whom] G-d made me, but one issue that came up in the comments repeatedly is that many people said that they find the example sentence ...
0
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1answer
397 views
Which is the direct object and which is the object complement in this sentence? [duplicate]
I was reading a book on English grammar and it stated that the object complement may also be an adjective. In the sentence "Roger called George heartless", Roger was the subject, called was the verb, ...
2
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0answers
360 views
Is there such a thing as the “indirect complement” of a noun?
CaGEL* explains the concept of "indirect complements" on page 443 as follows:
If it's the complement of a noun, be it direct or indirect, it's part of a noun phrase (NP) headed by the noun, right? So,...
1
vote
1answer
341 views
Is a determiner a complement or a modifier of a noun?
The determiner such as the definite/indefinite article can come before a noun.
Is the determiner a complement or a modifier of a noun?
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0answers
120 views
syntactic analysis of a phrase with FROM…TO
In the sentence
Everything we do, from eating and ice cream to crossing the Atlantic and from baking a loaf to writing a novel, involves the use of coal, directly or indirectly.
I can't come ...
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468 views
“the fact that…” grammatical construction
In the following sentence:
The issue is the fact that it is red.
What type of grammatical form is "that it is red"?
I think that it is some kind of noun clause that functions as an objective ...
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0answers
24 views
lead to vs relocate
I read "lead many companies to relocate in rural areas (1)"
This is typo ?
We can make a complete sentence " The government leads many companies to relocate in rural areas "
I have a doubt that " ...
0
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1answer
109 views
What is the function of “for more productivity” on this sentence?
rapid population increases drive the search for more productivity.
What is the function of "for more productivity"? is it a complement or an adverbial?
Thank you!
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Can prepositional phrases be subject complements?
I’m an ESL teacher without much formal training (at this stage). I have however Googled grammar questions many times and been redirected here, so this time I'm actually posting. I’m trying to explain ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
Mckee believed WAS the Mary Rose Vs Mackee believed TO BE the Mary Rose [duplicate]
In 1967 , Edgerton's side-scan sonar systems revealed a large , unusually shaped object , which Mckee believed WAS the Mary Rose.
Shouldn't this be "Mackee believed TO BE the Mary Rose"?
Can ...
