Complements, Phrases, & Clauses

Complements
A complement is a word or group of words that completes the
meaning begun by the subject and verb.
Four kinds: direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives,
and predicate adjectives
Two are affected by the action of the verb
Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives are both called
subject complements.
Direct Objects

The direct object receives the action expressed by the verb or names
the result of the action.

Examples:
1. She drank the soda.
2. I signed the check.
Indirect Objects

Indirect objects precede the direct object and tell to whom or

what or for whom or what the action of the verb is done.

Examples:
1. My mom gave me a present.
2. Bob sent us the memo on Thursday.
Subject Complements

A subject complement is a word which follows a linking verb and

refers to (explains or describes) the subject.

Two kinds: predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives

Predicate Nominatives

Predicate nominatives are nouns or pronouns.

Examples:
1. She is a secretary.
2. It was him.
Predicate Adjectives

Predicate adjectives are adjectives which modify the subject.

Examples:
1. She is pretty.
2. My dog is lazy.
Complements

Complements

Direct Indirect Subject

Objects Objects Complements

Predicate Predicate
Nominatives Adjectives
Phrases

A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of

speech and does not contain a verb and its subject.

Five kinds: prepositional, adjective, adverb, verbal, and appositive

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begin with a

preposition and usually ends with a noun or pronoun.

Examples:
1. Please put the paper in the basket.
2. I found ten apples under the tree.
Adjective Phrases

An adjective phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a

noun or a pronoun.

Examples:
1. That girl in the car is my sister.
2. The disk on the table is his.
Adverb Phrases

An adverb phrase is a prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an

adjective, or an adverb.

Examples:
1. The pine tree was planted in the back yard.
2. I ran from the dog.
Verbals and Verbal Phrases

A verbal is a word that is formed from a verb but it is used in a

sentence as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
A verbal phrase is a group of related words that contains a verbal.
Three kinds: participles, gerunds and infinitives
Participles and Participial Phrases

A participle is a verb form that can be used as an

adjective.
A participial phrase is a group of related words that
contains a participle and that acts as an adjective.
Examples:
1. Running through the forest, the girl enjoyed the crisp
air.
2. Swimming to the surface, the fish swallowed the
worm.
Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

A gerund is a verb form ending in ing that is used as a noun.

A gerund phrase is a group of related words that includes the
gerund.
Examples:
1. Swimming is my favorite thing to do in the summer.
2. Washing the dishes is my daily chore.
Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases

An infinitive is a verb form that can be used as a noun,

an adjective, or an adverb.
An infinitive has the word to directly before the base
form of the verb.
An infinitive phrase is a group of related words that
includes the infinitive.
Examples:
1. I would like to go to Europe.
2. He needs to read the whole book by tomorrow.
Appositives and Appositive Phrases
An appositive is a noun or pronoun that explains the noun
or pronoun it follows.
An appositive phrase is made up of an appositive and its
modifiers.
Most of the time set apart from the rest of the sentence with
commas, but if the appositive is necessary to the meaning of
the sentence or is closely related to the word it follows, no
commas are necessary
Examples:
1. Susan, the girl in the front row, is reading a book.
2. The movie Lord of the Rings is his favorite.
 Phrases

Phrases

Appositive Prepositional Verbal

Adjective Adverb Infinitive Gerund Participial

Clauses

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb which

forms part of a sentence.
Independent or dependent (subordinate)
Three kinds: adjective, adverb, and noun
Independent and Dependent Clauses

An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand

by itself as a sentence.

A dependent clause or subordinate clause does not express a

complete thought and cannot stand alone.
Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a subordinate clause used as an

adjective to modify a noun or a pronoun.
An adjective clause almost always begins with a relative
pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, what, and that)
Examples:
1. The girl who is sitting in the front row is my best
friend.
2. The car that is bright red is speeding.
Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause is a subordinate clause used as an adverb.

Examples:
1. When I smiled at him he waved.
2. Because she wakes up early, she is always on time.
Noun Clauses

A noun clause is a subordinate clause used as a noun.

Can be used as a subject, a complement, or an object of the
preposition
Examples:
1. They asked who won.
2. My friend asked whoever was able to please stand.
Clauses

Clauses

Independent Dependent

Adjective Noun Adverb

Grammar Books

Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar Usage (5th Ed.) By:

Muriel Harris
The Writers Pocket Handbook By: Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz
Guide to Rapid Revision (8th Ed.) By: Daniel Pearlman and Paula
Pearlman
English Grammar: Language as Human Behavior (2nd Ed.) By:
Anita K. Barry
More Grammar Books

Painless Grammar By: Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.

Nitty-Gritty Grammar & More Nitty-Gritty Grammar By: Edith
H. Fine & Judith P. Josephson
Essentials of English Grammar (2nd Ed.) By: L. Sue Baugh