On complements

Although sentences are complete with just a subject and predicate, some sentences need something else to complete their meaning. These additional parts are known as complements.

There are five types of complements. Under complements that elaborate on the object, there are direct objects, indirect objects and object complements. Under complements that elaborate on the subject, there are predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives.

Direct objects are used with transitive verbs. In the sentence "I dribbled the basketball," basketball is the direct object. It receives directly the action of the verb.

Indirect objects are also used with transitive verbs, but it comes before the direct object and answer the question to whom? or for whom?. For example, in the sentence "Mis_nomer gave Milktea the keys to her new car," Milktea is the indirect object. (Note that with indirect objects, the word to or for is only implied. If it is included in the sentence, "gave to Milktea," "to Milktea" is a prepositional phrase and Milktea is no longer an indirect object.)

Object complements elaborates on or gives a fuller meaning to a direct object. For example, in the sentence "Mis_nomer gave her friend Smole twenty dollars," her friend (noun) elaborates on the object of the sentence — Smole. Another example of an object complement may be found in the sentence "Mis_nomer painted her toenails blue." Blue (adjective) elaborates on the object "toenails".

Subject complements are used with being and linking verbs only.

Predicate adjectives comes after a linking verb and describe the subject of the sentence. For example, "Mis_nomer is certainly boring," boring is a predicate adjective.

Predicate nominatives are like the predicate adjectives, only that they act as nouns or pronouns. For example, "That man over there is Jim," Jim is a predicate nominative.

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