Scribd
Upload
95 views8 pages

English Grammar: Unit 2: The Skeleton of The Message

This document discusses subject and object complements. It defines their syntactic and semantic features, and provides examples of their realizations. Subject complements complete information about the subject of a sentence, and can be attributive or identifying. Object complements characterize the direct object of the sentence qualitatively or substantively. Both subject and object complements agree in number with their related elements, and can be realized through adjective phrases, noun phrases, or clauses.

Uploaded by

Amelia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
95 views8 pages

English Grammar: Unit 2: The Skeleton of The Message

This document discusses subject and object complements. It defines their syntactic and semantic features, and provides examples of their realizations. Subject complements complete information about the subject of a sentence, and can be attributive or identifying. Object complements characterize the direct object of the sentence qualitatively or substantively. Both subject and object complements agree in number with their related elements, and can be realized through adjective phrases, noun phrases, or clauses.

Uploaded by

Amelia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

ENGLISH

GRAMMAR
UNIT 2: THE SKELETON OF THE MESSAGE
Module 7: Subject and Object complements

English Grammar - Unit 2 1


MODULE 7: SUBJECT AND OBJECT COMPLEMENTS
THE COMPLEMENT OF THE SUBJECT (Cs)
SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES
• It is the obligatory constituent which follows a copular verb and which cannot be
made subject in a passive clause:
Eg. Who’s that? It’s him/It’s he.
He became a professional football player at an early age.
• It does not represent a new participant, but completes the predicate by adding
information about the subject referent.
• It can be realised not only by a nominal group but also by an adjectival group (Adj.
G).
• As well as be and seem, several verbs can be used to link the subject to its
Complement; these add meanings of transition (become, get, go, grow, turn) and of
perception (sound, smell, look) among others (modules 12 and 17). The constituent
following such verbs will be considered Cs if the verb can be replaced by be and can’t
stand alone, without a change of meaning.
Eg. I know it sounds strange, but… (= is strange) cf. *I know it sounds.
That looks good. (= is good). cf. *That looks .

English Grammar - Unit 2 2


THE COMPLEMENT OF THE SUBJECT

SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES (2)


• There is number agreement between the subject and its Complement, and
gender agreement with a reflexive pronoun at complement, as in I am not
myself today. But there are some exceptions to number agreement:
Eg. Ann and Peter make a good couple.
My neigbour’s dogs are a nuisance/a joy.
Is this jumper wool? No, it’s cotton.

• Semantic criteria are applied to explain the use of a nuisance/a joy in My


neigbour’s dogs are a nuisance/a joy, since abstractions are equally
applicable to singular or plural subjects.

• A third type exemplified by expressions such as wool, cotton, rather an


odd colour, the same height/length/shape, etc., can all be paraphrased by
a PP with of (of wool, of rather an odd colour, of the same height, etc.).

English Grammar - Unit 2 3


THE COMPLEMENT OF THE SUBJECT

SEMANTIC FEATURES
• Copular verbs predict meanings of being something, describing or
identifying the subject referent. The Cs completes the predicate by
providing information about the subject with regard to its Attributes or its
identity. The identifying type is typically reversible, the attributive is not:
Eg. The ballet was excellent. (attributive) *Excellent was the ballet.
The ballet was a great success. (attributive) *A great success was the
ballet.
The company was the Royal Ballet. (identifying). *(The Royal Ballet was
the company).

• When be is followed by an expression of location in space or time (in the


park, at 11 o’clock) the Cs is analysed as locative (see 4.2.1; 9.2).
Sometimes a circumstantial expression (e.g. out of order) is semantically
equivalent to an attributive one (e.g. broken).

English Grammar - Unit 2 4


UNIT 2 > MODULE 7

REALISATIONS OF THE SUBJECT COMPLEMENT


Attributive subject complements are realised by AdjGs and NGs. Identifying Subject
Complements can be realised by NGs and by clauses.

• A. Attributive Complements (S-P-Cs).


AdjG He is thirty years old.
NG Laura is a very lucky girl.
As + NG Her work was recognised as a great contribution to humanities.
Nadal’s match has been acclaimed as the event of the year.
• B. Identifying Complements (S-P-Cs)
NG China is one of the world’s emergent economies.
Fin. that-cl. Our belief is that things can only get better.
Nominal relative cl. She has done what he always wanted to do.
Non-fin. bare inf. cl. The only thing I did was ask him to leave.
+ for + S The best plan is for you to try again.
Non-fin. –ing. Cl. –S What I don’t like is getting up early in the morning.
+ S What most people prefer is others to do their job/for others to
do their job.
*NGs and AdjGs can occur as attributive or identifying Cs, in passive clauses derived from S-P-Od-Co
structures:
Eg. You are regarded as the family’s best friend. (We regard you as the family’s best
friend)
The door was left wide open all night long. (Someone left the door wide open all
night long)
English Grammar - Unit 2 5
THE COMPLEMENT OF THE OBJECT (Co)
SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES
• It is the constituent that completes the predicate when certain verbs such as find,
make and appoint lead us to specify some characteristic of the Direct Object (see
module 11). The Co is normally placed immediately after the direct object:
Eg. You (S) are driving (P) me (Od) crazy (Co).
You (S) aren’t going to like (P) me (Od) crazy (Co).
• There is number agreement between the Od and the nominal group realising the
Co , as in Circumstances (S) have made (P) the sisters (Od) enemies (Co). But there
are some exceptions – expressions of size, shape, colour, height, etc.
Eg. You haven’t made the pants the same colour as the jacket.
• The Co can characterise the Od by a qualitative attribute or by a substantive
attribute expressing the name or status of the object referent.
Eg. The Police found the criminal unwilling to declare . (qualitative)
They have appointed Andrew as president. (substantive)
The kids left the room in a mess. (circumstancial).
• Sometimes a Co realised by a prepositional phrase (The kids left the room in a
mess) is similar in meaning to an adjectival complement (The kids left the room
untidy). We can distinguish its status as Complement from the superficially similar
realisation by an optional Adjunct (in ten minutes in The kids left the room in ten
minutes) by the intensive relationship linking the Od and its complement. This can
be tested by paraphrase with be (The room was in a mess; *The room was in ten
minutes).
English Grammar - Unit 2 6
UNIT 2 > MODULE 7

REALISATIONS OF THE OBJECT COMPLEMENT


Attributive Object Complements can be realised by:

AdjG A sedative pill will quickly make you sleepy.


NG Her parents consider her a mastermind.
Finite nominal cl. Do whatever you want.
Non-finite –en cl. The kidnappers had the family locked up in the house.

• Nominal Co elements are sometimes introduced by the prepositions as or for, and


are then analysed as ‘oblique’ Object Complements. Thus, the relationship
between the NG and the verb is not direct, but mediated by a preposition. Some
verbs require it and for others like consider it is optional:

as + NG Her friends regard her as their guru.


for + NG Do you take me for a complete fool?

English Grammar - Unit 2 7


UNIT 2 > MODULE 7

SUMMARY
In module 7 we have seen…

1.Subject and Object complements.


2.Syntactic and semantic features of the Subject
Complement.
3. Realisations of the Subject Complement.
4.The Object Complement.
5.Syntactic and semantic features of the Object
Complement.
6.Realisations of the Object Complement.

English Grammar - Unit 2 8

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy