Transcript Slide 1

The Object Complement
Patterns
Ed McCorduck
English 402--Grammar
SUNY Cortland
http://mccorduck.cortland.edu
slide 2: review of subject complements
As discussed in the “Verb Patterns and the Be
Patterns” lecture and in the “Linking Verbs” lecture, a
subject complement (subj comp) refers to the same
entity as or attributes a property to the subject of a
sentence. For example, in the sentences Beelzebub is
evil and Beelzebub is a demon, both the adjective evil
in the first sentence and the noun phrase a demon in
the second refer to their respective subjects, i.e., in
both cases Beelzebub. The sentences are likewise
diagramed in similar ways with the headwords of
these subject complements on the main line as the
verb and separated from it by a slanted line:
English 402: Grammar
slide 3: Reed-Kellogg diagraming of subject complements reviewed
English 402: Grammar
slide 4: definition of object complements
Similarly, direct objects can also be followed by slots
whose occupants co-refer to the same entity as the
object. Words and phrases that can fill these slots are
called object complements (obj comp).
English 402: Grammar
slide 5: Pattern IX
Pattern IX
•
NP1
V-tr
NP2
ADJ
(subj)
(pred vb) (dir obj) (obj comp)
in this pattern, the ADJ refers to the same entity as the NP2
English 402: Grammar
slide 6: examples of Pattern IX sentences
exx
I
| consider | that | ridiculous.
NP1
V-tr
NP2 ADJ
(cf. That is ridiculous)
She
NP1
(cf. Her men are hot)
| likes | her men | hot.
V-tr
NP2
ADJ
Catnip | drives | my little kitties | absolutely nuts.
NP1
V-tr
NP2
ADJ
English 402: Grammar
slide 7: Pattern X
Pattern X
•
NP1
V-tr
NP2
NP2
(subj)
(pred vb) (dir obj) (obj comp)
in this pattern, the second NP2 functions as object
complement, i.e., it has the same referent as the direct object
English 402: Grammar
slide 8: examples of Pattern X sentences
exx
I
| consider | him | a nutjob.
NP1
V-tr
NP2
NP2
(cf. He is a nutjob)
They | called | it | the greatest thing since sliced bread.
NP1
V-tr
NP2
NP2
The club | has named | Ebeneezer | (the) treasurer.
NP1
V-tr
NP2
NP2
English 402: Grammar
slide 9: verbs that can appear in Pattern IX and/or Pattern X sentences
Other verbs that can occur in Pattern IX and X
sentences (sometimes in only one of the patterns or
the other) are find, elect, leave, make and prefer.
English 402: Grammar
slide 10: Reed-Kellogg diagrams of sentences with object complements
In Reed-Kellogg diagrams, object complements are
indicated like subject complements, i.e., their
headwords occur on the main line preceded by a slant
line, but because these complements modify not the
subject but the direct object they always immediately
follow the direct object (as they do in surface
structure). As an illustration, here is the diagram of
the sentence I consider that ridiculous where the
adjective ridiculous is an object complement:
English 402: Grammar
slide 11: example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of a Pattern IX sentence
English 402: Grammar
slide 12: example of a Reed-Kellogg diagram of a Pattern X sentence
And here is the diagram of the sentence I consider
him a nutjob where the noun phrase a nutjob is an
object complement:
English 402: Grammar