Objective Complement

 

The Objective Complement

An objective/object complement is a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective that follows a direct object to rename it or state what it has become.

Verbs That Attract Object Complements

Verbs of making (e.g., "to make," "to create") or naming (e.g., "to name," "to call," "to elect") often attract an object complement. In the examples below, the object complements are shaded and the direct objects are in bold.

• To make her happy
• To name her Heidi

However, lots of verbs can take an object complement. For example:

• To consider someone stupid
• To paint something purple
• To catch somebody stealing

An object complement is not always one word. It could be a phrase. For example:

• I found the guard sleeping in the barn.
• We all consider her unworthy of the position.

And what kind of verbs take objective complements?

The verbs which take an objective complement are TRANSITIVE VERBS OF INCOMPLETE PREDICATION.

INCOMPLETE PREDICATION refers to the fact that, without the objective complement, the idea is not complete. Look:

INCORRECT> I consider this movie. (What? - we need something else here).

CORRECT> I consider this movie boring.

Now watch the following videos and take notes: