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Grammar
Name
Date
Complements
The Complements
Over the next few weeks we will be learning about a group of grammatical constructions known
as complements. What is a complement? As you recall, all sentences consist of what’s often referred to as
a sentence base. The sentence base consists of the subject and verb. Sometimes, though rarely, the subject
and verb alone suffice to convey information. For example, “The sun rose,” or “The week began.” More
often, however, the sentence base is enhanced by a complement, so-called because it “completes” the
sentence by giving it more detail. The four complements with which we will become familiar are as
follows:
• the direct object
• the indirect object
• the predicate nominative
• the predicate adjective.
The first of these two complements are used only with action verbs, while the latter two are used with
linking verbs.
The Direct Object: A Definition
The first of these four complements, hinted at frequently before today, is the direct object. Often
times action verbs will “take” a direct object (these are called transitive verbs; verbs that cannot take a
direct objects – “go,” for instance – are called intransitive verbs). The direct object is that person or thing
toward which the action of the verb is directed. In other words, it receives the action of the verb.
The direct object receives the action of the verb, or shows the result of the action.
How to Find the Direct Object
To find the direct object in a sentence, put the simple subject and verb together, and then ask
yourself What? or Whom? Look at the examples below.
•
The boy threw the ball on the roof. To find the direct object, we find the simple subject and verb first. We
come up with boy threw. We then ask ourselves, “The boy threw what or whom?” The answer is, the ball. What
did the boy throw? He threw the ball. “Ball” is the direct object.”
•
After hearing the story, the girl kissed her father goodnight. To find the direct object, we find the simple
subject and verb first. We come up with girl kissed. We then ask ourselves, “The girl kissed what or whom?”
The answer is, her father. Who did the girl kiss? She kissed her father. Therefore, “father” is the direct object.
•
He consumed his hamburger in one big gulp. What is the direct object in this sentence?
The Direct Object “In a Nutshell”
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A direct object receives the action of a verb.
A direct object can be found by putting the subject and verb together, and then asking, “What?” or
“Whom?”
A direct object, like any object, will always be a noun or a pronoun.
A direct object can never be within a prepositional phrase.
A direct object will never follow a linking verb; it will always follow an action verb.
A direct object can be compound; in other words, a verb could take more than one direct object.
Example: He pushed himself and his teammates to win.
Grammar
Name
Date
Finding Direct Objects
Directions: Read each of the following sentences. Write the direct object (which will be a noun
or a pronoun) of the sentence on the line to the right. If the sentence has no direct object, write
“None.”
1. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
2. The early bird gets the worm.
3. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
4. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
5. The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.
6. Many hands make light work.
7. Every cloud has a silver lining.
8. Two heads are better than one.
9. Misery loves company.
10. Haste makes waste.