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Chapter 21
COMPLEMENTS
Complements
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Complements are subordinate clauses that follow verbs
There are four types of subordinate clauses, three of
which we will be discussing:

that complements

infinitive complements
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gerund complements

interrogative complements (not included in this
chapter)
Some verbs can take more than one complement
That complements
that complements use overt subjects, which may or may not
match the subject in the main clause
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most that complements are finite clauses – the verb in the
complement can be inflected
Rick knows that the man is a thief.
Gary believes that he will catch the thief.
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The complementizer that can often be omitted
Gary believes he will catch the thief.
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Some verbs in the main clause have a NP or to + NP following
the verb
I told her that I can't come to class tonight.
Shannon said to me that her baby is now walking.
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That complements
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The following verbs are used with that complements:
 Verbs that report speech (ex. reply, say, tell)
 Verbs that express mental acts (ex. believe,
comprehend, find, guess, know, see, think)
 “factive predicates” - the complement following the
verb is assumed to be a fact (ex. bear in mind, regret,
understand)
 Sentences with factive predicates are sometimes
perceived as being incorrect by native speakers
when the complementizer that is omitted
?I regret I wasn't able to say goodbye.
That complements
Verbs of request or demand (ex. ask, demand, insist) are
followed by a that complement with a bare infinitive:
I insist that you stay for dinner.
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Because a bare infinitive is utilized, the verb in the
complement is not inflected. This type of clause is
therefore considered a nonfinite clause.

That complements
With some main clause verbs, the negative element not may
be moved from a that complement to the main clause
without a change in meaning. This is known as negative
raising:
I imagine that he won't have any money left.
I don't imagine that he will have any money left.
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Only a few main clause verbs can be utilized with negative
raising (ex. anticipate, believe, expect, imagine, think). With
other verbs, the meaning will change:
He forgot that she won't come to the party.
He didn't forget that she will come to the party.
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Infinitive complements
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Many complements begin with the infinitive
There are four types of infinitive
complements that follow a set of verbs:
 “Persuade” verbs
 “Want” verbs
 “Believe” verbs
 “Make” verbs
Infinitive complements: “Persuade” verbs
“Persuade” verbs (ex. advise, authorize, cause,
convince, persuade, tell) are transitive and must
be followed by a NP as its object:
Claire advised Cody to put on a jacket.
 Because 'advise' is transitive, 'Cody' is the object
of 'advise'. However, 'Cody' is also understood
as the subject of the complement. (It is 'Cody'
that will put on a jacket, not 'Claire')
 NP¹ V NP² [to V] (NP² is understood as the
subject of the complement)
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Infinitive complements: “Want” verbs
“Want” verbs (ex. hope, like, promise, want) either can or must not
occur with a following NP:
David wanted to attend the concert.

NP¹ V [to V] (NP¹ is understood as the subject of the
complement)
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When an NP follows a “want” verb, it becomes the subject of the
complement rather than the object of the main clause:
David wanted Jacob to attend the concert.

NP¹ V [NP² to V] (NP² is understood as the subject of the
complement)
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The complementizer for can also be added to the beginning of the
complement for some verbs (ex. arrange, like, love, plan, prefer):
Sandy planned for us to be back on time.
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Infinitive complements: “Want” verbs
With the verb 'promise', the complement acts the same
as it does with other “want” verbs when there is no NP
following the verb:
David promised to attend the concert.
 However, when a NP follows the verb, the subject of the
main clause ('David') is understood to be the subject of
the complement, not the object ('Jacob')
David promised Jacob to attend the concert.
 NP¹ V NP² [to V] (NP¹ is understood as the subject of the
complement)
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Infinitive complements: “Believe” verbs
“Believe” verbs (ex. acknowledge, believe, consider, judge)
contain be plus a NP or an adjective in their infinitive
complements. There must always be a NP following the main
clause verb:
I consider Mozart to be an amazing composer.
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NP¹ V [NP² to be NP/adj.] (NP² is understood as the
subject of the complement)
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Subject-to-object raising occurs when “believe” verbs are in
the passive voice. 'Mozart', the subject of the complement,
becomes the subject in a passive version:
Mozart is considered to be an amazing composer.
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Infinitive complements: “Believe” verbs
Subject-to-object raising also changes the subject of the
complement into a reflexive pronoun when both the
subject of the main clause and the subject of the
complement are the same:
Mary considers herself to be a musician.
 to be can be omitted in some “believe” verb
complements. When they can be omitted varies among
native speakers.
Mary considers herself a musician.
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Infinitive complements: “Make” verbs
“Make” verbs (ex. have, let, make) have a
bare infinitive in their complements.
Susan let her son open the present.
 NP¹ V [NP² V NP³] (NP² is understood as the
subject of the complement)
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Gerund Complements
Gerund complements can use overt subjects. When there is
no overt subject, the subject is usually the main clause
subject.
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Some verbs only have gerund complements (ex. avoid, delay,
dislike, enjoy, favor, finish, practice)
They enjoy looking at the stars.
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Prepositional verbs and prepositional phrasal verbs that can
take a clause use gerund complements (ex. agree on, count
on, depend on, look forward to, get away with)
We look forward to seeing you again.
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Verb and preposition combinations with a NP in between can
also take a gerund complement:
We thanked the man for finding our dog.
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Gerund Complements
With some verbs (ex. finish, practice), there is no overt subject in the
complement; the main clause subject is understood as the subject in the gerund
complement:
Donna finished writing her homework.
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With many verbs (ex. anticipate, discuss, enjoy, imagine, mind, risk), the gerund
complement can be with or without an overt subject.
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When there is no overt subject, the main clause subject acts as the subject
of the complement:
We discussed leaving the army.
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When there is an overt subject, it can appear in the possessive form or
nonpossessive (American English) form:
We discussed his (him) leaving the army.
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With some verbs (ex. catch,find, keep, leave) the possessive cannot be used.
She heard him practicing the piano.
*She heard his practicing the piano.
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Gerund Complements
With some verbs (ex. advise, advocate, encourage,
recommend, suggest), complements can take a subject.
However, when they don't take a subject, the main
clause subject is not understood as the subject in the
complement. The subject is 'you' or another subject
depending upon the context:
The doctor recommends exercising five days a week.
 Verbs that take gerund complements include:
 Interception verbs (ex. behold, discover, catch, come
upon, find)
 Mental imagery verbs (ex. conceive of, imagine,
picture, recall, remember, see)
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Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Infinitive
Complements
Stative verbs of emotion (ex. bear, detest, dislike, hate, like,
love, stand) can take a gerund or infinitive complement and
not change in meaning:
He loves to eat ice cream.
He loves eating ice cream.

Some verbs that describe the start or progression of an
action (ex. begin, start, continue) might have slightly different
meanings:
He started climbing the stairs. (the action definitely occurred)
He started to climb the stairs. (the action could have happened
depending on the context)
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Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Infinitive
Complements
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Some verbs that take both gerund and infinitive complements have
different meanings for each type
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Gerunds tend to imply “a sense of actuality”
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Infinitives tend to imply “a more hypothetical or future sense”
Remember
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Followed by an infinitive, it means the subject remembered to
do something before the complement was completed:
Mike remembered to take out the trash. (He remembered he had
to take out the trash, then did it.)
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Followed by a gerund, it means the subject remembers the
complement after it took place:
Mike remembered taking out the trash. (He took out the trash,
then remembered doing it.)
Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Infinitive
Complements
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Forget
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Forget usually takes an infinitive. It means the person
forgot to perform the action in the complement:
I forgot to wash the car.
When forget takes a gerund, the action did occur. The
main clause must have a negative word (ex. never, not)
and a modal. This combination describes a special
experience for the subject:
I'll never forget playing basketball with Magic Johnson.
 Without these conditions, the sentence sounds
wrong:
*Jane forgot going to the bank.
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Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Infinitive
Complements
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Try
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With an infinitive, the action in the complement was
attempted but may not have been carried out
With a gerund, the action in the complement was carried out
The dog tried to run away, but Dad grabbed it.
*The dog tried running away, but Dad grabbed it.
Brian tried hitting the jar against the counter to loosen the lid, but
he still couldn't open it.
*Brian tried to hit the jar against the counter to loosen the lid, but
he still couldn't open it.
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The infinitive can be substituted with try and:
Chad is going to try to buy tickets for the game tonight.
Chad is going to try and buy tickets for the game tonight.
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Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Infinitive
Complements
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Stop
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Stop takes only gerund complements, although it appears to
also take infinitives:
Cari stopped looking at the clothes. (Cari didn't continue to look
at the clothes.)
Cari stopped to look at the clothes. (Cari took a break from what
she was doing to look at the clothes.)
The second sentence is actually an adjunct of purpose, with the
phrase in order omitted:
Cari stopped in order to look at the clothes.
 Because the infinitive does not follow a verb, it is not
considered a complement. Therefore, stop only takes one
complement: a gerund
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Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Bare
Infinitive Complements
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Some perception verbs (ex. feel, hear listen to, notice, observe, see,
watch) can take either a gerund or a bare infinitive complement
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A gerund is used when the action in the complement is taking place:
We listened to the man giving a speech.
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A bare infinitive is used to simply report an action that took place:
We listened to the man give a speech.
Punctual achievement verbs (ex. blink, hit, kick, slap, snap)
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A punctual achievement verb in a gerund complement shows a
repeated action in the complement:
We saw the boy kicking the car.
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A punctual achievement verb in an infinitive complement shows a
single action in the complement:
We saw the boy kick the car.
Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Bare
Infinitive Complements
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Accomplishment verbs (ex. dive, drown)
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Accomplishment verbs in a gerund complement show an
action taking place in the complement:
I saw the boy drowning.
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Accomplishment verbs in an infinitive complement show
a completed action in the complement:
I saw the boy drown.
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At times, there is little difference in meaning between
either complement, although some native speakers might
notice a difference:
We watched Suzi dive into the pool.
We watched Suzi diving into the pool.
Verbs that Take Both Gerund and Bare
Infinitive Complements
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Verbs expressing activities involving physical position
(ex. lean, lie, sit, stand)
 These verbs appear in a gerund complement to show
the state in which they appear:
We notice the man sitting on the grass.
 These verbs appear in an infinitive complement to
show the action taking place:
We notice the man sit on the grass.