The complement. The objective complement.

The verb in the sentence forms the greatest number of word-combinations. The adjuncts of all these combinations are united by the term complements. But the complements of a verb are so numerous and variegated that it is feasible to subdivide them into several groups correlated with the subclasses of verbs. As we know, verbs divide into notional, semi-notional and structural ones. We shall call the adjuncts of the latter two groups predicative complements (predicatives). Notional verbs are subdivided into objective and subjective. The common abjuncts of both groups will be termed adverbial complements (adverbials), those of objective verbs alone — objective complements (objects). Objective complements (objects) may be defined as noun (or noun-equivalent) adjuncts of objective verbs, denoting the object of the action or its subject (the by-pbrase. From the definition given it is clear that the object is not bound with any definite part of the sentence, it is attached to the verb. In English, objects are primarily divided into prepositional and prepositionless. The latter are, according to their meaning and position in the sentence, further divided into direct and indirect objects.The direct object denotes something (or somebody) directly affected by the action of the verb. The indirect object usually denotes the person for whose benefit the action is performed or towards whom it is directed: He sent me (indirect) a letter (direct). The indirect object usually precedes the direct object and cannot be used without it. In He sent me " me" would be understood as a direct object. The prepositional object with to (the so-called to-phrase) and for (the for-phrase) are often grammatical synonyms of the indirect object. Accordingly, the sentence / offered the student my book can be transformed into / offered my book to the student, I bought him a toy into / bought a toy for him. The direct object is used with a much greater number of verbs than the indirect object, has practically no structural synonyms, and is often so closely connected with the verb that the meaning of the latter is vague without its object. Sometimes a verb may take two direct objects. Like other parts of a simple sentence (clause), objective complements may be expressed by complexes and are then called complex objects. / hate you to go away

53. The adverbial and predicative compliment.

Adverbials differ from the other complements in their combinability and semantics. They are adjuncts of various classes of verbs and convey qualitative, quantitative or circumstantial characteristics of the actions denoted by verbs. Since the meaning of 'action' is not pronounced in semi-notional verbs, adverbial complements are mostly adjuncts of notional verbs. Much in the same way as the subject and the object are mostly nouns or noun-equivalents, the adverbial complement is usually an adverb or some kind of adverb-equivalent. Like adverbs adverbials may be divided into qualitative, quantitative and circumstantial ones. Circumstantial adverbials comprise: Adverbial complements of time and frequency, Adverbials of place and direction, Adverbials of cause, Adverbials of purpose, Adverbials of condition, Adverbials of concession, Adverbials of attending circumstances. As follows from the string of examples given above, in simple sentences adverbial complements are usually adverbs, nouns (mostly with prepositions), verbids and verbid complexes. Adverbials may also be nouns preceded by conjunctions actually functioning as prepositions.

Predicative complements are mostly adjuncts of semi-notional verbs (both finite and non-finite) and syntactical word-morphemes. When attached to finite verbs they are at the same time notional predicates. They serve to indicate some state, property or action characterizing the person or thing denoted by the subject (primary or secondary), or sometimes presented in a general way, not attached to any definite person or thing. In simple sentences either words, or combinations of words, among them complexes, may be used as predicatives. The words may belong to different parts of speech: nouns, adlinks, adjectives, pronouns, numerals, verbs (participles, gerunds, infinitives). In accordance with their semantics predicatives fall into a) process predicatives and b) qualifying predicatives. a) Dinny, you must come to us.b) Mary has become a teacher.