The Sentence
Lesson 3: Objects and Complements
Lesson: 3 of 9 Level: 🔵 Beginner
1. Lesson Overview
Once a sentence has a subject and a verb, it often needs something more to be complete. Many verbs in English cannot stand alone — they reach forward into the sentence and demand additional information to make their meaning full. That additional information comes in the form of objects and complements.
When Charles Darwin observed, the sentence feels unfinished. Observed what? When Marie Curie became, the sentence waits for more. Became what? The words that answer those questions — the finches of the Galápagos, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes — are the objects and complements of the sentence.
This lesson examines each type in turn, explains how they differ, and shows how they function within the broader structure of the sentence.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Define and identify direct objects and indirect objects
- Define and identify subject complements and object complements
- Understand the difference between an object and a complement
- Recognise and correct common errors involving objects and complements
2. Core Content
A. Objects and Complements — The Distinction
Before examining each type individually, it is worth establishing the key distinction between an object and a complement.
An object receives or is affected by the action of the verb. It answers the question what? or whom? after a transitive verb. A complement completes the meaning of the subject or object by describing or renaming it. It answers the question what is it? or what does it become? after a linking verb.
| Type | Follows | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct object | A transitive verb | What? Whom? | Darwin observed the finches. |
| Indirect object | A transitive verb | To whom? For whom? | The committee awarded Darwin a medal. |
| Subject complement | A linking verb | What is the subject? | The Amazon is a river. |
| Object complement | A transitive verb + direct object | What does the object become? | Scientists named the species Turritopsis dohrnii. |
B. Direct Objects
A direct object is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the action of a transitive verb directly. It answers the question what? or whom? after the verb.
Consider the following sentences:
Isaac Newton developed the laws of motion in the 17th century. Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets beyond our solar system.
In the first sentence, the laws of motion is the direct object — it is what Newton developed. In the second, thousands of exoplanets is the direct object — it is what astronomers have discovered. In both cases, the direct object answers the question what? after the verb.
Not all verbs take a direct object. Intransitive verbs — such as arrive, sleep, exist, and erupt — do not require one.
For example:
The volcano erupted without warning. Migratory birds arrive in northern Europe every spring.
In both sentences, the verb is intransitive — it expresses a complete action without needing a direct object.
C. Indirect Objects
An indirect object indicates to whom or for whom the action of the verb is performed. It typically appears between the verb and the direct object and answers the question to whom? or for whom?
Consider the following sentences:
The Royal Society awarded Darwin its highest honour. Scientists gave the new species a Latin name.
In the first sentence, Darwin is the indirect object — the honour was awarded to him. Its highest honour is the direct object. In the second, the new species is the indirect object and a Latin name is the direct object.
An indirect object can usually be rewritten as a prepositional phrase with to or for placed after the direct object.
| With Indirect Object | With Prepositional Phrase |
|---|---|
| The Royal Society awarded Darwin its highest honour. | The Royal Society awarded its highest honour to Darwin. |
| Scientists gave the new species a Latin name. | Scientists gave a Latin name to the new species. |
| The university offered the researcher a position. | The university offered a position to the researcher. |
For example:
The Nobel Committee sent Marie Curie an official letter of congratulation. The Nobel Committee sent an official letter of congratulation to Marie Curie.
Both sentences convey the same meaning. The first uses an indirect object; the second uses a prepositional phrase. In formal writing, both are acceptable — the choice depends on which element the writer wishes to emphasise.
D. Subject Complements
A subject complement follows a linking verb and describes or renames the subject of the sentence. There are two types: the predicate nominative and the predicate adjective.
Predicate nominative
A predicate nominative is a noun or noun phrase that renames or identifies the subject after a linking verb.
For example:
The Amazon is the world’s largest river by discharge. Charles Darwin was a naturalist, a geologist, and a biologist.
In the first sentence, the world’s largest river by discharge is a predicate nominative — it renames the Amazon. In the second, a naturalist, a geologist, and a biologist is a compound predicate nominative — it identifies Darwin by three different descriptions.
Predicate adjective
A predicate adjective is an adjective or adjective phrase that describes the subject after a linking verb.
For example:
The surface of Mars appears red due to iron oxide in the soil. The deep ocean is cold, dark, and largely unexplored.
In the first sentence, red is a predicate adjective — it describes the surface of Mars after the linking verb appears. In the second, cold, dark, and largely unexplored are three predicate adjectives describing the deep ocean after the linking verb is.
The most common linking verbs in English are listed below.
| Category | Linking Verbs |
|---|---|
| Being | be, exist |
| Becoming | become, grow, turn, get |
| Seeming | seem, appear, look |
| Remaining | remain, stay, keep |
| Sensing | feel, taste, smell, sound |
For example:
The glacier grew smaller each decade throughout the 20th century. The water tastes fresh after passing through layers of limestone rock.
In the first sentence, smaller is a predicate adjective after the linking verb grew. In the second, fresh is a predicate adjective after the linking verb tastes.
E. Object Complements
An object complement follows the direct object and describes or renames it. It completes the meaning of the direct object rather than the subject.
Consider the following sentences:
Scientists named the newly discovered species Turritopsis dohrnii. The extreme conditions render the deep ocean inhospitable to most forms of life.
In the first sentence, Turritopsis dohrnii is an object complement — it renames the direct object the newly discovered species. In the second, inhospitable to most forms of life is an object complement — it describes the state of the direct object the deep ocean as a result of the action expressed by the verb render.
Object complements typically follow verbs such as name, call, make, render, consider, elect, appoint, and find.
| Verb | Direct Object | Object Complement |
|---|---|---|
| named | the species | Turritopsis dohrnii |
| elected | the researcher | chair of the committee |
| considered | the findings | significant |
| made | the discovery | possible |
For example:
The international community declared the region a protected marine sanctuary. The long period of drought left the soil dry and infertile.
In the first sentence, a protected marine sanctuary is an object complement — it renames what the region was declared to be. In the second, dry and infertile is an object complement — it describes the state of the direct object the soil after the verb left.
3. Usage in Context
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| A direct object follows a transitive verb and answers the question what? or whom? | Darwin studied the flora and fauna of the Galápagos Islands. |
| A direct object can be a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. | Scientists have mapped it. / Scientists have mapped the ocean floor. |
| An indirect object appears between the verb and the direct object. | The university awarded the team a research grant. |
| An indirect object can be rewritten as a prepositional phrase with to or for after the direct object. | The university awarded a research grant to the team. |
| A subject complement follows a linking verb and describes or renames the subject. | The Sahara is a vast, arid expanse of sand and rock. |
| Use an adjective — not an adverb — as a predicate adjective after a linking verb. | The water tastes fresh. (not freshly) |
| An object complement follows the direct object and describes or renames it. | The committee considered the findings conclusive. |
| Linking verbs of sensation — feel, taste, smell, sound, look — take predicate adjectives, not adverbs. | The soil feels dry. / The spring water tastes clean. |
| Become, grow, turn, and get are linking verbs when followed by an adjective or noun. | The climate is becoming warmer. / The sky turned dark before the storm. |
| Do not confuse a predicate adjective with an adverb modifying the verb. | The glacier moves slowly. (slowly = adverb modifying moves) vs. The glacier appears slow. (slow = predicate adjective describing the glacier) |
| Transitive verbs require a direct object; omitting it creates an incomplete sentence. | ❌ Darwin observed. ✅ Darwin observed the behaviour of the finches. |
| Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive depending on context. | The ice melted. (intransitive) / The sun melted the ice. (transitive) |
| Object complements are most common after verbs of naming, appointing, considering, and making. | The expedition members elected her leader of the group. |
| A pronoun used as a direct or indirect object must be in the object form. | The committee awarded her the prize. (not she) |
| In passive sentences, the direct object of an active sentence becomes the subject. | Active: Darwin proposed the theory. / Passive: The theory was proposed by Darwin. |
| The indirect object can also become the subject of a passive sentence. | Active: The committee awarded Darwin a medal. / Passive: Darwin was awarded a medal by the committee. |
4. Common Errors and Corrections
| Error ❌ | Correction ✅ | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| The water tastes freshly after filtering. | The water tastes fresh after filtering. | Taste is a linking verb; it requires a predicate adjective (fresh), not an adverb (freshly). |
| Scientists gave to the species a new Latin name. | Scientists gave the species a new Latin name. | The indirect object comes directly after the verb, without to, when it precedes the direct object. |
| The committee awarded to Darwin its highest honour. | The committee awarded Darwin its highest honour. | Same rule — the indirect object precedes the direct object without a preposition. |
| The discovery made the scientists to feel excited. | The discovery made the scientists feel excited. | After make + object complement, use the bare infinitive, not the to-infinitive. |
| They elected her as the leader of the expedition. | They elected her leader of the expedition. | After verbs of appointing and naming, the object complement follows directly without as. |
| The soil is feeling dry after months without rain. | The soil feels dry after months without rain. | Feel as a linking verb is stative and does not take the continuous form. |
| Darwin he observed the behaviour of the finches. | Darwin observed the behaviour of the finches. | The subject cannot be restated as a pronoun in the same clause. |
| The expedition considered the findings as significant. | The expedition considered the findings significant. | After consider + direct object + object complement, no as is needed. |
| Scientists named the species as Turritopsis dohrnii. | Scientists named the species Turritopsis dohrnii. | After name + direct object + object complement, no as is needed. |
| The committee gave the prize to she and her colleague. | The committee gave the prize to her and her colleague. | A pronoun following a preposition must be in the object form — her, not she. |
5. Lesson Mastery
After completing this lesson, you should now be able to:
✅ Define and identify direct objects and indirect objects
✅ Define and identify subject complements and object complements
✅ Understand the difference between an object and a complement
✅ Recognise and correct common errors involving objects and complements