LoginNoun Complements
Discover the secret to making your nouns come to life through the magic of noun complements. In this lesson, we will learn all about them.
What Is a Noun Complement?
A noun complement is a grammatical element that provides specific content about the noun it complements or provides the purpose or intention of the noun. Essentially, a noun complement helps to specify or elaborate on the content or characteristics of the noun it is associated with.
Noun complements can take three possible forms:
Prepositional Phrase as a Noun Complement
a prepositional phrase, usually headed by of, can serve as a noun complement when it comes after the words of quantity. These types of complements are totally necessary for quantity nouns. Almost all the meaning in the noun phrase comes from the complement, not the main word. We can classify these quantity words into two distinct types:
- Quantity nouns that can not stand alone: They are usually extreme quantity nouns (large quantities or groups of items) that always require a complement such as a passel, surfeit, bunch, plethora, bushel, flock, etc. Here are some examples:
There was a passel
As you can see, "of books" complements the noun "passel".
The picnic had a plethora
He had a surfeit
The florist arranged a beautiful bunch
She picked a bushel
There was a flock
- Quantity nouns that can stand alone: On the other hand, there are some quantity nouns that can stand alone, but they always suggest a specific material or substance such as gram, piece, quart, ton, bottle, etc. For example:
The truck carried a ton
He bought a bottle
A gram
That-clause as a Noun Complement
A that-clause can complete the meaning of a noun, usually positioned immediately after the noun it complements. In most cases, that-clauses serving as noun complements are classified as content clauses, which are clauses that give you detailed information about the noun's content. A that-clause usually appears after certain nouns which are classified into two types:
- Utterance or cognition nouns: These are nouns that are used to represent acts of thinking and communication. They are used to describe the action or process of expressing thoughts, ideas, or information such as news, hint, story, thought, idea, belief, fact, reason, truth, etc. For example:
His thought
The news
That fact
His hint
- Reporting nouns: These nouns are commonly used to report or relay information about what someone has said or claimed such as comment, statement, agreement, claim, remark, etc. For example:
The statement
His comment
Her remark
Warning
Remember when a that-clause is serving as a noun complement, you cannot omit "that". For example:
The claim that the session was useful surprised me.
To-infinitive Clause as a Noun Complement
When we wish to discuss the aim or intention behind a noun, we can employ a to-infinitive clause to complete its meaning. There are some particular nouns that may necessitate the use of a to-infinitive clause to indicate a specific purpose. Take a look at the classification of these nouns:
- Desire or intention: These nouns often indicate what someone wants or plans to do such as decision, intention, desire, choice, and plan. For example:
Her decision
My intention
- Agreement or disagreement: Nouns that talk about agreeing or disagreeing include words like agreement, refusal, objection, permission and etc. For example:
The team's refusal
The permission
- Chance or opportunity: These nouns often represent opportunities or possibilities such as chance, opportunity, occasion, possibility and etc. For example:
The opportunity
The chance
The occasion
Noun Complement Vs. Post-nominal Modifier
Noun complements and post-nominal modifiers are both grammatical elements that provide additional information and they consistently appear following the noun. A noun complement is essential to the sentence's structure and directly impacts the noun's core meaning, while a modifier provides additional, non-essential information about the noun, enhancing but not fundamentally altering the sentence's message. Here are some examples:
"He owns a car
Here, "That runs on electricity" is a relative clause functioning as a post-nominal modifier for "car" while "that he is a talented musician" is a that-clause (content clause) that provides a specific content about "fact".
Noun Complements Vs. Appositives
Noun complements complete the meaning of a noun and are typically clauses or phrases. Appositives, on the other hand, provide supplementary information about nouns by renaming or clarifying them, often set off by commas. Noun complements are essential, while appositives offer additional details without changing the core message of the sentence. Here are some examples:
My sister's choice
Here, the to-infinitive clause "to study abroad" is a noun complement, essential for understanding "choice."
My friend
Here, "John" is an appositive that provides additional information about "friend" by renaming or specifying which friend is coming over.
My cousin,
As you can see, the appositive "an accomplished pianist" provides supplementary information about "cousin" without altering the sentence's core message.
Review
Noun complements, including prepositional phrases, that-clauses, and to-infinitive clauses, help specify the noun's content, characteristics, or purpose, enhancing the overall meaning and clarity of the sentence.
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