Subject Complements
Subject complements are placed after linking verbs. Follow the article to learn more about them.
What Are Subject Complements?
'Subject complements' (also known as predicative adjectives) are words or phrases that follow linking verbs and complete the meaning of the clause by describing the subject of the clause. Subject complement provides a description of the subject.
Subject Complements: Types
There are five types of subject complements in English:
- Adjective Phrases
- Noun Phrases
- Pronouns
- Adverb Phrases
- Prepositional Phrases
Adjective Phrases as Subject Complements
Adjective phrases can consist of one or more adjectives. They can be placed after linking verbs to provide additional information and complete the description of the subject.
Check out the examples:
The walls are
It will get
Noun Phrases as Subject complements
Noun phrases can consist of a single word or multiple words. They can be used as subject complements in a clause, providing additional information about the subject of the sentence. Take a look at the examples:
It seems
My favorite animals are
'sea horse' is the subject complement
Pronouns as Subject Complements
Pronouns can also act as subject complements following linking verbs. There are various types of pronouns that can be used in this way, including:
Check out the examples:
The big problem is
You can still smell
* You can still smell
This use of subject pronouns is old fashioned and uncommon.
The teacher is
She is just a
Adverb Phrases as Subject Complements
While adverb phrases can be used as subject complements following linking verbs, it is important to note that if an adverb can be easily removed from the sentence without affecting the meaning, then it is not acting as the subject complement. For example:
She was
His mother is
Prepositional Phrases as Subject Complements
Prepositions followed by other terms can be used after linking verbs and function as subject complements. Check out the examples:
The garden is
I feel
Review
What comes after the linking verb and completes the meaning of a clause, is called a subject complement. Let us take a look at different types of subject complements.
- adjective phrases
- noun phrases
- pronouns
- adverb phrases
- prepositional phrase
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Complements
In grammar, complements are words, phrases, or clauses that are essential to complete the meaning of a given expression. Here, we will study them thoroughly!
Object Complements
Some verbs can take a nominal structure or an adjectival structure as an object complement for the direct object of the transitive verb.
