LoginAdjective Complements
In this lesson we learn about adjective complements, which are essential parts of a sentence that complete the meaning of adjectives. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Adjective Complements?
Adjective complements are words, phrases, or clauses that follow and provide additional information about an adjective in a sentence. They might be essential or optional to fully understanding the meaning of the adjective.
Adjective Complements: Forms
An adjective complement can be a:
Noun Clauses as Adjective Complements
Noun clauses are groups of words that contain a subject and a verb and act as a noun. They're dependent clauses and do not express a complete thought. That-clauses, nominal relative clauses, and infinitive clauses are types of noun clauses that can act as adjective complements.
It was obvious that she was lying.
that-clause as adjective complement
It's amazing how you've accomplished so many of your goals.
nominal relative clause as adjective complement
I'm glad to be of service.
to-infinitive clause as adjective complement
Prepositional Phrases as Adjective Complements
Prepositional phrases consist of a preposition and the object of the preposition which can be a noun, pronoun, noun phrase, pronoun, or noun clause. They can act as adjective complements. Take a look at these examples:
He was addicted to marijuana.
She's tired of waiting.
Tip!
Adjective complements usually work with predicative adjectives. For example:
Dad was so happy that they finally got engaged.
I am worried that the test results will not be good.
Adjective Complements: Placement
When an adjective has both an infinitive clause and a prepositional phrase as adjective complements, the order of the clause elements would be like this:
adjective + (prepositional phrase: for/of + noun) + (to-infinitives)
It is necessary for you to study for your exams.
It was bold of her to try that technique.
Warning
Do not confuse infinitive clauses with prepositional phrases beginning with 'to'.
I am anxious to see the result.
to-infinitive clause
She was allergic to certain types of pollen.
a prepositional phrase with "to"
Adjective Complement: Use
Adjective complements help provide additional detail, clarify the adjective's meaning, or describe the specific situation to which the adjective applies. Consider this sentence:
It may be necessary.
Because the sentence has a dummy subject ('it') and it is not clear what it refers to, the listener might ask 'what may be necessary?'. In this case, an adjective complement is required to provide the necessary information for the sentence to make sense:
It may be necessary for you to wear a tie at the ceremony.
Review
Adjective complements come after an adjective to add more information about what it applies to. Prepositional phrases and noun clauses can act as adjective complements.
We're happy to know you!
She was certain that he would arrive on time.
She was proud of her achievements.
She is ready to start the journey.
Quiz:
Which sentence contains an adjective complement?
They painted the room bright blue.
He drove carefully on the winding road.
She was certain that he would arrive on time.
The dog barked loudly at the stranger.
Sort the words to form a sentence with two adjective complements.
Match each sentence with the correct type of adjective complement.
Fill each blank by specifying the adjective complement used in the sentence. The first one is done as example.
They were upset about the news. → about the news
She was sure that she would succeed. →
It was hard to believe his story. →
He is fond of playing tennis. →
The task is difficult to complete. →
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of adjective complements?
They follow and provide additional information about an adjective.
They are always optional and can be omitted without affecting the meaning of the adjective.
They can be noun clauses or prepositional phrases.
They help clarify or describe the specific situation to which the adjective applies.
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