Verb Complements

E. Siler

What is a verb complement?

A verb complement is the arrangement of one verb as the object of another

verb. This happens three ways in English:

1. With infinitives

I asked her to leave.

I wanted to leave.

I helped him to leave.

I stopped for the child to cross the street.

2. With gerunds

I considered leaving the job.

I regretted his leaving the job.

They decided on leaving.

3. With noun clauses

I insisted that he leave.

I wondered why he left..

She acknowledged that she had left the job.

He didn’t know that she had left.

She decided when she would leave.

The dictionary marks these verb patterns in bold print followed by pattern
sentences. These pattern sentences can help you decide how to arrange
the words in a sentence.
For example, the verb recommend shows the following patterns and
pattern sentences for the first definition:

recommend that Doctors recommend that all children should be immunized

against measles.

recommend doing sth The manufacturers recommend changing the oil

after 500 km.

The pattern sentences are important because they give you more ideas
about HOW verb patterns are used. Notice that in the pattern sentence for
recommend that the verb in the second clause uses the modal "should."
In fact this is an indication of how this pattern is used. If you were to write
the second sentence The manufacturers recommend changing the oil after
500 km.

using the first pattern, you would use "should": The manufacturers
recommend that the oil should be changed after 500 km..

Exercise: Look up each of the following verbs and identify the verb
patterns. Write the first three words of the pattern sentence for each verb
pattern. Note: some verbs have several different verb patterns depending
on the meaning.

1. understand

2. note

3. appreciate

4. mean

Now, write a completely original sentence -- not copied from the book for
each of these four words.

1.

2.

3.

4.
Subject complements
from English Grammar Today
A subject complement gives us more information about the subject. It usually comes after
linking verbs and sense verbs (including be, seem, smell, taste), and after change of state
verbs (including go, get, become).

Subject complements: parts of speech

Subject complements can be adjective phrases, noun phrases, adverb phrases or

prepositional phrases:

That rice tastes quite sweet. (subject + adjective phrase)

It seems a long time since this morning. (subject + noun phrase)

A:
Where are you?
B:
I’m upstairs. (subject + adverb phrase)

It still smells of paint in here. (subject + prepositional phrase)

Subject complements are not the same as objects.

Compare

He married a famous
a famous writer is a different person = the object
writer.

He became a famous become is a linking verb; a famous writer describes the subject
writer. = the same person as he

Complements and adjuncts are different. A complement is necessary in order to complete

the meaning. An adjunct is not necessary, and adds extra information.
See also:

 Complements

 Complements and adjuncts

Pronouns as subject complements

When we use a pronoun as a subject complement after be, we usually use an object
pronoun (e.g. me, him, us):

The dog barked before we even came to the door. He knew it was us.

Not: He knew it was we.

You know the girl I was telling you about? Well, that’s her over there.

Not: Well, that’s she over there.

In some formal contexts we use the subject pronoun (e.g. I, he, they, we):

I can’t exactly remember whether it was he who asked me to go with

them. (less formal: … whether it was him who …)

Answers
1. He appears to be very angry today.
2. She doesn’t want to continue her studies. It seems a pity.
3. She seems to have an attitude problem.
4. I hope to get a good job soon.
5. It is not easy to stop smoking.
6. I suggest seeing / that you see a lawyer.
7. The doctor recommended that I cut down on my sugar intake.
8. The doctor recommended taking / that I take a long break.
9. The boy insisted that he did nothing wrong.
10. Now that I am getting older, I tend to forget things.
11. Let’s cut it short.
12. I find her attitude strange.
What Are Complements (with Examples)
Complement is the term used for a word (or words) which are needed to complete the
meaning of an expression.

Most phrases and clauses will include a complement of some kind. If you can't remove it
from your sentence, then it's likely to be a complement. This is how complements differ
from adjuncts. Adjuncts are optional as they are usually just descriptive. Complements are
not optional. They are essential to ensure understanding.

Examples of Complements
Here are some examples of complements (complements shaded):

 John is weak.

(The adjective weak tells us something about the subject (John). This is an
example of a subject complement.)

 John is a chicken.

(The noun phrase a chicken tells us something about the subject (John). This is
another example of a subject complement.)

 The vote made John's position untenable.

(The adjective untenable tells us something about the object (John's position).
This is an example of an object complement.)

 We voted John chairman.

(The noun chairman tells us something about the object (John). This is another
example of an object complement.)
Los condicionales son ciertas estructuras del inglés en las cuales, si cierta condición, situación o
circunstancia es verdadera, entonces sucede un resultado específico. Aquí veremos varios tipos usuales
de "condicionales".
Share to F acebook 24 Share to T witter Share to ImprimirShare to Googl e+Shar e to C orreoShar e to M ás ... 135
Condicional Cero - Tipo 0 - Situación siempre verdaderaIf you freeze water, it turns into ice. Primer
Condicional - Tipo I - Situación real o posibleIf it rains today, I'll stay at home. Segundo Condicional -
Tipo II - Situación hipotéticaIf I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. Tercer Condicional -
Tipo III - Situación hipotética del pasadoIf I had won the lottery, I would have traveled around the
world.

Condicional: wish + pasado simple- Deseo sobre una situación irrealI wish I were rich (but I am not).
Condicional: wish + pasado perfecto - Deseo sobre el pasadoI wish I had learned English when I was
younger (but I didn't) Condicional: wish + would - Expresando desagrado o irritaciónI wish you would
stop making that noise

Palabras para expresar condiciones: unless, provided, …You won't pass the exam unless you study
harder.

GRAMMAR: CONDITIONAL SENTENCES. TYPES 0, 1, 2 & 3

CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE 0
FORM

If + present simple + present simple

USAGE
Conditional sentences type zero are used to talk about general truths, scientific facts or
things which always happen under certain conditions.

Examples

- If you cross an international date line, the time changes.

- Phosphorus burns if you expose it to air.
- If I wake up early, I go jogging.
Note: You can use "when" instead of "if"

CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE 1

It is often called the real conditional because it is used for real or possible situations.
These
situations take place if a certain condition is met. It is possible, and also very likely, that the
condition will be fulfilled.
FORM

If + present simple + future simple (will)

USAGE

Conditional sentences type 1 refers to the future. An action in the future will only happen if
a
certain condition is fulfilled by that time. We don't know for sure whether the condition
actually will be fulfilled or not, but the conditions seem rather realistic, so we think it is
likely
to happen.
2
Examples
- If I have enough time, I'll watch the football match. (I may have time to watch the
match but I'm not sure about it.)

CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE 2

It is often called the unreal conditional because it is used for impossible or improbable
situations. This conditional provides an imaginary result for a given situation. It is very
unlikely that the condition will be fulfilled.
FORM
If + past simple + would + bare infinitive
Was and Were
In conditional type 2, we usually use, in the if clause, were instead of was, even if the
pronoun is I, he, she or it. Were here is a subjunctive form, although was is also accepted.
Example
If I were a millionaire, I would buy a castle.
USAGE
Conditional sentences type 2 refers to an action in the present that could happen if the
present situation were different. I don't really expect the situation to change because it is
very
unlikely.
Example
If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world. (I can’t do it because I don’t have
enough money.)

CONDITIONAL SENTENCE TYPE 3

It is called the impossible conditional as the condition can’t be met because it refers to
the
past.
FORM
If + past perfect + would + have + past participle
3
USAGE
Conditional sentences type 3 refers to situations in the past. They express hypothetical
results to past given situations.
Example
If he had been careful, he wouldn't have had that terrible accident. (Sometimes, in the
past,
he was careless. He drove really fast, so he had a terrible accident.)
Remember!
The main clause can also be at the beginning of the sentence. In this case, don't use a
comma.
Examples
Type 0: Phosphorus burns if you expose it to air.
Type 1: I will send her an invitation if I find her address.
Type 2: I would travel around the world if I had a million dollars.
Type 3: He wouldn't have had that terrible accident if he had been careful.

WORKSHEET

1) Fill in the gaps with the correct forms of the first conditional. Use the verbs in
brackets.

a) If I.................... (study) hard, I......................... (pass) this year's exam.

b) If the weather........................ (be) fine, we........................ (go) on a picnic.
c) If I............................ (travel) to Paris, I........................... (visit) the Eiffel Tower.
d) If they.......................... (not invite) me to their birthday party, I......................... (not
go).
e) If he.............................. (get) my email, he............................... (send) us the
information we need.
f) If she.............................. (travel) to London, she........................ (visit) the museums.
g) If I....................... (get) the money, I................................ (buy) a mobile phone.
h) If I......................... (have) enough time this evening, I......................... (watch) a movie.

2) Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the second conditional.

Jack is daydreaming about winning the next lottery jackpot. Here is what he is saying:
a) If I........................ (win) the lottery, I.....................(be) a millionaire.
b) If I......................... (be) rich , I........................(quit) my job.
c) I............................ (buy) anything I want if I..................... (get) that jackpot.
d) I............................ (buy) the most expensive car if I............................(want).
4
e) If I.......................... (travel) somewhere, I........................... (stay) in the most luxurious
hotels.
f) But I....................... (not be) too materialistic if I.................... (win) millions of dollars.
g) I.......................... (help) the poor if I........................... (become) a millionaire.
h) I.......................... (give) some money to charities if......................... (be) rich.

3) Complete the following sentences with the third conditional.

a) If you.................................... (work) hard, you.............................. (pass) the exam.

b) If they........................... (take) him to hospital earlier, he................................. (not die).
c) I.................................. (send) you the document if you....................................... (give)
me your email address.
d) He.............................. (not miss) the bus if he................................ (wake up) earlier.
e) If I............................... (know) you were coming, I...................................... (prepare) a
delicious meal.
f) If you......................... (not be) late, you.............................. (catch) the six o'clock train.
g) If the weather .................................. (be) better last weekend, we..............................
(go) to the beach.
h) If you............................ (come) to the meeting yesterday, you............................. (met)
Jane.

4) Complete these conditional sentences with a suitable form. Use conditional

types 0, 1, 3 and 3, and write next to each sentence which type of conditional is.

a) If I were you, ..................................... (marry) him.

b) If I had known, I............................... (lend) you my car.
c) .............................. (call) me if you are free?
d) Would you buy this car if you................................ (have) enough money?
e) I................................... (watch) the match if I have enough time.
f) If you............................ (turn) the tap, water pours.
g) If I get there on time, I............................ (call) you .
h) If you had worked hard, you............................. (be) promoted
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