Grammar

Complements, Phrases, & Clauses: Building Blocks of the Sentence
Complements
A complement is a word or group of words that completes the meaning begun by the subject or verb.
Five kinds: direct objects (DO), object complements (OC), indirect objects (IO), predicate nominatives (PN, and predicate adjectives (PA).
Three are affected by the action of the verb.
Predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives are both called subject complements.
Direct Objects
The direct object receives the action expressed by the verb or names the result of the action.

Examples:
1. She drank the soda.
2. I signed the check.
Object Complements
The object complement completes a reference and/or an implication suggested by the direct object of the clause. Object complements are most usually noun phrases or adjective phrases.

Examples
1. They elected her leader.
2. We find this music pleasant.
Indirect Objects
Indirect objects precede the direct object and tell to whom or what or for whom or what the action of the verb is done.

Examples:
My mom gave me a present.
Bob sent us the memo on Thursday.
Subject Complements
A subject complement is a word which follows a linking verb and refers to (renames or describes) the subject.

Two kinds: predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives

Predicate Nominatives
Predicate nominatives are nouns or pronouns.


Examples:
1. She is a secretary.
2. It was him.
Predicate Adjectives
Predicate adjectives are adjectives which modify the subject.

Examples:
She is pretty.
My dog is lazy.
Complements

Additional Pieces of the Puzzle:
PHRASES
A phrase is a group of related words that is used as a single part of speech and does NOT contain a verb and its subject.

TYPES: prepositional (adjective or adverb), verbals (participial, gerund, & infinitive), absolute, and appositive
Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and usually ends with a noun or pronoun.

Examples:
1. Please put the paper in the basket.
2. I found ten apples under the tree.

Prep. Phrases: Adjective or Adverb?
A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun is called an adjective phrase. An adjective phrase tells what kind(s), which one(s), or how many and generally follows the word it modifies.

Examples:
That girl in the car is my sister.
The disk on the table is his.
Prep. Phrases: Adjective or Adverb?
A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb is called an adverb phrase. An adverb phrase tells how, when, where, why, and to what extent (how long or how far).

Examples:
1. The pine tree was planted in the back yard.
2. I ran from the dog.
Practice: Adjective or Adverb?

Directions: Identify the prepositional phrase then determine if it
functions as an adjective or adverb phrase.

Judo has been called the gentle art of self-defense.
Answer: Adjective (answers the question what kind?)
No one at the council meeting understood the question.
Answer: Adjective (answers the question which ones?)
3. We should leave for the airport now.
Answer: Adverb (answers the question where?)
4. On Tuesday, two birds flew toward the nearby fields.
Answer: Adverb (when?) and Adverb (where?)
Here Come the Hybrids:
Verbals and Verbal Phrases
Verbals are called “hybrids” because they are part verb; but they do not act as verbs in a sentence, they act as other parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, and adverbs).
A verbal phrase is a group of related words that contains a verbal.

Three kinds: participles, gerunds and infinitives
Part This and Part That:
Participles and Participial Phrases
A participle is a verb form usually ending in –ing or -ed that acts as an ADJECTIVE.

Examples:
1. Running through the forest, the girl enjoyed the crisp air.
2. Swimming to the surface, the fish swallowed the worm.
Practice: Participles and Participial Phrases
Growing teenagers need nutritious diets.

2. Toby’s shirts, washed and pressed, were hanging
in the closet.

3. Just let sleeping dogs lie.

4. Shivering from the cold, Robert went directly to
the coffee pot and poured himself a large cup.

5. The frozen dinner thawed slowly on the counter.
The Jolly Gerund & Gerund Phrase
A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing that is used as a NOUN (can function as the subject, object of a preposition, direct object, indirect object, or predicate nominative).

A gerund phrase is a group of related words that includes the gerund.

Examples:
1. Swimming is my favorite thing to do in the summer. (Subject)
2. My favorite pastime is swimming. (PN)
3. I love swimming at the beach. (DO)
4. I am afraid of swimming in the ocean. (OP)
5. I give swimming all of my time and energy. (IO)
Practice: Jolly Gerunds
Directions: Identify the gerund or gerund phrase and how it
Functions in the sentence: S, OP, DO, IO, or PN.

Jogging up steep hills has increased my stamina.
Answer: Subject
Amy thought she could impress her boss by staying late.
Answer: Object of the Preposition “by”
My cat loves stretching after waking in the morning
Answer: Direct Object (DO), Object of the Preposition “before”
My favorite pastime is watching football.
Answer: Predicate Nominative (PN)
Give visiting Australia a second thought.
Answer: Indirect Object (IO)



To Be or Not to Be:
Infinitives and Infinitive Phrases
The good news: infinitives are easy to spot—usually. Infinitives are composed of TO + VERB (to go, to carry, to eat, etc.). Most of the time you will see infinitives used as NOUNS, but sometimes they crop up as ADJECTIVES OR ADVERBS.
An infinitive phrase is a group of related words that includes the infinitive.
Examples:
1. I would like to go to Europe. (Noun, acting as DO)
2. Harry was the first guy to marry. (Adj.—answers which?)
3. We come to bury Caesar. (Adv.—answers why?)
Practice: Infinitives
To err is human.

2. To achieve your goals, you must work hard.

3. She went to the store because there was nothing to do at home.

4. Their request to visit the new aquarium was granted.

5. To see an original print by Monet was awesome.
Noun + Noun = Appositives and Appositive Phrases
An appositive is a noun or pronoun placed beside another noun or pronoun to identify or describe it .
An appositive phrase is made up of an appositive and its modifiers.
Most of the time they are set apart from the rest of the sentence with commas, but if the appositive is necessary to the meaning of the sentence or is closely related to the word it follows, no commas are necessary
Examples:
1. Susan, the girl in the front row, is reading a book.
2. The movie Lord of the Rings is his favorite.
Phrases
Clauses
A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb which forms part of a sentence.
Independent or dependent (subordinate)
Three kinds: adjective, adverb, and noun
Independent and Dependent Clauses
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence.

A dependent clause or subordinate clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone.
Adjective Clauses
An adjective clause is a subordinate clause used as an adjective to modify a noun or a pronoun.
An adjective clause almost always begins with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, which, what, and that)
Examples:
1. The girl who is sitting in the front row is my best friend.
2. The car that is bright red is speeding.
Adverb Clauses
An adverb clause is a subordinate clause used as an adverb.

Examples:
1. When I smiled at him he waved.
2. Because she wakes up early, she is always on time.
Noun Clauses
A noun clause is a subordinate clause used as a noun.
Can be used as a subject, a complement, or an object of the preposition
Examples:
1. They asked who won.
2. My friend asked whoever was able to please stand.
Clauses


Questions???
Grammar Web Sites
http://englishplus.com/grammar/
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/
http://a4esl.org/q/j/
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/grammar

Grammar Books
Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar Usage (5th Ed.) By: Muriel Harris
The Writer’s Pocket Handbook By: Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz
Guide to Rapid Revision (8th Ed.) By: Daniel Pearlman and Paula Pearlman
English Grammar: Language as Human Behavior (2nd Ed.) By: Anita K. Barry
More Grammar Books
Painless Grammar By: Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.
Nitty-Gritty Grammar & More Nitty-Gritty Grammar By: Edith H. Fine & Judith P. Josephson
Essentials of English Grammar (2nd Ed.) By: L. Sue Baugh