complextransitive

Complex transitive is a term in linguistics describing a class of transitive verbs that take not only a direct object but also an additional predicative complement that identifies or describes that object, or expresses the result of the action. In sentence structure, this yields a pattern roughly described as subject–verb–direct object–object complement (S V DO OC). The object complement can be a noun phrase or an adjective phrase.

Common examples illustrate the idea. They elected him president. Here the direct object is him, and president functions as a predicative complement identifying the resulting role. The painter painted the door red uses red as an adjective complement expressing the result state. Other verbs that frequently occur in complex-transitive constructions include name, appoint, consider, deem, and regard, as in They named her captain or We considered the plan impractical.

The object complement is typically closely tied to the verb’s meaning and can be obligatory for certain senses or optional for others, especially when the verb conveys cause-and-result or categorization. Passivization often preserves the object complement, as in The president was elected by the committee, where president remains part of the predicate.

A related distinction is with ditransitive verbs, which take two objects (direct and indirect), rather than a single object plus a predicative complement. Complex transitive constructions are discussed in many grammars of English and are also analyzed in cross-linguistic work, where languages vary in how the object complement is expressed and integrated into the clause.

See also: resultative constructions, object predication, ditransitive verbs.