verbcomplement

A verb complement is an element that completes the meaning of a verb, forming part of the predicate of a clause. In many languages, verbs do not express a complete proposition on their own and require an additional following element—such as a noun phrase, a clause, or an adjective—to convey a full idea. Complements contrast with adjuncts, which are optional modifiers that add circumstances like time, manner, or degree.

Common types of verb complements in English include direct objects, indirect objects, predicative (or object) complements, and clause or infinitival complements. Direct objects receive the action of transitive verbs as in eat an apple. Indirect objects indicate to whom or for whom something is done, as in give John a book. Predicative complements follow certain verbs (often called result or object complements), as in They elected him president or The painter made the wall red, where the complement identifies or describes the object.

Clause complements are subordinate clauses that complete the verb’s meaning, including that-clauses like She said that she was tired, or infinitival clauses like I want to go, and can also be gerund clauses like I enjoy reading. Copular or linking verbs such as be, seem, or become take a predicative complement that describes or renames the subject, as in The sky is blue or He became an engineer.

The concept is central to discussions of valency and subcategorization in linguistics. Verbs differ in how many and which kinds of complements they require, with some verbs being intransitive (no complement), others transitive (direct object), and still others ditransitive (direct and indirect objects) or selecting clause or infinitival complements. The exact distribution of complements can vary across languages and grammatical frameworks.