Subject Complement in English

This grammatical concept of the subject complement may sound confusing at first, but once you understand its role in sentence structure, you will be able to use it well in your writing and speech. In this reference, we will explore what a subject complement is, its types, and provide examples of subject complement in sentences.

What is a Subject Complement?

A subject complement is a part of a sentence that follows a linking verb and serves to describe or identify the subject of the sentence. In simpler terms, it is a word or phrase that complements the subject and provides more information about it. The linking verb acts as a bridge between the subject and the subject complement.

Examples of linking verbs include "be," "become," "seem," "appear," and "feel." These verbs do not show action but instead connect the subject to the subject complement. For instance, in the sentence, "He is a doctor," the linking verb "is" connects the subject "he" to the subject complement "doctor."

Role of Subject Complement in Sentence Structure

Subject complements play an essential role in sentence structure as they provide additional information about the subject. They can help to clarify a sentence's meaning and make it more precise. Subject complements can be either predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives.

Types of Subject Complement

There are two types of subject complements:

Predicate Nominative

A predicate nominative is a noun/pronoun which follows our linking verb and renames or identifies the subject. It is called "predicate" because it comes after the verb, and "nominative" because it is in the nominative case.

For example, in the sentence, "She is a teacher," the linking verb "is" connects the subject "she" to the predicate nominative "teacher." Another example is, "My favorite color is blue." Here the linking verb "is" connects the subject "my favorite color" to the predicate nominative "blue."

Predicate Adjective

A predicate adjective comes after linking verbs and describes our subject. It is called "predicate" because it comes after the verb, and "adjective" because it is an adjective.

For instance, in the sentence, "The food smells delicious," the linking verb "smells" connects the subject "food" to the predicate adjective "delicious." Another example is, "He seems happy today." Here the linking verb "seems" connects the subject "he" to the predicate adjective "happy."

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Examples of Subject Complement in Sentences

Here are some examples of subject complement in sentences:

• She became a lawyer. (Predicate Nominative)
• The flowers smell wonderful. (Predicate Adjective)
• He looks tired. (Predicate Adjective)
• The cake tastes delicious. (Predicate Adjective)
• The book is heavy. (Predicate Adjective)
• She seems happy. (Predicate Adjective)
• My sister became a doctor. (Predicate Nominative)
• The sky looks beautiful tonight. (Predicate Adjective)

Subject Complement vs Object Complement

It is important to distinguish between subject complement and object complement as they serve different purposes in a sentence. While a subject complement describes or identifies the subject of a sentence, an object complement describes or identifies the object.

For example, in the sentence, "We elected her president," the pronoun "her" is the object of the verb "elected," and "president" is the object complement. In contrast, in the sentence, "She is a doctor," "doctor" is the predicate nominative that complements the subject "she."

Summary

A subject complement is a part of a sentence that follows a linking verb and describes or identifies the subject. It can be either a predicate nominative or predicate adjective. Subject complements provide additional information about the subject and help to clarify a sentence's meaning. Once you get used to seeing them in sentences, you should find it very easy to enrich your language with this fun construct!