complement

Definition:

A word or word group that completes the predicate in a sentence. The two kinds of complements are subject complements (which follow the verb be and other linking verbs) and object complements (which follow a direct object). If it identifies the subject, the complement is a noun or pronoun; if it describes the subject, the complement is an adjective. Complements are required to complete the verb, in contrast to modifiers, which are optional. See also: Complement and Compliment.

Etymology:

From the Latin, "to fill out"

Examples and Observations:

• "Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality."
  (Jules de Gaultier)



• "Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke."
  (Lynda Barry)



• "Well, spring sprang. Thanks, Gaia. Much obliged. I guess it's time to get back to that daily routine of living we like to call normal."
  (Northern Exposure, 1991)



• "Libel actions, when we look at them in perspective, are an ornament of a civilized society."
  (Henry Anatole Grunwald)



• "The word 'complement' is also used in a wider sense. We often need to add something to a verb, noun, or adjective to complete its meaning. If somebody says I want, we expect to hear what he or she wants; the words the need obviously don't make sense alone; after hearing I'm interested, we may need to be told what the speaker is interested in. Words and expressions which 'complete' the meaning of a verb, noun, or adjective are also called 'complements.'
  
  • I want a drink, and then I want to go home.
  • Does she understand the need for secrecy?
  • I'm interested in learning to fly.
  Many verbs can be followed by noun complements or -ing forms with no preposition ('direct objects'). But nouns and adjectives normally need prepositions to join them to noun or -ing form complements."
  (Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, Oxford University Press, 1995)

Pronunciation: KOM-pli-ment