The Grammar Dogs present…
Objective
Complements
Subject-Verb-Direct Object
 The d.o. is always a noun
 The d.o. will always follow an action verb- an action
that you can do to someone or to something
 The d.o. will answer the question WHO or WHAT
 The d.o. will NEVER be in a prepositional phrase
(cross them out!)
Keep practicing!
 The girl in the pink sweater is also wearing
a fuzzy white scarf around her neck.
 The principal of the school cancelled school
on the Friday before Spring Break at the last
moment on Thursday.
 My dog eats her food from a glass bowl on
the floor in the kitchen and drinks her water
from a metal bowl on the floor by the glass
bowl.
Indirect Objects!
 There must be a direct object
 Therefore, there must be an action verb
 The indirect object will always come BEFORE the d.o.
 The indirect object answers the questions TO WHOM,
TO WHAT, or FOR WHOM
 The i.o. is NEVER in a prep phrase
 The i.o. is ALWAYS a noun
Verbs commonly used with
indirect objects:
 SEND
 LEND
 BRING
 GIVE
S-V-IO-DO
 The dog brought me
his bone.
 I gave him a treat.
 I sent my cousin a
photo of my dog.
Examples:
 Kevin sent Kailey a rose for her birthday.
 Scotty lent me five dollars for lunch.
 Adam brought his teacher an apple on
Monday.
 Can you give your mother a message for
me?
Indirect Objects
Indirect Objects can be rephrased as prepositional
phrases after the direct object:
 The dog brought his bone to me. (prep phrase)
 The dog brought me his bone. (indirect object)
 I sent a photo of my dog to my cousin. (prep ph.)
 I sent my cousin a photo of my dog. (indirect
object)
The Objective
Complement
 An objective complement is an adjective or
a noun that appears with a direct object and
describes or renames it.
 These do not occur often.
Object Complements
Object Complements can either be nouns or
adjectives. They restate the direct object.
 I made my dog angry. (angry = adjective)
 I consider my dog a good companion.
(companion = noun)
Rules
 Objective
complements do not
occur often.
 They are used only
with the following
verbs:
 Appoint
 Name
 Make
 Think
 Call
More rules
 An objective complement can only be found
in a sentence with a direct object.
 To determine if a word is an objective
complement, say the verb and the direct
object, then ask What?
S-V-DO-OC
 The girl named her
dog Bingo.
 The girl considered
her dog intelligent.
Examples
 Ben called his dog Rover.
(Called his dog what?)
 The beautician made Anne s hair short and
curly.
(made Anne s hair what?)
Recognizing the OC
 The neighborhood bully considered Martin
a bully.
 A card for Father s Day makes my dad very
happy.
 That pleasant woman called me kind and
helpful.
 Mr. Fenston thinks other people obstinate.
 John s uncle makes everyone welcome.
 Her friends nominated Jane president.
 The ointment made the wound less red and sore.
 Impulsively, she painted the doors to the
dining room pink.
 The boss appointed Ms. Brady chairwoman.
 Such experiences make life worthwhile.