EVERYTHING (ALMOST) YOU WANTED TO KNOW (WHO WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS STUFF?), BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK. I am totally html inept, but will do my best to keep this blog supplied with plenty of syntax junk. The main aim here is to help my students (my future colleagues, in fact) come to grips with the syntax of English, even if they can't stand it.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

CORRELATIVE COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

The main correlative coordinators are:

Either…or, / both…and, / neither…nor

The first element of these three correlatives (either, both, neither) determines the function—alternative, addition or negative addition—, while the second element (or, and, nor) contains ellipsis.

a)Either…or (EXCLUSION / ALTERNATIVE)

This correlative is extremely common in English and has the most flexibility in terms of positioning.

e.g. INITIAL POSITION - EITHER YOU SMOKED A CIGAR OR A FRENCH CIGARETTE.
- The subject and verb “you smoked” is the same for “cigar” and “French cigarette“ (Either you smoked a cigar or "you smoked" a French cigarette).

This is very common when the predicates (verb and complement/object) are equal for the subjects:

e.g. EITHER BOB OR PETER SMOKED A CIGAR.
- The predicate “smoked a cigar” is the same for “Peter” and “Bob“ (Either Bob "smoked a cigar" or Peter smoked a cigar).

Still, it may be used prior to the predicate when the subject is the same in the two independent ideas.

e.g. PRIOR TO VERB - YOU EITHER SMOKED A CIGAR OR A FRENCH CIGARETTE.
- The subject and verb “you smoked” is the same for “cigar” and “French cigarette“ (You either smoked a cigar or "you smoked" a French cigarette).

This can be prior to a verb or an auxiliary verb:

e.g. YOU EITHER CAN STAY OR GO.
- The subject and auxiliary verb “you can” is the same for the verb “stay” and “go“ (You either can stay or "you can" go).

Still, it may be used prior to the object/complement when the subject and the verb are the same in the two independent ideas.

e.g. POST-VERB POSITION - YOU SMOKED EITHER A CIGAR OR A FRENCH CIGARETTE.
b) both…and (ADDITION)

When adding two ideas, this correlative is extremely handy.

e.g. INITIAL POSITION - BOTH SHIRLEY AND GAIL BROUGHT A PAVLOVA TO THE PARTY.
- The predicate “brought a Pavlova to the party” is equal for the subjects “Shirley” and “Gail” (Shirley "brought a Pavlova to the party" and Gail brought a Pavlova to the party).

e.g. POST-VERB POSITION - SHIRLEY BROUGHT BOTH PAVLOVA AND JELLO TO THE PARTY.
- The subject and verb “Shirley bought” is the same for the objects “Pavlova” and “jello” (Shirley brought pavlova and "Shirley brought" jello to the party).

Although not so common in English, this correlative can be placed prior to the verb.

e.g. PRIOR TO VERB - GAIL BOTH DANCED AND DRANK AT THE PARTY.
- The subject “Gail” is the same for the verbs “danced” and “drank” (Gail danced at the party and "Gail" drank at the party).

c) Neither…nor (NEGATIVE ADDITION)

Considered a little formal in English nowadays, this correlative is only used for negative addition.

When the predicates (verb and complement) are equal for the subjects, the initial position is common.

e.g. INITIAL POSITION - NEITHER YOU NOR I ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAIN.
- The predicate “to be responsible for the rain” is the same for “you” and “I” (I am NOT responsible for the rain and you "are NOT responsible for the rain").

This PRIOR TO VERB POSITION (and the POST-VERB POSITION) will invoke the use of an inversion* if the verb is repeated.

e.g. YOU CAN NEITHER BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAIN, NOR CAN YOU BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE THUNDER.
- The repetition of the verb structure “can be held” AFTER the negative coordinator “nor” invokes the use of an inversion (auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, like a question format).

However, when possible, ellipsis is more common.

e.g. YOU CAN NEITHER BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAIN, NOR THE THUNDER.
- The subject and predicate “You can not be responsible” is the same for “the rain” and “the thunder” (“You can not be responsible for” is in ellipsis).

e.g. POST-VERB POSITION - IT RAINS NEITHER HARD, NOR DOES IT RAIN SOFTLY.
- The repetition of the verb structure “it rains” AFTER the negative coordinator “nor” invokes the use of an inversion (auxiliary verb is placed before the subject, like a question format).

e.g. NO VERB REPETITION - IT RAINS NEITHER HARD NOR SOFTLY.

There are other correlative conjunctions:

e.g. I DIDN’T WANT TO HURT YOU, BUT (RATHER) HELP YOU.
- "no(t)…but (rather)" shows ALTERNATIVE

e.g. SHE NOT ONLY SUED HER HUSBAND, BUT ALSO GOT CUSTODY OF THE CHILDREN.
- "not only…but also" shows ADDITION

* Inversions are common when this correlative is used in the initial position.

e.g. INITIAL POSITION - NOT ONLY DID* SHE SUE HER HUSBAND, BUT SHE ALSO GOT CUSTODY OF THE KIDS.

ELLIPSIS

One of the reasons the English language is so economical is the use of ellipsis. This technique is used only in coordination and is a very versatile tool for fine-tuning the language.

Ellipsis in English has a broad spectrum of possibilities, including ellipsis of the subject, auxiliaries, verbs, subject complements, direct objects, whole predicates (verb and complement), and even adverbials.

The main point to remember about ellipsis is that it can only be used for elements that are repeated in all coordinated clauses of a sentence.

e.g. THE FACTORY WORKERS, THE ADMINISTRATION STAFF AND ALL MEMBERS OF MANAGEMENT FILED A SUIT AGAINST THE COMPANY FOR DEFAULTING ON SALARIES.
- “filed a suit against the company for defaulting on salaries” is in ellipsis in the first and second clauses.

Without ellipsis, the sentence becomes long-winded and excessively repetitive.

THE FACTORY WORKERS FILED A SUIT AGAINST THE COMPANY FOR DEFAULTING ON SALARIES, THE ADMINISTRATION STAFF FILED A SUIT AGAINST THE COMPANY FOR DEFAULTING ON SALARIES, AND ALL MEMBERS OF MANAGEMENT FILED A SUIT AGAINST THE COMPANY FOR DEFAULTING ON SALARIES.

e.g. ITALIAN FOOD IS RICH, BUT NOT SO SPICY.
- “Italian food is” is in ellipsis in the second clause.
- Italian food is rich, but "Italian food" is not so spicy.

CONFUSION: If there is a possibility that ellipsis may cause confusion, it is not possible.

e.g. HE SENT INVITATIONS TO HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, BUT DIDN’T R.S.V.P.

HE SENT INVITATIONS TO HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, BUT "THEY" DIDN’T R.S.V.P.

Ellipsis in the first example above caused confusion regarding who didn’t reply ("he" or "those receiving the invitations").

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS

There are 3 main coordinating conjunctions:

AND BUT OR

Coordinating conjunctions are mainly used in compound syndetic sentences to link (coordinate) two or more independent ideas, as well as for the purpose of ellipsis (omission of terms to avoid unnecessary repetition). By using coordinating conjunctions this way, sentences are made shorter for objectivity. Grammarians argue over whether there is true ellipsis or mere joining of certain terms.

e.g. JOHN AND PETER DANCED THE TANGO.

This could be interpreted as “John danced the tango and Peter danced the tango”, thus proving the use of AND for ellipsis. However, this may be interpreted as the simple joining of two nouns, “John and Peter”. This may indicate that John and peter danced together. In syntax, this would then be considered a compound subject.

Others words may be used as coordinating conjunctions:

e.g. PRICING BABIES SOUNDS ODD, BUT IT IS BECOMING MORE COMMON WHEN PLANNING A FAMILY.
- “but” joins two independent clauses, but shows an idea of contrast between them
- The independent clause “Pricing babies sounds odd” is linked to the other independent clause “it is becoming more common”.

In the example above, “yet” could substitute the coordinating conjunction “but”. It (yet) would work as a coordinating conjunction for contrast, despite the fact that it is generally defined as an adverb. Other words that can function as coordinating conjunctions include: as well as, however, in addition to, together with, therefore, nor, while etc.

Coordinating conjunctions can only link ideas of equal nature (2+ nouns, 2+ verbs, 2+ clauses, 2+ phrases, 2+ dependent clauses, 2+ appositives etc). This connection is known as syndetic:

e.g. I LIKE PLAYING GOLF AND SOCCER.
- The noun “golf” is linked (coordinated) to the other noun “soccer” by the coordinating conjunction “and” (two nouns/direct objects are coordinated).

Another interpretation is that “I like playing” is in ellipsis in the second sentence, that is:

e.g. I LIKE PLAYING GOLF AND I LIKE PLAYING SOCCER.
Coordination is used for ellipsis to avoid such tiresome repetition (two clauses are coordinated).

Recalling that coordinating conjunctions can only link ideas of equal nature, in the first example two nouns were coordinated. In the second example, two clauses were coordinated.

e.g. IF TRAINEES WERE ALLOWED AND IF THEY KNEW WHAT TO DO, WE COULD GIVE THIS TASK AND OTHER NASTY JOBS TO THEM.
- The two dependent clauses “If trainees were allowed” and “if they knew what to do” are linked by the coordinating conjunction “and”.
- The two noun phrases (two direct objects) “this task” and “other nasty jobs” are linked by the coordinating conjunction “and”

e.g. THE EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE, COMPUTER MONITORS AND KEYBOARDS, WAS BEING SOLD AT VERY REASONABLE PRICES.
- The two appositives "computer monitors" and "keyboards" are linked by the coordinating conjunction "and".

e.g. THE JANITOR, THE CARETAKER, THE DOORMAN OR THE SUPERVISOR WILL HAVE TO COVER FOR THE GARAGE ATTENDANT NEXT WEEK.
- The noun phrase (subject) "the supervisor" is coordinated to the previous three noun phrases (also subjects).

SYNDETIC – common use of coordinators

In English, SYNDETIC coordination is possible when there are two ideas, but not so common if there are more than two. With three or more coordinated ideas, it is more common to apply an ASYNDETIC structure with a coordinator between the last two elements.

e.g. WE WENT TO PARIS AND MOSCOW. SYNDETIC USE
WE WENT TO PARIS AND MOSCOW AND STOCKHOLM. NOT COMMON*
WE WENT TO PARIS, MOSCOW AND STOCKHOLM. ASYNDETIC

* This is excessive use of coordinators in English. Young children often speak this way. “Today we played soccer and we painted flowers and we fed the rabbits and we went to mall and we had lunch at McDonalds and we…etc”. This is not desirable in English, especially written English.

ASYNDETIC – used to avoid using coordinators

This is more common in English due to the pure objectivity of the language. In sentences with more than 2 ideas, rather than repeat the coordinating conjunction, it is more common to use commas, semi-colons and full colons to shorten (see explanation of ELLIPSIS) ideas.

e.g. ASYNDETIC - Goulash is a Hungarian dish that contains paprika, sour cream, pepper, salt, curry and meat.
SYNDETIC - Goulash is a Hungarian dish that contains paprika and contains sour cream and contains pepper and contains salt and contains curry and contains meat.
The SYNDETIC example above shows the excessive use of the coordinator “and”, which, when used correctly, is referred to as POLYSUNDETIC (see below). In this case, an ASYNDETIC form is less repetitive and more objective.

POLYSYNDETIC

This is the excessive, but CORRECT USE of a syndetic structure (coordinators) aimed at causing an effect, usually of excessiveness (repetition, continuity etc.).

e.g. He just talks and talks and talks. (Non-stop talking)
The movie went on and on and on. (The movie was very long)
They always want ice cream or chips or to go to the park or to watch TV. (They always want something)

COMPOUND SENTENCES

Compound sentences are made up of at least two simple sentences. There must be at least two independent ideas, that is, independent clauses. A compound sentence occurs when independent clauses are linked by coordinating conjunctions.

e.g. I HAD THE SAME IDEA, BUT I DIDN’T WRITE IT DOWN.
- "I had the same idea" is an independent clause
- "I didn’t write it down" is an independent clause

Coordinating conjunctions are not included, that is, are not considered part of the simple sentences that constitute a compound sentence. They merely link two simple sentences, forming a compound sentence.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

Adjective clauses can be considered “big adjectives”, that is, they do the same thing as adjectives—modify nouns—, but have a verb. Although not always the case, relative pronouns are very commonly used in adjective clauses.

e.g. THE WOMAN WHO I MARRIED IS MAGIC.
- “who I married” is a group of words with a verb (clause) that qualifies “The woman” (noun phrase). Therefore, it is a clause modifying a noun, or an adjective clause.

There are two types of adjective clauses: Non-restrictive (Non-defining) and Restrictive (Defining).

NON-RESTRICTIVE ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES)

These clauses merely add extra information, which is not necessarily needed. Therefore, they are usually separated by (or between) commas, as if the adjective clauses could be removed from the sentence, without affecting the meaning.

e.g. THE MOON, WHICH IS MADE OF GREEN CHEESE, IS FULL TONIGHT.
- As “the moon” is a noun phrase that is quite specific in itself, it is not necessary to restrict its meaning. “Which is made of green cheese” can be removed from the sentence without affecting the central idea of the main clause (The moon is full tonight).

e.g. MADONNA, WHO IS MARRIED TO GUY RITCHIE, HAS RECORDED ANOTHER ALBUM.
- Since "Madonna” is a clear noun (that is, everyone thinks of the same person when they hear this), there is no need to restrict the meaning. “Who is married to Guy Ritchie” can be removed from the sentence without affecting the central idea of the main clause (Madonna has recorded another album).

e.g. ZOOMP, WHERE STANLEY SHOPS, SELLS DESIGNER CLOTHES.
- As the name of the store “Zoomp” is very clear and difficult to confuse with another store (in this case), it is not necessary to restrict its meaning. “Where Stanley shops” can be removed from the sentence without affecting the central idea of the main clause (Zoomp sells designer clothes).

e.g. INDUSTRIAL SECTORS, THAT DEPENDED ON RAW MATERIALS FOR PRODUCTION, HAVE UNDERGONE MAJOR CHANGES THE LOGISTICS OF THEIR BUSINESSES.
- This sentence leads us to believe that ALL industrial sectors have undergone major changes the logistics of their businesses. The presence of commas leads us to understand that “that depended on raw materials for production” is extra information (a non-restrictive adjective clause). Therefore, it can be removed without affecting the central idea of the main clause (Industrial sectors have undergone major changes the logistics of their businesses). Thus, we understand that ALL industrial sectors have undergone major changes the logistics of their businesses.

NB: Commas are used in non-restrictive clauses to show the “removability” of the information that follows (or that is in between them).

RESTRICTIVE ADJECTIVE CLAUSES (DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES)

Restrictive clauses, as the name suggests, aim at limiting the broad meaning of the noun. That is, they provide information that is aimed at being more specific in relation to the noun they modify. Because the noun is vague or not specific, the adjective clause helps to identify or give specifics about the noun. If removed, the meaning of the sentence will suffer a change.

e.g. THE EXAM THAT WE DID YESTERDAY WAS TOUGH.
- “that we did yesterday” restricts (limits) the broad idea of “The exam”. Of all the exams I could be referring to, I refer only to that one we did yesterday. Without restricting “the exam”, we are unsure of which exam “was tough”.

e.g. THE WOMAN WHO IS STANDING NEXT TO YOUR NIECE IS MY SISTER-IN-LAW.
- “who is standing next to your niece” restricts (limits) the broad idea of “The woman”. Of all the sisters-in-law I could be referring to, I refer only to that one who is standing next to your niece. Without restricting “the woman”, we are unsure which woman “is my sister-in-law”.

e.g. THE HOUSE WHOSE ROOF WAS DAMAGED HAS NOW BEEN REPAIRED.
- “whose roof was damaged” restricts (limits) the broad idea of “The house”. Of all the houses I could be referring to, I refer only to that one whose roof was damaged. Without restricting “the house”, we are unsure which house “has now been repaired”.

e.g. THE CITY WHERE I GREW UP IS THE THIRD LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
- “where I grew up” restricts (limits) the broad idea of “The city”. Of all the cities I could be referring to, I refer only to that one where I grew up. Without restricting “the city”, we are unsure which city “is the third largest in the world”.
NB: The word "where", in this specific case, is working as a relative pronoun. Not always does it work as a relative pronoun. Here it is referring back to the noun phrase "the city" and thus modifies it.

e.g. THE INFORMATION THAT I GOT WAS VERY HUSH-HUSH.
- “that I got” restricts (limits) the broad idea of “The information”. Of all the information I could be referring to, I refer only to that information that I got. Without restricting “the information”, we are unsure which information “was very hush-hush”.

NB: No commas should be used in restrictive adjective clauses, as removal of the restrictive clause is not recommended.

COMMAS IN ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

Sometimes, placing commas--a fact that will change a restrictive clause to a non-restrictive clause--is often open to interpretation.

e.g. THE SUPERMARKETS, THAT OFFER DISCOUNTS, ARE EXTREMELY CROWDED.
- The presence of commas in the example above leads us to believe that all supermarkets are extremely crowded, that is, as “that offer discounts” is extra information (a non-restrictive adjective clause), it can be removed without affecting the central idea of the main clause (The supermarkets are extremely crowded). Thus, we understand that ALL supermarkets are crowded.

e.g. THE SUPERMARKETS THAT OFFER DISCOUNTS ARE EXTREMELY CROWDED.
- The lack of commas in the above example leads us to believe that only some supermarkets are extremely crowded, that is, as “that offer discounts” is specific, limiting information (a restrictive adjective clause), it cannot be removed without affecting the central idea of the main clause. Thus, we understand that ONLY the supermarkets that offer discounts are extremely crowded.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

FINITE VS. NON-FINITE

FINITE

If a verb is finite, it has been conjugated, that is, it shows time (past, present, future) and person (1st, 2nd, 3rd, singular or plural). It is also (usually) accompanied by a subject.

e.g. THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN A HUMP-BACK WHALE.
- "have never seen" – time (tense): present perfect / person: 3rd person plural
- "They" – subject

The fact that a verb is in the finite form has nothing to do with its type. That is, monotransitive, ditransitive, complex transitive, intransitive and linking verbs can all be put into the finite form.

NON-FINITE (REDUCED)

If a verb is non-finite, it is not conjugated, that is, it does NOT show time NOR person. It can only appear in one of the following four forms: infinitive, gerund (present participle), past participle or bare infinitive. It is NOT usually accompanied by a subject. Non-finite verbs are never the main verb.

e.g. WHILE SIGNING THE APPLICATION FORM, SHE REALIZED SHE HAD LEFT HER CV AT HOME.
- "realized" - time (tense): simple past; person: 3rd person singular (main verb); "she" is the subject = FINITE
- "had left" - time (tense): past perfect; person: 3rd person singular; "she" is the subject = FINITE
- "signing" – no time (tense); no person; gerund form; no subject = NON-FINITE

e.g. NOT TO SEND A REPLY WOULD BE RUDE.
- "Not to send" – no time (tense); no person; infinitive form; no subject = NON-FINITE
- "would be" - time (tense): past perfect; person: 3rd person singular (main verb); a reply is the subject = FINITE
NB: Negative infinitives should place the word "NOT" before the entire ‘to-infinitive’, and not separating the ‘to’ from the verb.

e.g. THEY MADE THE GIRL CRY.
- "made" - time (tense): simple past; person: 3rd person plural (main verb); "they" is the subject = FINITE
- "cry" - no time (tense); no person; bare infinitive form; no subject = NON-FINITE

e.g. THE COLORS MIXED WITH GLITTER SHONE BRIGHTLY.
- "shone" - time (tense): simple past; person: 3rd person plural (main verb); "the colors" is the subject = FINITE
- "mixed" - no time (tense); no person; past participle form; no subject = NON-FINITE

NB: The past participle form often has an idea of passive voice.

e.g. THE COLORS (THAT WERE) MIXED WITH GLITTER SHONE BRIGHTLY.
- "that were mixed" is the passive voice. This is an adjective clause that describes "the colors".

INTRANSITIVE VERB

Somewhat easier to identify than transitive verbs, intransitive verbs do not require an object nor a subject complement. A clause with an intransitive verb only requires a subject and the verb, however, an adverbial idea is sometimes needed to complete the idea.

e.g. THE STUDENTS HAVE READ A LOT THIS YEAR.
- "a lot" is an adverbial idea of quantity.
- "this year" is an adverbial idea of time.
- There is no object for the verb "read".
NB: "read" can be a transitive verb, but in the example above it is intransitive.

e.g. MY PARCEL HAS FINALLY ARRIVED.
- "arrived" does not require an object.

e.g. THE PARTICIPANTS RAN A TOTAL OF 42 KILOMETERS.
- "a total of 42 kilometers" is an adverbial idea of quantity.
- "run" does not require an object.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

OBJECT COMPLEMENT

As the name suggests, this syntax element complements an object. It is always located after the object (postmodifier) and can be a noun, noun phrase, noun clause, adjective or adjective phrase.

As this syntax element complements objects, it is necessary for the verb to be a transitive verb (in fact, the verb is considered a CXTV).

A way to CHECK if the element following the object is an OBJECT COMPLEMENT is to form a separate sentence using the object and the supposed complement with the verb "to be". If this is possible, then the supposed complement is in fact the OBJECT COMPLEMENT.

e.g. THE CRITICS FOUND THE MOVIE DREARY.
- "dreary" (adjective) complementing the object "the movie".
- CHECK: "The movie is dreary" - This confirms that the adjective dreary is working as an OBJECT COMPLEMENT in the example.
- The verb "find", in this specific case, is a CXTV.

e.g. THEY MADE HIM SELL HIS CAR.
- "sell his car" (noun clause reduced by bare infinitive) complementing the object "him".
CHECK: "He is selling his car" - Despite the modification, this confirms that the noun clause "sell his car" is working as an OBJECT COMPLEMENT in the example.
- The verb "make", in this specific case, is a CXTV.

e.g. HER PARENTS NAMED HER BERNICE, BUT EVERYONE CALLED HER BIG BERNIE.
- "Bernice" (noun) complementing the object "her" (first clause).
- "Big Bernie" (noun phrase) complementing the object "her" (second clause).
CHECK: "She is Bernice" / "She is Big Bernie" - Despite the modification, this confirms that the noun "Bernice" and the noun phrase "Big Bernie" are working as OBJECT COMPLEMENTS in the example.
- The verbs "name" and "call", in this specific case, are CXTVs.

e.g. MARKETING MADE THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE VERY POPULAR.
- "very popular" (adjective phrase) complementing the object "the suspension bridge".
CHECK: "The suspension bridge is very popular" - This confirms that the adjective phrase "very popular" is working as an OBJECT COMPLEMENT in the example.
- The verb "make", in this specific case, is a CXTV.

SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS

In English there are many types of complements. The main thing to remember is that a complement completes an idea, whether it is a phrase, a clause or a word.

SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

While transitive verbs require an object, linking verbs can require a subject complement. The subject complement does exactly what the name suggests, it complements (completes) the subject, giving it a quality or a name.

e.g. SHE WAS EXHAUSTED.
- "Exhausted" gives a quality to the subject (she = exhausted)

e.g. THE PUNCH SMELLS STRANGE.
- "Strange" gives a quality to the subject (the punch = strange)

e.g. THEIR DEPARTMENT BECAME THE CENTRAL AREA FOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
- "The central area for customer relations" gives its subject a name.

ADJECTIVES (QUALITY) AS SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS

When a complement gives a subject a quality, it is usually an adjective, or an adjective phrase.

e.g. HER VOICE SOUNDED EXTREMELY MODERN.
- "Extremely modern" gives a quality to the subject (her voice = extremely modern)

e.g. MY SON SEEMED LONELY.
- "Lonely" gives a quality to the subject (my son = lonely)

e.g. THE WAKE WAS GHASTLY.
- "Ghastly" gives a quality to the subject (the wake = ghastly)

e.g. THE SUBTITLES WERE OUT OF SYNC.
- "Out of sync" gives a quality to the subject (the subtitles = out of sync)

NOUNS (NAMES) AS SUBJECT COMPLEMENTS

When a complement gives a subject a name, it is usually a noun, a noun phrase or a noun clause. In the three examples below, all subject complements can be substituted for a simple noun (e.g. this, these, it, them, John, Sally etc).

e.g. FIRECRACKERS CAN BE WEAPONS.
- "Weapons" = "these" (noun).

e.g. OUR FILING CABINET IS A HUGE, STEEL-GRAY MONSTROSITY.
- "a huge, steel-gray monstrosity" = "this" (noun phrase).

e.g. THE QUESTION IS HOW MUCH DO WE PAY.
- "how much do we pay" = "this" (noun clause).

IMPORTANT

Adverbs are not subject complements.

e.g. SHE APPEARED IN THE DOORWAY.
- "in the doorway" refers to a place. It is not qualifying "she".