Object Complement in English Grammar: Meaning, Definition, Types, Examples and Exercises

Complements play an important role in sentence construction because they provide additional information that makes a sentence complete and meaningful. Among the different kinds of complements in English grammar, object complements help explain, identify, rename, or describe the direct object of a sentence. They add extra information that would otherwise remain unclear or incomplete.

Object complements are often appear after verbs such as make, call, elect, find, keep, consider, name, appoint, and paint. Understanding object complements helps learners construct more precise sentences and avoid confusion between complements, modifiers, and objects. In this guide, you’ll learn the meaning, definition, identification rules, types, examples, and exercises on object complements in a simple and systematic manner.

Table of Contents

• What is an Object Complement? – Meaning and Definition
• How Do You Identify and Use Object Complements in Sentences?
• Examples of Object Complements
• Check Your Understanding of Object Complements
• Frequently Asked Questions on Object Complements in English Grammar

What is an Object Complement? – Meaning and Definition

Before learning how object complements function in sentences, it is important to understand their meaning and definition. An object complement is a word or group of words that provides additional information about the direct object of a sentence. It either describes the object, identifies it, renames it, or expresses the condition or state of the object after an action takes place.

In simple terms, an object complement answers questions such as:

• What is the object called?

• What has the object become?

• How is the object described?

For example:

• The class elected Ravi captain.

• The news made everyone happy.

In the first sentence, captain renames the object Ravi. In the second sentence, happy describes the condition of the object everyone.

According to traditional grammar, an object complement usually appears after the direct object and completes its meaning. Without the object complement, many sentences would feel incomplete or fail to communicate the intended idea clearly.

Object complements generally function as:

• Nouns

• Noun phrases

• Adjectives

• Adjective phrases

Understanding object complements makes it easier to analyse sentence structure and improve grammatical accuracy.

How Do You Identify and Use Object Complements in Sentences?

Now that you know what object complements are, the next step is learning how to identify and use them correctly. Object complements usually appear immediately after the direct object and provide information that directly relates to that object.

To identify an object complement, follow these steps:

Step 1: Find the main verb.

Example:

The committee appointed Meera president.

Verb: appointed

Step 2: Identify the direct object.

Object: Meera

Step 3: Look for the word that describes or renames the object.

Object complement: president

The sentence means that Meera became president.

Object complements generally occur after certain verbs known as factitive verbs. These verbs cause a change in the object or assign an identity to it.

Common verbs that take object complements include:

• Make

• Name

• Elect

• Consider

• Call

• Find

• Appoint

• Keep

• Paint

• Declare

Examples:

• They named their puppy Bruno.

• The manager appointed Sara team leader.

• Exercise keeps our body healthy.

• The jury found the accused guilty.

Object complements are important because they provide information that completes the meaning of the sentence and clarifies the relationship between the verb and its object.

Examples of Object Complements

After learning how to identify object complements, examining sentence examples makes their function much clearer. Object complements may appear in different forms, but they always provide additional information about the object.

Examples:

• They elected Raj captain.

• The coach made the players confident.

• We found the room empty.

• She painted the wall blue.

• The teacher called the assignment excellent.

• The company appointed Anita manager.

• Good habits keep children disciplined.

• Everyone considered the movie inspiring.

Notice that the words captain, confident, empty, blue, excellent, manager, disciplined, and inspiring all provide information about the direct objects that precede them.

Object complements often perform one of the following functions:

Renaming the object

• They elected Rahul president.

Describing the object's condition

• We found the baby asleep.

Indicating a change in state

• The artist painted the house white.

Understanding these examples helps learners recognise that object complements do not simply add extra details; they complete the meaning of the object itself.

Nouns as Object Complements

One of the most common types of object complements is the noun object complement. In this construction, the noun renames, identifies, or assigns a role to the direct object.

Examples:

• They named their dog Bruno.

• The company appointed Mr. Sharma director.

• We elected Maria secretary.

• The students chose Neha monitor.

• The board declared Dr. Singh chairman.

Consider this sentence:

They named their dog Bruno.

• Verb: named

• Object: dog

• Object complement: Bruno

The noun Bruno renames the object dog.

Noun object complements frequently indicate:

• Names

• Titles

• Positions

• Occupations

• Roles

Additional examples:

• The team selected Arjun captain.

• The family called the baby Arya.

• The committee appointed Mr. Gupta chairman.

Noun object complements are especially common in professional, educational, and formal contexts where people are assigned particular roles or titles.

Noun Phrases as Object Complements

Besides single nouns, complete noun phrases can also function as object complements. A noun phrase contains a noun and its modifiers and provides more detailed information about the object.

Examples:

• The students elected Srinath the school pupil leader.

• We nominated Ann the captain of the volleyball team.

• The company appointed Rohan the head of the research department.

• The committee selected Meera the best candidate for the position.

• The judges declared Arjun the winner of the competition.

Consider this example:

The company appointed Rohan the head of the research department.

Object: Rohan

Object complement: the head of the research department

The noun phrase renames and identifies Rohan's new role.

Noun phrase object complements are commonly used because they provide precise and complete information rather than using only a single noun. They are particularly useful in:

• Academic writing

• Business communication

• Official announcements

• Reports and articles

These constructions make sentences more informative and specific.

Adjectives as Object Complements

Adjectives frequently function as object complements by describing the condition, quality, or state of the direct object.

Examples:

• Talking back makes my parents angry.

• Taking breaks keeps your mind fresh.

• The news made everyone excited.

• The teacher found the assignment impressive.

• The long journey left us exhausted.

Consider this sentence:

The news made everyone excited.

Object: everyone

Object complement: excited

The adjective describes the condition of the object after the action occurred.

Adjective object complements are commonly used with verbs such as:

• Make

• Keep

• Find

• Leave

• Consider

• Render

Examples:

• The heavy rain left the roads slippery.

• Good sleep keeps us energetic.

• The coach found the players confident.

Adjective object complements make sentences more expressive by clearly showing how an action affects the object.

Check Your Understanding of Object Complements

Identify the object complement in each sentence and mention whether it is a noun, noun phrase, or adjective.

1. They elected Kabir president.

2. The teacher found the classroom empty.

3. We considered the project successful.

4. The committee appointed Riya the cultural secretary.

5. The rain made the roads dangerous.

6. The company named him Employee of the Year.

7. Exercise keeps the body active.

8. The judges declared her the winner of the contest.

9. The incident left everyone shocked.

10. The students elected Mohit class representative.

Answers

1. president – Noun

2. empty – Adjective

3. successful – Adjective

4. the cultural secretary – Noun Phrase

5. dangerous – Adjective

6. Employee of the Year – Noun Phrase

7. active – Adjective

8. the winner of the contest – Noun Phrase

9. shocked – Adjective

10. class representative – Noun Phrase

These exercises help learners identify both the form and function of object complements within sentences.