Verbs of incomplete predication
Complete linking verbs and verbs like make or elect with a complement.
Some verbs, like sleep or arrive, make sense alone. Others, like seem or become, leave the listener waiting for more. This lesson shows how to complete them.
A verb of incomplete predication is a verb that needs a word or phrase, called a complement, to complete its meaning.
Examples
- The sky became dark before the storm.
- My uncle is a retired banker.
- These mangoes smell sweet.
- The club elected Tanvi secretary.
- The long wait made the children cranky.
How it works
Something is missing
If you say The tea tastes or Rahul became, the sentence feels unfinished. The missing part is the complement.
Rahul became a pilot.
Subjective complement
After linking verbs such as be, become, seem, appear, look, feel, sound, smell, taste, grow and turn, the complement describes or renames the subject. It can be an adjective or a noun.
The new manager seems strict.
Objective complement
Verbs like make, call, name, elect, appoint, consider and find take an object first. The complement then describes or renames that object.
Everyone calls my grandmother Ammamma.
Adjective, not adverb
Because a complement describes a noun, it must be an adjective, not an adverb ending in -ly. When the verb shows a real action instead, as in looked carefully at the map, an adverb is correct.
You sound nervous.
Quick reference
| Kind | Pattern | Typical verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjective | subject + verb + complement | be, become, seem, look | The hall was empty. |
| Subjective | subject + verb + complement | taste, smell, sound, feel | The music sounds soothing. |
| Subjective | subject + verb + complement | grow, turn, appear, remain | The leaves turned yellow. |
| Objective | subject + verb + object + complement | make, keep, find | The heat kept us awake. |
| Objective | subject + verb + object + complement | elect, appoint, name, call | They named the puppy Bruno. |
Common mistakes
✕The pizza smells deliciously.
✓The pizza smells delicious.
Smells is a linking verb here, so it needs an adjective.
✕I feel badly about missing your party.
✓I feel bad about missing your party.
Feel links the subject to a description, so use the adjective bad.
✕The good news made her happily.
✓The good news made her happy.
Happy describes the object her, so it must be an adjective.
Worked example
Exercise 1
Tap the verb of incomplete predication.
The milk turned sour overnight.
✓turned
Turned needs the complement sour to complete its meaning.
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