The key difference between object and complement is that an object is a noun or noun equivalent denoting the goal or result of the action of a verb whereas complement is a noun, phrase, or clause that adds additional information about the subject or object. Object and complement are two of the main five elements of a sentence. Both these elements follow the verb of a sentence. Moreover, an object can also be a part of a complement.
Key Takeaways
- Objects are nouns or noun phrases that denote the goal or result of the action of a verb, while complements add additional information about the subject or object.
- There are two main types of objects (direct and indirect objects) and two main types of complements (subject and object complements).
- An object can be a noun, gerund, pronoun, or clause, while a complement can be an adjective, noun, pronoun, or any other words or groups of words that can act as a noun or an adjective.
What is an Object?
An object is a noun or a noun phrase that follows the verb. It usually refers to the action done by the verb. There are two types of objects as direct objects and indirect objects.
Direct Object: A direct object indicates who or what the action of the verb affects. For example, in the sentence ‘Adam hit John’, John is the object since he is the one affected by the verb. Some more examples for direct objects are as follows:
I wrote a long letter.
Indians eat rice.
He kissed her.
The best way to identify the direct object in a sentence is by isolating the verb and making it into a question by placing ‘whom?’ or ‘what?’ For instance, Indians eat what? – Rice
Moreover, it is also important to note that only transitive verbs can have a direct object. Intransitive verbs cannot take a direct object.
Indirect Object: An indirect object cannot exist in a sentence without a direct object. An indirect object receives or is affected by the direct object. In other words, the indirect object is the recipient of the direct object. Let’s look at some examples:
She gave me her necklace.
The teacher bought his students ice-cream.
He owed me money.
The underlined nouns and phrases in the above sentences are indirect objects; indirect objects always occur before direct objects.
What is a Complement?
A complement is a word, phrase or clause that is necessary to complete the meaning of an expression. In other words, it completes the predicate of the sentence. Â It adds more information about the subject or object of the sentence. There are two types of complements as object complements and subject complements.
Subject Complements: Subject complements add more details about the subject of the sentence. Sentences with subject complements do not usually have a clear object. For example,
John is very weak.
She ran fast.
Object Complements: The object complements add more details about the object of the sentence. Object complements are usually a part of a clause, usually having an adverb or an adjective.
She makes me very sad.
The teacher wrote the names of the students with low marks.
What is the Relationship Between Object and Complement?
An object may be a part of the complement.
What is the Difference Between Object and Complement?
An object is a noun or noun equivalent denoting the goal or result of the action of a verb whereas complement is a noun, phrase or clause that adds additional information about the subject or object. Therefore, this is the key difference between object and complement. Furthermore, there are two main types of objects as direct and indirect objects whereas there are two main types of complements as subject and object complements. An object can be a noun, gerund, pronoun or clause whereas a complement can be an adjective, noun, pronoun, or any other words or groups of words that can act as a noun or an adjective. So, this is another difference between object and complement.
Summary – Object vs Complement
Object and complement are two of the main five elements of a sentence. The key difference between object and complement is that an object is a noun or noun equivalent denoting the goal or result of the action of a verb whereas complement is a noun, phrase or clause that adds additional information about the subject or object.
