1. As always, oral questions around the class involve all the students, show up misunderstanding and reinforce the lesson. Students in turn give a sentence containing a complement, for example:
Elton John is a good singer.
‘Dr Who’ is my favourite program.
Note: The complement can be an adjective.
Afterwards, students could write one or two examples in their grammar exercise books.
2. Students complete these sentences using a complement.
a. The shopkeeper was . . . b. Three blind mice . . . . c. That looks like . . . . d. You appear . . . .
e. The ugly sisters were . . . . f. He had better be . . . . g. Marcus is becoming . . . . h. Our team will be . . . . i. Our town is . . . . j. Those horses look . . . .
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objects – direct And indirect
A 3. Students make two columns in their books and head them Object and Complement. Dictate sentences, each containing either an object or complement. The students then write the object or complement only, in the appropriate column, for example:
Object complement
an amazing performance Note: The complement can be an adjective.
a. The belly dancer gave an amazing performance.
b. Dad is a first class mechanic.
c. I could never be a surgeon.
d. You have lost the plot.
e. This is my first attempt.
f. That street sign is bent.
g. I should like a hamburger.
h. Hamburgers are my favourite.
i. That is my lunchbox.
j. You have taken the wrong one.
4. Students name two parts of speech that complements can be. [noun/
adjective]
5. Students name the part of speech of the complements in these sentences.
This is my lunchbox.
C
a. That tree is a silky oak. A
b. This tree looks dead.
6. Students pick out the complements in the following passage.
Let’s put on a pantomime and we will all take part. It would be Aladdin and the Forty Thieves. I should love to be one of the thieves. They were really comic rogues. Jason would make a perfect Ali Baba and you could do the genie’s voice. If we practise our parts, the show will be ready for the Christmas party.
7. Can students explain the difference between a complement and a compliment? They should write one sentence containing a comple- ment and another sentence containing a compliment.
8. Students fill in the gaps with I or me.
a. The coach gave Sandra and . . . an extra lesson.
b. What shall you and . . . have for tea?
c. That cake is to be shared between you and . . . . . d. You and . . . should thank the coach.
e. He is very good to you and . . . . .
9. Students fill in the gaps with I, he, she, him or her.
a. . . . and I have tickets for the match.
b. Dad will take . . . and . . . on the train.
c. John says . . . and . . . can go to the cinema afterwards.
d. Give . . . the tickets for . . . . .
e. Josie gave . . . and . . . money for popcorn.
Checklist: objects and complements
Students should now be able to:
• recognise the objects, direct or indirect, in a simple sentence
• spot the complement in a simple sentence
• explain the difference in grammatical terms
• give an example in which we break the rule that the verb ‘to be’
never takes an object
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objects – direct And indirect
Before further study of verbs, students should know:
• the definition and function of a verb
• the terms and function of the subject
• the concept of number, i.e. singular and plural
• the difference between a finite and a non-finite verb
• the concept of simple tenses, past, present and future
‘Brilliant minds (if only they could write)’ was the headline in a recent edition of the Courier Mail (3 October 2006). Professor Michael Good, director of QIMR (Queensland Institute for Medical Research), has stated that as many as one third of PhD students at the institute produced unsatisfactory written English, and remedial classes had been established there. The deficiencies concerned basics, particularly in the area of punctuation and including a verb in every sentence.
This emphasises the importance of ensuring that, as early as primary school, students establish an understanding of verbs and various verb forms. Contrary to the view expressed by some educationists, it is not sufficient for grammar to be dealt with
‘by the way’ or ‘as it arises within subjects’, for reasons already mentioned. Not all teachers, especially those of subjects other than English, are sufficiently secure in their own knowledge of grammar to pass it on. Reminders and correction of errors should be ongoing, but the establishment of a core knowledge structure, including a command of terminology, must first be established.
The assumption that exercises such as parsing are too abstract to be relevant is a contradiction. Parsing, for example, demonstrates students’ recognition of the parts of speech. It is the term for an exercise that reveals the scope of their understanding, just as the
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acts of multiplying and dividing demonstrate a student’s under- standing and command of number principles. The question should not be whether you do it, but how well you do it.
In this section, we study some more terms, which are very simple in concept and provide us with more language to talk about language – invaluable for studying a foreign one – and skills for the improvement of written expression.
As we think about the categories to follow, we learn much more about how our fascinating language works. If an alien from outer space were to land on earth and see a box for the first time, we might try to explain that it was a container to put things in. If we were then to actually put things into the box, the meaning would be so much more real. In the same way, the more clearly we can demonstrate and practise our explanations, the better they will be understood.
We can think of verbs as the hub of every sentence. A sentence need not include an adjective, an adverb, a preposition or an object, but it must contain at least one finite verb.
Subjects matching verbs
The subject of a sentence must match its verb. This applies mainly to number, but there are some pronouns that cause confusion and warrant attention. Clear thinking enables us to avoid mistakes.
Consider the following pronouns:
Singular Plural
none (not one) both (two)
anyone several (more than two, but not many) someone
everybody (everyone) either/neither (one)
For example:
no one/neither has arrived but both/all have arrived
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More About Verbs
A
Uncountable forms are mainly in the singular.
For example:
much, little, less …
Too much rain floods (sing.) the river
Take care with the pronoun some, which can refer to an unspecified number in the plural or an uncountable quantity.
Consider which is the case here:
Too much food is (sing.) bad for you.
There are many foods available – some are better for you than others.
Similarly, it is correct to say ‘May I have less meat’ (you cannot count meat), but we must ask for fewer potatoes because they can be counted.