Nouns As Object Complements

	Lesson 28 (pp. 48, 49)	The Object Complement of a Sentence completes the predicate,13 and names that which receives the act.14
1.	Clear thinking makes clear writing.	Analysis.— Writing is the object complement; clear writing is the modified complement, and makes clear writing is the entire predicate.
1i1.	Writing may be clear.	Sentence expressing proposition with writing as argument.
1i2.	Thinking may be clear.	Sentence expressing proposition with thinking as argument.
1m.	This kind of thinking makes that kind of writing.	Sentence expressing proposition with a predicate consisting of the verb make meaning ‘to bring something about’ and a second argument being the thing brought into existence. Logicians tend to treat such propositions as a single predicate with two arguments, whereas grammarians treat the object as being incorporated into and thus completing the syntactic predicate.
Exercises (Lesson 28: nouns as object complements) Diagram the following:
2. Booth killed Lincoln. 3. The invention of gunpowder destroyed feudalism. 4. Liars should have good memories. 5. We find the first surnames in the tenth century. 6. God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb. 7. Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod.
Answers
8.	At the opening of the thirteenth century, Oxford took and held rank with the greatest schools of Europe.
		Notice in this particular sentence: the normal idioms are “take rank from” and “hold rank with.” The compound verb takes the form of the complement suitable to the second or nearest verb. The diagram fails to distinguish between the complement “with the greatest schools of Europe” and the adverbial adjunct “at the opening of the thirteenth century.” It seems likely that the authors took this as an instance of rank among adverb modifiers.
9.	The moon revolves, and keeps the same side toward us.
Exercises (Lesson 28: nouns as object complements) Diagram the following:
10. Hunger rings the bell, and orders up coals in the shape of bread and butter, beef and bacon, pies and puddings. 11. The history of the Trojan war rests on the authority of Homer, and forms the subject of the noblest poem of antiquity. 12. Every stalk, bud, flower, and seed displays a figure, a proportion, a harmony, beyond the reach of art. 13. The natives of Sri Lanka build houses of the trunk, and thatch roofs with the leaves, of the coconut palm. 14. Richelieu exiled the mother, oppressed the wife, degraded the brother, and banished the confessor, of the king.
Answers
15.	James and John study and recite grammar and arithmetic.
15i111.	James studies grammar.	Sentence expressing proposition of studying with James and grammar as arguments.
15i112.	James studies arithmetic.	Sentence expressing proposition of studying with James and arithmetic as arguments.
15i121.	James recites grammar.	Sentence expressing proposition of reciting with James and grammar as arguments.
15i122.	James recites arithmetic.	Sentence expressing proposition of reciting with James and arithmetic as arguments.
15i211.	John studies grammar.	Sentence expressing proposition of studying with John and grammar as arguments.
15i212.	John studies arithmetic.	Sentence expressing proposition of studying with John and arithmetic as arguments.
15i221.	John recites grammar.	Sentence expressing proposition of reciting with John and grammar as arguments.
15i222.	John recites arithmetic.	Sentence expressing proposition of reciting with John and arithmetic as arguments.
15m.	James and John study and recite grammar and arithmetic.	Sentence expressing proposition with a subject consisting of the conjunction of the subjects, and a predicate consisting of the conjunction of the verbs together with the conjunction of their respective direct objects. Logicians would be inclined to treat this proposition as eight propositions combined, whereas grammarians treat the subjects, verbs, and objects as being separately conjoined.