Object Predicates Explained: Your Ultimate US Guide!

Understanding the intricacies of grammar can feel like navigating a complex maze. Fortunately, resources like the Purdue OWL provide valuable assistance. The Stanford NLP Group develops tools that analyze sentence structure. In linguistics, the object predicate, often confused with predicate nominatives, provides essential information about the direct object. Mastering this concept, explained in detail within the United States educational standards, greatly enhances one’s writing proficiency.

Object Predicates Explained: Your Ultimate US Guide!

This guide aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of object predicates in English grammar. We will break down what they are, how they function, and how to identify them within sentences.

What is an Object Predicate?

An object predicate is a word or phrase that modifies or describes the direct object of a sentence. It provides additional information about the object, clarifying its state, identity, or characteristic as a result of the verb’s action. Think of it as providing further context about the object after the action has occurred. The keyword here is object predicate.

Distinguishing from Subject Predicates

It’s crucial to differentiate between object predicates and subject predicates (also known as predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives). A subject predicate follows a linking verb (like "is," "are," "was," "were," "become," "seem") and renames or describes the subject of the sentence.

• Subject Predicate Example: The dog is happy. ("Happy" describes the dog, which is the subject.)

• Object Predicate Example: They painted the wall blue. ("Blue" describes the wall, which is the direct object.)

The key difference lies in what is being described: the subject or the object.

Types of Object Predicates

Object predicates can take different forms, with the most common being adjectives and nouns.

Object Predicate Adjectives

These adjectives directly describe a quality or state of the direct object after the verb’s action.

• Example: The judges found the defendant guilty. ("Guilty" describes the defendant after being judged.)

• More Examples:

  • He likes his coffee strong.
  • She considers him intelligent.
  • We made the room cozy.

Object Predicate Nouns (Object Complements)

These nouns rename or identify the direct object. They provide an alternative label for the object.

• Example: The team elected her captain. ("Captain" renames or identifies her; she is the captain.)

• More Examples:

  • They appointed him treasurer.
  • The company named their product ‘Alpha’.
  • I consider her a friend.

Common Verbs Followed by Object Predicates

Certain verbs are frequently followed by object predicates. These verbs often express judgments, changes of state, or perceptions. Here’s a list:

Verb	Example Sentence	Object Predicate	Type
Consider	I consider her a genius.	a genius	Noun
Find	The court found him innocent.	innocent	Adjective
Make	They made the building safe.	safe	Adjective
Call	Everyone calls him a liar.	a liar	Noun
Appoint	The president appointed her ambassador.	ambassador	Noun
Elect	The people elected him president.	president	Noun
Paint	She painted the door red.	red	Adjective
Name	They named their dog ‘Lucky’.	‘Lucky’	Noun
Declare	The judge declared the contest over.	over	Adjective

How to Identify Object Predicates

Identifying object predicates involves a systematic approach:

1. Find the Verb: Identify the main verb in the sentence.

2. Find the Direct Object: Determine the direct object – the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. Ask "verb + whom/what?"

3. Look for Words That Describe/Rename the Object: Check for words or phrases following the direct object that describe or rename it. This is your potential object predicate.

4. Test with a Linking Verb: Insert a form of "to be" (is/are/was/were) between the object and the potential object predicate. If the resulting phrase makes sense and expresses a quality or identity of the object, it’s likely an object predicate.

   • Example: They painted the wall blue. –> The wall is blue. (Makes sense, "blue" is an object predicate.)

   • Example: I saw the dog running. (This example is different; "running" modifies the verb ‘saw’, not the direct object ‘dog’.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Confusing Adverbs with Object Predicate Adjectives: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They answer questions like "how," "when," or "where." Object predicate adjectives describe the object after the verb’s action.

  • Incorrect (Adverb Used as Object Predicate): They painted the wall carefully. ("Carefully" describes how they painted, not the wall itself.)

  • Correct (Object Predicate Adjective): They painted the wall beautiful. ("Beautiful" describes the result of painting the wall.)

• Misidentifying Prepositional Phrases: Ensure the phrase truly modifies or renames the object. Prepositional phrases often provide location or time information.

  • Incorrect (Prepositional Phrase): They put the book on the table. ("On the table" tells where they put the book, not what the book is.)

• Overlooking Indirect Objects: Make sure you’ve correctly identified the direct object before searching for the object predicate. An indirect object comes before the direct object. The object predicate always describes the direct object.

Practice Exercises

Here are a few sentences to test your understanding. Identify the object predicate in each sentence:

1. The committee declared the project a success.
2. She likes her tea sweet.
3. The audience found the movie boring.
4. We consider him our mentor.
5. They made the floor clean.

(Answers at the end of the guide)
(Answers: 1. a success; 2. sweet; 3. boring; 4. our mentor; 5. clean)

So, that’s the scoop on the object predicate! Hopefully, this clears things up. Keep practicing, and you’ll be spotting them everywhere in no time!