Object complement refers to some transitive verbs in English. After connecting the object, its meaning is still incomplete, and another sentence component is needed to supplement the meaning and state of the object, which is called object complement for short. The object and its complement form a compound object. The first part of a compound object is usually acted by a noun or pronoun, and the second part represents the action, identity and characteristics of the noun or pronoun in the first part, which is called object complement.

Types of object complement

Adjectives as object complements, such as:

We found your child. You shouldn't leave children unattended.

Son, we found it. You really shouldn't leave children unattended.

The sensory verbs feel, find, hear, listen, see, watch, notice, observe, look and smell can be used as complements of present participles, past participles and infinitives without to, such as:

I saw him being beaten.

I watched him get beaten. (Emphasize that the action is going on and the hitter is hitting)

I smell something burning in the kitchen.

I smell something burning in the kitchen. (Emphasize that the action is in progress)

I saw her being beaten at the school gate.

I witnessed her being beaten at the school gate. She was beaten, not beaten.

The deputy saw a car parked here last night.

Agents saw a car parked here last night. (emphasize that passive cars are parked by people)

I watched you leave.

I watched you leave. (Emphasize the whole process of action)

I once saw him hit three people in a bar.

I once saw him hit three people in a bar. (Emphasize the whole process of action)

When the causative verbs let, make and have are used as object complements, the infinitive to must be omitted

Let her go.

Let her go.

The young couple are busy with all kinds of things, so they decided to organize it.

Wedding company. (have+sth+ past participle means to finish something)

Both husband and wife are busy, so let the wedding company handle their wedding.

The infinitive (to do) is used as an object complement. When requested, obtained, prohibited, etc. Followed by object complement, infinitive does not omit to.

I can't get him to talk.

I can't get him to talk.

When help takes an object complement, the infinitive can take to or not.

Help me choose a good one.

Help me choose a good one.

If the object and object complement are logically passive, the object complement must use the past participle form, such as:

Jenny hopes that Mr Smith can come up with a good way to improve her written English in a short time.

Jenny hopes that Mr Smith can come up with a good way to improve her English writing in a short time.

If the object and object complement are logically active, the object complement must be in the present participle form, such as:

He could hear his heart beating faster.

He could hear his heart beating faster.

Supplement: The common structures of simple sentences are:

"Subject+Predicate" structure: A sentence consists of a subject and a predicate, and the predicate verb is an intransitive verb.

"Subject+Predicate+Object" structure: the predicate verb is a transitive verb followed by the object.

"Subject+Verb+Predicate" Structure: Predicates are usually nouns or adjectives.

"Subject+Predicate+Indirect Object+Direct Object" Structure: Predicate verbs are transitive verbs.

"Subject+Predicate+Object+Object Complement" structure: After some sentences have the first three components, an object complement is needed to supplement the object, indicating the identity and characteristics of the object and making the sentence complete. Object and object complement together form a compound object.