Chapter 8¶

You Did What? 你做了什么？ Verbs and Their Complements 动词及其补足语（complement）

In many sentences, complements are an important part of the predicate: They're called complements because they complete the verb.

在许多句子中，补足语是谓语的重要组成部分：它们被称为补足语，因为它们补足（complete）动词的含义。

For example, all these sentences are obviously incomplete:

例如，以下这些句子显然是不完整的：

Ralph seemed. Alice gave. Norton is.

The verbs here (seemed, gave, and is) each need another word (or more) to complete their meanings. They need complements. For example:

这里的动词（seemed、gave 和 is）每个都需要另一个词（或多个词）来补足其含义。它们需要补足语。例如：

Ralph seemed impatient. Alice gave him his present. Norton is their neighbor.

The underlined words are complements---nouns, pronouns, or adjectives that complete the verb in some way and are part of the complete predicates of the sentences.

加下划线的词是补足语——以某种方式补足动词含义的名词、代词或形容词，是句子完整谓语的一部分。

In this chapter, we'll examine five kinds of complements.

在本章中，我们将考察五种补足语。

PREDICATE ADJECTIVES 表语形容词（predicate adjective）

Earlier we discussed two kinds of verbs: linking verbs and action verbs. We said that the relatively small number of linking verbs in English include seem, become, appear, looked, felt, and forms of the verb to be.

之前我们讨论了两类动词：系动词（linking verb）和动作动词（action verb）。我们说过，英语中数量相对较少的系动词包括 seem、become、appear、looked、felt 以及动词 to be 的各种形式。

Linking verbs typically have complements. In these sentences, the complements are underlined:

系动词通常有补足语。在这些句子中，补足语加了下划线：

Mr. Lochenhocher is irritable. The staff appears efficient. All of his sisters are musical.

Each of these underlined words is an adjective that follows the verb, and each describes the subject of the sentence. Such complements are called predicate adjectives. Here are some more examples:

这些加下划线的词每一个都是跟在动词后面的形容词，并且每一个都描述句子的主语。这样的补足语称为表语形容词。以下是一些更多示例：

This chapter looks easy. He seems friendly. They became calm and quiet.

PREDICATE NOMINATIVES 表语名词（predicate nominative）

Predicate nominatives are nouns or pronouns that follow linking verbs and describe the subject. In these examples, the predicate nominatives are underlined:

表语名词是跟在系动词后面并描述主语的名词或代词。在这些示例中，表语名词加了下划线：

George became President. Helen was a teacher. We are also teachers.

In each sentence, the noun phrase following the linking verb identifies the subject of the sentence. Here are more examples:

在每个句子中，跟在系动词后面的名词短语标示句子的主语。以下是更多示例：

Ralph became president of our club. Norton is a menace. The Browns are good neighbors and good citizens.

Some grammar books call predicate nominatives predicate nouns. Still others combine predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives into a single category called subject complements.

一些语法书将表语名词称为谓语名词（predicate noun）。还有一些将表语形容词和表语名词合并为单一类别，称为主语补足语（subject complement）。

Notice that sometimes the verb be is followed by an adverb, especially a prepositional phrase, instead of a complement:

请注意，有时动词 be 后面跟的是一个副词，特别是一个介词短语，而不是补足语：

Dad is at the library. The kids are in the car.

DIRECT OBJECTS AND TRANSITIVE VERBS 直接宾语（direct object）与及物动词（transitive verb）

We've discussed action verbs before, but here we learn a bit more about them.

我们之前讨论过动作动词，但这里我们更深入地了解它们。

There are two kinds of action verbs, transitive and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs have complements; intransitive verbs don't need them. The sentences that follow contain intransitive verbs--- no complement is present:

有两种动作动词：及物动词和不及物动词（intransitive verb）。及物动词有补足语；不及物动词不需要补足语。以下句子包含不及物动词——没有补足语存在：

The accountant disappeared. It rained today. Rain fell all day.

Some intransitive verbs, like disappeared, typically don't take complements in any context.

有些不及物动词，如 disappeared，通常在任何语境中都不带补足语。

Transitive verbs always have one or more complements, and they must have a direct object, a noun or pronoun that typically follows the verb and is the object of the verb's action in some way:

及物动词总是有一个或多个补足语，且它们必须有一个直接宾语，即通常跟在动词后面、以某种方式是动词动作之对象的名词或代词：

Susan saw the Lloyds at the mall. June addressed the audience. Ed baked the cake yesterday.

Here are more examples:

以下是更多示例：

Ed wrote the article. The newspaper published the article and Ed's photos. Mr. Lochenhocher wants peace and quiet.

Many verbs can be transitive or intransitive. That is, they can be used with or without direct objects:

许多动词可以是及物的或不及物的。也就是说，它们可以带或不带直接宾语使用：

Intransitive（不及物）: I'll run to the store. She read for two hours. He laughed. She sang.

Transitive（及物）: I run the store. She read the book. He laughed a hearty laugh. She sang an Irish song.

When the direct object is a pronoun, it must be in the objective case:

当直接宾语是代词时，它必须处于宾格：

Susan saw them at the mall. Susan greeted us warmly.

INDIRECT OBJECTS 间接宾语（indirect object）

Indirect objects appear only in sentences with direct objects, and then they appear between the transitive verb and the direct object. They name a person or thing that receives the direct object in some way. In the following sentences, the indirect objects are underlined and the direct object is a note:

间接宾语仅出现在有直接宾语的句子中，且出现在及物动词和直接宾语之间。它们指称以某种方式接收直接宾语的人或事物。在下列句子中，间接宾语加了下划线，直接宾语是 a note：

Bailey wrote me a note. Ed wrote her a note. We wrote Bailey and Ed a note.

Here are more sentences with indirect objects (underlined) followed by direct objects:

以下是更多带间接宾语（加下划线）后跟直接宾语的句子：

Mr. Redden taught me history. Last night I read my daughter a book. We bought Ruthie an accordion.

Notice that when pronouns are indirect objects, they are also in the objective case (as with me and her in the sentences above).

请注意，当代词是间接宾语时，它们也处于宾格（如上面句子中的 me 和 her）。

There is a test for the indirect object. Without changing the meaning of the sentence, the indirect object can be turned into the object of a prepositional phrase beginning with the preposition to or for. The prepositional phrase then appears after the direct object:

有一个检验间接宾语的方法。在不改变句子含义的情况下，间接宾语可以转化为以介词 to 或 for 开头的介词短语的宾语。介词短语然后出现在直接宾语之后：

Mr. Redden taught history to me. Last night I read a book to my daughter. We bought an accordion for Ruthie.

But please notice the important difference. This sentence has an indirect object:

但请注意重要的区别。这个句子有间接宾语：

Mr. Redden taught me history.

The next sentence has no indirect object; to me is a prepositional phrase:

下一个句子没有间接宾语；to me 是一个介词短语：

Mr. Redden taught history to me.

Some transitive verbs can take direct objects but cannot take indirect objects, as in these sentences:

有些及物动词可以带直接宾语，但不能带间接宾语，如下列句子所示：

Ned ate the cake. Julie wanted cake. Mr. Lochenhocher hates the violin.

OBJECT COMPLEMENTS 宾语补足语（object complement）

The object complement is the last kind of complement we'll discuss here, and it's another complement used only with a transitive verb and a direct object. Here are some examples:

宾语补足语是我们要在这里讨论的最后一种补足语，它是另一种仅与及物动词和直接宾语一起使用的补足语。以下是一些示例：

We elected Bernice president. We named Bob the new treasurer. The news made Mr. Lochenhocher angry.

Object complements are nouns or adjectives that follow the direct object and describe the direct object, in roughly the same way that a predicate adjective or predicate nominative describes the subject.

宾语补足语是跟在直接宾语后面并描述直接宾语的名词或形容词，其方式大致与表语形容词或表语名词描述主语的方式相同。

With object complements, we don't distinguish between the adjectives and the nouns that describe the direct object---they are all object complements if they appear after the direct object and describe it.

对于宾语补足语，我们不区分描述直接宾语的形容词和名词——如果它们出现在直接宾语之后并描述它，它们都是宾语补足语。

Here are more examples:

以下是更多示例：

We found the request unreasonable. The Court declared the law unconstitutional. The Court's decision renders the issue null and void.

It's important to distinguish object complements from other grammatical units. In the following pairs of sentences, the first sentence contains an object complement and the second sentence contains a different structure that is identified in the comment that follow:

区分宾语补足语与其他语法单位很重要。在以下成对的句子中，第一个句子包含宾语补足语，第二个句子包含不同的结构，该结构在后面的注释中说明：

They found Will irritable. They found Will at home. (At home is an adverbial prepositional phrase / At home 是副词性介词短语)

They made Bill an officer. They made Bill a cake. (In the second sentence, Bill is the indirect object; cake is a direct object. / 在第二个句子中，Bill 是间接宾语；cake 是直接宾语。)

In everyday conversation, we often use the verbs have and get with object complements:

在日常会话中，我们经常将动词 have 和 get 与宾语补足语一起使用：

I have the car ready. I will get the car ready.

Reflexive pronouns, the ones that end in -self (e.g., himself, herself, themselves) are often the direct objects that appear with object complements:

反身代词（reflexive pronoun），即以 -self 结尾的代词（如 himself、herself、themselves），常常是与宾语补足语一起出现的直接宾语：

We got ourselves ready. He imagined himself successful.

We'll discuss those pronouns in Chapter 19.

我们将在第 19 章中讨论那些代词。

Object complements never appear in a clause that also contains an indirect object. They can only appear when there are direct objects in the same clause, and only a small number of transitive verbs can take object complements.

宾语补足语从不出现在也包含间接宾语的从句（clause）中。它们只能在同一个从句中有直接宾语时出现，且只有少数及物动词可以带宾语补足语。

POINTS FOR WRITERS 写作要点

As we've said, when we use a personal pronoun as a direct object or an indirect object, it has to be in the objective case. In these sentences, the underlined direct and indirect objects are objective case pronouns:

正如我们说过的，当我们用人称代词做直接宾语或间接宾语时，它必须处于宾格。在这些句子中，加下划线的直接宾语和间接宾语都是宾格代词：

They gave me the job. (Me is the indirect object. / Me 是间接宾语。) We will find her immediately. (Her is the direct object. / Her 是直接宾语。) You must tell them the news. (Them is the indirect object. / Them 是间接宾语。) She has just informed us. (Us is the direct object. / Us 是直接宾语。)

With predicate nominatives, which appear after linking verbs, the situation is a bit more complicated. Consider these versions of the same sentences:

对于出现在系动词之后的表语名词，情况稍微复杂一些。考虑同一句子的这些版本：

The person responsible is he. The person responsible is him. It is I. It is me.

Most of us would instinctively use the second version in each pair, because we're accustomed to using objective-case pronouns after a verb.

我们大多数人会本能地使用每对中的第二个版本，因为我们习惯于在动词之后使用宾格代词。

But the verb in these sentences, is, is a linking verb, and that makes he (and him) and I (and me) predicate nominatives. In the judgment of those writers and editors most careful about prescriptive grammar, we should use nominative case pronouns as predicate nominatives, because the pronoun is being equated with the subject: It is I. It is he. It is annoying.

但这些句子中的动词 is 是系动词，这使得 he（和 him）以及 I（和 me）成为表语名词。根据那些最重视规范语法的作者和编辑的判断，我们应该用主格代词做表语名词，因为代词被等同于主语：It is I. It is he. It is annoying.（真烦人。）

Here again, the choices you make will depend on your editor, your audience, and the formality of your tone. It's often possible to rewrite the sentence to avoid the issue altogether.

这里同样，你做出的选择将取决于你的编辑、你的读者以及你的语气正式程度。通常可以通过重写句子来完全回避这个问题。

EXERCISES 练习

8a. In the following sentences, fill in the blanks with one word: always, never, or sometimes. (This is tougher than you might think. Feel free to look back at the chapter to work out the answers.)

在以下句子中，用一个词填空：always、never 或 sometimes。（这比你可能想的要难。随时可以回顾本章以得出答案。）

Sentences with action verbs ______ have a complement.
Sentences with linking verbs _ have a complement.
Sentences with intransitive verbs _ have a complement.
Sentences with transitive verbs _ have a complement.
Sentences with transitive verbs _ have a direct object.
Sentences with transitive verbs _ have an indirect object.
Sentences with linking verbs _ have a predicate nominative.
Sentences with transitive verbs _ have a predicate adjective.
Sentences with linking verbs _ have a predicate adjective.
Sentences with transitive verbs _ have an object complement.
Sentences with linking verbs _ have an object complement.
Sentences with linking verbs _ have a direct object.

8b. In the sentences below, identify the complements and classify them as a direct object, an indirect object, a predicate adjective, a predicate nominative, or an object complement. These simple sentences may have as many as two complements, but never more than two.

在以下句子中，找出补足语并将其分类为直接宾语、间接宾语、表语形容词、表语名词或宾语补足语。这些简单句可能有多达两个补足语，但从不超过两个。

In some sentences, the complements are underlined. In others, there are no complements.

在某些句子中，补足语加了下划线。在其他句子中，没有补足语。

My daughter made me proud.
My aunt brought me a souvenir.
My sister is late.
Both my sisters are teachers.
Both my sisters are arriving at noon.
Six hours a day, Ruthie practices the accordion.
Ruthie practices for hours every day.
We sent Bill and Sue a gift.
They were kind and grateful.
I will address that issue at another time.
That fellow became our assistant.
Bonnie bought Ed that painting.

8c. Now go back through the sentences above and identify the verbs as linking, transitive, or intransitive.

现在回过头来通读上面的句子，将动词标注为系动词（linking）、及物动词（transitive）或不及物动词（intransitive）。