Function “role” Lexical category (parts of speech)
➀ Subject—(Subj)
 Thesubject is usually the cause, agent
or doer of the action
but may also be the experiencer of a state
or thing undergoing a change ("be" or
static verb).
but may also be the thing (person,
concept, entity) that we choose to place in
the subject position (as in passive voice, or
it, there,)
but may also be understood, not
mentioned. The subject is usually a noun
phrase but may be a subordinate clause.
A number of words, phrases and
structures can function as the subject of a
clause. ⇒
Function “role”
 The leaves fell on the ground. (Noun
Phr.)  Charlie raked the leaves. (Proper
Noun)  The leaves were raked by
Charlie.
(Noun Phr.) passive voice
 He raked the leaves. (Pronoun)
 What we saw was spectacular.
(What Phrase) static verb
 That the leaves are so colorful is
amazing. (That Clause)
 Raking leaves is good exercise. (Gerund
Cls)  To see this miracle of nature is
awesome. (Infinitive Clause)
 It was amazing to us that the leaves
were so red. ("It" as Subject Placeholder)
 It was raining. (It vs. There)
 There were so many leaves. (There) 
Rake up the leaves. (Commands) subject
understood, not mentioned
Lexical category (parts of speech)

② Predicate / Predicator (Pred.)
 The predicate is the action or change in
state.
A number of verb forms and verb groups
serve as the predicate of a clause. ⇒
Function “role”
 Leaves fall. (Verb)
 The leaves appear red. (Static
Verb)  Leaves are falling. (Verb
Group)
 Leaves may fall. (Modal Verb
Group)  The leaves were raked by
Charlie.
(Passive Verb Group)
 Leaves are falling on the ground.
(Verb Phrase)
Lexical category (parts of speech)

③ Complement (Comp.)
A complement is a word, phrase or
clause that is expected or required to
complete the meaning of some other
element in the clause. That is, the clause or
phrase would not sound complete without
the word, phrase or clause.
A number of elements and structures
can serve as complements. ⇒
 Charlie raked the leaves.
(Noun Phrase–Direct Object)
 I gave Charlie the rake.
(Noun – Indirect Object)
 Charlie put the leaves in the compost
bin. (Noun Phrase Complement in Prep
Phrase)
 The leaves are pretty.
(Adjective – Predicate Complement)
 The leaves are maple.
(Noun – Predicate Complement)
 The leaves fell on the ground.
(Prepositional Phrase)
 We enjoy seeing the colorful
leaves. (Verb + Gerund )
 We wanted to see the colorful
leaves. (Verb + Infinitive )
 Maple trees do remarkably well
here. (Adverb Complement)
 We know that leaves had fallen
overnight. (Clause Complement to a
Verb)
 Charlie left rather than waiting for us.
(Gerund Clause Complement in Prep.
Phrase)
 Water that he drank last night made
him sick.
(Restrictive Clause Complement to a Noun)
 Function “role”
④ Adjunct
 An adjunct is an element that is not
required to complete the meaning of
the clause; it can be omitted and the
clause sounds complete (makes
sense).
 An adjunct adds modifying
information to the clause — mostly
adverbs and prepositional phrases.
Function “role”
Lexical category (parts of speech)
 Charlie raked the leaves quickly.
(Manner Adverb)
 Charlie raked the leaves often.
(Frequency Adverb)
 Charlie really raked the leaves
well. (Degree Adverb)
 Charlie raked the leaves into a pile.
(Prep Phrase)
 Charlie only raked the leaves in
front. (Focus Adverb)
 Trees drop their leaves when the
weather is cold. (Connective Prep Phrase)
 Trees drop their leaves before winter
sets in. (Connective Prep Phrase)
 Trees drop their leaves because they
need to conserve energy.
(Connective Prep Phrase)
Lexical category (parts of speech)
 ⑤ Supplement
A supplement is an extra comment in
the form of a word, phrase or clause. It is
loosely related to the idea of the main
(matrix) clause. It is separated by
comma(s), parentheses or dash(es).
 Who, do you think, raked the
leaves? (Clause – Comments)
 By the way, Charlie raised his
hand. (Phrase – Adv. for Speech
Acts)
 Hopefully, Charlie knows the
answer. (Adverb – Adv. for
Evaluation)

 A wunderkind (very intelligent child)

requires special education.
(Phrase – Explaining)

 Charlie can do it all—repairman,

gardener, engineer.
(Noun Phrase – Set off Elements, Examples)

⚽ A Predicate:

 In traditional description, the predicate includes the subject, the verb or

verb group and its dependents—adverbs, objects and phrases related to the action
of the verb.

 In linguistic description, the predicate (PRED) is a function that takes form

as a verb or verb group. Only! (See Verb Phrase: Explanation of Term)

Note: Subject-verb is a term often paired like salt and pepper. To be precise, we
should pair subject with predicate (and noun with verb).

 Word Functions:

 Subj. – subject;
  Pred. – predicate / predicator;
 Comp – complement: elements required by an expression to complete
its meaning (DO – direct object; IO – indirect object);

 Adjunct – adjunct: elements not required by an expression to complete

its meaning (Subord. – subordinator; Coord. – coordinator);
 Supl. – supplement: a clause or phrase added onto a clause that is not
closely related to the central thought or structure of the main clause.