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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Complement

An adverb is not a complement right? For example:

I ate quickly.

I is the subject and ate is the verb. quickly is not a complement right? But if there is an adverbial phrase:

I am happily married.

Is the complement just "married" or is it "happily married"?
  

Top answer

An adverb is not a complement right? -- I n some grammars, it is a complement (a verb complement, not a subject complement). -- This is not an adverbial phrase; it is an adjectival phrase, a subject complement.

— Mister Micawber

  • An adverb is not a complement right?
  • -- I n some grammars, it is a complement (a verb complement, not a subject complement).
  • -- This is not an adverbial phrase; it is an adjectival phrase, a subject complement.
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6 Answers
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An adverb is not a complement right? For example: I ate quickly.-- In some grammars, it is a complement (a verb complement, not a subject complement).

But if there is an adverbial phrase: I am happily married.-- This is not an adverbial phrase; it is an adjectival phrase, a subject complement.
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What do you mean by in "some grammars"?

And what then would be an example of an adverbial phrase?
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What do you mean by in "some grammars"?-- Grammarians sometimes differ somewhat in how they view complementation, i.e. what sorts of grammatical structures they include in that category.

And what then would be an example of an adverbial phrase?-- I ate very quickly.
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AnonymousAn adverb is not a complement right? For example:

I ate quickly.

I is the subject and ate is the verb. quickly is not a complement right?
Obligatory elements are always complements: they are needed to complete the verb phrase; optional elements may be either complements or adverbials. So it's clear that "quickly" is an adverbial, not
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So, why is "happily" part of the compliment since it is not obligatory? If you take it out it's still grammatical.
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AnonymousSo, why is "happily" part of the compliment complement since it is not obligatory? If you take it out it's still grammatical.

That's true; the adverb "happily" is functioning here as a modifier within the adjective phrase "happily married", and like all modifiers it's optional. But it's the entire adjective phrase, including the
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