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Debpriya De Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Object complement

"Some things are best kept secret."
Is "secret" an object complement in the above sentence ?
  

Top answer

"Is "secret" an object complement in the above sentence ? No. There is no object, so there can't be an object complement.

— CalifJim

  • "Is "secret" an object complement in the above sentence ?
  • No.
  • There is no object, so there can't be an object complement.
  • Think of keep as a linking verb and ignore the adverb best , and you'll see that secret is a subject complement (predicate adjective).
  • Some things | are kept | secret.
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10 Answers
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Debpriya De"Some things are best kept secret."Is "secret" an object complement in the above sentence ?
No. There is no object, so there can't be an object complement. Think of keep as a linking verb and ignore the adverb best, and you'll see that secret is a subject complement (predicate adjective).

Some things | are kept | secr
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Debpriya De"Some things are best kept secret."
Is "secret" an object complement in the above sentence ?
No; in my reading, this is a passive construction with "are" as a form of "be" and "kept" as the past participle of "keep" (be + past participle = passive voice). The subject of the active version is omitted (as often happens). If we posit, say, the pron
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What about the sentence "Some things are best forgotten." ?
Here "are" is the linking verb. But what is the adverb "best" modifying ?
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Best is an adverb modifying the passive verb "are forgotten."
An alternative analysis is that "forgotten" is an adjective, and best modifies that adjective.
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So what does the sentence mean ?
Does it mean that some things are forgotten better than others are or does it mean that it is best to forget some things ?
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Debpriya DeDoes it mean that some things are forgotten better than others are or does it mean that it is best to forget some things ?
... that it's best to forget some things.

CJ
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Okay, coming back to my first post, what does "Some things are best kept secret" mean ?
1. Some things are kept best when secret.
2. Some things are kept secret better than others.
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Debpriya DeOkay, coming back to my first post, what does "Some things are best kept secret" mean ?
1. Some things are kept best when secret.
2. Some things are kept secret better than others.

Think of "best" as meaning "preferably":

"Some things are best/preferably kept secret".

They are both adverbs modifying the verb "keep"
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Debpriya DeOkay, coming back to my first post, what does "Some things are best kept secret" mean ?
1. Some things are kept best when secret.
2. Some things are kept secret better than others.
Neither. It means that it is prudent ("best" / "a good idea") not to reveal certain secrets.

Some facts about people are secret. For the best poss
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In "Some things are best kept secret," "secret" is the retained object complement. The active form of the sentence would be something like "[Everyone] best keeps some things secret," where "secret" is an adjectival object complement.
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