Why are 'waiting' and 'sitting' used as object complements
1. He kept me waiting.
2. I found the child sitting.
Why are 'waiting' and 'sitting' used as object complements here? How to determine object complements in examples like these?
Top answer
"Me" and "the child" are direct objects, but "waiting" and "sitting" are not object complements. Only NPs and AdjPs, not clauses, can be object complements: They elected him president . [object + NP] I consider Ed highly untrustworthy .
- "Me" and "the child" are direct objects, but "waiting" and "sitting" are not object complements.
- Only NPs and AdjPs, not clauses, can be object complements: They elected him president .
- [object + NP] I consider Ed highly untrustworthy .
- [object + AdjP] Your examples are catenative constructions, where "keep" and "find" are catenative verbs, and the subordinate clauses "waiting" and "sitting" are their catenative complements.
- The intervening NPs "me" and "the child" are the syntactic objects of "kept" and "found", and the understood (semantic) subject of the subordinate clauses.
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"Me" and "the child" are direct objects, but "waiting" and "sitting" are not object complements. Only NPs and AdjPs, not clauses, can be object complements:
They elected him president. [object + NP]
I consider Ed highly untrustworthy. [object + AdjP]
Your examples are catenative constructions, where "keep" and "find" are caten
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