COMPLEMENTATION

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Complementation



Complementation

Introduction

The chapter complementation discusses the technicalities of the complementation used in Grammar. Complement is an element of the sentence (a word or group of words) that serves to complete, to enrich or specify the meaning. In grammar, the term complement is used with different meanings. Complement primarily means a word, phrase or clause which is necessary in a completing a sentence's meaning. We find supplements that work as part of the sentence (i.e. of equal status to the subjects and objects) and complements that exist within sentence elements (Murcia and Freeman 1999, 629-662).

Complementation takes place when the nonverbal and verbal messages add to one another, sometimes to create a clearer meaning. For example, smiling while looking into a spouse's eyes and saying “I love you” communicates an especially high level of warmth and affection. Contradiction is at work when the verbal and nonverbal messages are at odds with one another, such as saying “I'm not mad” while looking away and making a surly face or being sarcastic, which occurs when speakers use vocal tone to indicate that they mean the opposite of what they are saying. Finally, emphasis involves using nonverbal communication to underscore what is being said. Yelling while saying “Watch out!” emphasizes the urgency of a dangerous situation, just as a hand gesture might indicate that a point someone is making is especially important (Murcia and Freeman 1999, 629-662).

The following section of the essay will present three exercises that will help in understanding the concept of complementation better.

Exercise 3

In this exercise, there is a need to find out the grammatical errors associated with all of the five sentences (Murcia, Freeman, & Williams 1999, 658-659). The five sentences that need correction are:

I want that my brother will come from the New Year's.

This sentence is trying to imply that the person wants his brother to come during the New Year eve. The verb “want” requires infinitival complement and it cannot take “that” complement. The verb “that” is not suitable to be used in this sentence, in order to correct the sentence “that” should be removed and sentence structure should be corrected. Therefore, the correct sentence will be:

Correct sentence

I want my brother to come during New Year.

My friends insisted me to come with them

The sentence is suggesting that the person was asked by his friends to accompany him. The verb insists in this sentence requires “that” complement. The verb “that” will make the structure of the sentence better and it would become more understandable.So, the correct sentence in this case would be:

Correct sentence

My friends insisted that I come with them.

The teacher forced us to drink hot chocolate

“Forced” is a giving a quite negative impression in this sentence, in order to be polite the sentence should be corrected. The verb force, although it is semantically highly manipulative verb, requires a to-infinitive as its complement. Therefore, a correct word here will be:

Correct sentence

The teacher asked us to drink hot ...