14. He began visiting the scenes which he was describing, and searching in the libraries for old letters and documents.

118. The Clause as Complement.-We have seen that the clause often serves as subject of the sentence. It may also serve as any of the three kinds of complements. As complement the clause almost invariably takes the place of a noun.

EXAMPLES

1. We could not hear what he said.

2. That is what he described.

3. They made him what he wanted to be.

EXERCISE A

119. Point out the clauses that serve as complements in the following sentences, and explain what kind of complement each is:

I. I fancied I saw cheerfulness in every countenance throughout the journey.

2. Tell us how much you have accomplished.

3. He refused to tell what it was.

4. "Let me make the songs of a people," said Fletcher,

"and you shall make its laws."

5. They paid him what he had earned.

6. He explained why he was late.

7. The boy inquired which was the way to St. Ann's Lane. 8. Macaulay tells us that he owed the happiest hours of his life to books.

9. We know that Shakespeare was fond of the woods and the fields, for his plays are filled with charming descriptions of their beauty.

10. He liked to imagine that fairies dwelt in the Arden woods.

II. Then saw they how there hove a dusky barge beneath them.

12. He was told that they would soon come.

13. They were made what they were by their own willfulness. 14. The decision was that he should not be allowed to go. 15. The law of nature is, Do the thing and you shall have the power.

16. He never wished to do what he was told.

EXERCISE B

120. By supplying clause complements, complete the following sentences, and tell what kind of complement is supplied in each case:

1. Harry painted the things whatever color he wished.

CHAPTER VI

MODIFIERS OF THE COMPLEMENT

121. The Function of Complement Modifiers.Sometimes the object complement is indefinite or general in its meaning. A subjective complement or an objective complement may be general in its application to the subject or the object of the verb. Modifiers are, therefore, needed to make the application more definite. Accordingly, it is the function of the complement modifiers to point out or describe with greater definiteness the thing denoted by the complement.

122. Modifiers of the Noun Complement.-The modifiers of the noun or pronoun complement are the same as the modifiers of the noun subject. They are the adjective, the prepositional phrase, the clause, the infinitive, the participle, and the appositive.

EXAMPLES

1. His sleeping place was a beautiful grove.

2. His sleeping place was a grove on Mount Latmus.
3. His sleeping place was a grove, in which was a lake.

4. His sleeping place was a grove, standing on a mountainside.

5. His sleeping place was a grove, a favorite haunt of Diana. 6. His sleeping place was a remote grove, to be enjoyed by few. 7. He chose a grove for his sleeping place

EXERCISE A

123. Explain the nature of each complement modifier in the following sentences:

1. Socrates was a Greek philosopher.

2. The building is the highest in the city.

3. He was a man of whom everyone spoke well.

4. The place was the old home which he had always loved.

5. They have a beautiful home of their own.

6. She sang the old songs we loved.

7. We saw before us a quaint old mansion, the birthplace of Henry Clay.

8. I consider her the queen of them all.

9. Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together.

10. He who ascends to mountaintops shall find

The loftiest peaks most wrapped in clouds and snow. II. Will you bring me the book you have been reading? 12. He told many strange stories, experiences he had had at

sea.

13. Tom broke the plate glass window of the drug store. 14. He was my friend, faithful and just to me.

15. They found the time too short for the work.

16. His home was an old colonial mansion standing far back from the street.

EXERCISE B

124. Sometimes a sentence can be improved by substituting one kind of complement modifier for another. Change the italicized modifiers in the following sentences into some other kind:

Thus: He built a fine cottage which stood on the shore of the

lake.

Better: He built a fine cottage on the shore of the lake.

1. Apollo was a god, unable to die.

2. His blood stained the ground, which became purple.

3. One evening we visited another community of red ants. 4. Dr. Holmes was a small man who had a smiling, genial face.

5. There he met Jonathan Swift, a very able man, but of a very unhappy disposition.

6. We saw the green lawns stretching on left and right, fresh with the life of June.

7. The commandant received the ambassador from the French very courteously.

8. With the appearance of daylight they pursued their journey which led them along the banks of a rushing river.

9. They accomplished a revolution, perhaps the greatest in the annals of history.

10. It was a rich and elegant structure, lighted from the dome. II. Brusa is a very long straggling place, extending for three or four miles along the side of the mountain.

12. The parson said grace, a long, courtly, well-worded one of

the ancient school.

13. He asked James, an old friend, to go with him.

14. He heard every goblin tale of the neighboring gossip with infinite gravity.

15. In the center of the great city of London lies a small neighborhood, consisting of a cluster of narrow streets and courts. 16. The whole establishment had a quiet and secluded air.

125. The Modifiers of Adjective Complements.The modifiers of the adjective complement are the adverb, the prepositional phrase, the clause, the infinitive, and the participle used adverbially.

Adverb: The weather is extremely warm.

Phrase: It is unfortunate for him.

Clause: Herman is taller than I am.

Infinitive: It is not easy to do.

Participle: The day was freezing cold.