An adjective complement is not a complement that is given to an adjective in the style of ‘Oh, what a lovely adjective you’ve got there.’ That would be silly, if not slightly amusing and filled to the brim with innuendo. No, in fact an adjective complement is a way of modernising an adjective so that more information is given about it. For instance, ‘I am scared’ would state that I was indeed scared, but the adjective complement ‘of river dancing’ gives more information regarding the source of my fear. I’m not really afraid of river dancing but you get the idea.
There are two different forms that an adjective complement can take and that is a noun clause or a prepositional phrase.
Adjective Complement Examples
The Adjective Complement will be underlined
Gemma is fantastic at tennis.
He is very skilled in diplomatic relations.
Mary is charitable to the homeless.
Were you proud to get your new job.
I’m curious to find out what you think.
Einstein was superb at Physics
Examples by People
‘I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.’ – Lily Tomlin
‘I am not afraid of death; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.’ – Woody Allen
‘I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.’ Bertrand Russell
‘I don’t think it’s possible to touch people’s imagination today by aesthetic means.’
‘Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.’ – Jules de Gaultier
Adjective Complements are fairly easy to get your head around once they have been explained properly. One of the major pitfalls that people face when it comes to understanding topics lies in the jargon that is used. The languages and names of classifications make most things sound complex, but as you can see, you experience them on a daily basis.
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