434 / Glossary
comparison a method of development by which two subjects, seemingly different,
are shown to be similar. [See Chapter 8, Comparison and Contrast, for the orga-
nization and general techniques used to develop a comparison paragraph or multi-
paragraph paper.]
complement a word that completes the meaning of the predicate. It may be a
direct or indirect object, or a predicate word. Example: We paid him (direct
object). John gave Miranda a present (indirect object). Karen is tall (predicate
word). Note: The object of a gerund, participle, or infinitive is also considered a
direct object and is, therefore, a complement. Example: Watering her flower gar-
den daily keeps Minnie busy (object of the gerund watering). [See also Parts of the
Sentence in Chapter 42, Classification of Words.]
complex sentence a sentence with one main clause and one or more subordi-
nate clauses. The subordinate clause(s) may be noun, adjective, or adverb. Exam-
ple: The child who performed the intricate ballet showed great promise (one main
clause, the child showed great promise, and one noun clause, who performed the
intricate ballet). [See Writing Sentences in Chapter 2, Writing. See also Chapter 44,
Phrases and Clauses.]
compound-complex sentence a sentence with two or more main clauses and
one or more subordinate clauses. The subordinate clause(s) may be noun, adjec-
tive, or adverb. Example: The child who performed the ballet showed great
promise, so the choreographer gave her special attention (two main clauses, the
child showed great promise and the choreographer gave her special attention; one
subordinate clause, who performed the ballet). Compare with other kinds of sen-
tences. [See Writing Sentences in Chapter 2, Writing. See also Chapter 44, Phrases
and Clauses.]
compound object two or more direct or indirect objects following a verb or verb
form. Example: They ate meat and vegetables (compound direct objects of the
verb ate). Mother bought Betty and me class jackets (compound indirect objects
of the verb bought).
compound predicate two or more complete verbs. Example: The canoe rolled
on its side and dumped us in the water. [Compare with compound verb. See also
verb and compound sentence.]
compound sentence a sentence with two main clauses. Example: Tom made
a touchdown and the crowd cheered (two main clauses: Tom made a touchdown
and the crowd cheered). [Compare with entries for simple sentence, complex sen-
tence, and compound-complex sentence. See Writing Sentences in Chapter 2,
Writing. See also Chapter 44, Phrases and Clauses.]
compound subject two or more subjects. Example: Casting rods and spinning
reels are useless together (two subjects: rods and reels). [See also subject in the
Glossary and Parts of the Sentence in Chapter 42, Classification of Words.]