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Difficulty: MediumNouns and Noun Phrases

Match each bracketed noun phrase in the sentences below with its exact syntactic function.

  • The board appointed Mrs. Okon [the managing director].Object Complement
  • The management offered [the outstanding candidate] a lucrative contract.Indirect Object
  • His sudden resignation remained [a mystery to everyone].Subject Complement
  • The security guards interrogated [the suspicious visitor] for two hours.Direct Object

Answer

The correct matches are: 'the managing director' is an Object Complement; 'the outstanding candidate' is an Indirect Object; 'a mystery to everyone' is a Subject Complement; and 'the suspicious visitor' is a Direct Object.
Each bracketed noun phrase correctly corresponds to its functional role within clause structure: an object complement completing a direct object's identity, an indirect object receiving the direct object of a ditransitive verb, a subject complement completing a subject across a linking verb, and a direct object directly undergoing the action of a transitive verb.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze sentence 1 to identify the relationship between the transitive verb 'appointed', the direct object 'Mrs. Okon', and the noun phrase 'the managing director'.
The noun phrase specifies the title/role assigned to the direct object, making it an object complement.
An object complement follows a direct object to modify, rename, or complete its meaning.
2
Examine sentence 2 to determine the beneficiary or recipient of the item being offered.
'the outstanding candidate' receives the direct object 'a lucrative contract', making it the indirect object.
An indirect object identifies to whom or for whom the action of a ditransitive verb is performed.
3
Identify the nature of the verb in sentence 3 ('remained') and the function of the phrase that follows it.
'remained' is a copular (linking) verb, so 'a mystery to everyone' acts as a subject complement.
A noun phrase that follows a linking verb to rename or describe the subject is a subject complement.
4
Determine the entity receiving the physical or abstract action of the verb 'interrogated' in sentence 4.
'the suspicious visitor' directly receives the action, functioning as the direct object.
A direct object undergoes or directly receives the action expressed by a transitive verb.

Key Concept

Syntactic Functions of Noun Phrases
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Topics

Nouns and Noun Phrases

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