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Difficulty: MediumNouns and Noun Phrases

Match each highlighted noun phrase from the sentences below to its exact grammatical function within the clause.

  • "the lead investigator" in: The attorney general handed the lead investigator the confidential dossier.Indirect Object
  • "a formidable challenge" in: The committee considered the proposed budget revision a formidable challenge.Object Complement
  • "an eminent scholar in African linguistics" in: Dr. Adebayo, an eminent scholar in African linguistics, delivered the keynote address.Appositive
  • "the newly renovated auditorium" in: The university choir performed inside the newly renovated auditorium.Prepositional Complement

Answer

1. 'the lead investigator' matches Indirect Object; 2. 'a formidable challenge' matches Object Complement; 3. 'an eminent scholar in African linguistics' matches Appositive; 4. 'the newly renovated auditorium' matches Prepositional Complement.
Each noun phrase correctly aligns with its syntactic role based on sentence structure: 'the lead investigator' is the recipient of the action (indirect object); 'a formidable challenge' describes the direct object (object complement); 'an eminent scholar in African linguistics' renames the subject (appositive); and 'the newly renovated auditorium' completes a prepositional phrase (prepositional complement).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the verb structure and complementation in the first sentence.
The verb 'handed' takes two objects: the entity receiving the dossier ('the lead investigator', indirect object) and the item handed ('the confidential dossier', direct object).
An indirect object identifies the entity to or for whom an action is performed.
2
Examine the relationship between the direct object and the following phrase in the second sentence.
'a formidable challenge' describes the state or identity predicated of the direct object 'the proposed budget revision'.
An object complement completes the meaning of a direct object.
3
Determine the syntactic role of the parenthetical phrase in the third sentence.
'an eminent scholar in African linguistics' renames the proper noun subject 'Dr. Adebayo'.
A noun phrase placed alongside another noun phrase to rename or clarify it acts as an appositive.
4
Identify the element following the preposition 'inside' in the fourth sentence.
'the newly renovated auditorium' is governed by the preposition 'inside'.
A noun phrase governed by a preposition functions as a prepositional complement.

Key Concept

Syntactic Functions of Noun Phrases
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Topics

Nouns and Noun Phrases

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