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Difficulty: MediumNouns and Noun Phrases

In the sentence, 'The environmental agency designated the newly reclaimed wetland a protected sanctuary for migratory birds', what is the grammatical function of the bolded noun phrase?

  1. Object complementAnswer
  2. B
    Appositive to the direct object
  3. C
    Direct object of the verb
  4. D
    Subject complement

Answer

The bolded noun phrase functions as an object complement because it completes the meaning of the direct object 'the newly reclaimed wetland' following the complex transitive verb 'designated'.
In English grammar, verbs such as 'designate', 'appoint', 'elect', and 'consider' take a direct object followed by an object complement. Here, 'the newly reclaimed wetland' is the direct object, and 'a protected sanctuary for migratory birds' is the noun phrase functioning as the object complement that describes what the wetland has become.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the verb and its basic argument structure
The verb is 'designated', which is a complex transitive verb requiring both a direct object and an element that renames or defines that object.
Determining verb transitivity reveals what structural components must follow.
2
Identify the direct object of the sentence
The noun phrase 'the newly reclaimed wetland' functions as the direct object.
This is the entity receiving the action of being designated.
3
Analyze the relationship between the direct object and the bolded noun phrase
The phrase 'a protected sanctuary for migratory birds' renames the direct object and completes the clause predicate.
A noun phrase that renames or describes a direct object after a complex transitive verb functions syntactically as an object complement.

Key Concept

Syntactic Functions of Noun Phrases: Object Complement
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Topics

Nouns and Noun Phrases

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