Explanation
Use an object complement when a verb needs a word after the object to show what the object becomes, looks like, or is called.
For example, in "We painted the door red," "We" is the subject, "painted" is the verb, "the door" is the object, and "red" is the object complement: it tells us the final color of the door after the painting. In "They elected Ken captain," "Ken" is the object and "captain" renames Ken’s role, so English does not need "to" or "as" here. Japanese often says "ドアを赤く塗る" or "ケンをキャプテンに選ぶ," and English works in a very similar way, but the complement stays right after the object.
This pattern is common with verbs like "make," "call," "find," "leave," and "elect."
目的語のあとに、その目的語がどんな状態になるか、どんな役割か、何と呼ぶかを表す語を置くときに object complement を使います。
たとえば "We painted the door red." では、"We" が主語、"painted" が動詞、"the door" が目的語、"red" が目的語補語です。"red" が「ドアが赤くなった」ことを説明しています。"They elected Ken captain." では、"Ken" が目的語で、"captain" がケンの役割を言い換えています。日本語では「ドアを赤く塗った」「ケンをキャプテンに選んだ」と言うので感覚は近いですが、英語では目的語のすぐ後ろに補語を置き、"to" や "as" を入れません。
Examples
- We painted the door red. 私たちはドアを赤く塗りました。
- She found the movie boring. 彼女はその映画をつまらないと思いました。
- Did you leave the window open? 窓は開けたままにしましたか。
- I didn't keep the children awake. 私は子どもたちを起こしたままにしませんでした。
- They elected Ken captain. 彼らはケンをキャプテンに選びました。
- The teacher made the instructions clear. 先生は説明をわかりやすくしました。
Common Mistakes
Japanese learners often add "to" or "as" because Japanese uses "に" or "として".
Wrong: "They elected him as captain."
Right: "They elected him captain."
Wrong: "We painted the wall to blue."
Right: "We painted the wall blue."
日本語の「〜に」「〜として」に引っぱられて、"to" や "as" を入れてしまうことがよくあります。
誤り: "They elected him as captain."
正しくは "They elected him captain."
誤り: "We painted the wall to blue."
正しくは "We painted the wall blue."