在语法中，补语是完成句子中谓语的单词或词组。与修饰语（可选）不同，补语是用来完成句子或句子的一部分意思的。

下面你会发现关于两种常见补语类型的讨论：主语补语（跟在动词be和其他连接动词后面）和宾语补语（跟在直接宾语后面）。正如David Crystal在《语言学和语音学词典》中所指出的：

"[T]he domain of complementation remains an unclear area in linguistic analysis, and there are several unresolved issues."

主题补充例子

这些是主语补语的例子。在本节和后续章节中，补语以斜体列出。

• 我的制服又破又脏。
• 我的制服是T恤和牛仔裤。
• “想象力是对抗现实的唯一武器。——朱尔斯·德·高蒂埃
• “爱是一支爆炸的雪茄，我们愿意抽。”——琳达·巴里

对象补充示例

• 吉米的老师说他是个捣蛋鬼。
• 老师的话使我生气。
• “寡妇为我哭泣，称我为一只可怜的迷途羔羊，她还叫了我许多其他的名字。”——马克·吐温，《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》

主题补充说明

"Subject complements rename or describe the subjects of sentences. In other words, they complement the subjects. "Many of these complements are nouns, pronouns, or other nominals that rename or provide additional information about the subject of the sentence. They always follow linking verbs. A less contemporary term for a noun, pronoun, or other nominal used as a subject complement is predicate nominative.

• 他是老板。
• 南希是赢家。
• 这就是她。
• 我的朋友是他们。

"In the first example, the subject complement boss explains the subject he. It tells what he is. In the second example, the subject complement winner explains the subject Nancy. It tells what Nancy is. In the third example, the subject complement she renames the subject this. It tells who this is. In the final example, the subject complement they identifies the subject friends. It tells who the friends are. "Other subject complements are adjectives that modify the subjects of sentences. They also follow linking verbs. A less contemporary term for an adjective used as a subject complement is predicate adjective.

• 我的同事很友好。
• 这个故事令人兴奋。

"In the first example, the subject complement friendly modifies the subject coworkers. In the second example, the subject complement exciting modifies the subject story."

——迈克尔·斯特伦普和奥里尔·道格拉斯，《语法圣经》，亨利·霍尔特，2004年

宾语补语

"An object complement always follows the direct object and either renames or describes the direct object. Consider this sentence:

• 她给婴儿取名为布鲁斯。

"The verb is named. To find the subject, ask, 'Who or what named?' The answer is she, so she is the subject. Now ask, 'Whom or what did she name?' She named the baby, so baby is the direct object. Any word following the direct object that renames or describes the direct object is an object complement. She named the baby Bruce, so Bruce is the object complement."

–Barbara Goldstein、Jack Waugh和Karen Linsky，“语法：如何工作以及如何使用”，第四版，Wadsworth，2013年

"The object complement characterizes the object in the same way as the subject complement characterizes the subject: it identifies, describes, or locates the object (as in We chose Bill as group leader, We consider him a fool, She laid the baby in the crib), expressing either its current state or resulting state (as in They found him in the kitchen vs. She made him angry). It is not possible to delete the object complement without either radically changing the meaning of the sentence (e.g. She called him an idiot - She called him) or making the sentence ungrammatical (e.g. He locked his keys in his office - *He locked his keys). Note that be or some other copula verb can often be inserted between the direct object and the object complement (e.g. I consider him to be a fool, We chose Bill to be group leader, They found him to be in the kitchen)."

–Laurel J.Brinton和Donna M.Brinton，现代英语的语言结构。约翰·本贾明斯，2010

“补语”的多重意义

"Complement is one of the most confusing terms in scientific grammar. Even in one grammar, that of Quirk et al. (1985), we can find it being used in two ways: a) as one of the five so-called 'clause elements' (1985: 728), (alongside subject, verb, object and adverbial): (20) My glass is empty. (subject complement) (21) We find them very pleasant. (object complement) b) as a part of a prepositional phrase, the part that follows the preposition (1985: 657): (22) on the table "In other grammars, this second meaning is extended to other phrases....It therefore appears to have very broad reference, to anything that is needed to complete the meaning of some other linguistic unit... "These two basic meanings of complement are neatly discussed in Swan [see below]."

–Roger Berry，“英语教学中的术语：性质和使用”，Peter Lang，2010）

"The word 'complement' is also used in a wider sense. We often need to add something to a verb, noun, or adjective to complete its meaning. If somebody says I want, we expect to hear what he or she wants; the words the need obviously don't make sense alone; after hearing I'm interested, we may need to be told what the speaker is interested in. Words and expressions which 'complete' the meaning of a verb, noun, or adjective are also called 'complements.' "Many verbs can be followed by noun complements or -ing forms with no preposition ('direct objects'). But nouns and adjectives normally need prepositions to join them to noun or -ing form complements."

–Michael Swan，“实用英语用法”，牛津大学出版社，1995年）

• 我想喝一杯，然后我想回家。
• 她明白保密的必要性吗？
• 我对学习飞行感兴趣。

词源来自拉丁语“to fill”

发音：KOM pliment