Steve

I have a question about the use of a name in a sentence.

In the sentence "I named my dog Rex," what function does the name "Rex" serve? It isn't a direct object (that would be the dog, the thing that is named), but it doesn't seem like an indirect object, either (as you're not naming him *with* Rex or *to* Rex or anything). It hardly seems to be a noun at all, because there's no correct way to modify it (at least, not without changing the name to "Big Rex" or something). What gives?

Thanks.

[abaka]

It's called an "objective complement", because it completes the direct object "my dog".

You probably know about subjective complements (predicate nouns, pronouns, and adjectives), which modify the subject and follow a copula verb: His name is Joe. My dog seems sick today. My car is all I have our left.

An objective complement, which can also be a noun or adjective (theoretically also a pronoun, but I'm having trouble coming up with an example), follows the object (usually direct), modifies the direct object, and completes the meaning of the sentence or clause:

I called my dog Rex. I painted my car red.

The objective (and subjective) complement should be distinguished from the so-called apposition, which merely provides extra detail, but doesn't really complete the meaning of the clause:

X We met Bill Gates, the richest man on Earth! (And Steve Jobs, his competitor, was also there.)