The fifth sentence pattern is a pattern in which the object O and the complement C have an equal relationship. It creates the meaning “make/think that O is C.” The range of verbs covered in high school suddenly becomes much broader.
Basic Rules
Categories of verbs taking SVOC:
① Naming and appointing: call / name / elect / appoint “We elected him president.”
② Making something become a state: make / keep / leave “Leave the door open.”
③ Recognition and judgment: think / find / believe / consider “I think him honest. / I think (that) he is honest.”
④ Sensation and perception: see / hear / feel / watch / notice + O + base form/-ing/past participle
⑤ Causative: make / have / let / get + O + base form/past participle
The complement C can be a noun, adjective, participle, to-infinitive, bare infinitive, and so on. The difficult point is that the form each verb takes is fixed.
She made me happy. (She made me happy.) ← SVOC adjective complement
I found the book interesting. (I found the book interesting.) ← find + O + adjective
They elected him captain. (They elected him captain.) ← elect + O + noun (without an article)
Keep your room clean. (Keep your room clean.) ← keep + O + adjective
※ Positions such as a title or captain, which are “one of a kind,” take no article.
Points to Note
① Noun complements expressing titles or positions take no article: “elected him president (× a president)” and “named her captain (× a captain).” This rule applies when there is only one opening for the position.
② think / believe / consider + O + (to be) + C: to be can be omitted, as in “I believe him (to be) honest.” In written English, to be is often included.
③ The construction “I think it that 〜” (dummy object it): When you want to make a that clause the object, use dummy object it, as in “I think it strange that he didn't come. (I think it strange that he did not come.)”
④ SVOC with make has both causative meaning (make someone do something) and change-of-state meaning (make something become〜). “This song makes me happy. (state)” and “Her smile makes me forget my worries. (causative・base form)” differ in form, so they will be covered in detail in the next lesson.
- SVOC: Recognize the relationship O = C
- Naming: call / name / elect / appoint (title nouns take no article)
- State: make / keep / leave + O + adjective/participle
- Recognition: think / find / believe / consider + O + (to be) + C
- Dummy object it: “I think it strange that 〜”
Practice
- Translate “We elected him leader” into English using elect.
- Translate “I found the story sad” into English using find.
- Translate “His advice made me happy” into English using make.