How Verbs Choose What Comes After Them (Verb Valency)

A major new section opens here: the verb system. The verb is the engine of every sentence, and now we look closely at how it runs. We start with valency: simply, how many companions a verb needs. Some verbs need nothing after them, some need one object, some need two, and some need a special describing word. Knowing this lets you predict the shape of a sentence's ending before you read it, building straight on the V1/V2/V3 patterns from The Sentence Engine.

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1. The idea: every verb has needs

Think of a verb as having "needs", companions it requires to make a complete sentence. Some verbs are happy alone. Others feel incomplete without an object, or even two. Watch:

• The child slept. → complete! Slept needs nothing after it. ✓
• The child opened... → incomplete! Opened what? We're left hanging. It needs an object.
• She gave... → incomplete! Gave what? To whom? It needs two things.

So different verbs demand different things after them. The fancy word for "how many companions a verb needs" is valency. (You don't have to use this word often, but it's good to know it.)

Valency = the number and type of essential companions a verb requires to make a complete sentence.

If a verb's required companions are missing, the sentence feels broken or incomplete. So knowing a verb's valency tells you exactly what to expect after it, which makes you a faster, more confident reader.

Quick recap: Valency means how many companions a verb needs. Some verbs need nothing (slept), some need one object (opened the door), some need two (gave him a key). If the needed companions are missing, the sentence feels incomplete.

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2. Recap: the three engines (V1, V2, V3)

You already met the three main verb patterns in The Sentence Engine: The Few Patterns Every English Sentence Is Built On. Let's quickly recap them, because valency is really just a deeper look at these.

• V1 (intransitive): the action stops at the verb. The baby cried.
• V2 (transitive): the action reaches one thing. She opened the door.
• V3 (ditransitive): the action reaches two things. She gave him a key.

(Quick reminder of the two objects in V3: usually a person who receives, and a thing that's given. In She gave him a key, the person is him, the thing is a key. The person-object is the "indirect object"; the thing-object is the "direct object": nice names to know, but not essential.)

So valency = "which engine does this verb use?" Now let's add the patterns The Sentence Engine: The Few Patterns Every English Sentence Is Built On only hinted at.

Worth repeating: V1 = verb needs nothing (slept). V2 = verb needs one object (opened the door). V3 = verb needs two objects (gave him a key). Valency is just "which engine?"

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3. The fourth pattern: linking verbs and complements

You met this briefly in The Sentence Engine: The Few Patterns Every English Sentence Is Built On. Some verbs aren't about action at all; they link the subject to a description. These are linking verbs, and the description after them is a complement.

The main linking verbs: be (is, was...), become, seem, appear, feel, look, taste, sound, remain, stay, grow.

• The milk became sour. → sour describes the milk (its new state): a complement, not an object.
• She seems tired. → tired describes her.
• The soup tastes good. → good describes the soup.

The key point: the word after a linking verb describes the subject. It doesn't receive an action: it tells you what the subject is or became. That's why it's a complement, not an object.

The test (from The Sentence Engine: The Few Patterns Every English Sentence Is Built On): can you swap the verb for is? If yes, it's linking.

• The milk became sour → The milk is sour ✓ → linking
• She seems tired → She is tired ✓ → linking

We can call this pattern Vc ("c" for complement): Subject + Linking Verb + Complement.

Lock this in: Linking verbs (be, become, seem, feel, look, taste) connect the subject to a description called a complement. The complement describes the SUBJECT (The milk became sour, sour describes the milk). Test: swap the verb for is, if it works, it's linking.

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4. The fifth pattern: object + complement (the tricky one)

Here's a new and slightly tricky pattern. Some verbs take an object AND then a describing word, but the describing word describes the object, not the subject. The pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Object + describing word(complement of the object)
NP1 + V + NP2 + M2

Look carefully:

• The joke made him angry. → him is the object; angry describes him (the joke made him become angry).
• They found the film interesting. → the film is the object; interesting describes the film.
• The cold weather kept the roads icy. → the roads is the object; icy describes the roads.
• She left the door open. → open describes the door.
• The committee elected Sara president. → president describes Sara (a noun complement this time).

In all of these, the describing word at the end belongs to the object, telling you what state the object ended up in. This is called an object complement.

Why this matters, don't mistake it for an adverb!

A common mistake: thinking that the describing word at the end is an adverb (describing the action). It's not; it describes the object. Compare:

• The joke made him angry. → angry describes him (the object): it's an object complement, NOT an adverb.
• She sang beautifully. → beautifully describes the action (how she sang), this IS an adverb.

So when you see a describing word after an object, ask: does it describe the object's state? If yes, it's an object complement (part of the verb's frame), not an adverb.

Common verbs that use this pattern: make, keep, find, leave, turn, consider, render, drive, get, elect.

A quick reminder: Some verbs take an object PLUS a describing word that describes the OBJECT: The joke made him angry (angry describes him). This is an "object complement," NOT an adverb. Verbs like make, keep, find, leave, consider use this pattern.

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5. The five patterns together

Let's put all five verb patterns in one table, your complete map of "what a verb can need after it":

When you read a sentence, finding which pattern the verb uses tells you exactly how to read everything after the verb. That's the power of valency.

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6. The same verb can change patterns

An important point: a verb isn't locked into one pattern forever. Many verbs can work in different patterns depending on the sentence. So you decide the pattern per sentence, by looking at what's actually there.

• The window broke. → V1 (no object)

• He broke the window. → V2 (one object: the window)

• She runs every day. → V1 (no object, every day is just extra info)

• She runs a company. → V2 (one object: a company)

• They made a cake. → V2 (one object: a cake)

• The joke made him angry. → object-complement (object + describing word)

So don't memorize "this verb is always V2." Instead, look at each sentence and ask: What actually follows the verb here? That tells you the pattern for this sentence.

Say it again: A verb can use different patterns in different sentences. The window broke (V1) vs. He broke the window (V2). Decide the pattern per sentence by looking at what actually follows the verb.

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7. The practical habit: predict, then check

Here's how valency makes you a stronger reader. When you find the main verb in a sentence (using the Boot and the structural mindset), immediately ask:

"What does this verb need? Does it stop here (V1)? Need one object (V2)? Two (V3)? A complement describing the subject (Vc) or the object (object-complement)?"

This makes you predict the shape of what's coming, instead of being surprised by it. And it stops you from forcing the wrong reading:

• If the verb is V1, don't hunt for an object.
• If it's linking, the word after describes the subject (don't call it an object).
• If it's an object-complement verb, the final word describes the object (don't call it an adverb).

This is the structural mindset (The Structural Mindset: Training Your Eyes to See the Shape) sharpened by knowing verb patterns. Strong readers see the verb and instantly know the shape of the rest.

Hold onto this: When you find the main verb, predict what it needs (nothing / one object / two objects / a subject-complement / an object-complement). Predicting the shape makes reading faster and stops you from forcing wrong readings.

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8. Connecting the dots

This post deepens The Sentence Engine: The Few Patterns Every English Sentence Is Built On (the engine) and connects to The M2 Zone: Describing Words (and a Secret Connection to the Boot) (M2 describers).

From The Sentence Engine: The Few Patterns Every English Sentence Is Built On, you knew V1/V2/V3. Now you've added the two complement patterns (Vc and object-complement), so you have the complete set of verb frames. This completes your understanding of the "VP" half of the master formula S = NP1 + VP.

And notice the connection to M2 (The M2 Zone: Describing Words (and a Secret Connection to the Boot)): the describing word in a complement pattern is often an adjective (like angry, sour, open), the same kind of word that fills M2 before a noun. The difference is position and job: an adjective before a noun is M2 (the angry man); an adjective in a complement describes the subject or object through the verb (The joke made him angry). Same word type, different structural job, and you can now tell them apart.

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9. Slow practice

Try each yourself first, then check the answers.

Exercise A, Which pattern? (V1, V2, V3, Vc, or object-complement)

1. The audience laughed.
2. She opened the gate.
3. He sent me a message.
4. The milk became sour.
5. The joke made him angry.
6. They found the room empty.

Exercise B: Object or complement?

For each bold word after the verb, decide: object (receives the action) or complement (describes the subject or object).

1. She became a doctor.
2. He cleaned the kitchen.
3. The news left everyone silent.
4. They watched a film.

Exercise C: Object complement or adverb?

For each bold word, decide: object complement (describes the object) or adverb (describes the action).

1. The cold kept the roads icy.
2. She sang beautifully.
3. They painted the wall blue.
4. He spoke quietly.

Exercise D: Same verb, different patterns

For each pair, name the pattern of each sentence (V1, V2, or object-complement).

1a. The door opened. / 1b. She opened the door. 2a. They made a cake. / 2b. The result made them happy.

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Answers (try first, then check!)

Exercise A, Which pattern?

1. The audience laughed. → V1 (nothing after)
2. She opened the gate. → V2 (one object)
3. He sent me a message. → V3 (two objects: me, a message)
4. The milk became sour. → Vc (linking verb + complement describing the subject)
5. The joke made him angry. → object-complement (object him + complement angry)
6. They found the room empty. → object-complement (object the room + complement empty)

Exercise B: Object or complement?

1. a doctor → complement (became = linking; describes the subject she)
2. the kitchen → object (receives the cleaning)
3. silent → complement (describes the object everyone)
4. a film → object (receives the watching)

Exercise C: Object complement or adverb?

1. icy → object complement (describes the roads)
2. beautifully → adverb (describes how she sang)
3. blue → object complement (describes the wall, what it became)
4. quietly → adverb (describes how he spoke)

Exercise D: Same verb, different patterns: 1a. The door opened. → V1 / 1b. She opened the door. → V2 2a. They made a cake. → V2 / 2b. The result made them happy. → object-complement

How did you do? Exercises C is the discriminating one, telling an object complement from an adverb shows you truly understand verb patterns. If you got it, you're reading like a strong structural reader.

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10. What you should keep

1. Valency = how many companions a verb needs. If the needed companions are missing, the sentence feels incomplete.

2. The five verb patterns:

   • V1 = verb needs nothing (The baby cried.)
   • V2 = verb needs one object (She opened the door.)
   • V3 = verb needs two objects (He gave her a gift.)
   • Vc = linking verb + complement describing the SUBJECT (The milk became sour.)
   • object-complement = object + complement describing the OBJECT (The joke made him angry.)

3. Linking verbs (be, become, seem, feel, look, taste) connect the subject to a description (complement). Test: swap the verb for is.

4. An object complement describes the object, NOT the action, don't mistake it for an adverb. (kept the roads icy, icy describes the roads.)

5. A verb can use different patterns in different sentences. Decide per sentence by looking at what follows the verb.

6. The habit: when you find the main verb, predict what it needs, this makes reading faster and stops wrong readings.

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11. Almost there

You now understand the complete set of verb patterns: what a verb can demand after it, from nothing at all to an object plus a describing word. This completes your picture of the "VP" (verb phrase) side of the master formula, and it makes you a predicting reader: see the verb, know the shape.

In Two Verbs Together: -ing or "to"? (Gerund vs. Infinitive), we'll tackle a very practical everyday problem: when one verb is followed by another verb, should it be the -ing form or the to form? (Why I enjoy swimming but I want to swim?) This trips up learners constantly, and there's real pattern behind it. We'll make it clear and give you reliable rules.

When you're ready, Two Verbs Together: -ing or "to"? (Gerund vs. Infinitive) handles a tricky verb pairing. First, take a few sentences and identify which valency pattern each verb uses.