The adjoint adjunct and the nominal complement are two concepts that often confuse many students. To differentiate them, just observe the particularities of each one:
| Adjunct | nominal complement |
|---|---|
| It is an accessory term of prayer, therefore, it is dispensable. | It is an integral term of prayer, therefore, it is indispensable. |
| Its function is to characterize, determine, explain, modify or restrict. | Its function is to complete a sense. |
| It occurs in the form of an article, adjective, numeral, pronoun or adjective phrase. | Occurs in the form of nouns, pronouns, numerals and subordinate clauses nouns complete nouns. |
| As a general rule, it is not accompanied by a preposition. | It is always accompanied by prepositions. |
| It has a direct impact on nouns (concrete or abstract). | It has a direct impact on abstract nouns, adjectives and adverbs. |
| Has agent function; performs the action. | Has patient function; suffer the action. |
We prepare a selection with 6 contest exercises and we will help you distinguish an adjunct from a nominal complement through the feedbacks commented on by our expert teachers.
question 1
(TRE-PA/2011) - adapted
Parties are key to consolidation of democracy and the permanent development of citizenship and they must exist – really – on an everyday basis. (L.56-59)
The terms highlighted in the period above are classified, respectively, as
a) adjoint adjunct and adnominal adjunct.
b) nominal complement and nominal complement.
c) Adjunct Adjunct and Nominal Complement.
d) nominal complement and adjunct adjunct.
e) indirect object and indirect object.
Correct alternative: b) nominal complement and nominal complement.
Note that, in both cases, the underlined terms have a passive function, that is, they suffer the actions.
In “democracy”, “democracy” undergoes the action of being consolidated. As for “citizenship”, “citizenship” undergoes the action of being developed. An adjunct would have an active role.
Another factor that indicates that the underlined terms are nominal complements is the fact that both complement the meaning of the words that follow. Note that without them, the phrase would not make much sense:
"Parties are fundamental for consolidation and permanent development."
As we read the sentence above, we would probably ask ourselves: consolidation of what? development of what? These questions are answered by the nominal complement.
With this, we can also conclude that “democracy” and “citizenship” are indispensable for understanding the meaning. Both are integral terms of the sentence and, therefore, are nominal complements.
Adjuncts have an active role. Furthermore, they are accessory terms of the prayer, that is, they are dispensable.
question 2
(FUNCAB/2013) - adapted
The syntactic function of the segment highlighted in "Fighting VIOLENCE is a general need [...]" finds correct classification in the alternative:
a) direct object.
b) indirect object.
c) nominal complement.
d) Adjunct Adnominal.
e) bet.
Correct alternative: c) nominal complement.
In the sentence above, some facts are indicative that the highlighted segment is a nominal complement.
- The word “violence” has a passive function in the sentence. It suffers the action of being fought. The role of an adjunct is always active.
- The use of “to violence” is necessary so that the meaning of the sentence is understandable. If we read "Combat is a general necessity [...]", we would probably ask ourselves "What combat?" This shows that the highlighted segment is an integral term of the prayer. Adjuncts, in turn, are accessory terms, that is, they are dispensable in a sentence.
question 3
FGV/2013)
the used bookstores
The other day I decided to wander through some used bookstores in the city center. How long! The habit of going to used bookstores dates back to my youth, when I started university. The Jornal do Commercio published, on Sundays, in small advertisements, lists of books and magazines, which had been acquired by them. Monday, at seven in the morning, here I am in front of the used bookstore. The house, an old one, only opened at eight, but an hour before, a small line of bibliophiles had formed on the sidewalk. It opened very early yes, because the owner knew about the anxiety of those early risers. It was located in one of those streets close to Praça Tiradentes. If I came in second place, I ran the serious risk of the first in line wanting exactly the work I dreamed of having in my library, which hosted the first books. Frustration, because I went through a few times, horrible. A day of mourning for the loss. It was almost mine after all! The anxiety in wanting to guess which work my potential competitor was interested in was very strong. How eager to ask as soon as he declined the name of the coveted author. He was a young man, and my expectant companions much older. The time, another, also commanded respect for elders. Many important books, for that time, were acquired by the student of Letters.
(Carlos Eduardo Falcão Uchoa)
One of the ways to show the difference between the adjunct and the nominal complement is the comparison between the agent function (adjunct) and the patient function (nominal complement). This strategy can be used in the following case:
a) “...some used bookstores in the city center”.
b) “...a small line of bibliophiles”.
c) “...relationships of books and magazines...”.
d) "...my companions of expectation..."
e) “... here I am in front of the second-hand bookshop that interested me”.
Correct alternative: c) “...relationships of books and magazines...”.
a) WRONG. “Sebum” is a concrete noun.
b) WRONG. “Queue” is a concrete noun.
c) CORRECT. Comparison between agent role and patient role is used to differentiate the "adjunct adnominal" of the "nominal complement" when there is an abstract noun preceding the term to be analyzed. In alternative c), this abstract noun is represented by the word “relations”.
A tip for identifying the correct answer is to convert the sentence to the passive voice: "Books and magazines are related."
Note that “books and magazines” suffer the action: they are related, that is, they are patient.
d) WRONG. “Companions” is a concrete noun.
e) WRONG. “Store” is a concrete noun.
question 4
(Idecan/2013) - adapted
Note the excerpt "Cameras were articles luxurious." Tick the alternative in which the highlighted passage has syntactic classification equal to the underlined item in the previous period.
a) she bought a cell phone.
b) She doesn't remember from your past.
c) Data have been released In September.
of the machine broked was exchanged at the store.
e) Currently, the possibilities from register are bigger.
Correct alternative: d) The defective machine has been exchanged at the store.
a) WRONG. “a cell phone” is a direct object.
b) WRONG. “from your past” is an indirect object.
c) WRONG. “in September” is an adverbial adverbial of tense.
d) CORRECT. In the available excerpt, “luxury” characterizes; explains; determines the types of articles. This is indicative of adjunct adjunct. From the given alternatives, note that “defective” also has the function of characterizing. A thing “defective” is something “defective” (adjective).
e) WRONG. “of registration” is nominal complement. Note that his role is patient, that is, he suffers the action; it can be understood that the record suffered the action of being made possible by someone.
question 5
(IABAS/2016) The term highlighted in "Afterwards, a silence full of REMEMBRANCE settled between us." performs, in the context, the syntactic function of:
a) direct object.
b) predicative of the object.
c) Adjunct Adnominal.
d) indirect object.
e) nominal complement.
Correct alternative: e) nominal complement.
Note that if the phrase were “Afterwards, a full silence settled between us.”, we would probably not understand its meaning. A silence full of what?
The noun complement has the function of complementing the meaning of a sentence. It is an integral term of prayer, that is, it is indispensable. Without it, meaning is lost.
The adnominal adjunct, in turn, is expendable. It has the role of characterizing a noun, however, its absence does not compromise the understanding of the sentence.
question 6
(TJ-SP/2017) In the New Grammar of Contemporary Portuguese, authors Celso Cunha and Lindley Cintra explain that the adjunct adjunct “is the term with adjective value that serves to specify or delimit the meaning of a noun, whatever its function.” Such a definition is correctly exemplified with the highlighted expression in:
a) A year after the wedding, Fadinha was again pretty…
b) The case is that both were very happy. Still live.
ç)... absolutely none of the celebrated beauty of yore.
d)... with the whole body cruelly invaded by the hideous eruption…
and)... after having been suspended between life and death.
Correct alternative: c)... absolutely none of the celebrated beauty of yesteryear.
a) WRONG. “again” is an adverbial adjunct to tense.
b) WRONG. “very” is the adverbial adjunct of intensity and “happy” is the subject's predicament.
c) CORRECT. “of yore” characterizes the noun “beauty”. The function of an adjoint adjunct is to characterize, determine, restrict, explain the term to which it refers.
Another indication that the highlighted expression is an adnominal adjunct is the fact that it is an accessory term of the clause. The meaning of “celebrated beauty” is understandable even without the adjunct. That is, it attributes a characteristic that is actually expendable.
d) WRONG. “by the dreadful eruption” it is the agent of the passive.
e) WRONG. “between life and death” is an adverbial adjunct to mood.
To learn more about adjunct and nominal complement, be sure to check the texts below:
- Adjunct
- Accessory terms of prayer
- nominal complement
- Adjunct exercises with commented template
- Terms that are part of the sentence
- syntactic function