Episode 03 — 목적어와 보어: 동사 뒤에 무엇이 오는가

MisoEnglish Grammar Series

Episode 03 — 목적어와 보어

동사 뒤에 무엇이 오는가

"문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" Don't memorize grammar. Feel it.

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🧭 들어가며 | Introduction

주어와 동사만 있으면 문장이 완성되는 경우도 있다.

She laughed.
그녀가 웃었다.

He runs.
그는 달린다.

하지만 대부분의 문장은 동사 뒤에 뭔가가 더 필요하다.

그 "뭔가"가 바로 **목적어(Object)**이거나 **보어(Complement)**다.

Sometimes a subject and verb are enough.

But most of the time, something more is needed after the verb.

That "something more" is either an Object or a Complement.

이 두 가지를 구분하는 것이 영어 5형식 전체를 이해하는 핵심이다.

Distinguishing between these two is the key to understanding all five sentence patterns in English.

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1. 목적어란 무엇인가 | What Is an Object?

목적어는 동사의 행위가 향하는 대상이다.

"누구를? 무엇을?" 이라는 질문에 답하는 말이다.

The object is the target of the verb's action.

It answers the question: "Who?" or "What?"

She loves him.
그녀는 그를 사랑한다.

I eat breakfast every day.
나는 매일 아침을 먹는다.

He kicked the ball.
그는 공을 찼다.

They built a house.
그들은 집을 지었다.

동사가 "먹다, 차다, 짓다, 사랑하다"처럼 대상이 필요한 동사일 때, 그 대상이 목적어다.

When a verb like "eat, kick, build, love" needs a target to act on, that target is the object.

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2. 목적어는 두 종류가 있다 | Two Types of Objects

어떤 동사는 목적어를 두 개 가질 수 있다.

"누구에게(간접목적어)"와 "무엇을(직접목적어)"이다.

Some verbs can take two objects: "to whom (indirect object)" and "what (direct object)."

He gave me a gift.
그는 나에게 선물을 줬다.
→ 간접목적어(IO): me / 직접목적어(DO): a gift

She told him the truth.
그녀는 그에게 진실을 말했다.
→ 간접목적어(IO): him / 직접목적어(DO): the truth

I bought her flowers.
나는 그녀에게 꽃을 사줬다.
→ 간접목적어(IO): her / 직접목적어(DO): flowers

기억법: 간접목적어는 항상 사람, 직접목적어는 사물이나 내용인 경우가 많다.

Memory tip: The indirect object is usually a person, the direct object is usually a thing or content.

💡 전치사로 바꿀 수 있다 | You Can Rewrite with a Preposition

두 개의 목적어를 가진 문장은 전치사(to / for)를 써서 바꿀 수 있다.

Sentences with two objects can be rewritten using prepositions (to / for).

He gave me a gift. = He gave a gift to me. ✅

I bought her flowers. = I bought flowers for her. ✅

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3. 보어란 무엇인가 | What Is a Complement?

보어는 목적어와 다르다. 보어는 주어나 목적어가 "어떤 것인지, 어떤 상태인지"를 설명해주는 말이다.

A complement is different from an object. A complement describes what the subject or object is, or what state it's in.

주격 보어 (Subject Complement)

주어를 설명하는 보어. be동사나 상태 동사 뒤에 온다.

Subject Complement — describes the subject. Comes after be verbs or stative verbs.

She is a teacher. 그녀는 선생님이다.
→ "a teacher"가 주어 "She"를 설명 (= She = a teacher)

He seems tired. 그는 피곤해 보인다.
→ "tired"가 주어 "He"의 상태를 설명

The soup tastes amazing. 그 수프는 맛이 훌륭하다.
→ "amazing"이 주어 "The soup"를 설명

핵심: 보어는 주어 = 보어의 관계가 성립한다.

She = a teacher ✅ / He = tired ✅ / The soup = amazing ✅

Key: A subject complement means subject = complement.

목적격 보어 (Object Complement)

목적어를 설명하는 보어. 목적어 바로 뒤에 온다.

Object Complement — describes the object. Comes right after the object.

They call him a genius.
그들은 그를 천재라고 부른다.
→ "a genius"가 목적어 "him"을 설명 (= him = a genius)

She made me happy.
그녀는 나를 행복하게 만들었다.
→ "happy"가 목적어 "me"를 설명 (= me = happy)

He found the movie boring.
그는 그 영화가 지루하다고 느꼈다.
→ "boring"이 목적어 "the movie"를 설명

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4. 목적어 vs 보어 — 어떻게 구분하는가 | Object vs Complement — How to Tell Them Apart

이 둘을 헷갈리는 학습자가 많다. 구분법은 간단하다.

Many learners mix these up. The way to tell them apart is simple.

✅ 등호(=)가 성립하면 보어, 아니면 목적어

If an equals sign (=) works between them → complement. If not → object.

문장 Sentence 관계 Relationship 종류 Type

She is a doctor.	She = a doctor ✅	보어 Complement
He kicked the ball.	He = the ball ❌	목적어 Object
They call him a hero.	him = a hero ✅	보어 Complement
I love her.	I = her ❌	목적어 Object
She made me happy.	me = happy ✅	보어 Complement
She made me happy.	made → me (대상)	목적어 Object

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5. 동사에 따라 뒤가 결정된다 | The Verb Decides What Comes After

가장 중요한 포인트는 이것이다: 동사의 종류가 뒤에 목적어가 오는지, 보어가 오는지, 아니면 아무것도 안 오는지를 결정한다.

Here's the most important point: The type of verb determines what comes after it — an object, a complement, or nothing at all.

동사 유형 Verb Type 뒤에 오는 것 What Follows 예문 Example

완전자동사	없음 Nothing	She laughed.
불완전자동사	주격 보어 Subject Complement	She seems happy.
완전타동사	목적어 Object	He loves her.
수여동사	간·직 목적어 IO + DO	He gave me a gift.
불완전타동사	목적어 + 목적격 보어 O + OC	She made me happy.

이것이 바로 영어의 5형식 구조다. 다음 편에서 이 다섯 가지 틀을 본격적으로 다룬다.

This is the foundation of English's 5 sentence patterns. We'll cover all five in the next episode.

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📌 이번 편 요약 | Episode Summary

1. 목적어는 동사의 행위가 향하는 대상 — "누구를? 무엇을?"에 답한다 The object is the target of the verb's action — it answers "who?" or "what?"
2. 목적어는 두 종류 — 간접목적어(사람)와 직접목적어(사물/내용) Two types of objects — indirect (usually a person) and direct (usually a thing).
3. 보어는 주어나 목적어의 상태/정체를 설명 — 주어=보어, 목적어=보어 관계 A complement describes the subject or object — subject = complement, or object = complement.
4. 등호(=)가 성립하면 보어 — 아니면 목적어 If an equals sign works → complement. If not → object.
5. 동사의 종류가 뒤에 올 것을 결정한다 — 5형식의 기초 The verb type determines what follows — the foundation of the 5 sentence patterns.

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🔜 다음 편 예고 | Coming Up Next

Episode 04 — 영어 5형식 : 문장의 모든 틀은 다섯 개뿐이다 The 5 Sentence Patterns: Every English Sentence Fits into One of These Five

목적어와 보어를 이해했다면, 이제 그것들이 조합되는 다섯 가지 패턴을 완성할 차례다. 이 다섯 개의 틀을 몸에 익히면, 어떤 문장이든 구조가 보이기 시작한다.

Now that you understand objects and complements, it's time to see the five patterns they form. Once these five frames are in your body, the structure of any sentence becomes visible.

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 1 — Episode 03 "문법을 외우지 말고, 느껴라" | "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Object and Complement: What Comes After the Verb?

The Two Things That Complete an English Sentence

MisoEnglish Grammar Series — Episode 03

"Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

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Introduction

In Episode 02, we established that every English sentence needs a subject and a verb. Sometimes that's enough:

She laughed. He runs.

But most of the time, the verb opens a door — and something needs to walk through it. That something is either an object or a complement.

These two are not the same thing. Confusing them is one of the most common structural errors Korean learners make — and understanding the difference unlocks the logic behind all five English sentence patterns.

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1. The Object: Target of the Action

The object is what the verb's action lands on. It answers: "Who?" or "What?"

She loves him. I eat breakfast every day. He kicked the ball. They built a house.

Verbs like love, eat, kick, build need a target. Without one, the sentence feels incomplete — like throwing a punch with nothing to hit.

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2. Two Kinds of Objects

Some verbs are generous — they can take two objects at once: an indirect object (the recipient) and a direct object (the thing being given or told).

He gave me a gift. → Indirect object: me / Direct object: a gift

She told him the truth. → Indirect object: him / Direct object: the truth

I bought her flowers. → Indirect object: her / Direct object: flowers

A useful pattern: the indirect object is almost always a person, and the direct object is almost always a thing or piece of information.

These sentences can also be rewritten using to or for:

He gave a gift to me. I bought flowers for her.

Both versions are correct — the meaning stays the same.

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3. The Complement: What Something Is

A complement doesn't receive an action. Instead, it describes — it tells you what the subject or object is or is like.

Subject Complement

A subject complement follows a be verb or stative verb and describes the subject.

She is a teacher. → She = a teacher He seems tired. → He = tired The soup tastes amazing. → The soup = amazing

The defining feature: subject = complement. They refer to the same thing.

Object Complement

An object complement follows the object and describes it.

They call him a genius. → him = a genius She made me happy. → me = happy He found the movie boring. → the movie = boring

Again: object = complement. Same entity, described by the complement.

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4. How to Tell an Object from a Complement

This is where many learners get stuck. The test is simple:

Can you put an equals sign between the verb's companion and what came before it?

Sentence Relationship Type

She is a doctor.	She = a doctor ✅	Complement
He kicked the ball.	He = the ball ❌	Object
They call him a hero.	him = a hero ✅	Complement
I love her.	I = her ❌	Object
She made me happy.	me = happy ✅	Complement

If the equals sign works → complement. If it doesn't → object.

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5. The Verb Decides What Comes After It

This is the most important principle of this episode:

The type of verb you use determines what can — or must — follow it.

Verb Type What Follows Example

Intransitive (complete)	Nothing	She laughed.
Intransitive (incomplete)	Subject complement	She seems happy.
Transitive (complete)	Object	He loves her.
Ditransitive	Indirect + Direct object	He gave me a gift.
Transitive (incomplete)	Object + Object complement	She made me happy.

These five patterns are what we call the 5 sentence structures of English. Every sentence you will ever read or write fits into one of them. We'll map them all out in the next episode.

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Episode Summary

1. The object is the target of the verb's action — it answers "who?" or "what?"
2. Two types of objects — indirect (person) and direct (thing or information).
3. The complement describes what something is — subject = complement, or object = complement.
4. The equals sign test — if it works, it's a complement; if not, it's an object.
5. The verb determines what follows — this is the foundation of the 5 sentence patterns.

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Coming Up Next

Episode 04 — The 5 Sentence Patterns: Every English Sentence Fits into One of These Five

Objects, complements, one or two of each — now we put it all together. Once you see the five frames, the structure of any English sentence becomes visible at a glance.

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© MisoEnglish Grammar Series | Level 1 — Episode 03 "Don't memorize grammar. Feel it."

 

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