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Pollution (S) affects (V) the environment (O) in many ways (?).

Is in many ways a complement?

jimm101
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Alexx
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  • 'in many ways' does not have a part of speech. Perhaps you're confusing categories and functions. (S), (V) * (O) are common syntax functions, note * (V) here is a function not a category i.e. the predicate (it can be argued it is both and they are used as both). Categories (POS) are 'verbs' adjectives, adverbs, determiners, pronouns etc. Functions can be adverbial clauses, prepositional phrases, complements, content clauses etc. Categories tend to be single-words-only, while functions are not restricted to a single word and can be phrases etc. – aesking Feb 09 '20 at 14:41
  • [...] Note, some grammars like CaGEL would denote a name such as "Mary" as functionally a NP (a clause function), but its POS would be a noun. Personally a phrase for me has to have more than a single word, but I have to accommodate a big grammar such as CaGEL. – aesking Feb 09 '20 at 14:42
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    As a part of that sentence, in many ways is not a complement. If you need a term, you could call it an adverbial adjunct or an adverbial modifier. It's a prepositional phrase that functions as an adverb to answer the question of how for the verb: affects how? affects in many ways. – Tinfoil Hat Feb 09 '20 at 16:11
  • It's a prepositional phrase, functioning as an adverb. – Hot Licks Feb 09 '20 at 17:49

1 Answers1

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No, it is not a complement clause, but an adjunct clause:

Pollution (S) affects (V) the environment (O) | in many ways (?)

In many ways, is not a complement clause because they can be removed from the sentence and still remain grammatical:

(S) + (V) + (O) + (adjunct clause)

Complement clauses are selected by a verb and act as arguments which are necessary for the sentence to remain grammatical. Therefore, complement clauses are often described as a type of subordinate clause. If you want to read more about complement clauses, I have posted an answer to it here. I will be using the same grammar reference by Maggie Tallerman.

Understanding Syntax by Maggie Tallerman, pg. 92-93

Some embedded clauses are not selected by any verb, and instead are just optional modifiers rather than arguments:

(34)
a. Mel will be there [when she’s good and ready].
b. [If you’re leaving early], please get up quietly.
c. [Kim having left early], we drank her beer

The clauses shown in brackets are all ADJUNCTS, to use a term introduced in Chapter 2; this means that they are not obligatory. You can see this for yourself by removing them from (34); all the remaining sentences are fully grammatical. In traditional grammar, these optional subordinate clauses are known as ADVERBIAL CLAUSES. They add a very wide range of additional meanings, including information about time, location and manner, purpose, and reason or cause. The if-clause in (34b) is known as a CONDITIONAL clause.

Here are some further English examples of adjunct clauses:

(35)
a. Mel will come to work [aftter she gets paid].
b. [Because it was before dawn], we got up quietly.
c. We walked up the hill [(in order) to see the castle].
d. We walked up the hill [for Lee to see the castle].
e. We walked up the hill [so (that) Lee could see the castle].
f. [While shutting the window], I accidentally knocked over the flowers.

There are a number of points to note here. In English, and widely in other languages, adjunct clauses have just the same sorts of properties as complement clauses. They are often introduced by a complementizer. They may be finite or non-finite. Non-finite adjunct clauses sometimes have an overt subject (for Lee to see the castle) and sometimes only an understood subject (in order to see the castle; while shutting the window).

But the main difference between complement clauses and adjunct clauses has been highlighted since the first paragraph and will be in italicised bold.

aesking
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