Definition of

Circumstantial complement

Car key on a table

On the table it is a circumstantial complement of place.

The circumstantial complement is a type of verb complement that provides additional information about the circumstances in which the verbal action occurs. It can indicate time, place, manner, cause, purpose, company, among other aspects. For example, in the sentence "I studied in the library", "in the library" is a circumstantial complement of place that specifies where the action of studying was carried out .

Types of circumstantial complement

Circumstantial complement of place

Indicates the space or area in which the verbal action takes place.

Circumstantial complement of time

It indicates the moment or period in which the action of the verb occurs.

Circumstantial complement of mode

Describes the way in which the verbal action is carried out.

Circumstantial quantity supplement

Expresses the magnitude or degree with which the action of the verb is carried out.

Circumstantial complement of cause

State the reason or reason why the verbal action is carried out.

Circumstantial complement of purpose

Indicates the purpose or objective with which the action of the verb is carried out.

Circumstantial company complement

Mention the person or being with whom the verbal action is executed.

Circumstantial complement of instrument

Specifies the means or tool used to carry out the verbal action.

Circumstantial complement of condition

Expresses the necessary or conditioning circumstance for the action of the verb to be carried out.

Examples

  • Circumstantial complement of place : «Juan left the key on the table »;
  • circumstantial complement of time : «We left the house in the morning »;
  • circumstantial complement of manner : "He spoke calmly during the meeting";
  • circumstantial complement of quantity : "He ran a lot in the park";
  • circumstantial complement of cause : "He arrived late due to traffic ";
  • circumstantial complement of purpose : «Study to pass the exam «;
  • circumstantial complement of company : «I went to the cinema with my friends «;
  • circumstantial complement of instrument : «He wrote the letter with a pen «;
  • circumstantial complement of condition : "I will help you if you call me early ."

Other plugins

The complement is a part of the sentence that completes the meaning of a verb, an adjective or a noun, providing additional information that is necessary to understand the full meaning of the sentence.

direct complement

It directly receives the action of the verb and answers the question "what?" or "to whom?" regarding the verb . It is usually a noun or a pronoun.

indirect complement

It indicates to whom or for whom the action of the verb is performed. Answers the question “to whom?” or "for whom?" and is usually introduced with a preposition such as "a" or "for."

Specification Plugin

Specifies or details the meaning of a noun , often introduced by the preposition "of." Answers the question "whose?" or "of what?" with respect to the noun it complements.

Woman running in the park

The circumstantial complement of quantity a lot indicates how much the subject ran in the park.

Adverbs

The adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective or other adverb , providing additional information about how, when, where, to what extent or under what conditions the action is performed or the state is described.

adverb of place

Indicates the place where an action occurs or something is found.

adverb of time

It indicates the moment or duration of an action.

adverb of manner

Describes the way in which an action is carried out.

Adverb of quantity

It expresses the intensity, degree or quantity with which an action is performed or a quality is modified.

Adverb of affirmation

Indicates certainty or confirms the veracity of an action or fact.

adverb of negation

Deny or reject an action or statement.

adverb of doubt

Expresses uncertainty or possibility regarding an action or situation.

Subordinate clause

A subordinate clause depends on another to make complete sense. It cannot function independently and is related to the main one through a conjunction or a link, adding information or fulfilling a specific function.

Adverbial subordinate clause

It functions as an adverb within the main sentence, providing information about time, place, manner, cause, condition, purpose, etc.

Causal subordinate clause

Expresses the cause or reason why the action in the main sentence occurs.

Conditional subordinate clause

It states a condition that must be met for the action of the main sentence to take place.

Consecutive subordinate clause

Indicates the consequence or result of what is expressed in the main sentence.

Temporal subordinate clause

It indicates the time or period in which the action of the main sentence occurs.

Final subordinate clause

It expresses the purpose or purpose with which the action in the main sentence is carried out.

Comparative subordinate clause

Establish a comparison between the action of the main clause and another action or quality.

Preposition and prepositional phrase

Preposition

It is a word that serves to relate elements within a sentence, indicating relationships of place, time , cause, purpose, etc., between a term and its complement. Examples of common prepositions are "in", "to", "with", "by", "for".

prepositional phrase

It is a set of words that begins with a preposition and continues with a complement, which can be a noun, pronoun, or a subordinate clause. The prepositional phrase acts as a complement that adds information to another element of the sentence.

Coordinating and subordinating conjunction

Coordinating conjunction

It is a word that connects elements of the same grammatical category, such as words, phrases or sentences, to form a grammatically equivalent structure . The most common coordinating conjunctions are "and", "or", "but", "nor".

subordinating conjunction

It is a word that joins a subordinate clause to a main clause, establishing a dependency relationship between them. Examples of subordinating conjunctions are "that", "because", "if", "although".

Young woman looking at the sea at sunset

Missing is a verbal phrase that denotes nostalgia.

Locution

A phrase is a group of words that function together as a grammatical unit with a specific meaning, similar to that of a single word.

Adverbial phrase

It acts as an adverb within a sentence, modifying a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Example: "often", "silently".

prepositive phrase

It works like a preposition, establishing relationships between the elements of a sentence. Example: "in favor of", "instead of".

conjunctive phrase

It acts as a conjunction , joining sentences or parts of a sentence and establishing relationships between them. Example: "although not", "even though".

verbal locution

It functions as a phrasal verb, with a specific meaning that may be different from the literal meaning of its components. Example: "find", "miss".