Unfortunately, I do not have a theory, since I am not familiar with linguistics. My hypothesis is only based on what I usually read.
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT
As far as I know, in the sentence “I am a good person” the noun phrase “a good person” is a subject complement since it further describes the subject “I” and “ am” is the Present Simple of the linking verb “to be”.
I also know that other linking verbs can be used in the same way (become, turn, remain, stay, appear, seem, look, feel, taste, smell, sound)
OBJECT COMPLEMENT
Example 1) You are driving me crazy.
In this sentence I would say that the adjective “crazy” is an object complement which refers to the object “me”, not to the subject “you”.
(Not many verbs which might be used with an object complement come to mind.)
I would say that the following structures could be used with an adjective or a noun used as an object complement:
Example 2) He made me angry. (“angry” adjective= object complement which refers to the object “me”)
3) The government declared firearms illegal. (“illegal” adjective= object complement which refers
to the object “firearms”).
However, I would say that in the passive form the situation changes ,but I do not think that in the following sentences a linking verb is used so I do not even know whether the denomination subject complement is correct and whether the following sentences might be used in the passive form. (Since example 1) and 2) sound strange I will put * after them and (?) after the denomination subject complement )
Example 1) I am being driven crazy. *( adjective crazy= subject complement (?) which refers to the subject “I” )
Example 2) I was made angry * (adjective angry= subject complement (?) which refers to the subject “I”)
Example 3) Firearms were declared illegal by the government. (adjective illegal= subject complement (?) which refers to the subject “Firearms”).
VERB TURN
I also know that with the verb “turn” we can use both a subject complement and an object complement.
Example 1) Great Salt Lake turned pink. (the adjective “pink” is a subject complement which refers to the subject “Great Salt Lake”, turn is the linking verb )
Example 2) Tiny organisms turned Great Salt Lake pink. (The adjective “pink” still refers to “Great Salt Lake”, but here “pink” is an object complement since “Great Salt Lake” is the object, but in this sentence turn is not used as a linking verb, but as a transitive verb . )
As far as the verb “turn” is concerned I have another doubt ,with the adjective I would say
“Subject +turn (used as a linking verb)+ adjective”, but with a noun I would say “subject+ turn+ into+ noun or noun phrase”.
Example 1) I turned evil. (“evil” =adjective used as subject complement which refers to the subject “I” and “turned” is the linking verb )
Example 2) I turned into an evil person (“an evil person”= noun phrase used as subject complement which refers to the subject “I”).
If I said *“I turned an evil person ”, I would say that something is missing.
“I turned an evil person into a good one.” (But here I would say that “turn” is used as a transitive verb and the noun phrase “an evil person” is the object).
CONSIDER SOMETHING/ SOMEONE (TO BE)…AND FIND SOMETHING/ SOMEONE (TO BE)…
With the structures “consider something/ someone (to be) something” and “find something/ someone (to be) something” I have found evidence that the verb “to be” is used implicitly and explicitly.
Examples: 1) We take our work seriously, we consider ourselves professional.
2) Since we take our work seriously, our clients find us professional.
In the following sentences , I would say that the adjective “professional” is used as an object complement since it refers to the objects “ourselves” and “us” respectively. Here, “to be” is used implicitly.
In the following examples, it is used explicitly:
Examples: 3) We take our work seriously, we consider ourselves to be professional.
4) Since we take our work seriously, our clients find us to be professional.
I would say that 1) and 3) have the same meaning and the same goes for 2) ad 4).
Examples with the passive form.
Example 1) Since we take our work seriously, we are considered (to be)professional. (adjective “professional”= subject complement (?) which refers to the subject “we”).
Example 2) Our works were found (to be) original by many critics * (adjective original= subject complement (?)which refers to the subject “our works”).
SENTENCES WITH RELATIVE CLAUSES
Example 1) Here are some books which I find (to be ) original. * (adjective “original” which refers to “some books”, but I do not know what to call it )
Example 2) There are people whom we may find (to be ) professional . * (adjective “professional” which refers to “people” and again I do not know what to call it).
Example 3) I have some books which you might find (to be) original. * (adjective “original” which refers to the object “some books”, I do not know what to call the adjective “original”).
Example 4) I know some people whom you might find (to be) professional. * (adjective “professional” which refers to the object “some people”; I do not know what to call the adjective “professional” ).
!!! I do not even know whether I have used the relative clauses properly .
However, my biggest doubt is related to those structures I wrote in my first post, i.e. those structures I have never read being classified as “linking verbs”.
-I am seen as a good person. --- I would say that the noun phrase “a good person” is a subject complement (?), and it refers to the subject “I”, but I have never found the structure “be seen as + adjective (or noun or noun phrase)” used as a linking verb; I do not even know what these structures are called.
I thought that “I am seen as a good person” was similar to “I am a good person” in which (the noun phrase “a good person” is a subject complement which refers to the subject “I” and the Present Simple of the verb “to be” links the subject complement to the subject).
That’s why I thought that the linking verb “to be” was used implicitly:
-I am seen as (being) a good person.
However, I was told that I cannot use “being” here because that sentence would be like saying:
- I am
being a good person NOT I am a good person.
In the following sentences I would say that “a good person” is used as an object complement (?)
1) I see myself as a good person. (noun phrase “a good person”= object complement (?) which refers to the object “myself”, even though here the subject “I” and the object “myself” both refer to the same person. However, I would say that "a good person" refers to "myself" not to "I" because of example 2 )
2) I see him as a good person. (noun phrase “a good person”= object complement (?) which refers to the object “him”.)
I hope that in my examples I have used the right grammar even though I cannot explain the rules underlying those structures.
