Jurnal Pendidikan Multidisipliner

Volume 7 Nomor 7, Juli 2024
ISSN: 27342488

THE GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS OF OBJECT COMPLEMENTS IN
THE STORY OF LAKE TOBA
Femy Chandra Winata
Email: femychandrawinata05@gmail.com

Universitas HKBP Nommensen Pematangsiantar
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to analyze types of object complements in the story of Lake Toba. This study
used library research design. The writers' collecting data by visited Easy Stories In English
website who upload about The Story of Lake Toba written by Michael Andre. Based on the
analyzing, 20 types of object complements was collected from the Story of Lake Toba. 6 data
of noun as object complements were found, 6 data pronoun as object complements were
identified, also 8 data of adjective as object complements were identified. From 20 data of
object complements in the story of Lake Toba, types of object complements in form of
adjective is often appears found in the story. it appears 8 times in the story. From the
analyzing that have been conducted by the writers', it can be concluded that types of object
complements in form of adjective is the most types that often appears in the story.
Keywords: Grammar, Part of Speech, Object complements.

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INTRODUCTION
Language is a verbal tool used to communicate.Language is an expression with the
intent to communicate something to others. Through the language used, something intended
by the speaker can be understood by the listener or interlocutor.Language, according to
Kridalaksana and Djoko Kentjono (2014:32), is an arbitrary sound-symbol system that
members of social groups use to collaborate, communicate, and identify themselves. That is,
the primary function of language is to facilitate human communication. Meanwhile, William
A. Haviland stated that language is a sound system that, when combined according to certain
rules, creates a meaning that everyone who speaks that language can capture. Language is
used to communicate ideas, messages, intentions, feelings, and opinions to others.Based on
that explanation, humans need language as a communication tool because language as a
communication tool plays a very important role in human life to be able to interact and talk
about anything.
English is an international language used to communicate around the world. Lie (2007)
states that English is well thought-out as the most vital and influential language in the world.
There are even several countries that make English the official language or main language.
According to Crystal (2000; 1) English is a global language. This statement represents the
meaning that English is used by various nations to communicate with nations around the
world. While, Richards & Rodger (1986) states, many people in various countries use English
as a means of communication in various important international level meetings. Mastery of
English is very important because almost all sources of global information in various aspects
of life use this language. Because of its universal nature, of course English is one of the most
widely used languages in the world. It also the reason why there are many people who learn
English especially grammar to master in English.
Grammar is a study of how to make structure of sentence correctly. Hornby (2006, p.5)
stated that grammar is a system of rules by which the sentence of a language of rules by
which the sentence of a language are arranged in certain forms of word and join the words
into sentence. Grammar is the rules to describe the structure of English such as punctuation,
phrases, clauses, tense and word or part of speech. In addition, structure of grammar that
should be studied is object Complement. An Object Complement is a word of group of words
that appears in the predicate of a sentence and describes or renames the direct Object of the
verb in a way that is essentials to completing the meaning of the sentence.
An object complement usually follows a direct object after a transitive verb to provide
additional information or further describe the direct object. Object complements ususally in
forms of nouns, pronouns or adjectives. A noun is a word that has the function of expressing
places, objects, animals and also people. Pronoun is a word that is used to take the place of a
noun. An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives can be
used to describe the qualities of someone or something independently or in comparison to
something else.
METHODOLOGY
In this study, the researcher used library research to support the analysis with references
from books, journals, and articles that are relevant to the inquiry. Library research is a study
that studies various reference books and the results of similar previous research which is
useful for obtaining a theoretical basis regarding the problem to be researched (Sarwono:
2006).
FINDING AND DISCUSSION
Finding
Based on the theory put forward in Chapter III, the writers' identify types of object
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complements in the story of Lake Toba. Data is obtained through website acces by internet.
The data was collect from the Easy Stories in English website who discuss about The Story of
Lake Toba written by Michael Andre.
The Story Of Lake Toba
A long time ago, in North Sumatra, there lived a poor young man in a valley. He had no
parents, but the valley was beautiful, and anything he planted there grew wonderfully. He
lived by farming and fishing in the river near his home. The food he made was not special,
but he never went hungry.
One afternoon, after working hard in the fields, he went fishing in the river. Today was
not his day, though, and after hours of waiting, he still hadn’t caught a single fish. This had
never happened before. Disappointed, he pulled his rod out of the water. But just as his rod
was leaving the water, a fish bit it. He pulled it out, and was very happy to see a pretty little
goldfish on the end of the rod. The young man hurried home to cook the fish. He got home,
put the goldfish on the kitchen table, and ran out to get some firewood from the garden. As he
went, he licked his lips and thought about the fish. How good it would taste! But when he
came back, the goldfish was gone! And where it had been, there sat three pieces of gold.
“Good evening” came a soft voice behind him.
The man turned around and saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him. She had
long, bright red straight hair that went down to her knees. And she had no clothes on. The
man turned red and looked at his feet. “Who are you, oh beautiful lady? And where did you
come from?’ He said “oh” because it seemed right. She had to be magical. “I was that
goldfish on your table. But I am no ordinary goldfish, as you can see” She played with her
hair and smiled at him. “Those gold coins were my scales” The man looked at her, and then
went red again and looked away. He had never seen such a beautiful woman before, and he
was so lonely…
‘W-will you, will you marry me, oh beautiful lady?’
He held his breath as he waited for her answer. He knew it was a very bold question to
ask, but in stories, men always asked women like that, all bold. But the woman laughed. ‘I
thought you would never ask. Believe me, it is a lonely life when you are a magical goldfish.
I was waiting for someone to come and put their rod in my water… if you understand me.’
Now the man went as red as her hair. ‘R-really?’ ‘Yes. But there is one condition.’ Suddenly,
her smile disappeared, and theair in the room felt heavier.
“You must never tell anyone that I was a fish. Do you understand?”
“Oh, of course.”
The man hadn’t thought of telling anyone. He didn’t have any friends, and anyway, why
would he tell them his beautiful wife used to be a fish? ‘But why, if I can ask?’
“Just promise me. You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
‘No, no. I promise.’ The woman smiled and clapped her hands.
‘Well, then! I suppose we are married.’
And just as naturally as it began, their marriage continued. They soon found that they
were very similar. Although they had been lonely before, they only needed each other’s
company to feel happy. Soon they also had a son, who they named Samosir. Samosir grew as
quickly as the flowers in the ground, and at six years of age, he was a strong and very
naughty boy. His mother was always asking him to help her clean the house and bring dinner
to his father in the fields. Some days, Samosir did as he was told, but most days he shouted,
‘No!’ and ran off to play.
One day, as usual, Samosir was being naughty. He had refused to eat his breakfast, sang
loudly while his mother worked, and now he was refusing to bring his father dinner. ‘Why
don’t you do it?’ he said. ‘Because I’m cooking dinner for you!’ she said.
‘But I don’t want dinner.’
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‘You will in an hour.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because you’re a human, and humans get hungry at the same time every eveing!’
‘I won’t get hungry.’
‘You didn’t eat your breakfast today. Of course you will.’
‘See? I wasn’t hungry this morning, so I won’t be hungry later!’
Eventually, Samosir’s mother convinced him to take a box of rice and fish to his father.
It was a long walk through the fields, and as he went, Samosir started to feel hungry. ‘I guess
Mum was right!’ he said.
‘Well, I’m sure Dad won’t mind if I just eat a few grains of rice…’
So he opened the box, and the rice looked so fresh and delicious, and the fish so hot and
juicy. He ate just a little of both, but that only made him feel more hungry, so then he ate a bit
more, and a bit more, and…
‘Oh no, I’ve eaten all of Dad’s dinner!’
All that was left were the fishbones. Hoping his father wouldn’t notice, Samosir put the
bones back in the box, wrapped it up, and continued on his way. When he found his father, he
handed him the box, and was about to run away. But his father was hungry too, and he
immediately opened the box and saw the bones. ‘Samosir!’ he shouted, and ran after the boy.
Samosir was fast, but his father was faster, and he quickly caught the boy. ‘Why were there
only fish bones in the box? Did you eat my dinner?’ Samosir burst into tears, and cried
loudly, saying, ‘Oh, Dad! It was horrible. A fox attacked me and ate all the food, and said I
had to keep it a secret…’
‘Don’t lie to me!’ his father shouted. His cheeks were bright red.
‘I’m not lying!’
‘Yes you are, you son of a fish!’
And without warning, he slapped Samosir across the face. Samosir gasped and his
mouth fell wide open. His father had never hit him before. ‘I’m not a son of a fish,’ said
Samosir. He was crying again, but this time it was real. Samosir turned and ran all the way
home, and when he came into the house, he said, ‘Mum, am I the son of a fish?’ He meant it
as a joke, but his mother’s face turned deadly serious.
‘Samosir. What did you just say?’
‘I said, “Am I the son of a fish?” Dad just said it to me…’ His mother started crying
silently, and put her arms around him. ‘He has broken his promise.’
‘What, you really mean I am the son of a fish?’ He looked up at her face. ‘But you’re
not…’
But as he spoke, his mother’s face started to change. It looked… smoother than before.
And the light shone on it in a strange way. After picking up the box, Samosir’s father thought
about what he had said. It was a joke, but then he had slapped his son… It was a stupid thing
to do. It started to rain, so he ran towards the house. He could see his wife inside, hugging
Samosir, but just then lightning struck, and the two of them disappeared. He ran inside, and
looked all through the house for them. But they were gone. Where they had stood, there was a
big puddle of water. He stayed up all night, walking through the fields looking for them. The
rain went through his clothes and he shook with cold, but he did not find them. When he
finally gave up and went home, he found that all the gold coins in the house were gone. It
was only then that he realised just what he had done.
The rains continued for weeks, but the man fell into a deep depression. He lay in his bed
and listened to the rain and thunder outside, and cried. He did not work in the fields, or catch
fish, and soon the small amount of rice he had was gone. Not that it mattered, because the
rains were so heavy that he couldn’t light a fire, and the valley started to flood. The man
stayed in his house for as long as he could. Surely the rains would eventually stop…? But
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they didn’t, and finally he had to swim for his life, fighting the dancing waters and heavy
rain. He didn’t last long, though, because his will to live had disappeared with his wife and
his son.
The man was pulled down under the waters and never came back up. Still the rains went
on and on, until the beautiful valley eventually turned into a lake. When the rains stopped,
people came to see the lake that had formed. Although the man had no friends, some people
knew about him, and his strange but beautiful wife. They knew he had died alone and
miserable, although they did not understand where his wife and son had gone.
Because of his sad story, they called the place Lake Toba. Toba meant “ungrateful”, and
over time the name changed to Lake Toba. In the centre of the lake was a small island, and
this was called the Island of Samosir. Over time, the people forgot about the man, and he
became just a story, but the lake stayed forever.
Analysis Types of Object Complemet
a. Noun as object complements
1. The food he made was not special.
In this sentence, "not special" is noun as object complements. It refer word “food”
2. Those gold coins were my scales
In this sentence, the word "gold coins" is noun as object complements. It renames the
word "my scales"
3. I was a fish
In this sentence, the word "a fish" is noun as object complements. It refer to the word
"I"
4. Soon they also had a son, who they named Samosir"
In this sentence, the word "Samosir" is Noun as object complements. It refer to the
word "son"
5. Samosir grew as quickly as flower im the ground
In this sentence, the word "the flower" is noun as object complements. It refer to the
word "Samosir"
6. Because of his sad story, they called the place lake Toba
In this sentence, the word "Lake Toba" is noun as object complements. It refer to the
word "place"
b. Pronoun as object complements
1. Today is was not his day.
In this sentence, the word "day" is pronoun as object complements. it refer the word
"his"
2. I was that goldfish on your table
In this sentence, the word "goldfish" is pronoun as object complements. It renames the
word "I"
3. I am no ordinary goldfish
In this sentence, the word "no ordinary goldfish" is pronoun as object complements. It
renames the word "I"
4. You are a magical goldfish
In this sentence, the word "magical goldfish" is pronoun as object complements. It
renames the word "you"
5. why would he tell them his beautiful wife used to be a fish?
In this sentence, the word "a fish" is pronoun as object complements. It refer to the
word "his beautiful wife"
6. You son of a fish
In this sentence, the word "fish" is pronoun as object complements. It refer to the word
"you"
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c. Adjective as object complements
1. There lived a poor young man in a valley
In this sentences, "a poor young man" is adjective as object complements. It renames a
man who poor and young.
2. Anything he planted there grew wonderfully
In this sentence, "grew wonderfully" is adjective as object complements. it refers to the
plan who grew wonderfully.
3. Who are you, beautiful lady?
In this sentence, the word "beautiful lady" is adjective as object complements. It refer to
the word "you" who renames the "beautiful lady"
4. Will you marry me, oh beautiful lady?
In this sentence, the word "beautiful lady" is adjective as object complements. It
renames the word "you"
5. Now the man went as red as his hair
In this sentence, the word "red as his hair" is adjective as object complements. It refer to
the word "man" who renames the "his hair"
6. He was a strong and very naughty boy
In this sentence, the word "strong and very naughty boy" is adjective as object
complements. It refer to the word "He or Samosir"
7. Samosir was being naughty
In this sentence, the word "naughty" is adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "Samosir".
8. His cheeks were bright red
In this sentence, the word "bright red" is adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "his"
9. The man fell into a deep depression
In this sentence, the word "deep depresion" is adjective as object complements. It refer
to the word "man"
Discussion
Based on the analyzing, 20 types of object complements was collected from the Story of
Lake Toba. 6 data of noun as object complements were found, 6 data pronoun as object
complements were identified, also 8 data of adjective as object complements were identified.
From 20 data of the story of Lake Toba, Types object complements in form of adjective is
often appears found in the story. it appears 8 times in the story. From the analyzing that have
been conducted by the writers'. It can be concluded that types of object complements usually
appears in the story. The data was obtained in the table below :
Table 1 Analysis Types of Object Complements in The Story of Lake Toba
No.
1.

Types of object
complements
Noun as object
complements

Analyzing the sentences

Amount

1. The food he made was not special.
In this sentence, "not special" is noun as object
complements. It refer to the food who not
special.
2. Those gold coins were my scales
In this sentence, the word "gold coins" is noun
as object complements. It renames the word
"my scales"
3. I was a fish
In this sentence, the word "a fish" is noun as
object complements. It refer to the word "I"
4. Soon they also had a son, who they named
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2.

3.

Pronoun as object
complements

Adjective as object
complements

Samosir"
In this sentence, the word "Samosir" is Noun
as object complements. It refer to the word
"son"
5. Samosir grew as quickly as flower im the
ground
In this sentence, the word "the flower" is noun
as object complements. It refer to the word
"Samosir"
6. Because of his sad story, they called the
place lake Toba
In this sentence, the word "Lake Toba" is noun
as object complements. It refer to the word
"place"
1. Today is was not his day.
In this sentence, the word "his day" is pronoun
as object complements. it refer the word
"today"
2. I was that goldfish on your table
In this sentence, the word "goldfish" is
pronoun as object complements. It renames the
word "I"
3. I am no ordinary goldfish
In this sentence, the word "no ordinary
goldfish" is pronoun as object complements. It
renames the word "I"
4. You are a magical goldfish
In this sentence, the word "magical goldfish" is
pronoun as object complements. It renames the
word "you"
5. why would he tell them his beautiful wife
used to be a fish?
In this sentence, the word "a fish" is pronoun
as object complements. It refer to the word "his
beautiful wife"
6. You son of a fish
Who are you, beautiful lady?
In this sentence, the word "fish" is pronoun as
object complements. It refer to the word "you"

6

6

1. There lived a poor young man in a valley
In this sentences, "a poor young man" is
adjective as object complements. It renames a
man who poor and young.
2. Anything he planted there grew wonderfully
In this sentence, "grew wonderfully" is
adjective as object complements. it refers to
the plan who grew wonderfully.
3. Who are you, beautiful lady?
In this sentence, the word "beautiful lady" is
adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "you" who renames the "beautiful lady"
4. Will you marry me, oh beautiful lady?
In this sentence, the word "beautiful lady" is
adjective as object complements. It renames
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the word "you"
4. Now the man went as red as his hair
In this sentence, the word "red as his hair" is
adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "man" who renames the "his hair"
5. He was a strong and very naughty boy
In this sentence, the word "strong and very
naughty boy" is adjective as object
complements. It refer to the word "He or
Samosir"
6. Samosir was being naughty
In this sentence, the word "naughty" is
adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "Samosir".
7. His cheeks were bright red
In this sentence, the word "bright red" is
adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "his"
8. The man fell into a deep depression
In this sentence, the word "deep depresion" is
adjective as object complements. It refer to the
word "man"
Total

8

20

CONCLUSION
The writers' had figured out the data which were identified in the story of Lake Toba.
Based on the analysis result by observation, it can be concluded that types of object
complements is appears in the story. Object complement is a word of group that describes or
renames the direct object. An Object complement can be the forms of noun, pronoun and
adjective. In the story of Lake Toba, object complements in the form of adjective is often
appears. That we know, adjective as object complements is used after the direct object. It
gives further information about direct object.
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