Verbs of Incomplete Predication:

The Verbs which require a word or phrase to make a complete meaning of the sentence are called the verbs of incomplete predication. 

Here the verb refers to Linking Verb or Intransitive Verb which requires a Subjective Complement to make complete sense.

Some Intransitive verbs make complete sense of the sentence by themselves. They need only a subject. 

Examples:

• Birds fly.
• The moon shines.
• The sun rose.
• The boy laughed.

These Verbs are sometimes called complete verbs or verbs of complete predication.

But some other Intransitive Verbs (or Linking Verbs) require a word or phrase to make complete sense of the sentence. 

Examples of these verbs are: 

is, am, are, was, were, will/shall be, been, become, look, seem, appear, taste, smell, grow, turn etc.

Examples:

• They are doctors.
• My friend has been a professor.
• The earth is round.
• Honey tastes sweet.
• He became a businessman.
• This cat grew fat.
• The teacher looks angry.

The Verbs in the above sentences, which required a word or phrase, are called the verbs of incomplete predication. 

The word or phrase required to complete the predicate is called the complement of the verb. 

When the complement of a verb describes the subject, it is called a subjective complement.

Examples:

• Sarala is a dancer. 
• My friend looks happy. 
• She is a genius.

Here dancer, happy and genius are the subjective complements.

The subjective complement may be of two kinds – Predicative Noun and Predicative Adjective.

Examples:

• Sarala is a dancer. (Predicative Noun)
• My friend looks happy. (Predicative Adjective)

What are Object Complements:

Some Transitive verbs require, besides their objects, complements to complete their meaning.

Examples:

• The diet plan has made him healthy.
• The students elected Kishore their president.
• They named the baby Cherry.
• She called him a rascal.

Here the complements, healthy, their president, Cherry, rascal describe the objects him, Kishore, the baby, him.

A complement that describes the object is called an object complement. 

Related reads:

• Verb Mood
• Action Stative and Linking Verbs
• Regular and Irregular Verbs
• Semi-Modal Auxiliary Verbs
• Modal Auxiliary Verbs
• Primary Auxiliary Verbs