"The judges declared her the winner."
* "Her" is the direct object of the verb "declared."
* "The winner" is the objective complement, which renames or describes the direct object ("her"). It tells us what the judges declared her to be.
Other Examples:
* "They painted the house green." ("Green" renames the house.)
* "We elected her president." ("President" renames her.)
* "He considered her a good friend." ("A good friend" renames her.)
Key Points:
* Objective complements usually follow direct objects.
* They provide additional information about the direct object.
* They can be adjectives, nouns, or noun phrases.