How to parse 'Mobile phone use causes drivers to take their mind off driving.'?

Question

Dear learned friendsPlease advise or suggest a sensible way to analyse the following sentence:'Mobile phone use causes drivers to take their mind off driving.'To me, it looks like:'mobile phone use': subject in the form of a noun phrase'causes': main verb'drivers': object'to take their mind off driving': is it an ''object complement'  in the form of an 'infinitive phrase' , modifying the object 'driver' , or it is an ' adverbial'  completing the meaning of the verb 'causes'?Any comments will be much appreciated.Donna

Vchekh · Accepted Answer

I'd go like this:

Mobile phone use is a subject group. I think it's further divisible into the subject proper (use) and the attribute (mobile phone), the latter being a noun phrase.

causes is a simple verbal predicate.

drivers to take their mind is a complex object with the infinitive.

A complex object is a sentence part consisting of two elements which are in a "subject-predicate" relation [i.e. there is a doer (drivers) and an action (take ... mind)] but don't constitute a legitimate predication as the verbal component is represented by a non-finite verb (e.g. an infinitive or a participle). So a complex object is as it were a "defective sentence" within another sentence.

In your sentence, the complex object consists of a noun (drivers) and a verbal phrase (take one's mind (off smth)) in the form of an infinitive.

off driving is an indirect prepositional object.

More examples of complex objects:
She makes her kids wash their hands before meals.
They won't let me do it.
I want you to stay.
I heard the door open with a creak.

How to parse 'Mobile phone use causes drivers to take their mind off driving.'?

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