Subject complement vs "complement"

Question

Hi everyoneWill you be please so kind and help me with this:I understand, that the thing called "subject complement" in english is what is, say, after the copula verb (e.g. He is clever). But what is the name for (I thing also complement) like in e.g. He came back tired. This "tired" is also complement? I think I can´t name it subject complement because SC can be just after the copula verb, am I right?Thank you very much

Avangi · Accepted Answer

AnonymousHe is clever.
He came back tired.I'm not much on category names, but I'd say the relation between the subject and the "modifier" is the same in both cases.

You may need to assign a different category to the verb in your second example, but "to come back" still functions as a linking verb, in my opinion, and the complement is still a "subject complement."

I've secretly been hoping someone else would answer this, but no luck thus far.

Here's CJ on a similar subject:

Englishmaven · Answer

Hello. There are some different explanations of what a complement is, and I wish I knew why you want to know, so I could give you the kind of answer you are surely desiring, but I am going to tell you about the two kinds I think are most important and linguistically sensible to discuss as complements.There are some others people identify, but I don't agree. I'll explain them if you want me to. I'm going to explain the ones I think are important to know to write and speak standard English.

After a verb like be (a copula), we might have a noun or noun construction which restates the subject or puts it into other words. The copula is like an equal sign. What is before the verb be and what follows it are different names for the same thing, and they have the same point of reference.

I am a teacher. When I say I, I refer to myself. When I say teacher, I also refer to myself. The noun after the verb restates the subject. That is a subject complement, which can also be called a predicate nominative. The subject and the subject complement have the same point of reference and fall into this grammatical pattern. Here are more examples.

The contestants were those men.
Jack and she are the winners.
He is the defendant.
Who is the judge?
What you said is the answer to the question. (What you said is a noun clause that is the subject of is, and the answer to the question is a noun phrase that is the subject complement.)

That is what I was saying. (That is the subject and what I was saying is a noun clause that is the subject complement.)

Another type of word in the complement position could be an adjective. It describes the subject, so it reflects back to the subject. That is a way of thinking about it. It is sometimes called the predicate adjective. Here are some examples.

You are intelligent.
Tom and Mary are different.
The corporation is fabulous.
That actor is very altruistic.

I hope this helps you. If you would like more help or examples, ask again.

Avangi · Answer

Hi, maven.

Anon's question concerned the sentence, "He came back tired."

If "tired" is a complement, may it be called a "subject complement"?

How would you describe the verb?

Regards, - A.

Subject complement vs "complement"

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