Garlic, I don't think you really understand how to use the subject complement.
As your provided sentence from a fiction, it works.
He returned (A completed sentence.)(from...man. - a prepositional phrase refers directly to the subject.)
2011-07-24 23:34:43 補充：
In your composition, you wrote: He hung up the phone a frightened man. (Run-on)
He hung up the phone (It's a complete sentence)
a frightened man (it's a fragment.)
In addition, who is the frightened man that you are referring to? The man who hung up the phone or the one who rang the phone?
2011-07-24 23:34:52 補充：
Garlic, I'm sorry to say that your composition is confusing and the two sentences can't be compared. The one that you mentioned in the fiction is a nice sentence, but not the one that you composed.
2011-07-25 21:27:07 補充：
Garlic, in your explanation, I don't think you didn't aware of the sentence pattern. I can say Jc wasn't giving you a perfect answer, but you graded Jc with five stars. Is Jc your boyfriend or something?
2011-07-25 21:28:59 補充：
She recovered from the tragedy a more resilient person.
He came up from the collapsed mine a hero.
He walked out of the casino a depressed man.
The above sentence you provided are grammatically incorrect in academic writing. I can say.
2011-07-25 21:36:33 補充：
Garlic, are you going to be a fiction writer? If so, perhaps our discussion should end here!
2011-07-25 21:36:40 補充：
There is no such sentence structure exist in any general grammar rulebooks. Don't ask students to write a sentence like the one you've mentioned here except they are learning the creative writing - the style of story writing. Enough joke, Garlic!
2011-07-25 21:41:36 補充：
Should I raise a question like this:
Can you tell me what sentence structure is this?
I don't know. A small helping.
I don't think THIS SAMPLE question is helpful!!!
2011-07-26 21:21:23 補充：
"Is Jc your boyfriend or something?"
What's wrong with my question? It's my hypothesis. What attitude that you might think I'm not giving my constructive discussion? You are too sensitive. Are you depressed?
2011-07-26 21:21:52 補充：
On the other hand, you said "Do you want to start a war or what?". You know what? You acts like hooligan or are you going to threatening me? Either way, I don't mind. If you want a war, I will stand up and fight. Who do you think you are?
2011-07-26 21:22:32 補充：
Garlic, I just want to clarify if you are serious to the question. Besides, your opinion to Jc's answer is subjective, and according to my friend said, Jc's answer isn't that perfect! In addition, I don't think your sentence is appropriate for academic writings.
2011-07-26 21:23:08 補充：
Just one last thing, Garlic, don't use the word "entertain". You're not entertaining me. We all are human being. We are equal. If you don't want to exchange opinions with me, you can ignore my questions. Be respectful, Sir!
2011-07-28 00:20:21 補充：
You said my question offended you, wasn’t it? You also said it doesn’t matter with my sentence, but it does matter with my attitude, wasn’t it? I’m not saying my question is respectful, and I wasn’t interrogating you!
2011-07-28 00:20:52 補充：
I can put this question on anyone else. How can you interpret my attitude in your way? You are silly.
Example:
“Have you done your homework?” A mom said to her daughter.
Do you think her mother was scolding her daughter or simply asking a question?
2011-07-28 00:21:21 補充：
Whatever the answer was, it’s quite subjective. Besides, I don’t think my question insulted you. You can choose to answer my question or skip it like your previous discussions did. I didn’t force you to answer my question, did I?
2011-07-28 00:21:59 補充：
The word “entertain”, I mean nothing negative on both sides because we are equal. Don’t ask me to look it up in the dictionary. Don’t think that everyone doesn’t know English except you! You are arrogant enough to make me sick.
2011-07-28 00:23:19 補充：
“Are you mentally retarded?”
Your wording offended me definitely and you stepped on my dignity. I don’t think I did wrong, but you are over sensitive. You can tell me why my question hurt you.
2011-07-28 00:23:28 補充：
If your reason stands, I’d apologize. However, if you want to initiate a war with me, I’ll definitely give you shit!
Such structure does exist. I have seen similar sentences like the one below:
He returned from the war a different man.
The sentence I wrote was taken from Robert Ludlum's fiction, the Bourne Ultimatum.
2011-07-24 15:54:52 補充：
The explanation in Oxford Advanced Dictionary on complement is as follows
word(s), especially adjectives and nouns, used after linking verbs such as be and become, and describing the subject of the verb.
2011-07-24 15:55:06 補充：
He hung up the phone a frightened man is the same as he hung up the phone (and became) a frightened man.
2011-07-25 02:02:25 補充：
You have mixed them up. He hung up the phone a frightened man is from the fiction. He returned from the war a different man is my own writing.
I don't see why the two sentences are different in structure.
2011-07-25 02:04:09 補充：
He hung up the phone a different man. The caller is never an issue; the caller is irrelevant. There is only one subject, he. It is no different in structure from he returned from the war a different man.
2011-07-25 02:07:52 補充：
Because there is only one subject, a frightened man refers to the subject.
There are similar sentences like this.
She recovered from the tragedy a more resilient person.
He came up from the collapsed mine a hero.
He walked out of the casino a depressed man.
2011-07-25 02:10:55 補充：
The sentence is not a run-on because it is the same as he hung up the phone and was/became a frightened man. The two clauses are joined by a conjunction.
A frightened man is a complement as it fits the explanation I quoted from the dictionary.
2011-07-25 02:17:39 補充：
I posted the question without knowing the complement part of the sentence. Jc answered my question. Complement is all I need to know. For that matter, the answer was very helpful to me.
2011-07-25 02:24:55 補充：
Please consult your English teacher on this kind of sentence structure or post a question to invite other English experts to give their opinion. I have no more to say.
2011-07-25 23:57:44 補充：
"Is Jc your boyfriend or something?"
Do you want to start a war or what? Is it how you engage yourself in constructive discussion? Do you want me to tell you your mistakes in 013. 014, and 016?
2011-07-26 00:24:11 補充：
...and mistake in 017?
I can tell you I was asking the question and replying to your queries seriously. It is NO JOKE.
2011-07-26 00:25:04 補充：
If that is you attitude, I will entertain no more of your comment.
2011-07-26 23:25:41 補充：
Are you mentally retarded?
You don't think there is something wrong with this question. You think this is respectful. You think the person who wrote it is not starting a war but the one who replied is. So be it.
2011-07-26 23:36:41 補充：
Look up the dictionary for the word "entertain", please.
2011-07-26 23:43:35 補充：
We have a number of exchanges already. My conclusion is that you are not someone who can be reasoned with. You offended people and yet put the blame on other people. You made mistakes and turned back on your words.
2011-07-26 23:48:37 補充：
This post is not about whether my sentence in the question is correct. It is about your attitude boy.
2011-07-28 00:55:05 補充：
I have only one clarification to make. My question "Are you mentally retarded" in 025 was an example of the kind of question "Is Jc your boyfriend or something" you made. I am not saying you are mentally retarded but the rest of my opinion stands.
2011-07-28 00:58:10 補充：
You feel offended by this question. Why can't other people be offended by your question? If you can't figure why, you should reflect upon your manner.
2011-07-28 01:00:03 補充：
It is obvious that you do not know the meaning of "entertain" and you have not consulted anyone on the grammar issues around this post.
