Linda,
   There's a long-standing tradition in traditional grammar that partiple
phrases(clauses)>modify their implied subjects.  (Hence the notion of
the dangling participle.)  "Jumping over the curb, he twisted his
ankle."  In postnominal slots, especially when restrictive, that seems
much more intuitive. (Anyone jumping over the curb risks twisting an
ankle.)
  I hesitate to complicate things further, but if this is indeed an
existential clause (I love Johanna's tag question test, which seems the
final evidence to me) the sentence doesn't really have a complement. The
source sentence (If you want to grant that kind of move) would be "There
is a patch of white hair running from the back of his skull ..."  In
this form, there is a dummy subject and everything else (except the
verb) is part of the displaced subject.  If we "front" the running...
structure, we are technically fronting part of the subject.
   Copular sentences link the subject with a copular complement.  An
existential sentence does not link anything.  It just presents the
existence of something.  It's all subject plus existential verb.
    "There are squirrels in the attic."  Literally, if the language would
let us do that, we could have "Squirrels in the attic are."  English
seems to resist be verbs as the lone element in a predicate, so we get
these mixed messages, displaced subject elements thsat seem like
predicate elements.  "In the attic are squirrels" seems like a fronted
predicate, but may very well be better understood as partial
displacement of the subject. It sure does feel adverbial at first
glance, and I wouldn't quarrel with you if you wanted to hold onto
that view.
    I hope that does more good than harm.  That's my current understanding
of it.

Craig


Hello. I think I must have missed the explanation about the complement
> being
> adjectival as opposed to adverbial.  Here was my post on  Sunday:
>
> "The structure is preposed. The base structure is something like  this:
>
> [A patch of white hair]...[is] [running from the back of his  skull..]
> Subject----------------Linking verb---------------------Complement (adverb
> phrase)
>
> For purposes of style, focus, and/or clarity, the writer has preposed  the
> adverbial complement.  Other examples:
>
> The election is in November.--> In November is the election.  Same  deal."
>
> And it seems as if I was close to the explanation that seems to  be most
> widely accepted.  I've just missed the bit about the nature of  the
> complement.
> Does anyone have the patience to explain it once  more? (Just about why it
> is
> an adjective and not an  adverb)
>
> I appreciate it!
>
> Linda DiDesidero
>
>
>
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