"Complement" is a more general term than what Michael needs to explain 
these examples. Complement slots are filled by many phrase types; the 
type of complement that occurs in a phrase is controlled by the phrase 
head -- in this case words like "happy". Verbs of different sorts admit 
different complements: noun phrases, adverb phrases, etc. But some 
verbs allow only certain complements: transitive verbs allow a 
direct-object noun phrase, while intransitives do not allow any 
noun-phrase complements (with certain exceptions -- verbs like "sing" 
and "dance" can take noun phrases as long as they name a song or 
dance).

I agree that the "that" clauses in these cases are complements of the 
adjective, but I also agree that they are adverbial, because they 
answer the question "why", which is one of the "symptoms" of the 
adverbial function. Adjectives admit prepositional-phrase complements, 
as in "proud of the new baby", and the "that" clauses discussed in 
Michael's examples (adverbial clauses functioning as complement of the 
adjective). Off the top of my head, I don't know whether they allow any 
other types.

Dr. Johanna Rubba, Associate Professor, Linguistics
Linguistics Minor Advisor
English Department
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel.: 805.756.2184
Dept. Ofc. Tel.: 805.756.2596
Dept. Fax: 805.756.6374
URL: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba

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