03-02 - Adjective Phrases - Position - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary PDF

5/29/2020 Adjective phrases: position - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary
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from English Grammar Today
When an adjective is used with a noun, the usual order in English is adjective + noun:
a yellow balloon
Not: a balloon yellow
See also:
Adjective phrases
Adjectives with nouns and verbs

Adjectives can go before the noun (attributive) or after linking verbs such as be, become, seem
(predicative):
What a beautiful flower! (attributive)

This bridge looks unsafe. (predicative)
Some adjectives can only be used in one position or the other.
Adjectives normally only used before a noun
Numbers and first, last

With numbers and with words like first, last, next, the usual order is first/next + number + adjective +
noun:
Special offer on the last three remaining sofas.

There used to be two big fields here when I was young.
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I don’t have to work for the next four days.
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That’s the second large study on unemployment this year.

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Some adjectives of degree

When we use words like absolute, complete, perfect to talk about degree, they can only be used
before nouns. This group of adjectives includes proper, pure, real, sheer, true, utter:
That’s an absolute lie. I did not use your car when you were away.
Not: That lie is absolute.
Lily has always been a true friend to me.
Not: My friend Lily is true.
Some adjectives of time and order

Some time and order adjectives, such as former, present, future, are used before the noun only.
Other examples are latter, old (an old friend = ‘a friend for many years’), early (early French literature
= ‘of the initial period in the history of something’), and late (the late Mr Richards = ‘died recently’):
Her former husband had bought the house but she never liked it.
Not: Her husband was former …
This is a church from the early Romanesque period

Not: This is a church from the Romanesque period. The Romanesque period was early.
When we use early after a verb (predicatively) it means something different. The train was early
means that it came before we expected it.
Some adjectives that limit the following noun

Adjectives like certain, main, major, only, particular limit the noun that they go before (the only people
who know, the particular road that we travelled on). Other examples are principal, sole (meaning
‘only’), very, chief:
The main reason why the cinema closed is because the building was too old and
dangerous.
Not: The reason is main why the cinema …

That’s the very tool I am looking for. (very means ‘exact’)
Not: That tool is very …
Adjectives normally only used after a noun

We use some
Accept -ed forms
and hide after a noun:
this message 
Most of the issues mentioned in the documentary are not very important.
  

Not: Most of the mentioned issues …
The difference in percentages is clear from the illustrations shown.

Not: … from the shown illustrations.
Adjectives normally only used after a verb
Adjectives with the prefix a-

We can’t use adjectives with the prefix a- before a noun. We use them after linking verbs such as be,
seem, become, feel, smell, taste. Common examples of adjectives with the prefix a- include awake,
alive, asleep, aboard (on a plane, boat, bus or train), afloat, ablaze (on fire):
Katie was awake at the time.
Not: Katie was an awake person at the time.

People were asleep in the bedroom.
Not: There were asleep people in the bedroom.

The passengers were all aboard when they heard the loud bang.
Not: The aboard passengers heard the loud bang.
If we want to express a similar meaning with an adjective in front of the noun, we can use a related
adjective.
Compare
before a noun after a verb

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before Grammar
a noun after a verb  
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Even fourteen days after the earthquake, Even fourteen days after the earthquake,
rescue workers were still finding live rescue workers were still finding babies who
babies in the rubble. were alive in the rubble.
It is very strange to see a lone wolf. They It is very strange to see a wolf who is alone.
always stay together in groups called a They always stay together in groups called a
‘pack’. ‘pack’.
There was a blazing fire in the cinema. It The cinema was ablaze for many hours and it
took many firemen to put it out. took many firemen to put out the fire.
Some adjectives referring to states of health

Most commonly, the adjectives ill and well are used after a verb and not before a noun:
I feel ill.
Not: He went to visit his ill sister.
She’s not well.
Not: He’s not a well child.
Words and phrases that go before and after adjectives

The most typical words and phrases that go before adjectives (premodifiers) are adverb phrases
expressing degree:
He was pretty surprised then.

  

This cake tastes a bit strange.
Photographs are really cheap nowadays.
The major exception is the degree adverb enough, which goes after the adjective (a postmodifier):
I am strong enough to face the difficulties.
Is that car big enough for all of us?
See also:
Enough
Other types of adverbs can also go before adjectives:
He had lost his usually calm attitude and become very nervous. (adverb of frequency + adjective)
He made an insensitively timed remark that upset her. (comment adverb + adjective)
Gradable adjectives and words and phrases that go before

them
Most common adjectives can express different degrees of qualities, properties, states, conditions,
relations, etc. These are called gradable adjectives:
a pretty big meal
a really big meal
an extremely big meal
Before gradable adjectives, we can use words which show different degrees of the feature in
question. These are usually adverb phrases.
The waves are fairly

high in the winter.
an adverb of degree used before gradable adjective high.
The waves are quite
high in the winter.
The waves are this This high would usually be spoken with a gesture showing a specific
high in the winter. height.
This website uses cookies. For
Thatmore
highinformation, please visit
refers to a statement the Privacy
made and Cookies
by someone Policy.
about the height of
Accept and hide this message
the waves or to the moment of seeing the high waves. 
I can’t believe the

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areGrammar   
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waves that high in
the winter.
Six metres is a noun phrase. Certain adjectives expressing measurable

features (e.g. height, thickness, age, time) may be modified by such
noun phrases:
The waves are over
six metres high in The wall is half a metre thick.
the winter.
The clock is over 100 years old.
Sorry, we’re half an hour early!
Some degree adverbs (so, too, as) need a word or phrase to complete their meaning (a complement).
The complement may be a clause or a phrase. The complement comes after the adjective head.
Compare
The waves were so high So is the degree adverb before the adjective high. It needs the
that they went onto the complement that they went onto the street in order to complete its
street! meaning.
The waves are too high Too is the degree adverb before the adjective high. It needs the
to go sailing. complement to go sailing in order to complete its meaning.
The waves are as high To say that things are the same, we use as + adjective + as +
as the wall in the winter. complement.
The waves are higher

To compare two things which are different, we add the suffix -er to
than the wall in the
the adjective before the complement.
winter.
How is used to ask questions and to make exclamations about degree. There is an important
difference in word order.
Compare
Accept andare
How high hide
thethis message
waves? A question about degree: 
how + adjective + verb + noun phrase?

  

An exclamation about degree:

How high the waves are!
how + adjective + noun phrase + verb!
Warning:
Some adjectives cannot be made bigger, smaller, higher, lower, stronger, weaker, etc. These
are called ungradable adjectives:
The tree is dead.

Not: The tree is fairly dead.
My dog is female.
Not: My dog is sort of female.
Other common ungradable adjectives include: automatic/manual; Irish/Brazilian/Thai etc.;

married/unmarried/single.
Gradable opposites (antonyms)

Open-ended
The most common gradable adjectives can be grouped into pairs of opposites (antonyms) which refer
to features like height: short – tall; heat: hot – cold, size; big – small, etc. These adjectives are at the
upper and lower parts of an open-ended scale (a scale with no maximum or minimum):
short tall
big small
Warning:
We can’t use ungradable adverbs such as completely, absolutely, entirely, utterly or totally
before these adjectives because they are open-ended:
This website usesday

My working cookies.
is veryFor more
long. information,
I start work at 8please
am andvisit the Privacy
I don’t and8 Cookies
finish until pm. Policy.
Not: My working day is completely long.
My house is so hot.
  

Not: My house is absolutely hot.
This office is extremely small.
Not: This office is totally small.
Maximum and minimum

Some other gradable adjectives can express features which have a maximum and/or minimum (zero)
value:
full empty
possible impossible
black white
We can use degree adverbs such as absolutely, completely, entirely, totally and other similar words
before these adjectives:
We haven’t had rain for two months. The garden is completely dry.
The city centre is absolutely full of tourists at this time of year.
Other degree adverbs which we can use before this type of gradable adjective include almost, barely,
half, scarcely:
Brain cell regeneration is almost possible, say scientists.
Warning:
The ungradable adverb quite has different meanings depending on whether it is used with an
open-ended gradable adjective (hot – cold) or an adjective which has a maximum and/or
minimum (black – white).
Compare
It’s quite
Accept cold
and in here.
hide this message quite means ‘fairly’ 
I’m quite hungry now. Are you?

  

The situation in my old job was quite different. It was a quite means ‘completely’
very small new company.
In this context, quite is given extra
You’re quite right – the plane leaves at 3 pm, not 4 pm. spoken stress.
See also:
Quite
Gradable and ungradable
Different meanings of adjectives before the noun and after the

verb
We can use some adjectives before the noun or after the verb but the meaning differs.
Compare
before the noun (attributive) after the verb (predicative)
We can finish that job on Monday but this

particular job needs to be done by today. My boss is very particular. He checks all our
work very carefully. (particular means not easy
(particular means ‘this and not any to satisfy)
other/specific’)
His late wife came from a very rich family. The trains are always late on Sundays.
(late means ‘dead/deceased’)
(late means ‘not on time’)
There’s a certain amount of truth in that The police are certain that the killer was
story. (certain means ‘some, but not a known to the victim. (certain means
specific amount’) ‘sure/definite’)
Adjectives before nouns that modify other nouns

A noun (n) is sometimes used before another noun to give more information about it. This is called a
noun modifier. Adjectives (adj) come before noun modifiers:
[ADJ] [N] [N]

Search
He drivesGrammar
a red sports car.  
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That’s an expensive laser printer.
See also:
Nouns
Order of adjectives in noun phrases with articles and degree

modifiers
When adjectives are used before the noun (attributive function), there are also sometimes degree
adverbs. Different degree adverbs require different positions for the adjective phrase.
Positions of indefinite article and degree adverbs.
indefinite article degree adverb adjective noun
fairly
a/an very cold day

moderately
extremely
indefinite article adjective degree adverb noun
a cold enough day
Special cases
Quite: quite a cold day

The normal order with quite is quite a cold day. The order a quite cold day (indefinite article +
intensifier + adjective) is also possible but it is not as common.
Rather: a rather cold day

The normal order with rather is a rather cold day. The order rather a cold day (intensifier + indefinite
article + adjective) is also possible but it is not as common.
See also:
  

Quite
Rather
As and so: a man as/so tall as him

The most common order with as and so in negative clauses in speaking is a man as/so tall as him
(as/so + adjective + as + complement):
I haven’t seen a man as tall as him before.

You won’t often find a room so small as that.
The order as/so tall a man as him is also possible but it is more common in writing.
See also:
Adverbs
Enough
Quite
Popular searches
01 Advice or advise?
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03 Word formation
04 Adverbs and adverb phrases: position
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08 Verbs
09 As … as
10 If or whether?
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5/29/2020 Adjective phrases: position - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

Adjective phrases: position  

from English Grammar Today

Adjectives with nouns and verbs

What a beautiful flower! (attributive)

Some adjectives can only be used in one position or the other.

Adjectives normally only used before a noun

Numbers and first, last

Special offer on the last three remaining sofas.

That’s the second large study on unemployment this year.

Some adjectives of degree

Some adjectives of time and order

Not: Her husband was former …

This is a church from the early Romanesque period

Some adjectives that limit the following noun

Not: The reason is main why the cinema …

Not: That tool is very …

Adjectives normally only used after a noun

The difference in percentages is clear from the illustrations shown.

Adjectives normally only used after a verb

Adjectives with the prefix a-

Katie was awake at the time.

Not: Katie was an awake person at the time.

Not: There were asleep people in the bedroom.

Not: The aboard passengers heard the loud bang.

before a noun after a verb

Some adjectives referring to states of health

She’s not well.

Not: He’s not a well child.

Words and phrases that go before and after adjectives

He was pretty surprised then.

Photographs are really cheap nowadays.

I am strong enough to face the difficulties.

Is that car big enough for all of us?

Other types of adverbs can also go before adjectives:

Gradable adjectives and words and phrases that go before

a pretty big meal

a really big meal

an extremely big meal

The waves are fairly

I can’t believe the

Six metres is a noun phrase. Certain adjectives expressing measurable

Sorry, we’re half an hour early!

The waves are higher

how + adjective + verb + noun phrase?

An exclamation about degree:

The tree is dead.

Not: My dog is sort of female.

Other common ungradable adjectives include: automatic/manual; Irish/Brazilian/Thai etc.;

Gradable opposites (antonyms)

This website usesday

Not: This office is totally small.

Maximum and minimum

Brain cell regeneration is almost possible, say scientists.

I’m quite hungry now. Are you?

Gradable and ungradable

Different meanings of adjectives before the noun and after the

before the noun (attributive) after the verb (predicative)

We can finish that job on Monday but this

Adjectives before nouns that modify other nouns

[ADJ] [N] [N]

That’s an expensive laser printer.

Order of adjectives in noun phrases with articles and degree