Adjective Normal Position (01)

8/4/2019 Adjective Normal Position (01)

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Adjective normal position: Tow positionsMost adjective can go in two main places in a sentence.

Adjective + Noun = Attributive

Thenew secretary doesnt like me.

Verb + Adjective = Predicative

She looks rich.

Adjective used only before nouns:

Adjective + N (order and elder)

Myeldersister is a pilot.

Shes three yearsolder than me.

Adjective

Elder Older

Adjectiv

Attributiv

Predicativ


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Adjectives used only after verbs:

Some adjectives beginning with a, and a few others, are used mainly after link

verbs, especially be.

The babysasleep.

Another possible position for adjectives is after the object, in the structure:

+ +

Illget the car ready.

After nouns and pronouns:

Fixed phrase:

Secretary General

Verb Object adjective

Noun Adjective

AdjectiveLink verb

Adjective

Nouns Pronoun


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Available, possible etc.

Some adjective can be used after nouns in a similar way to relative clause.

This is common with adjective ending in able/- ible.

Send all thetickets available / available tickets.

Its the onlysolution possible / possible solution.

Present, proper

Before a noun,present refers to time; after a noun it means here/there, not absent

Thepresent members (= those who are members now)

Themembers present (= those who are/were at the meeting)

Before a noun,proper means real, genuine. After a noun it refers to the central or main part

of something.

Snowdons aproper mountain, not a hill.

After two days crossing the foothills, they reached themountain proper.

Adjective

Available Possible

Adjective

Present Proper


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Expressions of measurement

Adjective usually follow measurement nouns.

tow meterhigh ten yearolder tow miles long six feetdeep

Exception: worth (e.g worth 100 euros.)

Adjectives with complements

When an adjective has its own complement (e.g. skilled in design), the whole expression

normally comes after a noun.

We are looking forpeople skilled in design.

A relative clause is often more natural.

We are looking for people who are skilled in design.

In some cases an adjective can be put before a noun and its complement after it.

This happen whit different, similar, the same, next, last, first, second etc; comparatives and

superlatives; and a few other adjectives like difficult and easy.adifferent lifefrom this one thesecondtrainfrom this platform

thenext houseto the Royal Hotel thebest mother in the world

Expressions of measurement Adjective

Adjective Complement

Adjective Noun


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Something, everything ect

Adjective come after something, everything, anything, nothing, somebody, anywhere and

similar words.

Have you readanything interesting lately?

Lets gosomewhere quiet.

Adjective: position after as, how, so, too

After as, how, so, too, and this/that meaning so, adjectives go before a/an. This structure

is common in a formal style.

+ + +

I have as good a voice as you. She is too polite a person to refuse.

The structure is not possible without a/an.

I like your country itsso beautiful. (Not I like your so beautiful country.)

Those girls aretoo kind to refuse. (Not They are too kind girls to refuse.)

Something Everything Adjective

as how so too This That Adjective a/an noun


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Adjective: order before nouns:

Description before classification: an old political idea

an old political idea (Not a political old idea)the latest educational reform (Not the educational latest reform)

Opinion before description: a wonderful old house

a lovely cool drink (Not a cool lovely drink)a wonderful old house (Not an old wonderful house)

order of descriptive words

a fat age white house

a big grey woolen sweater

new Italian boots

a small round black leather handbag

an enormous brown German glass mug

a little modern square brick house

Adjective order

descriptio classifica noun

Noun

opinion descri tion noun

Size age shap colour origin material noun


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Numbers

six large eggs thesecond big shock

First, next and last most often go before one, tow, three etc.

thefirst three days

my last two jobs

Noun modifiers after adjectives

a big newcar factory enormous blackiron gates

Commas

Before nouns, we generally use commas between adjectives (especially in longer sequences)

which give similar kinds of information, for example in physical descriptions.a lovely, long, cool, refreshing drink

an expensive, ill-planned, wasteful project

But commas can be dropped before short common adjectives.

a tall (,) dark(,) handsome cowboy

Adjective with and

+ +

He was tall, darkand handsome.

Number Adjective

Noun modifier Adjective

Adjective Comma Noun

After verb Verb and Adjective


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Andis possible when the adjective give similar kinds of information, especially when we

are piling up favorable or unfavorable descriptions.

a cruel (and)vicious tyrant a warm (and) generous personality

Andis necessary when two or more adjectives (or other modifiers) refer to different parts

of something, or different types of thing.

ayellow and black sport car aconcrete and glass factory

We also use and when we say that something belongs to two or more different classes.

Its asocial and politicalproblem shesa musical and artistic genius

Nice and

Itsnice and warm in front of the fire.

The work wasnice and easy.

Now just put you gun downnice and slow.

and

and

and

Nice and

Pleasantly or suitably

Before another adjective or an adverb


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Adjective without nouns

We cannot usually leave out a noun after an adjective.

Poor little boy! (Not poor little!)

The most important thing is to be happy.

(Not the most important is to be happy.)But there are some exceptions.

Well known groups

The + adjective is used to talk about certain well-known groups of people who are in a

particular physical or social condition.

the blind the handicapped the unemployed

Hes collecting money forthe blind.

The unemployedare losing hope.

The meaning is usually general; occasionally a limited group is referred to.

After the accident,the injuredwere taken to hospital.These expressions are normally plural: the dead means all dead people or the dead people,

but not the dead person.

Note that these expressions cannot be used with a possessives.

the problems ofthe poor orpoor peoples problems

(NOT the poors problems)

Adjectives are normally only used in this way with the or a determinerlike many or more.

This government doesnt care aboutthe poor. (Not .about poor.)

There aremore unemployedthan ever before.

However, adjectives without than are sometimes used in paired structures with both..and

opportunities forboth rich and poor

Without nouns

The + adjective


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Adjectives of nationality

A few adjectives of nationality ending in - sh or ch are used after the without nouns.

The Irish are very proud of their sense of humor.

These expressions are plural; singular equivalents are for example

anIrishwoman, a Welshman (NOT a Welsh)

Where nouns exist, these are preferred to expressions with theish:

we say theDanes or the Turks (NOT the Danish or the Turkish).

Singular examples

In a few formal fixed phrases, the + adjective can have a singular meaning.

The accusedwas released on bail.

Mr Gray and Mrs Cook;the latter is a well-known designer.

Adjectives of nationality

Irish Welsh English British Spanish Dutch french

The + adjective

The accused The undersigned The deceased The former The latter


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Abstract ideas

Adjective are sometimes used after the to refer to general abstract ideas, especially inphilosophical writing.

These expressions are singular.

Shes interested inthe supernatural.

Choices

We sometimes leave out a noun that has already been mentioned, or which does not need to be

mentioned, when thinking about a choice between two or more different kinds of thing.

Have you got any bread? Do you want white or brown?

Id like two large packets and one small.

Color adjectives can sometimes have a plural s in this situation.

Wash the reds and blues separately. (=red and blue clothes)

Abstract ideas

The Adjective

the beautiful the supernatural the unreal

Choices

Leave out a noun that has already been mentioned

When thinking about a choice between two or more

different kinds of thing


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Superlatives

Nouns are often left out after superlative adjective.

Imthe tallest in my family. We boughtthe cheapest.

Adjective: pronunciation of aged, naked etc

A few adjective ending in ed have a special pronunciation: the last syllable is pronounced

/id/instead of /d/ or /t/

aged blessed

beloved dogged

crooked learned

cursed sacred

naked wicked

ragged wretched

rugged one/ there/ four-legged

Note that aged is pronounced /edd/ when it means years old (as in he has a daughter aged

ten), or when it is a verb.

Adjective

pronunciation

Aged Naked


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Adjective: what can follow an adjective?

Many adjectives can be followed by complements- words and expressions that complete

their meaning. Not all adjectives are followed by the same kind of complement. Some can be

followed bypreposition + noun/ -ing.

Im interested in cookery. Im interested in learning to cook.

Some can be followed by infinitives.

You dont lookhappy to see me. The soup isready to eat.

An infinitive may have its own subject, introduced by for

Im anxiousfor her to get a good education.

(= Im anxious that she should get)

Some adjectives can be followed by clauses.

Imglad that you were able to come.

Its important that everybody should feel comfortable.

And many adjectives can have more than one kind of complement.

Impleased about her promotion. Impleased to see you here.

Impleased that we seem to agree.

We rarely putadjective + complement before a noun

Hesa difficult personto understand.

(NOT Hes a difficult to understand person.)

Adjective

Complement Pre + noun Pre + noun/-ing

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Adjective Normal Position (01)