LoginAttributive and Predicative Adjectives
Discover the rules for attributive adjectives ("a tall man") and predicative adjectives ("the man is tall"). Detailed explanations and a quiz to test your knowledge.
What are Attributive and Predicative Adjectives?
There are two main types of adjectives based on where they appear in a sentence:
Attributive Adjective
Predicative Adjectives
Attributive Adjectives: Types
Based on whether they appear before or after the noun they are modifying, attributive adjectives can be classified into two groups:
Pre-positive adjectives come before the noun they modify.
Post-positive adjectives come after the noun or pronoun they modify.
We need a powerful person.
(pre-positive adjective)
We need someone powerful.
(post-positive adjective)
What Are Predicative Adjectives?
A predicative adjective (also called predicate adjective) follows a linking verb to serve as a subject complement. These adjectives can take an adjective complement after them or appear on their own, but cannot be followed by a noun. For example:
That baby is cute.
I tried not to be afraid of the dark.
Attributive vs. Predicative
Most adjectives can be used either way:
He delivered an amazing performance.
His performance was amazing.
However, some adjectives can only be used in one or the other way, not both.
Adjectives That Can Only Be Predicative
Some adjectives can never be used before or after a noun. They always follow linking verbs and act predicatively. Here is a list of common examples:
ablaze
afloat
afraid
alive
alone
ashamed
aware
asleep
awake
alike
Many people are aware of the dangers of reckless driving. (Not: aware people)
He was ashamed of his actions.
Adjectives That Can Only Be Attributive
Some adjectives can only occur in the attributive position.
I have a little doll. (Not 'My doll is little.')
This is the main road. (Not 'This road is main.')
Here is a list of common attributive-only adjectives:
Degree and quantity adjectives: complete, definite, utter, extreme, perfect, total, entire, whole, full, single
Time and place adjectives: current, former, past, present, future, previous, eventual, lower, upper, right, left, southern
Relational adjectives: criminal, medical, historical, marine, moral, urban, rural, lunar, musical, clerical
Modal and specifying adjectives: actual, apparent, potential, chief, particular, main, prime, principal, ultimate
I can see now that I was a complete fool.
You can't say "I was complete."
My right arm was injured in the game.
You can't say "My arm is right"
Predicate Adjectives vs. Predicate Nominatives
In addition to predicative adjectives, nouns and noun phrases are also commonly used as subject complements. A noun phrase used as a nominative predicate may itself include an attributive adjective within it. Keep in mind that, if the adjective is part of the noun phrase acting as the subject complement, it is no longer a predicative adjective. Only if the adjective appears on its own (without a noun) after a linking verb it can be considered predicative. Compare the examples:
Sam is kind.
Here, "kind" is a predicative adjective.
Sam is a kind teacher.
Here, "kind" is an attributive adjective for the noun "teacher" and the noun phrase "a kind teacher" acts as the subject complement.
Review
Adjectives that accompany nouns are called attributive, while those that come after linking verbs are called predicative. Many adjectives can act as both attributive and predicative adjectives, but some of them can only be one or the other:
The cat is hungry.
I saw a hungry cat in the alley.
The criminal law has clauses dealing with such cases.
attributive-only
He was lucky to be alive.
predicative-only
Quiz:
Which sentence contains an attributive adjective?
The flowers smell fragrant.
She is a brilliant entrepreneur.
The children seem happy.
The patient is now awake.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Match each adjective to its type
Choose the correct option from the parentheses to complete each sentence.
After running the marathon, John felt
. (exhausted/ultimate/former)
The
soldier was alone in the trenches. (afraid/brave)
The building is
. (main/important)
The children were
in the house. (alone/apparent)
His
disbelief was obvious to everyone. (utter/alike)
Which sentence is incorrect.
Her former boss became angry.
The complete story remains unknown.
You should be ashamed of your behavior.
He's an afraid man.
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