Adjectives are essential components of the English language, enabling speakers and writers to provide more detail and nuance to their statements. By modifying nouns and pronouns, adjectives enrich communication, making it more vivid and precise. However, adjectives can function differently depending on their position in a sentence. Specifically, they can be either attributive or predicative. Understanding the distinction between attributive and predicative adjectives is crucial for mastering English grammar and enhancing your language skills.
What are Attributive Adjectives?
Attributive adjectives are those that appear directly before the noun they modify. They are used to provide specific details about the noun, helping to describe its qualities or characteristics. This positioning allows attributive adjectives to seamlessly integrate into the noun phrase, offering immediate contextual information about the noun.
For example:
– The red car sped down the highway.
– She wore a beautiful dress to the party.
In both examples, the adjectives “red” and “beautiful” are attributive because they are placed directly before the nouns “car” and “dress,” respectively, providing additional information about these nouns.
Characteristics of Attributive Adjectives
1. **Direct Placement**: Attributive adjectives are placed directly before the noun they describe. This makes them easy to identify in a sentence.
2. **Multiple Adjectives**: It is common to use more than one attributive adjective to describe a single noun. For example:
– He adopted a small, fluffy, white puppy.
3. **Set Phrases**: Some attributive adjectives are part of set phrases or idiomatic expressions. For instance:
– The main idea is clear.
– It was a cold, dark night.
What are Predicative Adjectives?
Predicative adjectives, on the other hand, appear after a linking verb and describe the subject of the sentence. They are not directly attached to the noun they modify but are instead part of the predicate. This positioning allows predicative adjectives to be more flexible and often more emphatic in their description.
For example:
– The car is red.
– The dress looks beautiful.
In these examples, the adjectives “red” and “beautiful” are predicative because they follow the linking verbs “is” and “looks,” respectively, and describe the subjects “car” and “dress.”
Characteristics of Predicative Adjectives
1. **Following Linking Verbs**: Predicative adjectives come after linking verbs such as “be,” “seem,” “become,” “appear,” “feel,” “look,” “sound,” and “taste.”
2. **Subject Description**: They describe the subject of the sentence rather than being part of the noun phrase. For example:
– The soup tastes delicious.
– She seems happy.
3. **Flexibility**: Predicative adjectives can sometimes be used to emphasize a particular quality or characteristic of the subject, making them more versatile in descriptive language.
Comparing Attributive and Predicative Adjectives
To better understand the differences between attributive and predicative adjectives, let’s compare their usage in various contexts.
Position in Sentence
– Attributive: Placed before the noun.
– Example: The old man walked slowly.
– Predicative: Placed after a linking verb.
– Example: The man is old.
Function
– Attributive: Provides specific information about the noun within the noun phrase.
– Example: She has a large collection of books.
– Predicative: Describes the subject of the sentence, often providing essential information about the subject’s state or condition.
– Example: Her collection is large.
Emphasis
– Attributive: Typically integrates seamlessly into the sentence without drawing special attention.
– Example: He gave me a blue pen.
– Predicative: Can be used to place emphasis on the adjective, often highlighting a particular attribute.
– Example: The pen is blue.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
When learning the differences between attributive and predicative adjectives, it’s easy to make some common mistakes. Here are a few pitfalls to watch out for and tips on how to avoid them:
Misplacing Adjectives
One common mistake is placing an adjective in the wrong position, which can lead to awkward or incorrect sentences.
Incorrect:
– The cake tastes delicious icing.
Correct:
– The cake’s icing tastes delicious.
– The delicious icing on the cake is perfect.
Using Incompatible Adjectives
Some adjectives are only used attributively or predicatively, not both. Misusing these adjectives can result in grammatical errors.
Incorrect:
– The afraid child was crying.
Correct:
– The child was afraid.
Some adjectives, such as “afraid,” “asleep,” and “alive,” are typically used only in the predicative position. Understanding these exceptions will help you avoid mistakes.
Overusing Adjectives
While adjectives are useful for adding detail, overusing them can make sentences cumbersome and difficult to read.
Overused:
– She wore a beautiful, elegant, stunning dress to the extravagant, luxurious, opulent party.
Balanced:
– She wore a stunning dress to the luxurious party.
Practice Exercises
To reinforce your understanding of attributive and predicative adjectives, here are some practice exercises. Try to identify whether the adjectives in the following sentences are attributive or predicative:
1. The sky is blue.
2. She has a new car.
3. The cake tastes sweet.
4. He found an old coin in the garden.
5. The flowers smell fragrant.
6. The happy children played in the park.
7. The soup is hot.
8. They live in a big house.
Answers:
1. Predicative
2. Attributive
3. Predicative
4. Attributive
5. Predicative
6. Attributive
7. Predicative
8. Attributive
Advanced Considerations
As you become more comfortable with attributive and predicative adjectives, you can explore more advanced considerations, such as the following:
Adjective Order
When using multiple attributive adjectives, there is a conventional order they should follow. This order is not strictly enforced, but adhering to it can make your sentences sound more natural. The typical order is:
1. Quantity or number (e.g., “three”)
2. Quality or opinion (e.g., “beautiful”)
3. Size (e.g., “small”)
4. Age (e.g., “old”)
5. Shape (e.g., “round”)
6. Color (e.g., “blue”)
7. Origin (e.g., “American”)
8. Material (e.g., “wooden”)
9. Purpose (e.g., “sleeping” as in “sleeping bag”)
Example:
– She bought three beautiful small old round blue American wooden chairs.
While it is rare to use this many adjectives in a single sentence, understanding the conventional order can help you construct more natural-sounding descriptions.
Gradable and Non-gradable Adjectives
Adjectives can be categorized as gradable or non-gradable. Gradable adjectives can vary in intensity or degree and can be modified by words like “very,” “quite,” or “extremely.” Non-gradable adjectives, on the other hand, represent absolute qualities and cannot be modified in this way.
Gradable:
– The water is cold.
– She is very happy.
Non-gradable:
– The water is freezing.
– She is completely exhausted.
Understanding whether an adjective is gradable or non-gradable can help you use it correctly in both attributive and predicative positions.
Adjective Complements
In some cases, predicative adjectives are followed by complements that provide additional information about the subject. These complements can be prepositional phrases, infinitives, or clauses.
Example with a prepositional phrase:
– He is afraid of spiders.
Example with an infinitive:
– She is eager to learn.
Example with a clause:
– They are happy that they won.
Recognizing adjective complements will help you construct more complex and nuanced sentences.
Conclusion
Understanding the distinction between attributive and predicative adjectives is a fundamental aspect of mastering English grammar. By recognizing their different positions and functions within a sentence, you can use adjectives more effectively to enhance your communication. Whether you are describing a noun directly with an attributive adjective or providing essential information about the subject with a predicative adjective, mastering these concepts will enable you to express yourself with greater clarity and precision.
Remember to practice identifying and using both types of adjectives in your writing and speaking. With time and experience, you will become more adept at incorporating them seamlessly into your language, enriching your descriptions and making your communication more engaging and effective.
