31. The attribute. Ways of expressing.

From the point of view of the position of attributes in the nominal phrase, they may be premodifying (i.e. preceding the noun they modify): We're having a wonderful time, and postmodifying (i.e. following the item they modify): The people involved were reported to the police.

Premodifying attributes are generally expressed by adjectives, nouns in the common and possessive case, pronouns, participles, gerunds, ordinal numerals and quotation nouns.

It's a good family film.

Adjectives are by far the most common type of noun premodifier. When two or more adjectives co-occur in attributive position, their order is to a large extent determined by their semantic properties.

Evaluative or subjective adjectives (particular qualities) usually precede those that are relatively objective (general qualities).

The usual order for the adjectives in a noun group is: size, shape, age, colour, origin, material, part 1,2 , purpose or type

Note that variation is possible when we focus on a particular feature, for example we can say: a round black

shape (=normal order) or a black round shape (=focus on colour).

we use a comma when there are two or more adjectives of equal importance before a noun: The room was full of cold, hungry children.

0 we can put a comma or and between two adjectives that describe someone's character: We had a clever, imaginative teacher.

0 when we use two or more colour adjectives before a noun, we put and between them: They own a red and white car.

Nouns are the second most common type of noun premodifier. Those constructions express a wide range of meanings or relationships in a succinct form:

purpose — patrol car time — Sunday school

identity — men workers location — Paris conference

content — sports diary specialization — gossip columnist

source — press release

Premodifying nouns are mostly used in the singular (even if the meaning is plural):

cigarette packets child welfare

trouser pockets picture gallery

pyjama jacket ticket office

However, some nouns retain their plural form:

sports car clothes shop customs officer arms production

Postmodifying attributes are generally expressed by adjectives, cardinal numerals, participles, infinitives, participial and infinitive phrases and complexes, prepositional phrases and clauses.

Prepositional phrases are by far the most common postmodifiers:

... documents in his possession ...... the list of requirements ...... the man with the megaphone

There are a few adjectives which are usually or always used after a noun:

• Some adjectives are used in fixed phrases, in several institutionalized expressions: God Almighty, the President elect, the Prime Minister designate, the Secretary General, the Attorney General, the heir apparent, a notary public, a proof positive, the body politic, a court martial.

• The adjectives broad, deep, high, long, old, tall, thick and wide are used immediately after measurement nouns when giving the size, duration, or age of a thing or person. ...six feet tall ...three metres wide-...twenty-five years old

• Some adjectives can be used before and after nouns, but a change in position involves a change in meaning:

the present circumstance (=now) the people present (=who are here) an involved explanation (=complicated) the people involved (=who took part) a concerned expression (=worried) the people concerned (=affected) a responsible person (=sensible) the people responsible (=who did it) a proper mountain (=real, genuine) the meeting proper (=itself)

• Adjectives ending in -able and -Me come after the noun that they are with, especially when the noun is modified by another adjective in the superlative degree.

the best tickets available \the only solution possible

• Adjectives come after something, everything, anything, nothing, somebody, anywhere and similar words:

Have you read anything interesting today?

• When an adjective has its own complement (skilled at design), the whole expression normally comes after the noun: We are looking for people skilled at design

In some cases an adjective can be put before a noun and its complement after it. This is possible with different, similar; next, last, first, second, etc.; easy, difficult, impossible; comparatives and superlatives; the same; enough.

a difficult problem to solve a different life from this one the next house to the Royal Hotel

When we put a participle before a noun, it usually expresses some more permanent characteristic.