dictionaries give as single words a number of the compounds we have just listed such as heartbreaking, absentminded, and newborn
.
37
Other adjective compounds include various syntactic combinations. 1
A prepositional phrase, such as a wall-to-wall carpet, etc. 2
An infinitive, such as a never-to-be-forgotten plot, etc. 3
Coordinate elements joined by and, such as a life-and-death struggle, etc.
Some set phrases or specially coined phrases may also function as adjective compounds, such as a get-rich-quick scheme, a catch-as-catch-
can policy, a publicity-shy actor.
3. Position of Adjectives in Relation to Noun
Adjectives also appear in several other positions, not only in relation to nouns and verbs, but also in relation to pronouns. All the possible
positions of adjectives will therefore be described here.
a. In Relation to Nouns Attributive Position
A noun head may have adjective modifier that appear before and after it in what is called a noun phrase. There are three position of
adjective in relation to noun. There are three positions where an adjective can be placed:
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1 Adjectives preceding a noun head Pre-Position
Determiners and descriptive adjectives appear in this position
before a noun it modifies. For example:
The tall women sat down quickly.
37
Marcella Frank, Modern English: A Practical Reference Guide, New York: New York University, 1972, p. 110
38
Ibid, p. 112-113
2 Adjectives following a noun head Post-Position
This type of adjective comes after the noun it modifies. Post- Position adjectives are found in a number of fixed expressions.
They are also to post-modify indefinite pronouns because pronouns cannot be pre-modified. For example:
a In set phrases coming from old French. For example:
The body politic Postmaster general
b With units of space or time. For example:
Five months ago A ruler eleven inches long
c Place or time words that usually function as adverbs. For
example: The house above
The week after
d Cardinal numbers used for identifying or naming. For
example:
Chapter four Paragraph six
e The adjective enough. For example:
I have enough food.
b. In Relation to Verbs
1
After the linking verbs be, seem, appear, look as subjective
complements in predicate position, such as “The boy is tall”. Such inversions usually occur with the linking verb be, for
example:
Fair was she as the roses in May. Great was his consternation to learn the news.
2 After certain verbs and their objects, as objective complements,
for example:
The storm has made me uneasy. All this friends considered him intelligent.
3 In the special verb-adjective combinations that express a state, such
as hold-tight, stand still, break loose. For example: She held the child tight.
The ship broke loose from its moorings.
c. In Relation to Pronouns
1 After the pronoun, for example:
He is looking for something new and exciting to do.
2
Before the pronoun only with one, for example: Did you buy the green dress or the blue one?
4. Sequences of Adjectives in a Noun Phrase
When more than one adjective precedes a noun in a noun phrase, the adjectives follow a set order. This order is determined by the degree of
generality of each type of adjectives. Adjectives that can be used with greatest number of nouns, the determiners, always come first. Then come,
descriptive adjectives, those with more general application preceding those that are more specific.
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The first word in the noun phrase is the determiner. Then after the determiner, come descriptive adjectives. The first descriptive adjective is
general description that describes noun qualities. General description also
called the opinion-expresser, such as beautiful, nice, excellent, etc.
Then, the third order is physical state. It consists of size, shape, age, and color of the noun that described. After it, come proper adjectives that
consist of nationality or origin, and material of the noun. Also in this
39
Ibid, p. 114
position are some adjectives ending in –ic al, -al, -ing, etc. the fourth
order is noun adjunct or qualifier. The function of noun adjuncts is giving the additional information about the noun and it come closest to the noun
head. The last order is noun that modifier with the entire adjective before.
Adjectives of size and length big small tall short long etc. usually go before adjectives shape and width round fat thin slim
wide etc. It would be folly, of course, to run more than two or three at the
most adjectives together.
Furthermore, when adjectives belong to the same class, they become what we call coordinated adjectives, and we can put a comma between
them e.g. the inexpensive, comfortable shoes the rule for inserting comma works this way: if we could have inserted a conjunction
– and or but
–between two adjectives, use a comma. We could say these are “inexpensive but comfortable shoes,” so we would use a comma between
them when the “but” isn’t there.
When we have three coordinated adjectives, we can separate them all with commas, but don’t insert a comma between the last adjective and the
noun, for example: a popular, respected, and good looking student.
5. Commas with Adjectives
According to Frank, The different types of adjectives cannot be separated by a comma- beautiful, small, red bag-and there is no comma
before noun itself-beautiful, small, red, bag.
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For general description adjectives can be connected by “and” or “but”,
and also can be separated by commas. For example in the phrase beautiful, expensive blue dress, comma can be repla
ce before the word „expensive’ with and, but we cannot put comma before „beautiful’ or „blue’.
40
Marcella Frank, Modern English: A Practical Reference Guide, New York: New York University, 1972, p. 117
