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Position of adjectives

June 21, 2015 - pdf

Adjectives are words used to modify nouns. They usually go before the nouns modified by them.

He lives in a large house.
Each hand has five fingers.
She has a lovely voice.

When two or more adjectives go before a noun, they are not usually separated by ‘and’.

I bought three blue shirts.

He wore a large, round turban.

When the last two are adjectives of color, they are usually separated by ‘and’.

A black and white cow

Adjectives can go after the verbs be, seem, look and appear. In this case, ‘and’ is used between the last two adjectives.

The boy was handsome, polite and lovable.
It was hot and sultry.
The clouds looked white and fluffy.
The trees looked fresh and charming.

In phrases such as the following, the adjective always follows the noun.

Alexander, the great
Time immemorial
Heir apparent
God Almighty
Notary public

When an adjective forms a phrase with some other words to explain its meaning, it is placed after the noun.

Gandhi was a man earnest in his efforts.

Suddenly there appeared a woman more attractive than all those present in the room.

In lines of poetry also, the adjective often goes after the noun.

He drank the milk warm and sweet.
We saw the sun red and strong.

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