Adjectives before nouns
Definition
An attributive adjective appears before a noun and adds information about it. It forms part of the noun phrase: a small house, three old books, an unusual idea.
Examples
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They live in a small house.
Small describes house inside the noun phrase.
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I found three old photographs.
Old appears between the number and the noun.
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That was an interesting question.
Interesting gives more information about question.
Before the noun vs. after a linking verb
We stayed in a comfortable hotel.
The adjective appears directly before the noun.
The hotel was comfortable.
The adjective follows a linking verb and describes the subject.
The meaning is similar, but the adjective occupies a different grammatical position.
Not every adjective comes before the noun
Most common adjectives can appear before nouns, but some are normally used after linking verbs. Adjectives also come after indefinite pronouns such as something and nothing.
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We need something useful.
After something, the adjective comes after the pronoun.
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The children are awake.
Awake normally follows a linking verb rather than appearing before children.
Common mistakes
They bought a car red.
They bought a red car.
In ordinary noun phrases, the adjective normally comes before the noun.
She gave me an advice useful.
She gave me useful advice.
Place useful before advice. Advice is uncountable, so it does not take an.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence has an adjective before a noun?
In a narrow bridge, narrow appears directly before the noun.Which word order is correct?
The adjectives appear before laptop, and the article is an because expensive begins with a vowel sound.Which sentence places the adjective naturally?
After an indefinite pronoun such as something, the adjective follows the pronoun.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
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