What’s the difference between a predicate adjective and an attributive adjective?

An attributive adjective is an adjective that comes directly before or after the noun it modifies (e.g., “a tall person could reach that for you,” “someone tall could reach that for you”).

Predicate adjectives are adjectives or adjective phrases that follow linking verbs and describe the subject within the predicate. They are almost always separated from the noun they modify by a linking verb (e.g., “that person is tall”).

Adjectives: Other interesting questions

Is amazing an adjective?: Yes, amazing can be used as an adjective to describe someone or something as “causing wonder” or “excellent.”

“Amazing” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes and modifies a noun (e.g., “We saw an amazing show”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “I feel amazing”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “feel”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using adjectives like “amazing” correctly.
What is the difference between a superlative adjective and a comparative adjective?: Superlative adjectives express the highest degree of a certain quality in a comparison of three or more things (e.g., the superlative form of “fast” is “fastest”).

Comparative adjectives express that one thing embodies a quality more than another in a comparison of two things (e.g., the comparative form of “fast” is “faster”).
What is the comparative degree?: The comparative degree is a grammatical form used to compare two people or things and indicate that one has a higher degree of a certain quality.

A comparative adjective can also be called an adjective in the comparative degree.
What is the superlative form of the adjective “bad”?: “Bad” is an example of an adjective with an irregular superlative form: “worst.”

Note that the superlative “worst” is often confused with the similar-sounding comparative form, “worse.”
What is the superlative form of the adjective light?: The superlative form of the adjective “light” is “lightest.” “Light” is an example of a regular one-syllable adjective that is transformed into a superlative by simply adding “-est.”
What is a proper adjective?: A proper adjective is formed from a proper noun and is typically capitalized.

Proper adjectives include terms derived from locations, languages, and ethnicities (e.g., “Bostonian,” “Sino-Tibetan,” “South Asian”); individuals’ names (such as “Keynesian,” “Darwinian,” “Newtonian”); and religious terms (e.g., “Rastafarian,” “Christian,” “Talmudic”) among other proper nouns.
What are the different types of adjectives?: Adjectives are classified in many ways, with some adjectives falling into multiple categories, depending on the context in which they are used.

The categories of adjectives include the following:

Proper adjectives

Superlative adjectives

Comparative adjectives

Participial adjectives

Appositive adjectives

Denominal adjectives

Nominal adjectives

Attributive adjectives

Compound adjectives

Coordinate adjectives

Predicative adjectives
What is the comparative form of the adjective good?: The comparative form of the adjective “good” is “better” (e.g., “The second draft of the essay was better than the first”). “Better” is an irregular comparative adjective that doesn’t follow the usual rules (i.e., it doesn’t end in “-er” or include the words “more” or “less”).
What is the comparative form of the adjective bad?: The comparative form of the adjective “bad” is “worse” (e.g., “His performance in the second round was worse than in the first”). “Worse” is an irregular comparative adjective that doesn’t follow the usual rules (i.e., it doesn’t end in “-er” or include the words “more” or “less”).

The comparative adjective “worse” is not to be confused with the superlative adjective “worst” (e.g., “He was the worst player on the team”).
What is the comparative form of the adjective clean?: The comparative form of the adjective “clean” is “cleaner” (e.g., “The kitchen looked so much cleaner after a thorough scrubbing”).

The superlative form of “clean” is “cleanest” (e.g., “This is the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen”).
Is tired an adjective?: Yes, “tired” is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “lacking energy,” “bored or impatient,” and “no longer interesting because overfamiliar.”

“Tired” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it (e.g., “The tired man sat down to rest”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “I am tired”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “feel”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using adjectives like “tired” correctly.
Is friendly an adjective?: Yes, “friendly” is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “approachable” or “kind.”

“Friendly” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it (e.g., “A friendly woman”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “Sheila is friendly”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “seem”).

“Friendly” can also be used to mean “intended to accommodate certain needs” (e.g., “family-friendly”) or “not likely to cause harm” (e.g., “eco-friendly”). When used to describe relationships between people or groups, it means “on good terms” (e.g., “I’m friendly with my neighbors“).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using adjectives like “friendly” correctly.
Is fast an adjective?: Yes, “fast” is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “capable of moving at great speed.”

It can also be used as some other parts of speech, including:

an adverb meaning “at great speed” (e.g., “You are driving too fast”) and “firmly fixed” (e.g., “held fast”)

a verb referring to the act of abstaining from food (e.g., “I am fasting”)

a noun referring to the practice of abstaining from food (e.g., “a religious fast”)

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “fast” correctly.
Is strong an adjective?: Yes, strong is an adjective that can be used to describe someone or something as “having great emotional or physical power” (e.g., “Anna is strong”), “striking” (e.g., “a strong resemblance”), “superior” (e.g., “a strong candidate”), and “forceful or ardent” (e.g., “a strong believer”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using adjectives like “strong” correctly.
Is silly an adjective?: Yes, “silly” is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “trivial” or “foolish.”

“Silly” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it (e.g., “A silly joke”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “That TV show is silly”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “seem”).

Depending on the context, describing something as “silly” can carry a negative connotation or may be perceived as light-hearted or even affectionate.

“Silly” can also be used informally as an adverb meaning “to an exteme degree” (e.g., “I was scared silly”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “silly” correctly.
Is loud an adjective?: Yes, “loud” is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “high volume,” “noisy,” “emphatic,” or “obtrusive.”

“Loud” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it (e.g., “loud music”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “The lawnmower is loud”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “seem”).

“Loud” is closely related to the adverb “loudly” (e.g., “She was singing loudly”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “loud” correctly.
Is excited an adjective?: Yes, excited is an adjective used to describe someone or something as “enthusiastic” or “thrilled.” It is often followed by a prepositon (e.g., “about,” “to”).

“Excited” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it (e.g., “the excited dog”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “I am excited”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “seem”).

“Excited” can also be used as the past participle form of the verb “excite” (e.g., “The band had excited the crowd”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “excited” correctly.
Is fun an adjective?: Yes, “fun” can be used as an adjective to describe someone or something as “amusing,” “entertaining,” or “enjoyable.”

“Fun” can be used as an attributive adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it (e.g., “a fun party”). It can also be used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject of a sentence (e.g., “That game is fun”). When used as a predicate adjective, it is always preceded by a linking verb (e.g., “be,” “seems”).

Additionally, “fun” can be used as a noun meaning “amusement” or “enjoyment” (e.g., “Let’s have fun”).

A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “fun” correctly.
What is an adjective that starts with A?: Some adjectives that start with A include:

Able

Absurd

Abundant

Accepting

Accommodating

Accurate

Admirable

Adorable

Affable

Affectionate

Affluent

Agreeable

Alert

Ambitious

Ancient

Angry

Astonishing

Attractive

Awesome

Awkward

Looking for just the right word for your writing? QuillBot’s Paraphrasing Tool can help!
What are some adjectives starting with G to describe a person?: Some adjectives that start with G to describe a person include:

Gallant

Generous

Genial

Gifted

Glamorous

Graceful

Gregarious

Gutsy

Glum

Greedy

Gruff

Gullible

Gentle

Glutinous

Grizzled
Can prepositional phrases be adjectives?: Yes, prepositional phrases can act as adjective phrases in a sentence to give more information about a noun or pronoun (e.g., “The student in the back row is falling asleep”).

Prepositional phrases also have other functions, such as adverb phrases (e.g., “I went to the store”) and noun phrases (e.g., “Behind the bookshelf is the best hiding spot”).
Where does an adjective usually go in a sentence?: Adjectives can be used either right before the noun or pronoun they modify (i.e., attributive adjectives), immediately after the noun or pronoun (i.e., postpositive adjectives), or after a linking verb (i.e., predicate adjectives).

Attributive adjectives are often adjectives from different categories, so they must follow a specific adjective order (e.g., “a big fluffy Himalayan cat”). Postpositive adjectives usually occur with indefinite pronouns (e.g., “something special,” “anything new”). Predicate adjectives are always used with linking verbs (e.g., “I felt ill,” “He got angry”).
When does adjective order matter?: When adjectives of different categories are used to describe the same noun or pronoun, these are cumulative adjectives, and they must be listed according to the following order:

Opinion

Size

Physical quality

Age or shape

Color

Origin or religion

Material

Type

Purpose

So, if a sentence uses the adjectives “silk” (material), “19th-century” (age), “delicate” (physical quality), and “ruby-red” (color) to describe a kimono (the noun), the adjectives should occur in this order: “a delicate 19th-century ruby-red silk kimono.”
What is the difference between attributive and predicate adjectives?: Attributive adjectives precede the noun or pronoun they modify (e.g., “red car,” “loud music”), while predicate adjectives describe the subject of a sentence and follow linking verbs such as “be,” “become,” “seem,” or “remain.”
What is the difference between demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns?: The words “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those” function as both demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns. They give information about the number (singular or plural) and distance (near or far) of the thing or person being referred to.

A demonstrative adjective appears before a noun and modifies it (e.g., “This salsa is very spicy”).

A demonstrative pronoun replaces a noun and functions on its own as the subject or object of a sentence (e.g., “That is my favorite restaurant”). Demonstrative pronouns are used when the noun is clear from context.
Is “that” an adjective?: “That” is a special type of adjective, called a demonstrative adjective. Demonstrative adjectives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) are used with a noun or pronoun to give information about its relative location (e.g., “Put that box on this cart”).
Is “these” an adjective?: “These” is a special type of adjective, called a demonstrative adjective. Demonstrative adjectives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) are used with a noun or pronoun to give information about its relative location (e.g., “These earrings would look perfect with that dress”).
Is “those” an adjective?: “Those” is a special type of adjective, called a demonstrative adjective. Demonstrative adjectives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) are used with a noun or pronoun to give information about its relative location (e.g., “Those books go on this shelf”).
What is the difference between “this” and “that”?: “This” and “that” are both used as demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns. Both are used to refer to singular nouns (e.g., “this book,” “that restaurant”).

This is used to refer to something that is relatively close to the speaker, and that is used to refer to something that is relatively farther away (e.g., “Take this book, and put it on that shelf”). The choice of “this” or “that” is greatly influenced by the context of a sentence.
What is an adjectival phrase?: The term adjectival phrase is typically used interchangeably with adjective phrase. It is a group of words that acts as an adjective in a sentence to modify a noun or pronoun.

Some sources differentiate the two terms, though. In those sources, adjective phrases are those that are headed by an adjective (e.g., “the long, dark, winding road”), while adjectival phrases are those that act as an adjective but don’t contain an adjective. Adjectival phrases are often in the form of prepositional phrases (e.g., “the boy with the blue lunchbox”) or participial phrases (e.g., “the woman standing over there”).
What is the difference between an adjective phrase and an adverb phrase?: An adjective phrase is a group of words that acts as an adjective in a sentence by modifying a noun (e.g., “the weathered gray house”).

An adverbial phrase (or adverb phrase) is a group of words that acts as an adverb in a sentence by modifying a verb, adjective, adverb, or entire clause (e.g., “He ran very quickly”).

Adjective phrases can contain adverbs (e.g., “the exceptionally smart dog”). To distinguish between adjective phrases and adverb phrases, think about what the phrase modifies in the sentence.
What is a cumulative adjective?: A cumulative adjective is part of a list of two or more adjectives that describe a noun or pronoun (e.g., “bright pink hair,” “creepy carnivalesque Polka music”).

Cumulative adjectives are adjectives from different categories (e.g., opinion, size, color, type), so they must be listed in a specific adjective order and should not be separated by commas or “and.”
Are adjective clauses dependent clauses?: Yes, all adjective clauses (e.g., “that I like the best”) are dependent clauses (that is, they can’t stand on their own as a sentence). There are two other types of dependent clauses: adverbial clauses and noun clauses.
What is the difference between an adjective clause and an adverb clause?: Adjective clauses function as adjectives in a sentence to give more information about a noun (e.g., “She wants the kitten that has white paws”). Adjective clauses typically begin with a relative pronoun (e.g., “who,” “that,” “which”).

Adverbial clauses function as adverbs in a sentence to modify a verb, adjective, adverb, or entire clause (e.g., “Let’s go to the movies after we study”). Adverb clauses begin with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., “because,” “until,” “when,” “if”) and frequently answer questions such as “when?” “where?” “why?” or “how?”
How can I use commas with coordinate adjectives?: Commas can be used to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., “dangerous, scary places”).

When you have a list of more than two coordinate adjectives, the final adjective can be separated in the following ways:

An Oxford comma (i.e., a comma followed by “and” as in “dangerous, scary, and faraway places”)

“And” without a preceding comma (e.g., “dangerous, scary and faraway places”)

A comma without “and” (e.g., “dangerous, scary, faraway places”)
How can I distinguish between coordinate and cumulative adjectives?: Coordinate adjectives are independent of one another, so their order doesn’t matter (e.g., “beautiful and smart” is the same as “smart and beautiful”). Additionally, coordinate adjectives use a comma or “and.”

In contrast, cumulative adjectives must follow a particular order to sound correct and do not use a comma or “and” (e.g., “The tall Dutch tourist bumped her head on the doorframe”).
How do I know if two adjectives are coordinate adjectives?: You can test whether adjectives are coordinate adjectives by reversing their order or adding “and” between them to see if the sentence still makes sense. Consider the following examples:

Paulette was proud of her sporty, sleek car.

Paulette was proud of her sleek, sporty car.

Paulette was proud of her sleek and sporty car.
What is a compound predicate adjective?: A compound predicate adjective is an adjective formed from multiple words that follows a linking verb and renames the subject of a sentence (e.g., “My cat is orange and white striped”).

Because compound predicate adjectives follow the noun or pronoun they modify, they typically aren’t hyphenated.
How do you hyphenate a three-word compound adjective?: In a three-word compound adjective, a hyphen is typically used between each word in the sequence (e.g., “a well-thought-out plan”).

When a three-word compound adjective incorporates a compound proper noun, such as “New York,” it is generally unnecessary to use a hyphen between the words that comprise the proper noun (e.g., “New York-style,” “Great Gatsby-themed,” “Franz Kafka-inspired”).

In cases like these, many writers use an en dash instead of a hyphen (e.g., “New York–style”) to emphasize that both words of the compound noun are connected to the other word to form the compound adjective.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using hyphens correctly.
What punctuation is used when creating compound adjectives?: Hyphens are typically used in compound adjectives to ensure clarity (e.g., “client-centered approach” or “budget-friendly accommodations”). Compound adjectives that follow the noun they modify usually don’t require hyphens (e.g., “an approach that is client centered,” “accommodations that are budget friendly”).
What’s the difference between a predicate noun and a predicate adjective?: Predicate nouns are also known as predicate nominatives. They are a type of subject complement—they follow linking verbs to identify or redefine the subject. They are always nouns or pronouns (e.g., “Winston is a plumber”).

Predicate adjectives are also subject complements, but they are adjectives or adjective phrases that describe the subject (e.g., “Winston is funny”).