Unit 65: POSITION OF ADJECTIVES

Most adjectives can go either in a noun phrase (Unit 45) or alone.

In a noun phrase

a The adjective goes before the noun or pronoun:

a difficult task (NOT task difficult)

an open window (NOT window open)

happy employees

the red one

b If you want to write two or more adjectives together in a noun phrase, the usual order is:

[F]: FEELING [S]: SIZE [A]: AGE [C]: COLOUR [P]: PLACE [T]: TYPE [N]: NOUN

[F] nice [S] smooth [C] green [T] granite [N] countertop

[A] old [P] Toronto [N] houses

[S] large [C] black [T] lamp [N] shades

[F] wonderful [A] new [P] Italian [T] marble [N] sink

NOTICE: If the noun is something, anyone or a similar word (Unit 51: NOTICE), the adjective goes after the noun:
I want something large. (NOT large something)

NOTICE: The adjectives afraid, alive, alone, asleep, awake, ill and well cannot go in a noun phrase.

Alone

There are two positions:

a After the verbs be, become, feel, get, look, seem, smell, sound and taste. For example:

The house was old.
Everybody became sick.
It feels cold.
He seemed friendly.
(Friendly is an adjective, NOT an adverb.)

b After a noun phrase and the verbs call, find, get, hate, have, leave, like, make, paint and want. For example:

They painted the house red.
He pushed a window open.
It made them happy.
I found him friendly.

NOTICE: Adjectives from nouns, and a few other adjectives (for example, main, only) cannot go alone.

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