{{Short description|Adjective that occurs immediately after the noun or pronoun that it complements}} A '''postpositive adjective''' or '''postnominal adjective''' is an [[adjective]] that is placed after the [[noun]] or [[pronoun]] that it modifies, as in [[noun phrase]]s such as ''[[attorney general]]'', ''[[queen regnant]]'', or ''all matters financial''. This contrasts with '''prepositive adjectives''', which come before the noun or pronoun, as in noun phrases such as ''red rose'', ''lucky contestant'', or ''busy bees''.
In some languages ([[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]], [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], etc.), the postpositive placement of adjectives is the normal [[syntax]], but in [[English language|English]] it is largely confined to [[archaism|archaic]] and poetic uses (e.g., "Once upon a midnight ''dreary''", as opposed to "Once upon a ''dreary'' midnight") as well as phrases borrowed from [[Romance languages]] or [[Latin]] (e.g., ''[[heir apparent]]'', ''[[aqua regia]]'') and certain fixed grammatical constructions (e.g., "Those ''anxious'' to leave soon exited").<ref name="Hudd">Rodney Huddleston, ''English Grammar: An Outline'', CUP 1988, p. 109.</ref>
In [[syntax]], '''postpositive position''' is independent of [[predicative expression|predicative]] position; a postpositive adjective may occur either in the [[Subject (grammar)|subject]] or the [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]] of a [[clause]], and any adjective may be a predicate adjective if it follows a [[copular verb]]. For example: ''monsters unseen were said to lurk beyond the moor'' (postpositive attribute in subject of clause), but ''the children trembled in fear of monsters unseen'' (postpositive attribute in predicate of clause) and ''the monsters, if they existed, remained unseen'' (predicate adjective in postpositive position).
Recognizing postpositive adjectives in English is important for determining the correct [[plural]] for a compound expression. For example, because ''martial'' is a postpositive adjective in the phrase ''[[court-martial]]'', the plural is ''courts-martial'', the [[suffix]] being attached to the noun rather than the adjective. This pattern holds for most postpositive adjectives, with the few exceptions reflecting overriding linguistic processes such as [[rebracketing]].
==Occurrence in languages== {{see also|Branching (linguistics)|Head directionality}} In certain languages, including [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Hebrew]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], postpositive adjectives are the norm: it is normal for an [[attributive adjective]] to follow, rather than precede, the noun it modifies. The following example is from Italian, French and Spanish: *{{lang|it|il cavallo '''bianco'''}}, {{lang|fr|le cheval '''blanc'''}}, {{lang|es|el caballo '''blanco'''}}; **[[translation]]:<ref name="sfs">[[Sense-for-sense translation|sense-for-sense]]</ref> "the '''white''' horse" **'''[[literal translation]]''':<ref name="wfw">"[[Metaphrase|word-for-word]]"</ref> "the ''horse '''white'''''" In particular instances, however, such languages may also feature prepositive adjectives. In French, certain common adjectives, including {{lang|fr|grand}} ("big"), usually precede the noun: * {{lang|fr|le '''grand''' cheval}} {{en dash}} "the '''big''' horse"; while in Italian and Spanish they can be prepositive or postpositive adjectives: * {{lang|it|il '''grande''' cavallo}} {{en dash}} "the '''big''' horse", or * {{lang|it|il cavallo '''grande'''}} {{en dash}} "the '''big''' horse",<ref name="sfs" /> "the horse '''big'''";<ref name="wfw" /> and * {{lang|es|el '''gran''' caballo}} {{en dash}} "the '''big''' horse", or * {{lang|es|el caballo '''grande'''}} {{en dash}} "the '''big''' horse",<ref name="sfs" /> "the horse '''big'''".<ref name="wfw" />
When an adjective can appear in both positions, the precise meaning may depend on the position. E.g. in French: * {{lang|fr|un '''grand''' homme}} {{en dash}} "a '''great''' man" * {{lang|fr|un homme '''grand'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''tall''' man" * {{lang|fr|une fille '''petite'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''small''' girl" * {{lang|fr|une '''petite''' fille}} {{en dash}} "a '''little''' girl" * {{lang|fr|un '''petit''' chien}} {{en dash}} "a '''little''' dog (of a small breed)" * {{lang|fr|un chien '''petit'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''small''' dog (for its breed)" And in Spanish: * {{lang|es|un '''gran''' hombre}} {{en dash}} "a '''great''' man" * {{lang|es|un hombre '''grande'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''bulky''' man" * {{lang|es|una niña '''pequeña'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''small''' girl" * {{lang|es|una '''pequeña''' niña}} {{en dash}} "a '''little''' girl" * {{lang|es|un '''pequeño''' perro}} {{en dash}} "a '''little''' dog (of a small breed)" * {{lang|es|un perro '''pequeño'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''small''' dog (for its breed)" Prepositive and postpositive adjectives may occur in the same phrase: * {{lang|fr|un '''bon''' vin '''blanc'''}}; {{lang|it|un '''buon''' vino '''bianco'''}}; {{lang|es|un '''buen''' vino '''blanco'''}} {{en dash}} "a '''good white''' wine" In many other languages, including [[English grammar|English]], [[German grammar|German]], [[Russian grammar|Russian]], [[Japanese grammar|Japanese]], [[Chinese grammar|Chinese]], and [[Tagalog grammar|Tagalog]], prepositive adjectives are the norm (attributive adjectives normally come before the nouns they modify), and adjectives appear postpositively only in special situations, if at all.
==In modern English== ===General uses=== ====Compulsory==== Adjectives must appear postpositively in English when they qualify almost all compound and some simple [[indefinite pronoun]]s:<ref name="Hudd" /> ''some/any/no/every...thing/one/body/where'', those; Examples: ''We need '''someone''' '''strong'''''; '''''those well-baked'''''; ''Going '''anywhere''' '''nice'''?''; '''''Nothing''' '''important''' happened''; '''''Everyone''' '''new''' was shocked''.
All adjectives are used postpositively for qualifying them precisely. The user follows the set formula: :{|class=wikitable |(optional preposition)||('''a''' if singular)||noun||'''this'''||adjective||. (or verb/preposition and continuation) |} ''This'' can be replaced by ''that'' or ''so'', or, casually to evoke an affected air, ''yea''. Without the preposition the formula is even more intuitive in replies. Examples pointing: "Which of the greyhounds do you like?" "Dogs this big." "A dog that weighty would definitely fit the bill." "A dog that tall to match my friend's." Examples figuratively: "A dog so fast it could win at the track".
====Optional==== Generally to these scenarios: #When it is wished to modify adjectives using an [[adjective phrase]] in which the [[head (linguistics)|head]] adjective is not final.<ref name="Hudd" /> Such phrases are common in speaking and in writing save for the reflexive which is a bit stark but common in fiction. Examples: ''(noun/pronoun)...'''anxious to leave''', '''proud/full of themselves'''''. Comparative forms are positioned before/after the noun, as in ''we need a box '''bigger''' than...''...''a '''bigger''' box than...'' Set compounds and near variations. ''technology easy-to-use''; ''easy-to-use technology''; ''fruit ripe for (the) picking''; ''ripe-for-picking fruit''. The postpositive holds more sway for many of the briefest and simplest of such phrases (e.g. ''in hand''). Examples: ''job in hand''; ''task underway''; a ''case in point'' #Followed by verbs in the infinitive form for some adjectives, mainly as to size, speed, emotions and probability. Examples: ''Officers ready to be deployed...Passengers happy to leave...Tourists sad to leave...Team ecstatic with their performance...Solutions likely to work...City large enough...Rocket fast enough''; can precede equally if compounded with hyphens. Example: ''We need numbers of ready-to-deploy officers.'' ::{|class=wikitable |Frequently used noun — more usually in plural form||adjective||infinitive of verb (i.e. to...) |}
The optional positions apply to the debatable pronoun and near synonym pairs ''any way/anyhow, some way/somehow'', as well as to ''(in) no way, in every way''. Examples: ''It was in some way(s) '''good'''; it was '''good''' in some ways; it was '''good''' somehow; it was somehow '''good'''''.
Certain adjectives are used fairly commonly in postpositive position. [[Uses of English verb forms#Present participle|Present]] and [[Uses of English verb forms#Past participle|past participles]] exhibit this behavior, as in ''all those '''entering''' should ...'', ''one of the men '''executed''' was ...'', but at will this can be considered to be a verbal rather than adjectival use (a kind of [[reduced relative clause]]). Similar behavior is displayed by many adjectives with the suffix ''-able'' or ''-ible'' (e.g. ''the best room '''available''''', ''the only decision '''possible''''', ''the worst choice '''imaginable''''', ''the persons '''liable'''''). Certain other adjectives with a sense similar to those in the foregoing categories are customarily found postpositively (''all the people '''present''''', ''the first payment '''due'''''). Their antonyms (absent and undue) and variations of due (overdue, post-due) can be placed in either position. These two words are among the least varied from the original Anglo-Norman and Old French terms, reflected in modern French, themselves all close to common Latin original forms. A third is used in locating places and in mainly dated use for complex objects: ''Sweden/the village/town/city '''proper'''...''operating on the heart '''proper''', it means "more narrowly defined", or "as more closely matches its character".
Adjectives may undergo a change of meaning when used postpositively. Consider the following examples: #Every '''''visible''' star'' is named after a famous astronomer. #Every ''star '''visible''''' is named after a famous astronomer.
The postpositive in the second sentence is expected to refer to the stars that are visible here and now; that is, it expresses a [[stage-level]] predicate. The prepositive in the first sentence may also have that sense, but it may also have an [[individual-level]] meaning, referring to an inherent property of the object (the stars that are visible in general). Quite a significant difference in meaning is found with the adjective ''responsible'': #Can you direct me to the '''''responsible''' people''? #Can you direct me to the ''people '''responsible'''''?
Used prepositively, ''can you direct me to the responsible people?'', it strongly connotes "dedicated" or "reliable", and by use of the heavily conditional "should be" it denotes that, otherwise, as in the second sentence, it denotes the far more commonly used meaning in the 21st century of "at fault" or "guilty" unless the qualifying word ''for'' is added.
===Set phrases=== There are many [[Phraseme|set phrases]] in English which feature postpositive adjectives. They are often [[loanword|loans]] or [[loan translation]]s from foreign languages that commonly use postpositives, especially [[French language|French]] (many legal terms come from [[Law French]]). Some examples appear below:
*In culinary arts with foods, drinks, and recipes: [[spaghetti bolognese]]; [[chicken korma]], [[satay]], or [[supreme (cookery)|supreme]]; whiskey neat; *In Christianity and translations of similar Abrahamic religious concepts: Christ/love/life everlasting, the devil/evil incarnate, [[God Almighty]] *In law: ''[[actus reus]]'' and ''[[mens rea]]'', [[court-martial]], [[fee simple]], ''[[force majeure]]'', ''[[locus classicus]]'', [[malice aforethought]] (also ''malice prepense''), ''[[persona non grata]]'' *In some set phrases: [[battle royal]], [[body corporate]], [[body politic]], [[corporation sole]], [[fee tail]], [[heir apparent]], [[heir presumptive]], [[knight errant]], [[letters patent]],<ref>In most places simply called a Patent now</ref> [[letters testamentary]], persons unknown, [[pound sterling]], proof positive, times/centuries past,<ref>For emphasis, compare "the past" and "past centuries" which are less emphatic terms</ref> [[trip the light fantastic]], [[time immemorial]], [[treasure trove]]<ref>Very widely replaced with "treasure", "treasure" under a particular Act or "treasure subject to the law of treasure trove", originally pronounced closer to trové, a basic Old French pronunciation for found.</ref> *In professional or honorary titles: ambassador-designate,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malaysia |first=U. S. Embassy |date=2023-12-29 |title=Meet Ambassador-designate Edgard D. Kagan |url=https://my.usembassy.gov/meet-ambassador-designate-edgard-kagan/ |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=U.S. Embassy in Malaysia |language=en-US}}</ref> [[bishop emeritus]], [[pope emeritus]], [[professor emeritus]], [[attorney general]], [[consul general]], [[governor general]], [[postmaster general]], [[surgeon general]], [[astronomer royal]], [[princess royal]], [[airman basic]], [[minister plenipotentiary]], [[minister-president]], [[notary public]],<ref>(a redundancy in many jurisdictions but not France, more often referred to simply as notaries and notarial services)</ref> [[poet laureate]], [[president-elect]], [[prime minister-designate]], [[prince regent]], [[Secretary-General of the United Nations|secretary-general]], [[sergeant major]], [[queen consort]], [[queen regnant]], [[prince consort]], [[directorate-general]], [[director-general]], etc. *In [[heraldry]]: with the words [[dexter and sinister|"dexter" and "sinister"]] (as in bend dexter, [[bend sinister]]), and several referring to [[Attitude (heraldry)|attitude]], as in eagle [[Attitude (heraldry)#displayed|displayed]], lion [[passant guardant]], griffin [[Attitude (heraldry)#rampant|rampant]], [[Phoenix Rising (disambiguation)|phoenix rising]], bird [[Attitude (heraldry)#vigilant|vigilant]], etc. *In certain set names of organizations: [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], [[Amnesty International]], [[Archive Global]], [[Church Universal and Triumphant]], [[Generation Next (disambiguation)|Generation Next]], [[Japan Airlines Domestic]], [[Ruritan|Ruritan National]], [[Situationist International]], [[Socialist International]], [[Weather Underground]], [[Workers United]] *In [[hospital emergency codes]]: Code Amber, Code Black, Code Orange, Code Red *[[Regnal number]]s and other appellations, usually including the [[definite article]] before the adjective: [[Henry the Eighth]], [[Elizabeth the Second]], [[Alexander the Great]], [[Ethelred the Unready]], [[Nero Redivivus]] etc. Note also the [[generational titles]] ''Junior'' and ''Senior'' used to distinguish namesake parents and children. *In terms kept in the original [[French language]]: ''[[agent provocateur]]'', ''[[cause célèbre]]'', ''[[femme fatale]]'' *In mathematics, the [[Real analysis|analysis]] terms [[Limes superior|limes superior and limes inferior]]
===Set adjectives=== Certain individual adjectives, or words of adjectival type, are typically placed after the noun. Their use is not limited to particular noun(s). Those beginning ''a'' before an old substantive word can be equally seen as adverbial modifiers (or nouns/pronouns), intuitively expected to be later (see [[#Other postpositive noun modifiers|below]]). * ''[[wikt:à gogo|à gogo]]'' — as in "fun and games à gogo" * ''[[wikt:ablaze|ablaze]]'' — as in "buildings ablaze" * ''[[wikt:abreast|abreast]]'' — as in "two penguins abreast" * ''[[wikt:akimbo|akimbo]]''— as in "arms akimbo" * ''[[wikt:aplenty|aplenty]]'' — as in "food aplenty" * ''[[wikt:emeritus|emeritus]]'' — as in "a bishop emeritus" * ''[[wikt:extraordinaire|extraordinaire]]'' — as in "athlete extraordinaire" * ''[[wikt:galore|galore]]'' — as in "roses and tulips galore" * ''[[wikt:incarnate|incarnate]]'' — as in "demons incarnate" * ''[[Suffix (name)#Generational titles|junior]]/Jr.'' (when used as a [[name suffix]]) — as in "[[Martin Luther King Jr.]]" * ''[[manqué]]''/''[[wikt:manquée|manquée]]'' — as in "a hero manqué" * ''[[wikt:regnant|regnant]]'' — as in "the queen regnant" * ''[[wikt:redivivus|redivivus]]'' — as in "[[Nero Redivivus legend|Emperor Nero redivivus]]" * ''[[wikt:redux|redux]]'' — as in "the Cold War redux" * ''[[Suffix (name)#Generational titles|senior]]/Sr.'' or (when used as a name suffix) — as in "[[Barack Obama Sr.]]"
===Archaic and poetic usage=== Phrases with postpositive adjectives are sometimes used with [[archaism|archaic]] effect, as in ''things forgotten'', ''words unspoken'', ''dreams believed'', ''[[Flame Imperishable]]''. Phrases which reverse the normal word order are quite common in [[poetry]], usually to fit the [[meter (poetry)|meter]] or [[rhyme]], as with "fiddlers three" (from ''[[Old King Cole]]'') or "forest primeval" (from ''[[Evangeline]]''), though [[word order]] was less important in Early Modern English and earlier forms of English. Similar examples exist for [[possessive adjectives]], as in "O Mistress Mine" (a song in Act II, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's ''[[Twelfth Night]]'').
===Titles of works=== Titles of books, films, poems, songs, etc. commonly feature nouns followed by postpositive adjectives. These are often present or past participles (see [[#General uses|above]]), but other types of adjectives sometimes occur. Examples: ''[[Apocalypse Now Redux]]'', "[[Bad Moon Rising]]", ''[[Body Electric (disambiguation)|Body Electric]]'', ''[[Brideshead Revisited]]'', ''[[Chicken Little]]'', ''[[Chronicle of a Death Foretold]]'', ''[[Montage of a Dream Deferred|A Dream Deferred]]'', ''[[Hannibal Rising]]'', ''[[Hercules Unchained]]'', ''[[House Beautiful]]'', ''[[Jupiter Ascending]]'', ''[[The Life Aquatic]]'', ''[[The Light Fantastic]]'', ''[[A Love Supreme]]'', ''[[The Matrix Reloaded]]'', ''[[Monsters Unleashed (comics)|Monsters Unleashed]]'', ''[[Orpheus Descending]]'', ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', ''[[Paradise Regained]]'', ''[[Prometheus Unbound (disambiguation)|Prometheus Unbound]]'', "[[The Road Not Taken]]", ''[[Sonic Unleashed]]'', ''[[To a God Unknown]]'', ''[[Tarzan Triumphant]]'', ''[[Time Remembered]]'', ''[[The World Unseen]]'', ''[[Enemy Mine (disambiguation)|Enemy Mine]]''<!--intentional link to DAB page-->.
===Other postpositive noun modifiers=== Nouns may have other [[modifier (grammar)|modifier]]s besides adjectives. Some kinds of modifiers tend to precede the noun, while others tend to come after. [[Determiner]]s (including [[article (grammar)|article]]s, [[possessive]]s, [[demonstrative]]s, etc.) come before the noun. [[Noun adjunct]]s (nouns qualifying another noun) also generally come before the nouns they modify: in a phrase like ''book club'', the adjunct (modifier) ''book'' comes before the [[head (linguistics)|head]] (modified noun) ''club''. By contrast, [[prepositional phrase]]s, [[adverb]]s of location, etc., as well as [[relative clause]]s, come after the nouns they modify: ''the elephant '''in the room'''''; ''all the people '''here'''''; ''the woman '''to whom you spoke'''''. (These remarks apply to [[English grammar|English syntax]]; other languages may use different word order. In [[Chinese grammar|Chinese]], for example, virtually all modifiers come before the noun, whereas in the [[Khmer grammar|Khmer]] language they follow the noun.)
Sometimes a noun with a postpositive modifier comes to form a set phrase, similar in some ways to the set phrases with postpositive adjectives referred to [[#Set phrases|above]] (in that, for example, the plural ending will normally attach to the noun, rather than at the end of the phrase). Some such phrases include: * With a noun followed by a prepositional phrase: ''mother-in-law'', etc.; ''editor-in-chief'', ''right of way'', ''president pro tempore'' (where ''pro tempore'' is a Latin prepositional phrase), [[McLean Deluxe|''fish filet deluxe'']] (where ''de luxe'' is a French prepositional phrase) *With an [[infinitive]] verb or a [[verb phrase]]: ''father-to-be'', ''bride-to-be'', etc.; ''[[wiktionary:Johnny-come-lately|Johnny-come-lately]]'' *With an adverbial particle from a [[phrasal verb]]: ''passer-by'', ''hanger-on''
In some phrases, a noun adjunct appears postpositively (rather than in the usual prepositive position). Examples include [[Knights Hospitaller]], [[Knights Templar]], [[wikt:man Friday|man Friday]] (or [[wikt:gal Friday|girl Friday]], etc.), [[airman first class]] (also [[private first class]], [[sergeant first class]]), as well as many names of foods and dishes, such as [[Bananas Foster]], [[beef Wellington]], [[broccoli raab]], [[Cherries Jubilee]], [[Chicken Tetrazzini]], [[Crêpe Suzette]], [[Eggs Benedict]], [[Oysters Rockefeller]], [[peach Melba]], [[steak tartare]], and [[duck a l'orange]].
Identifying numbers (with or without the word ''number''), and sometimes letters, appear after the noun in many contexts. Examples are ''[[Catch-22]]''; [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officer one, chief warrant officer two, etc.]]; [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Beethoven's Symphony No. 9]]; ''[[Call of Duty 3|Call of Duty Three]]'', ''[[Rocky IV|Rocky Four]]'', ''[[Shrek the Third]]'', [[Generation Y]]. (For appellations such as "Henry the Fourth", often written "Henry IV", see [[#Set phrases|above]].)
Other common cases where modifiers follow a head noun include: *Phrases like ''the [[Brothers Grimm]]'' and ''[[the Sisters Rosensweig]]'' (although in ordinary cases the phrasing "the Brown brothers" is more common) *Names of military operations and equivalent, such as [[Operation Barbarossa]], [[Operation Desert Storm]], etc. *Names of scientific projects and the like, such as [[Project Daedalus]], [[Project Echo]] *The adjective "adjacent" is occasionally used postpositive to signify a conceptual and vague relation, such as "politics adjacent".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bromwich |first1=Jonah Engel |title=Why Is Everything 'Adjacent' Now? |url=https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/life-culture/why-is-everything-adjacent-now |access-date=15 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=16 July 2019}}</ref>
===Plurals of expressions with postpositives=== In the [[English plurals|plural forms]] of expressions with postpositive adjectives or other postpositive modifiers, the pluralizing [[morpheme]] (most commonly the suffix ''-s'' or ''-es'') is added after the noun, rather than after the entire phrase. For instance, the plural form of ''town proper'' is ''towns proper'', that of ''battle royal'' is ''battles royal'', that of ''attorney general'' is ''attorneys general'', that of ''bride-to-be'' is ''brides-to-be'', and that of ''passer-by'' is ''passers-by''. See also [[English plurals#French compounds|Plurals of French compounds]].
With some such expressions, there is a tendency (by way of [[regularization (linguistics)|regularization]]) to add the plural suffix to the end of the whole expression. This is usually regarded by [[prescriptive grammar]]ians as an error. Examples are *''queen consorts'' (where ''queens consort'' is considered the correct form) and *''court-martials'' (where the accepted plural is ''courts-martial'', although ''court-martials'' can be used as a third person present tense [[English verbs|verb form]]).
This rule does not necessarily apply to phrases with postpositives that have been rigidly fixed into names and titles. For example, an English speaker might say "Were there two separate [[Weather Underground]]s by the 1970s, or just one single organization?". Other phrases remain as they are because they intrinsically use a plural construction (and have no singular form), such as ''eggs Benedict'', ''nachos supreme'', ''Brothers Grimm'', ''Workers United''.
==See also== *[[English plural#Plurals of compound nouns|Plurals of compound nouns]] *[[Preposition and postposition]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Sources == *{{cite book|last=Cinque|author-link=Guglielmo Cinque| first=Guglielmo| year=2010|title= The Syntax of Adjectives | isbn= 9780262014168 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts| publisher= [[MIT Press]] | oclc= 457772850 | lccn= 2009043836}}
==External links== {{wikt}} * [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/adjectiv/postpos.htm Internet Grammar of English] at the [[University College London]] * [http://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2006/07/post-positive-adjectives.html Heading East] * [http://www.answers.com/topic/adjective answers.com] * [http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1717170 everything2.com] * [http://www.theonion.com/articles/william-safire-orders-two-whoppers-junior,3351/ The Onion (satire): "William Safire Orders Two Whoppers Junior"]
{{lexical categories|state=collapsed}}
[[Category:Adjectives by type]]