A postpositive adjective is an adjective that appears after the noun that it modifies. In some languages this is the normal syntax, but in English it is rare, largely confined to archaic or institutional expressions. Aplenty, galore, and the informal extraordinaire are examples of adjectives that are primarily used postpositively in modern English. Name suffixes, such as Junior and Senior, also function as postpositive adjectives modifying proper names.
Sentences such as "They need a house big enough for their family" are not, strictly speaking, examples of postpositive adjective usage, as the noun and the adjective are in separate clauses (the example sentence means "They need a house [that is] big enough for their family"; hence the incorrectness of saying just "a house big").
Recognizing postpositive adjectives in English is important for determining the correct plural for a compound expression.
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Stage- and individual-level adjectives [edit]
Some adjectives in English exhibit a slight change in meaning when used postpositively. Consider the following examples.
(1) "Every visible star is named after a famous astronomer."
(2) "Every star visible is named after a famous astronomer."
The postpositive in (2) can only have a stage-level reading, whereas the adjective in (1) can have either reading. The stage-level reading is one which talks about stars which are visible at the moment (given cloud-cover, etc.); a more explicit phrasing would be "Every star visible (right) here/now is named after a famous astronomer". The individual-level reading refers to the inherent property of the star, regardless of current conditions. ("Sirius is visible to the naked eye; however, you can't see it at the moment because it's cloudy.") An explicit phrasing would be "Every star visible in general is named after a famous astronomer".
Examples in English [edit]
Many nonce phrases, such as "best room available", "best choice possible", "worst choice imaginable", "food aplenty", "things possible and impossible", "things forgotten", "words unspoken", "dreams undreamt", "fiddlers three", "forest primeval", etc.
- album proper
- Astraea Redux (Apocalypse Now Redux, etc.)
- battle royal
- body corporate
- body politic
- corporation sole
- court martial
- Diodorus Siculus
- fee simple
- fee tail
- force majeure
- Johnny-come-lately
- letters close
- letters patent
- malice aforethought
- Mary Magdalene
- The Matrix Reloaded
- Paradise Lost
- pound sterling
- proof positive
- time immemorial
- times past
- town proper, city proper, Sweden proper, etc.
- treasure trove
- Workers United
- in generations: John Doe, Sr., and John Doe, Jr.
- in film titles: Shrek 2, Toy Story 3, Rocky IV, etc.
- in heraldry: adjectives denoting heraldic attitude (e.g., a lion rampant)
In titles:
- agent provocateur
- astronomer royal
- attorney general
- bishop emeritus
- brigadier general
- captain general
- consulate general
- consul general
- God Almighty (in translation)
- governor general
- heir apparent
- heir presumptive
- knight errant
- Knights Hospitaller
- Knights Templar
- lieutenant general
- major general
- minister plenipotentiary
- minister president
- notary public
- poet laureate
- pope emeritus
- postmaster general
- president-elect
- prime minister-designate
- princess royal
- professor emeritus
- queen consort
- queen regnant
- surgeon general
In cuisine:
- beef Wellington
- spaghetti bolognaise
- beef Carpaccio
- chicken Tetrazzini
- eggs Benedict
- fish filet deluxe
- oysters Rockefeller
- etc.
In surnames:
- Brothers Grimm
- Brothers Hildebrandt
- The Band Perry
- The Brothers Karamazov
- The Brothers Bloom
- Family von Trapp
Non-adjectival examples [edit]
Although the following examples do not contain adjectives, they follow the pattern when forming plurals:
- passer-by ("by" is a preposition)
- mother-in-law
- coup d'état
- cul-de-sac
- aide-de-camp
- mother-to-be
- president pro tempore ("pro tempore" is an adverbial phrase meaning "for the time")
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- Cinque, G. (2010) The Syntax of Adjectives. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
External links [edit]
- Internet Grammar of English
- Heading East
- answers.com
- everything2.com
- The Onion (satire): "William Safire Orders Two Whoppers Junior"
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