An attributive adjective stands before the noun it describes. attributive adjectives modify the nouns:
an old jacket, a new house, a tall lady, a short man
A predicative adjective is always placed after a linking verb which is placed after the noun:
the jacket is old, the house seems new, my father looks happy
Attributive adjectives with different meanings:
Mrs. Speers is very old now – she is advanced in age
she's an old friend – I have known her for a long time
she is always late – she never comes on time
her late cousin was a teacher - her cousin is dead now
she is a heavy drinker – she drinks a lot
the book is quite heavy – it weighs a lot
Adjectives used to mean complete!
Some adjectives can be used as adverbs of degree or intensifiers in the sense of complete. The adjectives used like this can be used only in the attributive sense:
she's a mere shop assistant
he's an out-an-out liar
it's sheer/complete/utter nonsense
An adjective that describes the noun and restricts its reference is always attributive:
certain: a man of certain means
chief: the chief reason
main: the main concern
only: the only reasonable justification
particular: your particular perspective
principal: the principal manager
sole: her sole objective
very: the very best tie
Adjectives certain and particular have a different meaning when used predicatively:
certain I am more than certain of the risk involved
particular I try to be very particular about my diet
Adjectives used in the sense of very:
close: a close friend
complete: a complete stranger
total: total darkness
perfect: a perfect position
pure: a pure coincidence
strong: a strong proponent
Adjectives before or after nouns with no change in meaning:
adjectives, mostly ending in – able or – ible, can come before or after nouns usually with no change in meaning
with the time available or with the available time
the customers eligible or the eligible customers
every option imaginable or every imaginable option
Adjectives before or after nouns with a change in meaning:
there's a group of adjectives that change meaning depending on whether they are used before or after a noun:
concerned, elect, involved, present, proper, responsible
the concerned (= worried) man called the police
the man concerned (=responsible) has been questioned by the police
the elect (specially chosen) committee is overpaid
the mayor-elect (who has been elected) starts his term in January
I didn't like his involved (= complicated) description of the issue
the person involved (= connected with this) is on holiday
present workers (= those who currently work) need to work more
workers present (= those here now) have to elect their representative
it was a proper (= genuine) meal
the meal proper ( = itself) was delicious
John is the responsible guy ( = he has a sense of duty)
the man responsible ( = who can take the responsibility for) was fired
the + adjective
Adjectives that are used after the represent a group. They are never used with a/an:
the young = a group of people who are all young
the old = a group of people who are all old
the powerful = a group of all-powerful people
These adjectives are followed by a plural verb:
the young are
the old will
the powerful were
The, followed by an adjective, can also refer to something general or abstract:
the unknown
the supernatural
Adjectives are followed by a singular verb:
the unknown is