Position of adjectives

Adjectives describe or modify nouns. In English, their position in a sentence changes the meaning or the grammatical structure. Understanding where to place adjectives helps you write and speak clearly in business and formal contexts.

• Attributive adjectives: usually appear before the noun (a successful candidate).
• Predicative adjectives: come after a linking verb like be, become, seem (The candidate is successful).
• When using several adjectives, follow the conventional adjective order (opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose).

Knowing whether an adjective is attributive or predicative is key for correct word order.

Remember where adjectives go depending on their function:

• Before the noun (attributive): descriptive adjectives usually come before the noun — a reliable supplier.
• After a linking verb (predicative): use the adjective after be, appear, become, seem — The supplier is reliable.
• Multiple adjectives: follow adjective order (opinion → size → age → shape → color → origin → material → purpose) before the noun.

If the adjective directly modifies the noun, put it before the noun; if it describes the subject via a verb, put it after the verb.

Learners often misplace adjectives or use the wrong order. Watch out for these errors:

• Placing descriptive adjectives after the noun: Wrong: 'manager experienced' → Correct: 'experienced manager'.
• Incorrect order with multiple adjectives: Wrong: 'Italian beautiful leather bag' → Correct: 'beautiful Italian leather bag'.
• Using an adjective where a noun is needed or vice versa: 'a sales' (wrong) vs 'a sales representative' (correct).
• Forgetting hyphens in compound adjectives before nouns: 'long term contract' (ambiguous) → 'long-term contract'.

Always check if the adjective modifies the noun directly (before) or the subject via a verb (after).