prenominal
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: 1. Placed before a noun: Describes a word, especially an adjective, that is positioned immediately before the noun it modifies. This is also called the attributive position.
Usage
The term "prenominal" is a technical grammatical label. It is used to describe the syntactic position of a word, most commonly an adjective, in relation to the noun it qualifies. * In the phrase "a blue sky," the adjective "blue" is prenominal. * The prenominal adjective "ancient" comes before the noun "ruins" in "ancient ruins."
Advanced Usage
- Contrast with Postnominal: "Prenominal" is the opposite of "postnominal," which describes a word placed after the noun it modifies. For example, in "something special," the adjective "special" is postnominal.
- Not Limited to Adjectives: While most frequently applied to adjectives, other word classes like determiners (e.g., "this," "some") are inherently prenominal.
Variants and Related Words
- Attributive (adjective): A more common synonym for "prenominal," specifically for adjectives. An attributive adjective is one used in the prenominal position.
Synonyms
- Attributive (when referring to adjectives)
- Pre-noun
Antonyms
- Postnominal
- Predicative (for adjectives; e.g., "The sky is blue.")
Adjective
- of adjectives; placed before the nouns they modify
- `red' is an attributive adjective in `a red apple'