Attributive adjectives precede the noun phrases or nominals they modify.

• These electrons each carry a smalladjective (descriptor) electricadjective (classifier) charge.noun phrase head (Blakers 2019)

The noun "charge" is modified by two attributive adjectives. They are attributive because they precede the noun; "small" is a descriptor and "electric" is a classifier.

The structure of the next sentence is different:

• That’s why recyclingnoun is importantadjective (predicative)

We have one adjective in this sentence, "important" and it does NOT precede a noun. It follows a verb, "is" (a copular verb), but it describes the noun "recycling". So "important" is not attributive; it is a predicative See the glossary definition adjective. In particular, it is a subject predicative because it describes the subject, "recycling". You can see more examples of predicative adjectives on the predicative adjectives page See more about predicative adjectives .

The rest of the examples are all attributive:

• Listening is a differentattributive adjective waynoun phrase head of knowing the world that expands our understanding. (English 2022)

The copular verb "is" is also present in this sentence but the adjective "different" is not predicative; it doesn't modify "Listening". It modifies "way". In fact, "way" is the head noun in a long noun phrase; "a different way of knowing the world that expands our understanding". The head noun "way" is premodified by the attributive adjective "different", and postmodified by a complex prepositional phrase "of knowing the world that expands our understanding".




• Animals leave fossil imprints only under specialattributive adjective circumstances.noun (Skromne 2022)

The adjective "special" precedes the noun "circumstances". Here, "special" is an attributive adjective. It is also a relational classifier. Note that "fossil" is not an adjective; it is a noun modifying the noun "imprints".




• In fact, it spins in the sameadjective directionnoun phrase head the Earth does. (Laycock 2023)

The adjective "same" precedes the noun "direction". Here, "same" is an attributive adjective. It is also a relational classifier. Note that "same" may also be considered a semi-determiner See the glossary definition.

Adjectives which are predominantly attributive

Almost all adjectives can be used either attributively or predicatively but many adjectives ending in -al occur predominantly in the attributive position: annual, equal, final, financial, general, industrial, individual, industrial, international, legal, local, medical, mental, national, natural, normal, official, original, personal, physical, political, professional, sexual, social, special, total, usual.
Only one word is used only attributively: "mere".

• Were the waves real predicative adjective or mereattributive adjective mathematicalattributive adjective (topical classifier) artifacts?noun (Blair, Henriksen, and Hendry 2016)

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