What is the Attribute of a Sentence?
The Attribute in English Grammar
In English grammar, an Attribute is a word, phrase, or clause that provides additional information about a noun or pronoun in a sentence.
Attributes are modifiers that help describe or characterize the noun or pronoun by answering questions such as what, what kind of, whose, which, how much, and how many.
Attributes are essential for adding detail and specificity to language, allowing speakers and writers to convey more precise meanings.
Here are some key points about attributes:
Types of Attributes:
Adjective Attributes(attributive adjective)
These are single adjectives or adjective phrases that modify a noun.
Example: a beautiful flower
Noun Attributes:
These are nouns or noun phrases that modify another noun.
Example: a bookstore owner
Prepositional Phrase Attributes:
These are prepositional phrases that modify a noun.
Example: a house with a red roof
Numeral Attributes:
Numerals that quantify or specify the number of nouns.
Example: three cats, the second chapter, many friends
Possessive Attributes:
Attributes that indicate possession or ownership.
Example: his car, my house, their ideas
Demonstrative Attributes:
Attributes that point to or identify a particular noun.
Example: this book, those flowers, such situations
Quantifier Attributes:
Words that express quantity or extent.
Example: some friends, all students, no time
Interrogative Attributes:
Words used to form questions, often modifying nouns.
Example: which book, what idea, whose laptop
Relative Clauses (Adjective Clauses):
Clauses that modify nouns and usually begin with a relative pronoun (e.g., who, which, that).
Example: The man who is wearing a hat is my neighbor.
Placement of Attributes:
Attributes can appear before or after the noun they modify.
The green grass (before)
The grass with a fresh scent (after)
Function of Attributes:
Attributes help provide more information, clarify meaning, and paint a more detailed picture of the subject in a sentence.
Use with Pronouns:
While attributive adjectives (attributes) directly modifying pronouns are not as common as with nouns, they can still be used to add detail or context.
Additionally, attributive phrases or clauses are often employed with pronouns for more elaborate descriptions.
Attributive Adjective with Pronouns:
Example: She found an interesting book, and she read it eagerly.
In this case, interesting is an attributive adjective modifying the pronoun it, providing more information about the type of book.
Attributive Phrase with Pronouns:
Example: I met someone with a fascinating story to tell.
Here, the prepositional phrase with a fascinating story to tell acts as an attributive phrase, providing more information about the pronoun someone.
Attributive Clause with Pronouns:
Example: Someone who wore a red dress caught everyone’s attention.
The relative clause who wore a red dress functions as an attributive clause, modifying the pronoun someone and offering specific details about her.
Diverse Expressions of Attributes
in Language:
Attribute can be expressed by an adjective, the participle, the participle clause, a numeral, a pronoun, a noun in the common case without preposition, a noun in the possessive case, a noun with preposition, the infinitive, the gerund with a preposition
Adjective:
Adjectives directly modify nouns and answer questions like what kind of?
They can be single words or phrases.
Example: a happy person
Participle:
Participles are verb forms used as adjectives. They can be present or past participles.
Example: a person eating lunch, a broken cup
Participle Clause:
Participle clauses provide additional information about a noun.
They often start with a present or past participle.
Example: a person, who is smiling, in the photograph
Numeral:
Numerals are used to express attributes related to quantity or order.
Example: a book with three chapters
Pronoun:
Pronouns can act as attributes, providing information about the noun.
Example: some friends, my pen
Noun in Common Case without Preposition:
A noun in the common case (or subjective case) directly modifies another noun.
Example: a cat owner
Noun in Possessive Case:
A noun in the possessive case can function as an attribute.
It adds information by specifying the possession or relationship.
Example: The student’s project was outstanding.
Noun with Preposition:
A prepositional phrase with a noun provides additional information about the main noun.
Example: a student with a talent for music
Infinitive:
An infinitive can act as an attribute, expressing purpose or intent.
Example: a plan to visit the museum
Gerund with Preposition:
A gerund, a verb form ending in -ing, can be used with a preposition to act as an attribute.
Example: a person of doing his best in art
Attribute-a Noun in Opposition
A noun in apposition is a specific type of attribute where a noun or a noun phrase is placed next to another noun to provide additional information about it.
This construction is often used for clarification or emphasis.
In the example:
London, the capital of England, is a very old city-The capital of England is a noun in apposition, adding detail to the noun London.
It’s a way to identify and describe London more specifically within the sentence.
Placement of Attributes:
In English grammar, the placement of attributes is flexible, but there are general rules that guide their position in relation to the noun they modify.
1.When the defining noun word is expressed by an adjective the attribute usually comes before the noun:
Examples:
the blue sky
a large dog
an interesting book
2.When the defining noun word is expressed by a participle, the attribute usually comes before the noun.
This structure is often seen in complex noun phrases.
Here are examples:
Participle as Defining Word:
the broken window
a shining star
the fallen leaves
Defining Word with Participle in a Phrase:
If the defining noun word is the participle in a phrase then the attribute comes after the noun:
a table with a cracked surface
the girl with a sparkling personality
a story with a twisted ending
3.When the defining noun word is a numeral, the attribute typically comes before the noun. Here are some examples:
Cardinal Numbers:
two cars
five books
ten students
Ordinal Numbers:
the first chapter
the third row
her second attempt
4.When the defining noun word is a pronoun, the attribute typically comes before the noun. Here are examples:
Possessive Pronouns:
his big house
our favorite restaurant
my old car
Demonstrative Pronouns:
this beautiful flower
that interesting book
these colorful paintings
5.When the defining noun word is a combination of two adjectives, the attribute typically comes before the noun.
Here are examples:
Two Adjectives Modifying a Noun:
a beautiful, sunny day
an old, wooden chair
a fast, red car
How to place adjectives (attributive)
in relation to Nouns:
When a noun is modified by two adjectives, the typical order is to place the adjectives in a specific sequence.
This sequence is often referred to as the OSASCOMP rule, which stands for:
Opinion:
Adjectives expressing opinions or judgments (e.g., beautiful, interesting).
Size:
Adjectives indicating size (e.g., small, large).
Age:
Adjectives denoting age (e.g., old, new).
Shape:
Adjectives describing shape (e.g., round, square).
Color:
Adjectives representing color (e.g., red, blue).
Origin:
Adjectives indicating origin or nationality (e.g., American, French).
Material:
Adjectives specifying material (e.g., wooden, metal).
Purpose:
Adjectives expressing purpose or qualifier (e.g., cooking, running).
For example: a beautiful small house-
beautiful falls under the category of opinion, small indicates size.
Therefore, beautiful comes before small in this sequence.
6.When the defining noun word is a noun in the common case without a preposition, the attribute the typically comes before the noun.
Here are examples:
Common Noun without Preposition:
a blue sky
a happy family
an interesting story
7.When the defining noun word is a noun in the possessive case, the attribute still typically comes before the noun.
Here are examples:
Possessive Case Noun:
the professor’s expertise
the company’s innovation
my friend’s advice
8.When the defining noun word is a participle clause, the attribute (or adjectival phrase) typically comes after the noun.
Here are examples:
Participle Clause as Defining Word:
The girl, holding a bouquet of flowers, smiled.
The book, written by a famous author, became a bestseller.
The car, parked near the entrance, had a flat tire.
9.When the defining noun word is a noun with a preposition, the attribute usually comes after the noun.
Here are examples:
Noun with Preposition:
a book on the shelf
a cat under the table
a painting of a landscape
10.When the defining noun word is an infinitive, the attribute usually comes after the noun.
Here are examples:
Infinitive as Defining Word:
a desire to travel the world
an opportunity to learn a new skill
a decision to pursue higher education
11.When the defining noun word is a gerund with a preposition, the attribute typically comes after the noun.
Here are examples:
Gerund with Preposition:
The team discussed the project before starting the presentation.
She had no intention of coming back.
He is passionate about a career in designing sustainable buildings.
What is The Object of a Sentence?
Subject-Verb Agreement in English
What is a predicate? Predicate Types