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Postpositive for Dummies

pronunciation: poʊst'pɑzɪtɪv

What does Postpositive really mean?

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Hey there! So, you're wondering what "postpositive" means, right? Well, let's dive right into it!

Okay, imagine you're at a party, and you see someone wearing a hat. Now, normally the hat is on top of their head, right? It comes before their head. But what if the person decides to wear the hat at the back of their head instead? It's still a hat, but now it's in a different position. That's kind of like what "postpositive" means.

In the English language, we have a certain way of placing words in a sentence. Most of the time, we put adjectives before the noun they describe, like saying "the big tree." But sometimes, we can also put those adjectives after the noun, and that's where "postpositive" comes in. It's like the hat moving from the front of the head to the back - the adjective moves from its usual position before the noun to a position after the noun.

So, let's say we have the sentence "I saw a tree big." Normally, we would say "I saw a big tree," right? But in this case, we're using the word "big" as a postpositive adjective. It's still describing the noun "tree," but it's placed after it. Does that make sense?

Now, it's worth noting that not all adjectives can be used as postpositives. Some specific adjectives, like "chief," "elect," or "main," are commonly used in this way. For example, we could say "the president elect" instead of "the elected president."

So, to sum it up, "postpositive" means placing an adjective after the noun it describes, instead of the usual position before the noun. It's like that hat moving from the front of the head to the back. Pretty cool, right?

I hope this explanation helped, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Revised and Fact checked by James Lee on 2023-10-28 15:22:56

Postpositive In a sentece

Learn how to use Postpositive inside a sentece

  • After the party, John went home.
  • She placed the book on the table.
  • The dog ran through the open door.
  • He found his lost keys under the bed.
  • She bought a new dress for the special occasion.

Postpositive Pertains To

Words to which the original word is relevant