All parts of speech perform essential functions in a sentence, but some can pull double duty. A noun is a word used to identify a person, place, thing, or idea. It can be common, such as “apple,” or it can be proper, such as “Chicago.” An adjective, meanwhile, is a descriptive word that modifies a noun. But it’s not always that simple. Sometimes a noun functions as an adjective — these are called attributive or descriptive nouns.
What Is an Adjective?
Quite simply, an adjective is a word or phrase that modifies a noun. The first word in each of these familiar terms is an adjective, and the second word is a noun:
friendly ghost
gentle giant
lucky charm
perfect pair
stormy night
wicked witch
Adjectives are unique because they pair only with nouns, never verbs, adverbs, or other adjectives. They can be placed immediately before the nouns they are modifying, or they can appear later in the sentence. For example, in the phrase “the dog is big,” the adjective “big” still describes the animal's size.
What Is an Attributive Noun?
Adjectives aren’t the only words that can modify nouns. Just about every noun can also describe another noun. These are called “descriptive nouns,” “attributive nouns,” “qualifying nouns,” or “noun adjuncts.” A grammar teacher or textbook may have a preference, but these terms all mean the same thing — the premodifier (first word) in a noun phrase functions like an adjective.
business card
chicken leg
internet connection
queen bee
science test
table cloth
These attributive nouns can add more context and detail to a sentence. Take a look at these phrases below. The first example does not use a descriptive word. The second uses an adjective, while the third uses an attributive noun. Which do you think is the most effective in conveying the meaning?
She walked out in a gown.
She walked out in a thin gown.
She walked out in a hospital gown.
He wore a coat.
He wore a warm coat.
He wore a wool coat.
While the adjectives “thin” and “warm” work perfectly fine, the attributive nouns “hospital” and “wool” paint a more precise picture. The reader instantly has an idea of the type of gown and coat being described, and perhaps a better idea of the surrounding environment — something the adjective alone cannot convey.
How to Tell the Difference Between the Two
Because attributive nouns function like adjectives, it can be tough to tell the difference. So, here are a few tips. First, an attributive noun can only modify the noun right next to it. The words of the sentence cannot be rearranged and still use the attributive noun to describe the base noun.
For example, take the phrase “baseball glove.” Changing that to “glove that is baseball” doesn’t make sense, because “baseball” isn’t an adjective that can be moved around in the sentence. However, “a left-handed glove” could be easily rearranged as “a glove that is left-handed.” That’s because “baseball” is an attributive noun, and “left-handed” is a regular, plain adjective.
Next, attributive nouns don’t have a comparative form, as some adjectives do. Someone can choose to read a “long book,” or a “longer book,” because “long” is an adjective that can be compared to another adjective. If a person reads a “library book,” that book couldn’t be “more library.” “Library” doesn’t have a comparative form — there can’t be more or less of it.
Based on these tips, can you determine which descriptive word is an attributive noun and which is an adjective?
She went for an eye exam. (Attributive noun)
They walked to the corner store. (Attributive noun)
She bought a pretty dress. (Adjective)
He gave her his business card. (Attributive noun)
That was a kind gesture. (Adjective)
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