Some Grammar Terms

Postmodifier

A word which comes after the word or phrase it modifies.

In the following examples, the bracketed items are post modifiers:

• people (invited)
•  too hot (to eat)
•  warm (enough)
•  persons (unknown)
•  a better woman (than I am).

A premodifier is a word that comes before the noun it modifies. In the following examples, the bracketed items are premodifiers:

• (very) interesting
•  (nearly) finished
•  an (invited) audience

Predicative

Adjectives placed after a verb like be, seem, look are in predicative position.

• This shirt is red.
• She looks happy.
• I am worried.

Prefix

An affix which precedes the material it is added to.

Examples include the re- of rewrite and the un- of unpleasant.

 Suffix

An affix which follows the material it is attached to.

Examples include the –ness of happiness, the –ly of slowly and the –th of warmth.

Proper noun

A kind of noun which is a name denoting a particular person, place or thing.

In English, proper nouns are written with initial capital letters, and most of them do not take articles.

Examples are: Alice, John, India, Egypt etc.

But proper nouns denoting historical events and periods, as well as certain others, often do take the article.

Examples are: The French Revolution, The Stone Age, The Nile, The United States etc.

Superlative

That form of an adjective or an adverb expressing the highest degree.

For tall, the superlative is tallest; for good, it is best; for beautiful, it is most beautiful; for carefully, it is most carefully.