15. Post Positive Adjectives

Post-positive adjectives follow immediately after the noun it modifies. However unlike a post-modifier; post-positive is not a phrase or clause. For example while ‘available’ after vegetables is post-positive, ‘available in the supermarket’, ‘available at wholesale rate’ used after vegetables are not post-positives. An adjective is used post-positively for conveying what is true for some time, some thing, and some people, something specific/particular/ limited and also for dramatic/poetic effect, for emphasis, for highlighting and when there is conditionality. Finally post-positives make sense only when there is context. Let’s start with some examples before proceeding to 9 ways of using post-positive. Conditional: Only the people invited were allowed entry. Specific: Vegetables available were not fresh. Limited: Anything red will look good against this background. Emphasis: Even the people highly intelligent and experienced haven’t yet succeeded