Phrases

Common types of adjective phrases

Type of Adjective Phrase	Structure / Form	Example Before Noun (Prepositive)	Example After Noun (Postpositive)
Simple adjective	Single adjective	a happy child	a child happy again (poetic/literary)
Adjective + prepositional phrase	Adj + PP	afraid of spiders	the people afraid of spiders
Adjective + infinitive clause	Adj + to + verb	eager to learn	students eager to learn
Adjective + participle	Adj + -ing / -ed	busy working	workers busy working
Participle phrase (present)	-ing phrase	a glowing review	a review glowing with praise
Participle phrase (past)	-ed phrase	a broken window	a window broken by vandals
Adjective + that-clause	Adj + that…	sure that he’s right	people sure that he’s right
Adverb + adjective	Adv + Adj	deeply unhappy man	a man deeply unhappy
Compound adjective	Adj + hyphen + Adj/Noun	a long-term plan	a plan long-term (rare, formal)
Comparative / superlative phrase	Adj-er / Adj-est + than/of…	a better option	the option better than expected
Postpositive-only adjectives	Fixed-position adjectives	❌ a general elect → incorrect	✅ the general elect

                  |

Common roles of prepositional phrases

PP Role / Semantic Function	Typical Prepositions	Function / Description	Example	Grammatical Role
Agent (doer)	by	Performer of action in passive clauses	The book was written by the author.	Adverbial (agentive adjunct)
Patient / Theme complement	of / about / for	Completes the meaning of the verb; required	She is aware of the problem.	Complement
Instrument	with / by	Tool used to perform action	He opened the door with a key.	Adverbial (instrumental adjunct)
Locative (place)	in / on / at / under / over	Location where action occurs	She waited at the station.	Adverbial (locative adjunct)
Temporal (time)	on / in / at / during	Time of the action	He left in the morning.	Adverbial (temporal adjunct)
Manner / method	by / with / in	How the action is done	She solved the problem by reasoning carefully.	Adverbial (manner adjunct)
Cause / reason	because of / due to / from	Explains why the action occurs	He trembled because of fear.	Adverbial (causal adjunct)
Beneficiary / recipient	for / to	For whom the action is done	She baked a cake for her friend.	Adverbial (benefactive adjunct)
Source / origin/ cause / reason	from / out of	Origin of action or material	The news came from the newspaper.	Adverbial (source adjunct)
Purpose / goal	for / to	Intended outcome	He studies for the exam.	Adverbial (purpose adjunct)