What Is an Adjectival Noun?

You might know of adjectives as words used to describe nouns, such as the yellow jacket or silly song. But can a noun ever work the way an adjective does? The answer is yes . . . sometimes. An adjectival noun functions as an adjective and is located before another noun in a sentence. 

Want to know more? Keep reading to learn how and when to use adjectival nouns in writing and how they’re different from adjectives.

Adjectival Nouns (Nouns as Adjectives)

A noun used in place of an adjective is an adjectival noun (also known as a noun adjunct or an attributive noun). It’s typically only used to modify a noun when it’s placed immediately before it in a sentence. For example:

When I’m not feeling well, I eat chicken soup.

I often spend time at my vacation home.

My apartment building is on the left.

The placement before a noun is what makes these examples adjectival nouns. Since they’re nouns and not adjectives, it wouldn’t be correct to say, “I eat soup that is chicken” or “I spend time at my home that is vacation.” In addition, note that an apostrophe is not necessary with adjectival nouns because they aren’t possessive.

How are Adjectival Nouns Different from Adjectives?

Although they’re located in the same spot as adjectives, adjectival nouns are still nouns, and there are some essential distinctions to keep in mind. The differences between adjectival nouns and adjectives can be a little tricky, but there are some general usage rules:

When two or more adjectives are used in a row, they’re often separated by commas – such as “the funny, old-fashioned hat” or “the long, boring novel.” However, this is not the case with adjectival nouns. For example:

My son recently joined a winter basketball team.

Corporate has made changes to the business security policy.

I had lunch at my neighborhood sidewalk café.

Also, unlike adjectives, adjectival nouns don’t have comparative forms. For example, health insurance can be “cheaper” or “more important” than life insurance, but insurance can’t be more “health” or “life” than other types of insurance.

In sentences using adjectival nouns along with adjectives, the adjective always comes first. In the following examples, the adjectives are underlined:

I performed a complicated science experiment.

You have to choose a large family restaurant for the party.

I was blinded by the bright afternoon sun.

This distinction is important – if the order of the two is reversed, the sentence doesn’t make sense. You would never say, for example, that you are performing a “science complicated experiment.” 

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