The a- adjectives
| Common a- adjectives | ||
|
ablaze afire aflame afloat afraid2 aghast |
aglow alert1 alike alive alone aloof1 |
ashamed2 asleep2 awake2 aware |
These adjectives beginning with a- are only used in the predicate (after a linking verb such as be, feel, look or seem) and never before the noun:
| The baby is asleep. | NOT The asleep baby.... |
| The man is alone. | NOT The alone man.... |
1 Alert and aloof are used before the noun: an alert person, an aloof person
2A few of the other a- adjectives are sometimes used before the noun if they are used with a modifier: the half-asleep man, the wide-awake child, the very ashamed student
But the basic rule is:
Do not use these adjectives before a
noun.
NOTE: Other adjectives beginning with a- such as abominable, assertive, attentive, etc. are used before and after the noun.