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Attributive vs Descriptive - What's the difference?

attributive | descriptive |

In grammar|lang=en terms the difference between attributive and descriptive

is that attributive is (grammar) an attributive word or phrase (see above), contrasted with predicative while descriptive is (grammar) an adjective (or other descriptive word).

As adjectives the difference between attributive and descriptive

is that attributive is (grammar|of a word or phrase) modifying a noun, while in the same phrase as that noun while descriptive is of or relating to description.

As nouns the difference between attributive and descriptive

is that attributive is (grammar) an attributive word or phrase (see above), contrasted with predicative while descriptive is (grammar) an adjective (or other descriptive word).

attributive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (grammar, of a word or phrase) Modifying a noun, while in the same phrase as that noun.
  • In "this big house", "big" is attributive , whereas in "this house is big", it is predicative.
  • Having the nature of an attribute.
  • *
  • Since both Attributes'' and ''Adjuncts'' recursively expand N-bar into N-bar, it seems clear that the two have essentially the same function, so that ''Attributes'' are simply pronominal Adjuncts (though we shall continue to follow tradition and refer to attributive premodifiers as ''Attributes'' rather than ''Adjuncts ).

    Antonyms

    * predicative

    Derived terms

    * attributively * attributive adjective * attributive noun * attributive verb

    Noun

    (wikipedia attributive) (en noun)
  • (grammar) An attributive word or phrase (see above), contrasted with predicative.
  • In "this big house," "big" is an attributive , while in "this house is big," it is a predicative.
    In "this tiger is a man-eater," "man" is an attributive noun.

    descriptive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of or relating to description.
  • (grammar) Of an adjective, stating an attribute of the associated noun (as heavy'' in ''the heavy dictionary ).
  • (linguistics)   Describing the structure, grammar, vocabulary and actual use of a language.
  • (science, philosophy) Describing and seeking to classify, as opposed to normative or prescriptive.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April
  • , author=John T. Jost , title=Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)? , volume=100, issue=2, page=162 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record.}}

    Antonyms

    * (science) prescriptive, normative, non-descriptive

    Derived terms

    * descriptively * descriptiveness * descriptive ethics * descriptive geometry * descriptive statistics

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (grammar) An adjective (or other descriptive word)
  • See also

    * (projectlink) * (projectlink) ----