+276.+ In our use of adjectives, we find it convenient to use them in
several different ways. The most common use is closely connected with
the noun as a modifying word, seeming in a sense almost a part of the
noun; as in the sentence, _These brave men have bequeathed to us
splendid victories_. In this sentence _these_ and _brave_ are easily
discovered to be adjectives, being used in such close connection with
the noun.
But sometimes we find the adjectives a little farther away from the noun
which it describes, and then it becomes a little more difficult to find.
You will recall, in our study of the copulative verb _be_, that we found
it was simply a connecting word, connecting that which followed the verb
with its subject. So we often find an adjective used in the predicate
with a copulative verb showing what is asserted of the subject. When an
adjective is used in this way, it modifies the subject just as much as
if it were directly connected by being placed immediately before the
noun. For example:
The lesson was long and difficult.
_Long_ and _difficult_ are used in the predicate after the copulative
verb _was_, but are used to modify the subject _lesson_ just as much as
though we said instead, _It was a long and difficult lesson_. So watch
carefully for adjectives used with the copulative verb _be_ in all its
forms, _am_, _is_, _are_, _was_, _were_; and the phrases, _has been_,
_will be_, _must be_, etc.
+277.+ You may find adjectives also used following the noun. As, for
example: _The man, cool and resolute, awaited the attack_. _Cool_ and
_resolute_ are adjectives modifying the noun _man_, but they follow the
noun, instead of being placed before it.