Predicative adjectives describing health

The following are used predicatively [> 6.7] in connexion with health:

faint, ill, poorly, unwell and well: What's the matter with him? - He's ill/unwell He feels faint How are you⁹ - I'm very well thank you I'm fine thanks

Fine relating to health is predicative; used attributively it means

'excellent' (e.g. She's a fine woman).

The adjectives sick and healthy can be used in the attributive position

where /// and well normally cannot:

What's the matter with Mr Court? - He's a sick man Biggies was very ill but he s now a healthy man

(But note that 'He's an ill man' is increasingly heard.)

Well, to mean 'in good health', is an adjective and should not be confused with well, the adverbial counterpart of good [> 6.17, 7.5n4]. Faint can be used attributively when not referring to health in e.g. a faint chance, a faint hope a faint sound, as can /// in fixed phrases such as: an ill omen an ill wind

8.2 Predicative adjectives beginning with 'a-'

Adjectives like the following are used only predicatively: afloat afraid.

alight alike, alive alone, ashamed asleep awake The children were asleep at 7 but now they're awake

We can express similar ideas with attributive adjectives:
The vessel is afloat The floating vessel

The children are afraid The frightened children

The buildings are alight The burning buildings
Everything that is alive All living things

That lobster is alive It s a live lobster

The children are asleep The sleeping children
When I am awake In my waking hours

6 Adjectives

Attributive adjectives can only replace predicative ones in suitable contexts. For example, living cannot replace alive in:

All the hostages on the plane are alive and well.

(Not 'all the living hostages* in this context) Shameful is not the attributive counterpart of ashamed;

It was a shameful act (describing the act)

He ought to be ashamed (describing the person) Similarly, lonely is not the exact equivalent of alone-.

You can be alone without being lonely Alone (predicative) means 'without others'; lonely (attributive: a lonelv woman, or predicative: she is lonely) generally means 'feeling sad because you are on your own'.

Some of these adjectives are modified in special ways and not by very, safely afloat, all alight, all alone fast/sound asleep, fully/wide awake [compare > 6.9, 7.51]. However, the following can be modified by very much; afraid, awake alive alone and ashamed; afraid and ashamed can also be modified directly by very[compare > 7.51]: Is that lobster alive⁷ - Yes be careful¹ It's very much alive¹ I behaved badly yesterday and still feel very ashamed of myself