Postpositive adjectives
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I know that there are a few cases where we can use the adjective after the noun, which is called postpositive. Here are some examples:
Attorney General / Secretary General / court martial
But I have noticed that some people generalize such a use outside its original idiomatic use. For example:
The Directorate General of Democracy offers help to most European societies.
I am wondering why they didn't use General Directorate.
adjectives phrase-usage
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
add a comment |
I know that there are a few cases where we can use the adjective after the noun, which is called postpositive. Here are some examples:
Attorney General / Secretary General / court martial
But I have noticed that some people generalize such a use outside its original idiomatic use. For example:
The Directorate General of Democracy offers help to most European societies.
I am wondering why they didn't use General Directorate.
adjectives phrase-usage
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
Maybe because it's a European and not a British title? In French, it's "la direction générale de la démocratie."
– Peter Shor
13 hours ago
@Peter Shore: You're right, but for a British or an American native, which is more common: The Directorate General...or The General Directorate...?
– Mido Mido
10 hours ago
Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like it probably should be General Directorate in the U.S., which has General Directors and Directorate General in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., which all have (or had) Directors General.
– Peter Shor
10 hours ago
add a comment |
I know that there are a few cases where we can use the adjective after the noun, which is called postpositive. Here are some examples:
Attorney General / Secretary General / court martial
But I have noticed that some people generalize such a use outside its original idiomatic use. For example:
The Directorate General of Democracy offers help to most European societies.
I am wondering why they didn't use General Directorate.
adjectives phrase-usage
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
I know that there are a few cases where we can use the adjective after the noun, which is called postpositive. Here are some examples:
Attorney General / Secretary General / court martial
But I have noticed that some people generalize such a use outside its original idiomatic use. For example:
The Directorate General of Democracy offers help to most European societies.
I am wondering why they didn't use General Directorate.
adjectives phrase-usage
adjectives phrase-usage
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
asked 15 hours ago
Mido MidoMido Mido
6491019
6491019
Maybe because it's a European and not a British title? In French, it's "la direction générale de la démocratie."
– Peter Shor
13 hours ago
@Peter Shore: You're right, but for a British or an American native, which is more common: The Directorate General...or The General Directorate...?
– Mido Mido
10 hours ago
Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like it probably should be General Directorate in the U.S., which has General Directors and Directorate General in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., which all have (or had) Directors General.
– Peter Shor
10 hours ago
add a comment |
Maybe because it's a European and not a British title? In French, it's "la direction générale de la démocratie."
– Peter Shor
13 hours ago
@Peter Shore: You're right, but for a British or an American native, which is more common: The Directorate General...or The General Directorate...?
– Mido Mido
10 hours ago
Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like it probably should be General Directorate in the U.S., which has General Directors and Directorate General in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., which all have (or had) Directors General.
– Peter Shor
10 hours ago
Maybe because it's a European and not a British title? In French, it's "la direction générale de la démocratie."
– Peter Shor
13 hours ago
Maybe because it's a European and not a British title? In French, it's "la direction générale de la démocratie."
– Peter Shor
13 hours ago
@Peter Shore: You're right, but for a British or an American native, which is more common: The Directorate General...or The General Directorate...?
– Mido Mido
10 hours ago
@Peter Shore: You're right, but for a British or an American native, which is more common: The Directorate General...or The General Directorate...?
– Mido Mido
10 hours ago
Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like it probably should be General Directorate in the U.S., which has General Directors and Directorate General in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., which all have (or had) Directors General.
– Peter Shor
10 hours ago
Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like it probably should be General Directorate in the U.S., which has General Directors and Directorate General in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., which all have (or had) Directors General.
– Peter Shor
10 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
A relict of the 18th c. position of France as a world power and French as the lingua franca of European royalty and diplomats, many French words dealing with government and diplomacy were either taken over directly into English:
attaché, chargé d’affaire, communiqué, détente, rapprochement
or adapted, preserving postpositive adjective word order:
secretary general, ambassador extraordinary, ambassador plenipotentiary
USAmerican passports still contain French translations of some text, with Spanish appearing during the second Clinton administration as a nod to Puerto Rico, whose residents are American citizens but without the right to vote on the island, though they may do so if they become permanent residents of one of the 50 states.
The Directorates-General of the European Union, headed by directors-general — both with hyphen — follow this naming convention.
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
1
active
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votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
A relict of the 18th c. position of France as a world power and French as the lingua franca of European royalty and diplomats, many French words dealing with government and diplomacy were either taken over directly into English:
attaché, chargé d’affaire, communiqué, détente, rapprochement
or adapted, preserving postpositive adjective word order:
secretary general, ambassador extraordinary, ambassador plenipotentiary
USAmerican passports still contain French translations of some text, with Spanish appearing during the second Clinton administration as a nod to Puerto Rico, whose residents are American citizens but without the right to vote on the island, though they may do so if they become permanent residents of one of the 50 states.
The Directorates-General of the European Union, headed by directors-general — both with hyphen — follow this naming convention.
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
add a comment |
A relict of the 18th c. position of France as a world power and French as the lingua franca of European royalty and diplomats, many French words dealing with government and diplomacy were either taken over directly into English:
attaché, chargé d’affaire, communiqué, détente, rapprochement
or adapted, preserving postpositive adjective word order:
secretary general, ambassador extraordinary, ambassador plenipotentiary
USAmerican passports still contain French translations of some text, with Spanish appearing during the second Clinton administration as a nod to Puerto Rico, whose residents are American citizens but without the right to vote on the island, though they may do so if they become permanent residents of one of the 50 states.
The Directorates-General of the European Union, headed by directors-general — both with hyphen — follow this naming convention.
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
add a comment |
A relict of the 18th c. position of France as a world power and French as the lingua franca of European royalty and diplomats, many French words dealing with government and diplomacy were either taken over directly into English:
attaché, chargé d’affaire, communiqué, détente, rapprochement
or adapted, preserving postpositive adjective word order:
secretary general, ambassador extraordinary, ambassador plenipotentiary
USAmerican passports still contain French translations of some text, with Spanish appearing during the second Clinton administration as a nod to Puerto Rico, whose residents are American citizens but without the right to vote on the island, though they may do so if they become permanent residents of one of the 50 states.
The Directorates-General of the European Union, headed by directors-general — both with hyphen — follow this naming convention.
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
A relict of the 18th c. position of France as a world power and French as the lingua franca of European royalty and diplomats, many French words dealing with government and diplomacy were either taken over directly into English:
attaché, chargé d’affaire, communiqué, détente, rapprochement
or adapted, preserving postpositive adjective word order:
secretary general, ambassador extraordinary, ambassador plenipotentiary
USAmerican passports still contain French translations of some text, with Spanish appearing during the second Clinton administration as a nod to Puerto Rico, whose residents are American citizens but without the right to vote on the island, though they may do so if they become permanent residents of one of the 50 states.
The Directorates-General of the European Union, headed by directors-general — both with hyphen — follow this naming convention.
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
edited 8 hours ago
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
answered 13 hours ago
KarlGKarlG
23.5k63563
23.5k63563
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
add a comment |
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
l totally agree with your clear historical explanation, but l want to know what the Americans and the British usually use, the Directorate General or the General Directorate.
– Mido Mido
9 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
Directorate-General/Director-General are official EU titles. My historical sketch was to show you how such usage in English is unremarkable. If you're talking, say, of a business firm and not the EU, then it's a general director.
– KarlG
8 hours ago
add a comment |
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Maybe because it's a European and not a British title? In French, it's "la direction générale de la démocratie."
– Peter Shor
13 hours ago
@Peter Shore: You're right, but for a British or an American native, which is more common: The Directorate General...or The General Directorate...?
– Mido Mido
10 hours ago
Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like it probably should be General Directorate in the U.S., which has General Directors and Directorate General in Australia, Canada, and the U.K., which all have (or had) Directors General.
– Peter Shor
10 hours ago