Attributive Verb

An attributive verb is a verb which modifies (expresses an attribute of) a noun in the manner of an attributive adjective, rather than expressing an independent idea as a predicate.

In English (and in most European languages), the forms of verbs that can be used attributively are typically non-finite forms – participles and infinitives – as well as certain verb-derived words that function as ordinary adjectives. All words of these types may be called verbal adjectives, although those of the latter type (those which behave grammatically like ordinary adjectives, with no verb-like features) may be distinguished as deverbal adjectives. An example of a verbal adjective with verb-like features is the word wearing in the sentence "The man wearing a hat is my father" (it behaves as a verb in taking an object, a hat, although the resulting phrase wearing a hat functions like an attributive adjective in modifying man). An example of a deverbal adjective is the word interesting in "That was a very interesting speech"; although it is derived from the verb to interest, it behaves here entirely like an ordinary adjective such as nice or long.

However, some languages, such as Japanese and Chinese, allow finite verbs to be used attributively. In such a language, "the man wearing a hat" might be translated by a phrase which, in word-for-word translation, gives "the wears a hat man". Here the function of attributive adjective is being played by the phrase "wears a hat", which is headed by the finite verb "wears". (This is a kind of relative clause.)