"Fervent défenseur d'un fédéralisme"

Question

I'm curious about the adjective placement in "fervent défenseur." Would it be equally correct to say "un défenseur fervent" as a way to start this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Lorie,
'Fervent' is part of a category of adjectives which meaning changes depending on whether they are placed before or after the noun.

C'est un amour fervent = it is a passionate love
C'est un fervent défenseur de la politique européenne = he is a staunch defender of the European policy

Such adjectives tend to have a more subjective / metaphorical meaning when placed before the noun, whilst they keep their first / objective meaning when placed after the noun.
Here is a link on this particualr topic: adjectives-that-change-meaning-according-to-position-certain-specific-sure
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Hi Lorie,I suspect the placement of the adjective will depend on what type of "defender" is being described?Strong, staunch, enthusiastic, ardent, passionate?That's what occurs to me  --  hope it helps.Jim