Nouns as Adjectives

Nouns can be used as adjectives to modify other nouns.

The movie theater was full of eager fans.

For readability’s sake, however, avoid using more than two in a row.

Awkward: the downtown business district revitalization meeting
Better: the meeting to discuss the revitalization of the downtown business district

In some cases, a noun used as an adjective may be confusing or awkward. If an adjectival form of a noun exists, it is usually best to use it instead.

Awkward: judge system, mathematics problem, photography art
Better: judicial system, mathematical problem, photographic art

Remember, however, that a noun used as an adjective and an adjective derived from the same noun do not always have identical meanings. For example, a dramatic critic is a critic with a flair for histrionics, whereas a drama critic is a reviewer who writes about plays.