Position of the adjective in a sentence

Question

"un ogre grand comme une maison"I've learned that adjectives that represent size (like grand, petit, gros, etc) should come before the noun. But in this sentence it is after the noun. Could someone please explain why?

Accepted Answer

Hi Annabelle, 
It is because of comme (as) which introduces a sort of comparison -
Tu es gros comme un cochon = you’re as fat as a pig 
(Not a very nice thing to say but good example!)
Un chat petit comme une souris = a cat as small as a mouse 
Une vague grande comme une maison = a wave as big as a house
But :
Une grande vague, un petit chat etc.

Answer

Un ogre grand comme une maison. -- An ogre (as) big as a house.Notice, that in English, too, the adjective "big" follows the noun. It is a literary way of expressing a striking feature. Grammatically, the adjective grand belongs more to the group grand comme une maison, which functions as a kind of compound adjective.