why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?

Question

why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it? Examples: の only: 普通、大勢 な or の: 初心、特別、特殊 Is there a way for us to tell if a 形容動詞 needs a の or な particle after it.. or is it just by brute force memory? Btw my second question is that if a 形容動詞 accepts both の and な after it, is it true that usually we will use the な, even though の is grammatically correct too?

Answer 1

Many NA adjectives can also be nouns or adverbs. Something like 安全 is a nouns and an adjective: 安全な場所 - a safe place vs. 安全の場所 - a place of safety/refuge.

I would say try to make an effort to memorize which pairs with which since some NA-adjectives may be more like nouns or adverbs.