Adjectives word order Arantxa Hernndez Snchez

Adjective order
When we use two or more adjectives together to describe a noun, the order we put them
in is quite important. For example, we don't usually say an old Indian beautiful carpet. It
sounds much better say a beautiful old Indian carpet.
As a general rule, adjectives are usually placed in this order (OSASCOMP):

Type Definition and Examples

An opinion adjective explains what you think about something.
Opinion
Examples: funny, beautiful, fabulous, difficult
A size adjective tells you how big or small something is.
Size
Examples: large, tiny, enormous, little
An age adjective gives information about how old something is.
Age
Examples: ancient, new, young, old
A shape adjective describes the physical form or outline of something.
Shape
Examples: square, round, flat, rectangular
A colour adjective describes the colour of something.
Colour
Examples: blue, pink, reddish, grey
An origin (or nationality) adjective describes where something comes from.
Origin
Examples: Mexican, Chinese, eastern, northern, lunar, solar
A material adjective describes what something is made from.
Material
Examples: wooden, metal, cotton, paper, stone
A purpose adjective describes what something is used for.
Purpose These adjectives often end with "-ing".
Examples: sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting pan")

Although there are some exceptions, the general order of adjectives in a pair or series is:

determiner Opinion Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose noun
a/an/the handsome young German man
one/two/three huge round metal bowls
this/that smart little girl
my/your/his old red sleeping bag

Sometimes we can use but between adjectives, especially if their meanings seem contradictory.
size quality noun
a small but tasty meal
If we use 2 adjectives that are similar in meaning, we usually put the shorter one first: a soft,
comfortable cushion.

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Adjectives word order Arantxa Hernndez Snchez

USING "AND" WITH PAIRED ADJECTIVES

When two adjectives are used together to describe a noun, they are sometimes called "paired
adjectives" (they are also sometimes called coordinate & cumulative adjectives). Although
there are some exceptions (for example, "I bought a black and white shirt."), the general rule
for using "and" is this:
If the paired adjectives come BEFORE the noun, DO NOT USE "and".
Correct: She went to a fabulous French restaurant.
NOT CORRECT: *She went to a fabulous and French restaurant.
If the paired adjectives come AFTER the noun, USE "and".
Correct: The restaurant is fabulous and French.
NOT CORRECT: *The restaurant is fabulous French.
COMMAS WITH PAIRED ADJECTIVES
How do you know when to use a comma between paired adjectives and when not to use a
comma? It depends on the type of adjectives that are in the pair.
We can use two different types of adjectives to describe one noun.
For example, we can use an adjective of size and an adjective of origin to describe one thing, as
in "She met a tall American man".
We can also use two similar types of adjectives to describe one noun.
For example, we can use two adjectives of opinion, as in "She met a handsome, mysterious man.
Although there are some exceptions, the general rule for using a comma between paired
adjectives is this:
If the paired adjectives come BEFORE the noun AND give DIFFERENT TYPES of information, DO
NOT USE A COMMA between them.
Correct: She went to a fabulous French restaurant.
NOT Correct: *She went to a fabulous, French restaurant.
"fabulous" is an adjective of opinion, and "French" is an adjective of origin or nationality. They
give different types of information, so comma is not needed between them. Notice that you
also cannot reverse their order. You CANNOT say, "She went to a French fabulous restaurant".
If the paired adjectives come BEFORE the noun AND give SIMILAR TYPES of information, USE A
COMMA between them.
Correct: She ate some delicious, elegant food.
NOT Correct: *She ate some delicious elegant food.
"delicious" and "elegant" are both adjectives of opinion. They give similar types of information,
so a comma is needed between them. Notice that you can also reverse their order. You CAN
say, "She ate some elegant, delicious food".

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Adjectives word order Arantxa Hernndez Snchez

Order of adjectives exercises

1. Choose the best answer for each sentence.
A. The house is __________________.
1. large and white
2. white and large
3. large white
B. They live in a __________________ house.
1. large and white
2. white and large
3. large white
2. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. We took a ride on a blue, old Chinese bus.
B. We took a ride on a Chinese, old, blue bus.
C. We took a ride on an old, blue Chinese bus.
3. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. Id like three good reasons why you dont like spinach.
B. Id like a good three reasons why you dont like spinach.
C. Id like good reasons three why you dont like spinach.
4. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. I like that really big red old tractor in the museum.
B. I like that really big old red tractor in the museum.
C. I like that old, red, really big tractor in the museum.
5. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. My brother rode a beautiful big black horse in the parade.
B. My brother rode a beautiful big black horse in the parade.
C. My brother rode a big, black, beautiful horse in the parade.
6. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. My grandmother lives in the ________________________ house on the corner
1. little blue, green and white
2. little blue and green and white
3. little, blue, green, and white
B. That shop sells a wide variety of _____________________ objects.
1. interesting new, old and antique
2. new, old, interesting and antique
3. interesting, old and new and antique

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Adjectives word order Arantxa Hernndez Snchez

7. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. I bought a pair of _________________ boots.
1. new, nice, red rain
2. nice new red rain
3. red nice new rain
B. Please put the marbles into that ______________________ box.
1. round little old red
2. little old round red
3. little old red round
8. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank:
A. I was surprised to receive a __________________ puppy for my birthday.
1. little, cute, eight-week-old
2. cute eight-week-old little
3. cute little eight-week-old
B. Our work uniform consists of black trousers, black shoes, and a ____________ shirt.
1. yellow big polo
2. big yellow polo
3. yellow big polo
C. Ive been spending a lot of time in antique shops looking for the perfect____________ clock.
1. little silver Italian cuckoo
2. little Italian silver cuckoo
3. silver little Italian cuckoo
9. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black and white stripes.
B. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black with white stripes.
C. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black, white stripes.
10. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. During my college years, I wore a red, black and white big hat to sporting events.
B. During my college years, I wore a big red, black and white hat to sporting events.
C. During my college years, I wore a big red black and white, hat to sporting events.

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Adjectives word order Arantxa Hernndez Snchez

KEY:
1. A large and white
B large white
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. A
6. A little blue, green and white
B - Interesting new, old and antique
7. A nice new red rain
B- little old round red
8. A cute little eight-week-old puppy.
B big yellow polo
C little silver Italian cuckoo
9. A: with black and white stripes.
10. B: a big red, black and white hat to sporting events.