Word Order Adjectives and Adverbs

1) Word Order Adjectives before Nouns

A) Adjectives describing a noun get used in a strict word order. The order is as follows:

1) Opinion or Quality ( for example, beautiful)

2) Size (big)
3) Age (old )
4) Shape (square)
5) Color (red)
6) Origin (French)
7) Material (Silk)

A commonly used anagram for the last six items is SASCOM, using the first letter of
each characteristic.

These adjectives get used without commas, as they are all describing the same noun.

B) Adjectives describe a noun, and they make the description more lively. They also help
the reader/hearer to form a mental pictures.

C) Use and to connect adjectives from the same category. For example,
The shirt was cotton and polyester
The shirt was red and white

D) Use commas between adjectives that give similar information. For example
It was a difficult, complicated exam.

2) Adverbs

a) Adverbs of manner ( beautifully, reluctantly, well, slowly ) are generally placed after the
verb they modify. ( Example: He walked slowly down the road, )

b) Adverbs of character and intelligence ( foolishly, generously, kindly) are generally

placed before the verb they modify. ( Example: He kindly offered me a lift in his car)

c) Adverbs of time are usually placed at the very beginning or very end of the clause:
Eventually he arrived/ He arrived eventually.

d) Adverbs of frequency are usually placed

1) after the simple tenses of verb to be : (He is always late for meals)

2) Before the simple tenses for all other verbs (They sometimes stay up late)
3) With compound tenses the adverb is usually placed between the auxiliary and the main
verb ( You have often been told not to do that)

4) There is a condition in which certain adverbs and adverb clauses create an inversion of
the verb and subject. These adverbs include; hardly ever, rarely, never before, only, as
shown in the following examples:

Hardly ever have I seen the stadium so full.

Rarely does this remedy fail.
Never before have I been asked to accept a bribe.

This inversion creates an emphasis in the statement.