Order of Adjectives: Rules, Examples and Exercises

Learning the order of adjectives in English can seem tricky, but it’s easier once you understand the basic rules. Adjectives often need to be in a specific sequence to sound natural in a sentence. The important thing to remember is that adjectives usually follow the OSASCOMP rule: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose. This helps you place adjectives in the right order without much hassle.

Table of Contents

What is the Order of Adjectives?

Adjective order refers to the specific sequence in which adjectives should appear before a noun. Using the correct order helps your speech and writing sound more fluent and understandable. Knowing this order is particularly useful for non-native speakers or learners of English. It avoids confusion and ensures that your descriptions are precise and easy to follow.

The typical order of adjectives is known as the “Royal Order of Adjectives.” This includes:

Determiner: Words like a, the, my, some.
Quantity: Numbers or amounts like two, several.
Opinion: Descriptive words like beautiful, boring.
Size: Words indicating size like small, large.
Physical Quality: Descriptions of physical features like smooth, rough.
Shape: Forms like round, square.
Age: Descriptions of age like old, new.
Color: Colors like red, blue.
Origin: The place of origin like American, Chinese.
Material: What something is made of like wooden, metal.
Type: Categories like general-purpose, emergency.

Following this sequence ensures that your sentences are clear and logically structured. For example: “a beautiful small round old red Chinese wooden toy.”

Detailed Order of Adjectives

When using multiple adjectives to describe a noun, it’s important to follow a specific order to make your sentences clear and easy to understand. This order helps convey the most accurate description.

Quantity or Number

Adjectives that specify the number or amount of something come first. They can be exact numbers like one, two, three, or general amounts like many, several, and few. For example, in the phrase “three red apples,” three is the quantity adjective.

Quality or Opinion

These adjectives express your thoughts or feelings about the noun. Words like beautiful, ugly, delicious, or horrible belong here. They offer a subjective view. For example, in the phrase “beautiful sunny day,” beautiful is the opinion adjective.

Size

Adjectives that describe the size of an object come next. These include words like big, small, tall, and short. Size helps give a clear visual image. For instance, in “big brown dog,” big is the size adjective.

Age

Age-related adjectives follow size adjectives. Words in this category include young, old, new, and ancient. They indicate how old something is. For example, in “new red car,” new is the age adjective.

Shape

Shape adjectives describe the form of an object. They include words like round, square, flat, and thin. Shape helps to specify the physical form. In “round golden coin,” round is the shape adjective.

Color

Color adjectives describe the color of an object. These are red, blue, green, and so on. They are easy to understand and visualize. For example, in “blue silk dress,” blue is the color adjective.

Proper Adjectives

These adjectives come from proper nouns and usually describe origin or nationality. Examples include American, French, and Japanese. They offer specific information about where something comes from. In “Italian leather shoes,” Italian is the proper adjective.

Purpose or Qualifier

The final category includes adjectives that describe what something is used for. Common examples are sleeping in sleeping bag or walking in walking stick. These words tell you the function or purpose. For example, in “swimming pool,” swimming is the purpose adjective.

Order of Adjectives Chart

Order	Type of Adjective	Examples
1. Determiner	Articles, Possessives	a, an, the, my, your, his, her
2. Quantity	Number, Amount	one, two, several, many, few
3. Opinion	General Opinion	beautiful, ugly, nice, horrible
4. Size	Physical Size	big, small, tall, short, enormous, tiny
5. Age	Age of Noun	old, young, new, ancient, modern
6. Shape	Shape or Form	round, square, flat, oval, long, short
7. Color	Color of Noun	red, blue, green, black, white, yellow
8. Origin	Nationality, Place of Origin	American, Chinese, French, Italian, Indian
9. Material	What Noun is Made Of	wooden, plastic, metal, cotton, silk
10. Purpose	What Noun is Used For	sleeping (as in “sleeping bag”), cooking

Examples of Order of Adjectives

When placing adjectives in a sentence, it’s important to follow a specific order to make it sound natural. The typical order is:

Determiner (the, a, my)
Quantity (one, several)
Opinion (beautiful, ugly)
Size (big, small)
Physical Quality (thin, rough)
Shape (round, square)
Age (old, new)
Color (red, blue)
Origin (American, Chinese)
Material (wooden, metal)
Purpose (sleeping, cooking)

Example Sentences:

She bought a beautiful big round mirror for the living room.
He wore an old thin blue jacket on his morning walk.
They have several new Chinese wooden chairs in their dining room.
I found my small square metal box in the attic.
We need a rough large American rug for the hallway.
She has one ugly old red sofa that she wants to replace.
He ordered a delicious hot Italian pizza for dinner.
I saw the big new black car parked outside.
They used a few beautiful antique silver spoons for the event.
We stayed in a small modern French hotel near the beach.

Practice Exercises about Order of Adjectives

Here are some practice exercises to help you learn the correct order of adjectives. Each exercise comes with an answer key to check your work.

Exercise 1: Arrange the Adjectives

Rearrange the adjectives in the correct order to form a logical sentence. Follow the order of adjectives: Determiner, Quantity, Opinion, Size, Physical Quality, Shape, Age, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose.

She bought a (Chinese / wooden / small) table.
He wore (red / cotton / comfortable / several) shirts to the picnic.
They found (ancient / round / a / metal) coin in the backyard.
I saw (plastic / new / blue / five) cups on the shelf.
She has (old / wooden / rough / three) chairs in her garden.
We visited (French / beautiful / a / small) village last summer.
He gave me (leather / brown / new / several) jackets.
The artist painted (a / modern / large / abstract) painting for the exhibition.
I am looking for (a / American / woolen / warm) sweater for winter.
They adopted (three / cute / young / small) puppies from the shelter.

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct order of adjectives for each sentence.

She has a __________ dress.
a) red beautiful silk
b) beautiful red silk
c) silk red beautiful
They bought a __________ table for their living room.
a) wooden large round
b) round wooden large
c) large round wooden
I need a __________ bag for my trip.
a) leather black small
b) small black leather
c) black small leather
He adopted a __________ puppy from the shelter.
a) young cute small
b) cute small young
c) small young cute
We stayed in a __________ hotel by the beach.
a) large modern Italian
b) modern Italian large
c) Italian large modern