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.
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.
Answers
Exercise 1:
- She bought a small Chinese wooden table.
- He wore several comfortable red cotton shirts to the picnic.
- They found an ancient round metal coin in the backyard.
- I saw five new blue plastic cups on the shelf.
- She has three old rough wooden chairs in her garden.
- We visited a beautiful small French village last summer.
- He gave me several new brown leather jackets.
- The artist painted a large modern abstract painting for the exhibition.
- I am looking for a warm American woolen sweater for winter.
- They adopted three small cute young puppies from the shelter.
Exercise 2:
- b) beautiful red silk
- c) large round wooden
- b) small black leather
- c) small young cute
- a) large modern Italian
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