ORDER OF ADJECTIVES | RULES

 Normal order is:

Determiner/Opinion Adjectives/Fact Adjectives/Noun

 For example: ‘a beautiful ancient house’

a = Determiner
beautiful = Opinion adjective
ancient = Fact Adjective
house = Main noun.

 Fact adjectives can be further broken down and arranged into:

other , size/ age/ shape / color / origin / material / purpose

Physical Description
1. Opinion / observation
 what we are thinking about something.
 Normally this is our opinion, attitude or observations.
 before all other adjectives.

(E.g. beautiful, boring, stimulating, stupid, delicious, useful, lovely,

comfortable )

2. Size
 Tells us how big or small something is.

(E.g. big, large, little, short, small, tall, huge, tiny )

3. Age
 Tells us how old someone or something is.

(E.g. old, young, new, ancient, antique )

4.Shape / Weight / Length

 Tells about the shape of something or how long or short it is.
 also refer to the weight of someone or something.

(E.g. round, oval, square, circular, boxy, fat, heavy, straight, long, short)
5.Colour
 The color or the approximate colour of something.

(E.g. yellow, black, red, white, brown, whitish, blueish )

6.Origin
 Tells us where something is from.

(E.g. Thai, British, Italian, eastern, Australian, French )

7. Material
 What is the thing made of or constructed of?

(E.g. sliver, wooden, silk, paper, synthetic, cotton, woollen)

 Order of adjectives

1. It is a wonderful large round Spanish marble table.

2. She is wearing her bright violet dance outfit.

3. It is my favourite big old square blue Italian wool door mat.

Determiner Opinion Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose Noun
a wonderful large round Spanish marble table
her bright Violet Dance Outfit
my favourite big old square blue Italian wool door mat
Exercise
1. Two tall white American men
2. A beautiful well-known 15th century Italian coffee table
3. wonderful old French wood clock
4. This fantastic famous German sports car
5. That really big old green antique car
No Determiner Opinion Other Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose Noun
1 Two Tall White American Men

2 A Beautiful Well- 15th Italian Coffee Table

known century
3 Wonderful Old French Wood Clock

4 This Fantastic Famous German Sport Car

5 That really big old green antique Car

 Exercise 03. Make up sentences

1. presented/my/me/white/ball/friend/round/fine/leather/a
My friend presented me a fine round white leather ball.

2. old/university/your/can/call/you/Italian/friend ?
Can you call your old Italian university friend?

3. I’m/need/that/wooden/black/sure/I/this/stylish/chair
I’m sure that I need this stylish black wooden chair.

4. Martha’s/violet/outfit/Dylan/didn’t/dance/see/bright
Dylan didn’t see Martha’s bright violet dance outfit.
 Exercise 02. Correct or wrong?
 
Correct Wrong

Do you want this red sport bike? +  

He wore long Italian old coat.   +
Will you buy me a small pink hat? +  
Matt saw a strange large blue ball. +  
Don’t touch that green square box!   +
Who took my Swiss army knife? +  
My mum hates my blue velvet belt. +  
This is a half-year-old English dog +  
This woolen grey scarf suits you.   +
I chose a nice green modern tint.   +
Exercise 01. Put the adjectives in the correct order ( Keys)

 1. I wanted to buy a big, round, blue, Italian dining table.

 2. Does Miriam need that small, square, wooden chair?
 3. What is this triangular, red leather thing?
 4. Did you notice the brand of that splendid, streamlined, green sport car?
 5. William can take care of your naughty white Persian cat.
 6. This long, multicolored woolen scarf belongs to my brother.
 7. Are you sure this nice curved steel sabre is Turkish?
 8. Press this round red plastic button never!
 9. Mike will order a nice, light English breakfast.
 10.This amazing elegantly-shaped brown wooden wardrobe is my friends’ gift.
Exercise 04. Distribute the adjectives in the correct groups

 Opinion beautiful, amazing, nice, lovely

 Size enormous, tiny, short, high
 Shape square, triangular, round, wavy
 Age five-year-old, antique, young, old
 Color crimson, turquoise, blue, white
 Origin European, French, Chinese, national, American
 Material leather, cotton, wooden, steel
 Purpose race, golf, sport, baseball