Adjective order use, rules and exercises
In English, it is common to use more than one adjective before a noun - for example, "He's
a silly young fool," or "she's a smart, energetic woman." When you use more than one
adjective, you have to put them in the right order, according to type. This page will explain
the different types of adjectives and the correct order for them.
An opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other
people may not agree with you). Examples:
Opinion silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult
A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is.
Examples:
Size large, tiny, enormous, little
An age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is.
Examples:
Age ancient, new, young, old
A shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples:
Shape square, round, flat, rectangular
A colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something.
Examples:
Colour blue, pink, reddish, grey
An origin adjective describes where something comes from. Examples:
Origin French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek
A material adjective describes what something is made from. Examples:
Material wooden, metal, cotton, paper
A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These
adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:
Purpose sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")
Some examples of adjective order
Opinion Size Age Shape Colour Origin Material Purpose
a silly young English man
a huge round metal bowl
a small red sleeping bag
Adjective order use, rules and exercises
In English, it is common to use more than one adjective before a noun - for example, "He's
a silly young fool," or "she's a smart, energetic woman." When you use more than one
adjective, you have to put them in the right order, according to type. This page will explain
the different types of adjectives and the correct order for them.
An opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other
people may not agree with you). Examples:
Opinion silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult
A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is.
Examples:
Size large, tiny, enormous, little
An age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is.
Examples:
Age ancient, new, young, old
A shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples:
Shape square, round, flat, rectangular
A colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something.
Examples:
Colour blue, pink, reddish, grey
An origin adjective describes where something comes from. Examples:
Origin French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek
A material adjective describes what something is made from. Examples:
Material wooden, metal, cotton, paper
A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These
adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:
Purpose sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")
Some examples of adjective order
Opinion Size Age Shape Colour Origin Material Purpose
a silly young English man
a huge round metal bowl
a small red sleeping bag
Chose the correct order
1, a small Canadian thin lady a new steel carving knife
a Canadian small thin lady a steel new carving knife
a small thin Canadian lady a new carving steel knife
a thin small Canadian lady 3,a beautiful blue sailing boat
2,a carving steel new knife a blue beautiful sailing boat
a sailing beautiful blue boat a big red plastic hat
a blue sailing beautiful boat a plastic big red hat
4,an old wooden square table a bit plastic red hat
a square wooden old table 7,a small Japanese serving bowl
an old square wooden table a Japanese small serving bowl
a wooden old square table a small serving Japanese bowl
5,an new French exciting band a serving small Japanese bowl
a French new exciting band 8,a cotton dirty old tie
an exciting French new band a dirty cotton old tie
an exciting new French band an old cotton dirty tie
6,a red big plastic hat a dirty old cotton tie
1. round / small / reading / lamp
2. German / old / yellow / car
3. wooden / huge / sailing / ship
4. physics / boring / old / teacher
5. slim / Canadian / handsome / snowboarder
6. sugar / blue / round / bowl
Aunt Betty wants a coffee table. (stone, square, gray)
The king took a trip. (2-week, exhausting)
These are cookies! (chocolate chip, delicious, huge)
Alice prefers furniture. (leather, Italian, black)
Archeologists find bones. (animal, large, prehistoric)
eyes green - lovely
girl skinny - short
jacket cotton green new
apple ripe - green - delicious
jumper woollen - large - black
flat beautiful - modern - small
magazine English - strange
hat cotton - funny - green
Choose the best option
1. a small Canadian thin lady a new steel carving knife
a Canadian small thin lady a steel new carving knife
a small thin Canadian lady a new carving steel knife
a thin small Canadian lady 3. a beautiful blue sailing boat
2.a carving steel new knife a blue beautiful sailing boat
a sailing beautiful blue boat a big red plastic hat
a blue sailing beautiful boat a plastic big red hat
4. An old wooden square table a bit plastic red hat
a square wooden old table 7. a small Japanese serving bowl
An old square wooden table a Japanese small serving bowl
a wooden old square table a small serving Japanese bowl
[Link] new French exciting band a serving small Japanese bowl
a French new exciting band 8. a cotton dirty old tie
An exciting French new band a dirty cotton old tie
An exciting new French band an old cotton dirty tie
6. a red big plastic hat a dirty old cotton tie
1. round / small / reading / lamp
2. German / old / yellow / car
3. wooden / huge / sailing / ship
4. physics / boring / old / teacher
5. slim / Canadian / handsome / snowboarder
6. sugar / blue / round / bowl
Aunt Betty wants a coffee table. (stone, square, gray)
The king took a trip. (2-week, exhausting)
These are cookies! (chocolate chip, delicious, huge)
Alice prefers furniture. (leather, Italian, black)
Archeologists find bones. (animal, large, prehistoric)
eyes green - lovely
girl skinny - short
jacket cotton green new
apple ripe - green - delicious
jumper woollen - large - black
flat beautiful - modern - small
magazine English - strange
hat cotton - funny - green
