Adjective Order in English

Key Points

The General Order of Adjectives

• Determiner
• Opinion
• Size
• Shape
• Condition
• Age
• Color
• Pattern
• Origin
• Material
• Purpose
• The Noun

Detailed Explanation with Examples

• Determiner Words like the, a, an, my, this, that, these, those, some, every, each. Examples: The car My house An apple
• Opinion Words that express what you think about something, such as beautiful, nice, awful, amazing, ugly. Examples: A beautiful day An awful smell A nice gift
• Size Words describing the size, such as small, large, tiny, huge. Examples: A large room A tiny insect A small box
• Shape Words describing the shape, such as round, square, rectangular, oval. Examples: A round table A square garden A rectangular frame
• Condition Words describing the state or condition, such as broken, messy, clean, hungry, tired. Examples: A broken chair A messy desk A clean window
• Age Words describing age, such as young, old, new, ancient. Examples: An old tree A young boy A new car
• Color Words describing color, such as red, blue, green, yellow, black. Examples: A red apple A blue sky A green leaf
• Pattern Words describing patterns, such as striped, spotted, checked, plain. Examples: A striped shirt A spotted dress A checked tablecloth
• Origin Words describing the origin, such as American, British, Japanese, Indian. Examples: A British car A Japanese kimono An Indian curry
• Material Words describing the material, such as wooden, plastic, metal, cotton. Examples: A wooden chair A plastic bottle A metal gate
• Purpose Words describing the purpose, such as shopping, cleaning, cooking. Examples: A shopping bag A cleaning brush A cooking pot
• Noun The main noun that you are describing. Examples: The big, round, yellow ball A beautiful, old, wooden table My new, red, Japanese car

Combining Multiple Adjectives

When using multiple adjectives to describe a single noun, follow the order mentioned above.

Example Sentence:

“I have two odd, large, roundish, shiny, new, black and white, checked, French, leather, clown shoes.”

• Two (determiner)
• Odd (opinion)
• Large (size)
• Roundish (shape)
• Shiny (condition)
• New (age)
• Black and white (color)
• Checked (pattern)
• French (origin)
• Leather (material)
• Clown (purpose)
• Shoes (noun)

Note on Flexibility

While the general order is a useful guide, there is some flexibility, especially with the middle categories. The best way to master adjective order is to read extensively in English. Over time, the correct order will start to feel more natural.

Additional Examples

• A beautiful, large, round, ancient, Chinese, porcelain vase.
• An old, broken, blue, plastic, toy car.
• Some new, small, green, striped, cotton shirts.
• A charming, small, rectangular, vintage, French, wooden box.
• A delicious, large, round, fresh, red, Italian, tomato.
• My ugly, tiny, square, old, gray, cardboard, jewelry box.
• The scary, huge, oval, haunted, ancient, stone mansion.
• An interesting, small, square, new, green, glass ornament.
• His lovely, medium-sized, rectangular, antique, mahogany desk.
• A disgusting, tiny, round, moldy, blue, plastic container.
• A friendly, large, rectangular, young, brown, wooden doghouse.
• The annoying, small, round, old, red, rubber ball.
• An exciting, big, oval, modern, black, metal spaceship.
• A gorgeous, small, square, ancient, golden, Greek coin.
• An enormous, round, brand-new, black, Italian leather couch.
• The cute, small, oval, young, white, fluffy kitten.
• A noisy, large, rectangular, old, silver, steel factory.
• The sad, tiny, round, ancient, bronze, Roman amulet.
• A thrilling, medium-sized, square, futuristic, silver, metal robot.
• An elegant, large, oval, vintage, French, crystal chandelier.
• A dirty, small, rectangular, old, blue, plastic lunchbox.
• The beautiful, large, round, modern, red, Japanese fan.
• An ancient, tiny, oval, old, gold, Egyptian ring.
• A cheap, small, square, new, yellow, plastic toy.
• The luxurious, large, rectangular, old, mahogany, French dining table.
• A mysterious, medium-sized, round, ancient, green, stone artifact.
• An amusing, small, oval, new, pink, rubber ball.
• A magnificent, large, rectangular, modern, white, marble statue.
• The delightful, tiny, round, old, red, metal music box.
• A fantastic, small, square, futuristic, blue, steel gadget.

By practicing these patterns and reading more, you will become more comfortable with the natural order of adjectives in English.