There is a rather strict order of adjectives in the English language. It means that when we have two or more adjectives in a sentence we should place them according to a certain rule one after another.
You should remember that it is not typical to use long adjective phrases in a spoken or written language. But still there are cases when three or even five adjectives occur in one sentence.
This useful table will help you understand and remember the order of adjectives in the sentence.
Table of Order of Adjectives
|
Place |
Meaning |
Examples |
| 1 |
opinion |
good, bad, beautiful, important, etc. |
| 1* |
specific opinion |
clever, uncomfortable, tasty, etc. |
| 2 |
size |
big, immense, little, heavy, low, etc. |
| 3 |
physical quality |
well-dressed, untidy, athletic, fat, etc. |
| 4 |
shape |
square, broad, curved, flat, crooked, etc. |
| 5 |
age |
new, old, young, 19-year-old, etc. |
| 6 |
color |
green, purple, black, etc. |
| 7 |
origin |
English, American, Turkish, German, etc. |
| 8 |
material |
gold, silver, copper, cotton, leather, wooden, stone, diamond, etc. |
| 9 |
type |
four-wheeled, paragliding, diving, etc. |
| 10 |
purpose |
engineering, medical, etc. |
Note, that we can give a general opinion and the specific opinion. The first one goes before the second one. Specific opinion shows our own emotions and attitude to the object of speaking. It can be a comfortable/uncomfortable couch, pleasant/unpleasant situation, etc.
Look at the examples below. Pay attention to the order of adjectives.
Helen is a beautiful (1), clever (1*), tall (2), young (5), Australian (7) lady.
My brother bought an awesome (1), red (6), sport (9) car.
He made an ugly (1*), enormous (2), square (4), black (6), wooden (8) table.
This is a big (2), modern (5), German (7), dental (10) centre.