Order of Adjectives in English

When we use more than one adjective to describe something, we need to put them in a certain order.

This order makes your sentence sound natural to native speakers.

Here’s the basic order of adjectives in English:

1. Opinion
What do you think about something? Is it beautiful, ugly, nice, or bad?

• Examples: beautiful, delicious, boring
• She is wearing a beautiful dress.
• We had a delicious meal.

2. Size
How big or small is it?

• Examples: big, small, tiny, huge
• They live in a big house.
• I saw a tiny dog at the park.

3. Age
How old is it?

• Examples: new, old, young, ancient
• He bought an old car.
• We visited an ancient castle.

4. Shape
What shape is it?

• Examples: round, square, long, short
• She has a long scarf.
• I prefer round tables.

5. Color
What color is it?

• Examples: red, blue, green, black
• She wore a red jacket.
• We painted the walls white.

6. Origin
Where is it from?

• Examples: American, French, Italian, Chinese
• We love Italian pizza.
• This is a French perfume.

7. Material
What is it made of?

• Examples: wooden, plastic, metal, cotton
• He sat on a wooden chair.
• I bought a cotton shirt.

8. Purpose
What is it for?

• Examples: cooking, running, sleeping
• She bought a cooking pan.
• I need new running shoes.

Examples with More Than One Adjective

Let’s put some adjectives together in the right order:

1. She bought a beautiful big wooden table. (opinion + size + material)
2. I saw an old round clock. (age + shape)
3. He has a small red car. (size + color)
4. They stayed in a charming old French hotel. (opinion + age + origin)
5. I wore my new black running shoes. (age + color + purpose)

Tips to Remember

Don’t use too many adjectives: 2 or 3 are enough.

A beautiful small house sounds good.

A beautiful small old wooden French house is too much!

This could be said using more than one sentence, for example:

A beautiful small house was visible on the hill.
It was a typical old wooden French home, made in the 19th century.

Quiz

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