00 / Adjectives & Adverbs
Adjective order
Adjective order describes the standard sequence used when multiple adjectives modify a single noun. English speakers typically follow a specific hierarchy based on the type of information the adjective provides.
A2Elementary
01 / The Standard Order
When using more than one adjective before a noun, they usually follow a fixed order. Opinion adjectives come first, followed by factual descriptions like size, age, and color.
- Opinion: nice, beautiful, ugly
- Size: big, small, tall
- Age: new, old, young
- Color: red, blue, black
- Origin: Italian, Chinese, wooden (material)
02 / The Adjective Hierarchy
Opinion + Size + Age + Color + Origin + Material + Noun
General opinion adjectives always precede specific factual adjectives. Commas are usually not required between two or three short adjectives in this sequence.
03 / Examples
04 / Common mistakes
A red big car.
A big red car.
Size adjectives must come before color adjectives.
An old nice man.
A nice old man.
Opinion adjectives like 'nice' always come before factual adjectives like 'old'.
05 / Practice
Put these words in the correct order: (leather / black / expensive / jacket)
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Answer: An expensive black leather jacket
Why: Expensive is an opinion, black is a color, and leather is a material. The order is Opinion > Color > Material.
Correct the order: 'I saw a Chinese small cat.'
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Answer: I saw a small Chinese cat.
Why: Size (small) must come before origin (Chinese).
Which is correct: 'A beautiful new dress' or 'A new beautiful dress'?
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Answer: A beautiful new dress
Why: Opinion (beautiful) always precedes age (new).