Adjectives - Word Order in Sentences
Adjectives always go before nouns in English. We use the following rules to put English adjectives in order:
- Numbers - one, two, first
- Opinion/judgement - clever, beautiful, funny, lazy
- Size/appearance/length - big, tall, short, long
- Weight - slim, fat, skinny
- Age - young, new, old
- Temperature - hot, cold, warm
- Humidity - wet, dry
- Shape - round, square, pointed
- Colour - white, pink, blue
- Nationality or origin - British, Sudanese, Egyptian
- Material - synthetic, cotton, metal, paper
- Purpose & defining adjectives - engagement ring, shopping trolley, gardening gloves, sunny day
Examples:
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a comfortable old red leather armchair
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a beautiful young Turkish girl
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a talented African-American singer
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a big baggy green woollen jersey
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a valuable old antique clock
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a famous old Scottish actor