The order of adjectives in English is strictly regulated - it is used before a noun. But what if there is not one adjective, but several? In this case, its location depends on several factors.
How to remember types of adjectives
All adjectives are divided into:
- subjective , that is, they express the opinion of the speaker, for example, an unusual ring - an unusual ring;
- objective , that is, they are a real fact, for example, a young girl - a young girl.
If a sentence contains both types of adjectives, then the subjective adjective is placed first, and then the objective adjective. For example:
an unusual silver ring -an unusual silver ring;
an interesting historical movie – an interesting historical film.
Two or more
If there are not two, but more adjectives in a sentence, then their meaning comes to the rescue. Let's look at the sequence of adjectives in the table.
TOP 4 articleswho are reading along with this
Points 4 and 5 can be swapped.
If adjectives belong to different categories, then between them no comma .
If adjectives belong to the same category, then between them a comma is added .
She is a selfish, nasty, irritable woman. – She is a selfish, unpleasant, irritable woman.
Adjectives in the comparative and superlative degrees are placed before all others.
Some of the best young American actresses took part in this film. – Several of the best young American actresses played in this film.
It was the most beautiful large stone cottage I have ever seen. “It was the most beautiful big stone cottage I’ve ever seen.”
If an adjective denotes height, depth, width or length, then it is used after the noun.
Burj Khalifa is 829 meters high. – Burj Khalifa is 829 meters long.
Baikal is 1,642 meters deep. – Baikal is 1642 meters deep.
The Pan-American Highway is 30,000 miles long. – The Pan-American Highway is 30,000 miles long.
It is advisable to observe the order of adjectives in English, although not all authors and do not always follow it. At the very least, you need to know that such a procedure exists and adhere to it when writing essays in English. At the end of this article there is a small exercise that will help you understand and consolidate the order of adjectives in English. Practice is the best way to learn a language.
We know that it is defined quite strictly. What about adjectives, of which there may be several? First of all, use more than two or three adjectives together Not recommended, but, if you really want to, try to arrange them in an order that is understandable to the English.
Your opinion, impression or assessment comes first
When you want to describe an object with several adjectives, first of all think about your attitude towards it: beautiful, useful, important, interesting, tasty, etc. These adjectives are usually placed first in English. If there are two of them, then the more objective one is put first.
a cute little girl
an intelligent old man
delicious French food
a lovely intelligent dog
Next, the order of adjectives in English follows the following scheme:
Some explanations on the diagram.
How big? - what size, length, shape, width?
Adjectives size And length(big/small/tall/short/long) usually come before adjectives forms And width(round/thick/thin/slim/wide)
a big square box
a short slim woman
a long avenue
a big fat bear
How old? - what age?
a nice old film
a huge antique book
a handsome young man
a beautiful newborn baby girl
What color? - what colour?
Two adjectives of color are joined by a word and, three or more adjectives of color are separated by a comma, the last one is preceded by and:
a green and yellow fruit
a green, brown and red flag
a white, gray and green dress
Where from? — where are you from?
cute Russian children
a famous English tower
the blue, white and red French flag
What is it made of? - what is it made of?
a large red plastic bag
an ancient wooden horse
fantastic Thai vegetarian food
Exercises on the order of adjectives in English
Adjective order
Put the adjectives in brackets in the correct position
Start QuizIn the article we will talk about adjectives - words that denote a characteristic and answer the question “which one?” (yellow, interesting, tasty, etc.). Typically, English adjectives are placed before the subject, i.e.: yellow lemon, not "the lemon is yellow". Difficulties begin when there are too many adjectives.
In what order should they be placed? Let's figure it out.
1. Where to put the signs?
However, before we move on to the order of adjectives, let's look again at where they can actually be placed.
The most common pattern is adjective + noun:
The new shiny bicycle waited for me in the shop.
However, in literature, the noun + adjective scheme can be used to create an artistic effect:
The bicycle, new and shiny, waited for me in the shop.
The bicycle, new and shiny, was waiting for me in the store.
Finally, if the most important idea of the sentence is to convey the attribute of the subject, then you can use the noun + verb “to be” + adjective scheme:
The bicycle in the shop was new and shiny.
The bicycle in the store was new and shiny.
2. What other signs are there?
In addition to the cases already indicated (words answering the question “which one?”), the following words can be used as signs before nouns:
- Words denoting certainty
We are talking about articles (a/an - indefinite, the - definite), as well as words like “this”, “that” (this, that, these, those). - Words denoting belonging
That is, what answers the question “whose?” These are words like "my", "your", his, her (my, your, his, her), etc. And also words with “s”: John’s house, friend’s phone, etc. - Nouns (words that answer the question “who?”, “what?”) as signs.
There is a curious feature in the English language: if we say two objects (nouns) in a row, then the first of them plays the role of a sign!
For example:
train ticket
Train- train, ticket- ticket. It turns out to be a “train ticket” - that is, ticket on train.
flower pot
Flower- flower, pot- pot. Together - floral pot.
Such things are found everywhere: they allow you not to come up with a new word (like “floral” from “flower”), but to make the most of existing ones.
3. Adjective order
Now we come to the most important thing. In what order should we arrange all the words that we put in front of our noun?
1) Determination and belonging
Always go first
- or the article a/the,
- or words like “that” - “this” (this/that/these/those),
- or belonging (my, your, John's).
For example:
The new shiny bicycle waited for me in the shop.
A shiny new bike was waiting for me in the store.
This wonderful summer weather filled me with joy.
This The wonderful summer weather filled me with joy.
John's old blue car stayed in front of his house.
Jonova an old blue car stood in front of the house.
Note that all three points are mutually exclusive:
The my new shiny bicycle
Shiny new bike
This is the wonderful summer weather
This wonderful summer weather
The John's old blue car
John's old blue car
2) Quantity or serial number
If you want to indicate the quantity or serial number of an item, then this must be done after a/this/my etc.:
My two best friends are Jack and Linda.
My two best friends are Jack and Linda.
I like this second idea more.
I like it more this is the second one idea.
Sarah's many relatives came to her wedding.
Sarina has numerous relatives came to her wedding.
These two stunning photos are the best I"ve ever made.
These two amazing The photos are the best I've ever taken.
Many brilliant ideas appear unexpectedly.
Many brilliant ideas appear suddenly.
4) Objective signs of the subject
Now we come to the most important thing - those characteristics of an object that indicate its color, size, etc. - that is, they relate to physical characteristics that do not depend on our opinion.
The difficulty is that there can be a great many such characteristics, and here, too, there is an order:
- 4.1) size
- 4.2) shape
- 4.3) condition (what the item is at the moment: clean, dirty, wet, dry, soft, hard, etc.)
- 4.4) age
- 4.5) color
- 4.6) source (where the object comes from)
- 4.7) material
- 4.8) purpose (what the object is for)
I have a big round cooking pot for such dishes.
I have a large round cooking pot for such dishes.
(size-shape-purpose)
The garage had a rusty old green metal roof
The garage had a rusty old green metal roof.
(condition-age-color-material)
This fine big black Japanese refrigerator has worked well for 10 years.
This quality big black japanese The refrigerator worked well for ten years.
(rating-size-color-source)
5) Nouns as signs
Finally, if you decide to use a noun as one of the attributes (like train ticket), then these two objects cannot be “separated”! Nouns as attributes always stand close to the “main” noun:
I showed him my tattered white train ticket.
I showed him mine torn white ticket On the train.
(state-color-noun as a feature)
She brought home an unusual square white ceramic flower pot.
She brought home unusual square white ceramic floral pot.
(assessment-shape-color-material-noun as a feature)
Of course, the entire list presented looks a little complicated :). But in reality, you don’t have to fill out every single item: we rarely add more than three or four attributes to one item at a time.
What else can help in mastering this scheme? Make up some examples and try to remember them! This way you can use them to navigate the points. Just try to make the examples logical for you, and not just a bunch of words: try, say, to describe some object from the house that you see every day.
Native speakers, as you understand, do not have any patterns in their heads - they simply intuitively understand how to arrange the features, and if they hear them in the wrong order, it will sound strange to them. Use language more often: listen, watch, read, and then sooner or later you will also be able to rely on your own intuition.
Reinforcement task
Translate the sentences into English, arranging the signs in the correct order:
1. He sold his old large wooden cottage.
2. I love these great white soft Indian cotton throws.
3. Have you seen the small brown leather wallet?
4. I'm looking for a clear rectangular glass ashtray.
5. Where is my black old cleaning brush?
6. Throw away those ugly green old leather athletic shoes!
7. Do you like my adorable new blue diamond earrings?
Let's imagine this situation: You want to buy a new car. You, of course, can contact the salesperson at the dealership and say: “I’ve been dreaming of buying a car for a very long time and I know exactly which one I want. Sell it to me, please."
Of course, he will think that you are a little crazy and will ask you a completely reasonable question: “What does your dream car look like?” And then you either have to describe the car to the seller in every detail, or you will never receive it. Most likely, they will sell you the car that has been collecting dust in the dealership for 4 years, waiting for the sucker who will buy it. And believe me: this will not be the car of your dreams, but your absolute nightmare!
Luckily, you can describe your dream car in words. Words that describe something are adjectives. Adjectives describe nouns (nouns include people, places, events, and things). Using adjectives is the simplest, but no less effective way to enrich your writing. Take for example the following sentence:
I want to buy a car (I want to buy a car).
Could this proposal be considered interesting? Can it shed some light on what kind of car you want to buy? Answer: NO and NO! After all, your interlocutor has no idea what kind of car you started saving money for at the age of 11, depriving yourself of school lunches. Is it a huge SUV or a tiny subcompact? Fast or slow car? Red or blue? Used or new? It is impossible to understand all this from the first sentence. If you wrote like this in some essay, the examiner could easily accuse you of “poor writing skills” - a limited vocabulary and primitive phrase construction. Would you buy the book if it was written like this? Probably no. Unfortunately, many writers and students write this way. This is a very common problem that, fortunately, can be easily resolved.
So let's try again: what kind of car would you like? Well, mmm...
I want to buy a blue car. (I want to buy blue automobile).
I want to buy a new car (I want to buy new automobile).
I want to buy a European car. (I want to buy European automobile).
I want to buy a beautiful car. (I want to buy Beautiful automobile).
Did everyone find adjectives in these sentences? Yes, yes, the very words that describe the car: blue, new, European, beautiful. The problem is this: these 4 sentences imply that the author wants to buy 4 different cars. And if the author wanted to buy just 1 car, how would all these qualities fit into one sentence? So, you need to use all the adjectives in one sentence. As a result of simple manipulations we get...
I want to buy a blue, new, European, beautiful car. (I want to buy a blue, new, European, beautiful car).
So, how do you like it? Any problems? Yes, they have! In English, the ORDER of words in a sentence is extremely important. And native speakers are especially meticulous about observing the order of adjectives.
In order not to get confused and guess where to put this or that adjective, remember once and for all the following sequence:
1. Evaluation + 2. Size + 3. Shape + 4. Condition + 5. Age + 6. Color + 7. Pattern + 8. Origin + 9. Material + 10. Purpose + NOUN
1. Evaluation opinion
good, bad, beautiful, lovely, ugly, smart, stupid, dumb, boring, delicious, useful' useful', comfortable 'convenient'
size 2
big, small, tall, short, high, low, huge, tiny
3. Shape
round 'round', circular 'cylindrical', square 'square', straight 'straight'
4. Condition
broken, cracked, ripped, fresh, rotten, cold, hot, wet, dry, hungry, rich 'rich', poor 'poor', dirty 'dirty', clean 'clean', easy 'easy', difficult 'difficult'
5. Age
new ‘new’, antique ‘antique’, ancient ‘ancient’, young ‘young’, old ‘old’
6. Color
red, purple, pink, dark green, navy blue
7. Pattern
striped, spotted, checked, checkered, flowery
8. Origin
Korean, Chinese, French, Italian, American
9. Material
iron, brass, gold, silk, cotton, woollen, synthetic, wooden, paper, vegetable
10. Purpose
sleeping (bag) ‘sleeping (bag)’, gardening (gloves) ‘garden (gloves)’, shopping (bag) ‘shopping (bag)’, wedding (dress) ‘wedding (dress)’
Using the proposed scheme, you can put the adjectives in our example in the correct order. You will get the following sentence:
I want to buy a beautiful, new, blue, European car. (I want to buy a beautiful, new, blue, European car).
Remember: it is adjectives that help readers or listeners create a vivid image in their imagination.
Which, for example, of these two sentences is more expressive? Which of them creates a “picture” in the imagination?
I want to buy a car.
-or-
I want to buy a beautiful, new, blue, European car.
We think you have already presented and understood everything.
And finally, a small recommendation: articles, possessive and demonstrative pronouns are placed before the entire group of adjectives.
Test yourself:
Rewrite the sentences using the adjectives given in brackets. Pay special attention to the correct word order.
An adjective in a sentence is usually placed before a noun when it acts as a modifier.
In this case, articles are always placed before the adjective:
Sometimes an adjective is preceded by an adverb of degree, such as too [that] - too, quite [quite] - very, quite, etc.
A noun can also be preceded by several adjectives, but there is a difference between them.
Closer to the noun there will be adjectives directly denoting the state of things, and before them there will be adjectives indicating a subjective opinion about the object, for example:
- What a lovely sports bicycle! [wat e lovely sports bike] - What a wonderful sports bike! (sports is an obvious phenomenon, but lovely means whoever likes it, who has what opinion about it.)
- It’s great classic music [its great classic music] - This is great classical music.
Must remember!
If you need to use several adjectives before a noun, then a certain word order is maintained in an English sentence. First come:
- Opinion - quality, assessment (beautiful, difficult, silly, horrible...)
- Size - size (little, large, tiny, enormous...)
- Age - age (young, ancient, old, new...)
- Shape - shape (square, round, flat, rectangular...)
- Color - color (white, blue, grey, pink...)
- Origin - origin (European, Russian, American...)
- Material - material, manufacturing method (metal, cotton, paper, wooden...)
- Purpose - purpose (sleeping, cooking...)
For example:
- Somebody has lost a typical large new rectangular black Chinese fabric travelling suitcase. — Someone lost a typical, large, new, rectangular, black, Chinese, cloth travel suitcase.
Adjective after the qualifying word:
1. When an adjective is a modifier of an indefinite pronoun:
2. When adjectives have dependent words and in different comparative constructions:
3. When the definition is expressed by the adjective absent [absent] - absent, present [present] - present and others:
- The birds absent are listed as endangered [ze byodz ebsant a listed ez indangered] - Absent birds are listed in the Red Book.
Adjectives after verbs - connectives
The adjective is placed after the verb - a connective in the function of the nominal part of the compound predicate. A compound nominal predicate consists of: a linking verb and a nominal part. The most commonly used linking verb is to be
Adjectives that start with "a":
- ashamed [escheimd] - ashamed,
- alike [elike] - the same,
- aglow [eglow] - excited,
- afloat [efloat] - floating, etc.
Adjectives such as ill [il] - sick and well [uel] - good (about health) should be mentioned only as a predicative. In this case, forms of degrees of comparison are not applicable to adjectives.
