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ORDER OF ADJECTIVES IN ENGLISH

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Now the first thing I want you all to note is that this is just one of the variations of the order of adjectives in English, some things are facts but some can be moved around a little. Here I listed one of the most common orders and I would suggest you take the time to learn and know them.

Why is this order of adjectives in English used?

Remember that word placement in English can make a world of difference.

She is a responsible person.... ( a responsible person means a person who is reliable and takes ownership of their behavior)

She is the person responsible... ( this is the person who caused something to happen)

Determiner

In writing your sentences your determiners can be your articles and numbers.

Here are some examples:

a, an, the, some, few, any, several, this, mine, him, his, hers, their, our, those, these, my, yours, its, thirty-five, ten, fifty, much, many, a lot of, a little, enough

Quality/Opinion

When it comes on to quality and opinion it has to do with your thoughts, or what you think about something.

Here are some examples:

Cute, sexy, tasty, boring, important, ugly, good, great, amazing, lovely, awful, strange, disturbing, annoying, enticing, jealous, loving

Size

When you talk about the size of something you are making reference to how big or small something may be, you also take the height into consideration.

Here are examples:

tall, huge, big, little, short, enormous, immense, large, gigantic, mini, epic, minute, compact, microscopic, vast, colossal, long

Age

Of course next in the order of adjectives in English is age. This tells how old something may be or even how young.

Here are some examples:

old, young, youthful, elderly, ancient, twenty-year-old, antique, aged

Shape

The shape has to do with the outward appearance

Here are some examples:

circular, round, triangular, square, flat, oval, pointy, irregular

Color

Now this one speaks for itself.

Here are some examples:

red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange

Origin

Origin has to do with where something comes from, and where it originated.

Here are some examples:

American, Jamaican, Chinese, Guyanese, Brazilian, German, Mexican

Material

Material really just has to do with an item and what was used to make it.

Here are some examples:

Plastic, polyester, wool, metal, cotton, steel, wood

Purpose

When you hear the word purpose it just means what the item is used for.

Here are some examples:

sleeping (sleeping bag), rocking (rocking chair), running (running shoes), wedding (wedding dress)

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

She had a small, red, wool sweater.

I went to the supermarket and met an amazing, tall, young American boy.

TIPS TO REMEMBER THE ORDER

There are different strategies you can use to remember them, I personally recommend a pseudonym (which is really just a fictitious name) and making a sentence with words starting with the same letters as the adjective order.

Determiner - Don

Opinion - Ordered

Size - Something

Age - After

Shape - Seeing

Color - Chris

Original - Open

Material - Multiple

Purpose - Packages

Don ordered multiple packages after seeing Chris open multiple packages.

This is just an example, you can create your own to help you to remember the order of adjectives in English.

TRY THIS EXERCISE

You can check out this post on Parts of Speech in English.

Also, don't forget the Your Jamaican Dose English Podcast and come say hi on Instagram.