Adjective order chart
Read the chart from left to right in a sentence. Grammar books differ slightly in where they put size, age and shape, but opinion first and purpose last are firm, and the order below is the one most often taught.
| Order | Kind | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opinion | beautiful, useful, boring, delicious |
| 2 | Size | big, tiny, tall, long |
| 3 | Age | old, new, young, ancient |
| 4 | Shape | round, square, flat, narrow |
| 5 | Colour | red, white, dark blue |
| 6 | Origin | Indian, Japanese, Persian, local |
| 7 | Material | wooden, cotton, silk, plastic |
| 8 | Purpose (often a noun or -ing form) | running (shoes), dining (table), sleeping (bag) |
Examples in the right order
Real English rarely uses more than three adjectives before a noun. These show common combinations.
| Noun phrase | Order used |
|---|---|
| a big round table | size, shape |
| a smart new black jacket | opinion, age, colour |
| an old Kashmiri wool shawl | age, origin, material |
| a lovely little Italian restaurant | opinion, size, origin |
| comfortable leather walking boots | opinion, material, purpose |
Commas and and between adjectives
Adjectives from different groups in the chart take no comma: "a big old house".
Adjectives from the same group, usually two opinions, can take a comma: "a warm, friendly teacher". A quick test: if you can put and between them and swap them round, use a comma.
After a linking verb such as be or seem, join the last two adjectives with and: "The house was big and old." Two colours describing one thing also take and: "a red and white flag".
Common mistakes
Wrong: She bought a cotton beautiful saree.
Right: She bought a beautiful cotton saree.
Opinion comes before material.
Wrong: We live in an old big house.
Right: We live in a big old house.
Size comes before age.
Wrong: He drives a red new car.
Right: He drives a new red car.
Age comes before colour.
Wrong: I carry a leather black bag to work.
Right: I carry a black leather bag to work.
Colour comes before material.
Wrong: The weather was cold, wet.
Right: The weather was cold and wet.
After a linking verb, join the last two adjectives with and.
Using this in IELTS and PTE
IELTS Speaking Part 2 often asks you to describe an object, a place or a piece of clothing, where two well-ordered adjectives sound natural: "a small family-run restaurant", "a beautiful old temple". Wrong order is noticeable to a listener even when they can't name the rule. In PTE Describe Image and IELTS writing, keep to two or three adjectives; long stacks sound unnatural in any test.
5 questions
Exercise
Try each one, then open it to check your answer.
1. Put in order: "silk / red / a / scarf"
a red silk scarf
Colour comes before material.
2. Put in order: "Chinese / old / vase / an"
an old Chinese vase
Age comes before origin.
3. Put in order: "wooden / small / a / box"
a small wooden box
Size comes before material.
4. Comma or not? "a kind generous neighbour"
a kind, generous neighbour
Both are opinions, so you can put and between them.
5. Correct this: "They have a German black big dog."
They have a big black German dog.
Size, then colour, then origin.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fixed rule for adjective order?+
There is a strong, regular pattern rather than an absolute law. Native speakers follow it without thinking, and breaking it sounds odd, but books differ on the exact place of size, age and shape.
Why do we say "big bad wolf" if opinion comes first?+
It is a fixed phrase from a children's story. Set expressions and sound patterns can override the usual order, but in normal sentences, follow the chart.
When do I put a comma between adjectives?+
When the adjectives are from the same group and you could join them with and, such as "a long, boring lecture". Don't use a comma when they are from different groups: "a long black coat".
How many adjectives can I put before a noun?+
There is no limit in grammar, but two or three is normal. With more, it is usually clearer to move some after the noun: "a table, old and beautifully carved".
Keep going
More grammar lessons
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