Adjective order — Explanation

Use B1+ exercises to practice the order of adjectives in English. Use clear explanations and grammar quizzes to learn the right word order.

Adjective Order Exercises

When we use more than one adjective before a noun in English, they usually come in a set order. This is what adjective order means. Using the right order makes your English sound natural and easy to understand.

Why the Order of Adjectives Is Important

People who speak English as a first language don't often think about the order of adjectives, but using it wrong can sound strange.

Incorrect:
a wooden small table

Correct:
a small wooden table

The Basic Order of Adjectives

A common way to remember the order of adjectives is:

Opinion – Size – Age – Shape – Colour – Origin – Material – Purpose – Noun

This order is often remembered with the acronym OSASCOMP.

Adjective Order Examples

Example:
a beautiful small old round white Italian marble table

You don't always need all of the adjectives. Most of the time, only two or three are used.

Common Adjective Categories

• Opinion: nice, beautiful, terrible
• Size: big, small, tall
• Age: old, new, young
• Shape: round, square
• Colour: red, blue, black
• Origin: Italian, Turkish, French
• Material: wooden, metal, plastic
• Purpose: sleeping (bag), cooking (pot)

Adjectives that come after the verb

The rules for adjective order mostly apply to nouns. When you use linking verbs like be, seem, look, and feel, you don't put adjectives in the same order.

Example:
The dress looks beautiful and elegant.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Too many adjectives in one sentence.
• Putting opinion adjectives after factual adjectives.

Incorrect:
a red nice dress

Correct:
a nice red dress

Adjective order helps you put adjectives in the right order before a noun. Keep the usual order in mind and try to use as few adjectives as possible. If you practice often, the order of adjectives will become more natural and automatic in your English.