FluencyLab
GrammarHub
Place multiple adjectives in a natural order and separate opinion from more factual description.
Overview
Place multiple adjectives in a natural order and separate opinion from more factual description.
Form and rules
A common order is opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose + noun.
Opinion adjectives usually come before factual/classifying adjectives: a beautiful old house.
Origin and material tend to stay close to the noun: a small Italian leather bag.
Purpose nouns/adjectives are closest to the head noun: a large wooden dining table.
Long strings of adjectives are uncommon in natural speech; choose only the details that matter.
A closer look
Purpose nouns/adjectives are closest to the head noun: a large wooden dining table.
Long strings of adjectives are uncommon in natural speech; choose only the details that matter.
Examples
a beautiful old stone house
a small black Italian car
an expensive new business laptop
a large round wooden table
a comfortable blue cotton shirt
Common mistakes
Opinion normally comes before age and origin.
Size generally comes before color, then material.
Ready to practise?
The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.