Adjective Order

Exercises

Explanation

1. Adjectives that go only before nouns

Some adjectives are used only before the noun they describe. Examples: northern, eastern, western, countless, occasional, outdoor, indoor, lone

Examples:

• They live in the northern part of the country.

• We enjoy outdoor activities in summer.

• He took an occasional trip abroad.

2. Adjectives that usually come after the verb

Many adjectives ending in -ed are used after the verb be or similar verbs, not before a noun.

Examples: annoyed, bored, pleased, thrilled, finished, ill, glad

Examples:

• I’m bored today.

• She seemed pleased with the result.

• The project isn’t finished yet.

3. Adjectives with -able / -ible

These adjectives can appear before or after a noun.

Examples:

• It was the only available seat.

• It was the only seat available.

• This is the first visible star tonight.

• This is the first star visible tonight.

4. Adjectives after indefinite pronouns

After someone, anyone, something, nothing, the adjective ALWAYS comes after the pronoun.

Examples:

• I met someone interesting at the event.

• She wants to eat something sweet.

• There is nothing important in that box.

5. Using several adjectives together

Usually, English speakers use no more than three adjectives before a noun. When we use many adjectives, they follow this typical order:

1. Quantity (two, some)

2. Opinion (beautiful, nice, awful)

3. Size (small, huge)

4. Quality / Condition (clean, dirty, broken, warm)

5. Age (old, new, modern)

6. Shape (round, square, thin)

7. Colour (blue, red)

8. Origin (French, Asian)

9. Material (wooden, metal, cotton)

10. Purpose (sleeping, cooking — often ending in -ing)

11. Noun

Examples of correct adjective order

• She bought a beautiful small blue Italian leather handbag.

• We want to build a large modern white stone house.

• He lit two lovely tall green scented candles.

• They repaired an old square brown wooden table.

Simple examples with 2–3 adjectives

• a nice warm meal

• a big red apple

• a new black laptop

• a cute little puppy