Adjectives describe nouns. Often, writers use only one adjective to describe a noun either by placing the adjective in front of the noun or by using a stative verb and placing the adjective at the end of the sentence. Such as: He's an interesting person. OR Jane is very tired. In other cases, more than one adjective might be used. Sometimes, three or even more adjectives are used! In this case, the adjectives need to follow a pattern based on the category type of the adjective.
For example,
He's an excellent, older, Italian teacher.
I bought a huge, round, wooden table.
Sometimes, more than one adjective is used to describe a noun. In this case, English speakers use a specific adjective order when placing each adjective. Each adjective is separated by a comma. For example:
He drives a big, expensive, German car.
Her employer is an interesting, old, Dutch man.
continue reading below our video
Quick Tip: What is an Adjective?
When using more than one adjective to describe a noun place the adjectives in the following order before the noun.
NOTE: We usually use no more than three adjectives preceding a noun.
- Opinion
Example: an interesting book, a boring lecture
- Dimension
Example: a big apple, a thin wallet
- Age
Example: a new car, a modern building, an ancient ruin
- Shape
Example: a square box, an oval mask, a round ball
- Color
Example: a pink hat, a blue book, a black coat
- Origin
Example: some Italian shoes, a Canadian town, an American car
- Material
Example: a wooden box, a woolen sweater, a plastic toy
Here are some examples of nouns modified with three adjectives in the correct order based on the list above. Notice that the adjectives are not separated by commas.
- A wonderful old Italian clock. (opinion - age - origin)
- A big square blue box. (dimension - shape - color)
- A disgusting pink plastic ornament. (opinion - color - material)
- Some slim new French trousers. (dimension - age - origin)
Check your understanding of adjective placement with the following quiz on the next page.
