{"id":38,"date":"2022-04-04T13:24:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T13:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wordvice.com\/?p=38"},"modified":"2025-03-31T07:45:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T07:45:34","slug":"how-to-order-adjectives-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordvice.com\/blog\/how-to-order-adjectives-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Adjective Order Rules in English"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adjectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adjectives are words that modify nouns. They give more information about people, animals, places, and things. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The large<\/span> man sitting beside me called for the flight attendant. The flight attendant was very <\/span>attentive<\/span> and <\/span>polite<\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

 Using adjectives is a powerful tool that makes your writing more vivid and descriptive. For example, compare the two sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The birds flew out of the window and into the sky.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

vs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The little black<\/span> birds flew out the window and into the bright blue<\/span> sky.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The second sentence gives more information, and therefore paints a more detailed scene in your mind when you read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules for Ordering Adjectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you use multiple adjectives, make sure you write them in the correct order as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Quantity<\/strong> (how many of it): Few, several, many, five, 100, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Opinion<\/strong> (the value of the noun): Exquisite, charming, ugly, difficult, easy, friendly, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Size<\/strong>: Big, small, short, tall, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Condition\/ State<\/strong>: Dry, wet, hungry, shiny, cracked, slippery, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Age<\/strong>:  Young, old, 10-year-old, new, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Shape<\/strong>: Round, obtuse, square, triangular, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Color<\/strong>: Red, blue, green, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Pattern <\/strong>(the pattern or design it was made with): Checkered, spotted, plaid, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Origin<\/strong> (where it is from): American, African, Asian, European, Martian, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Material<\/strong> (what it is made of): Glass, wood, plastic, concrete, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Purpose or Qualifier<\/strong> (what it is used for): Shopping, training, walking, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Using Commas and Conjunctions to Join Adjectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    With two or more adjectives from the same category, commas, and conjunctions like “and”  should be used between interchangeable words. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    The man in the red and yellow<\/span> shirt was waiting outside the door.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She was a lively and carefree<\/span> person.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There was a cold, hungry<\/span> look in his eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Note that the use of the comma between equivalent adjectives could also be removed, but it would change the meaning. For instance, let’s look at the last example above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    There was a cold, hungry look in his eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    With the comma, we mean: He had a cold look in his eyes, and he had a hungry look in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Without the comma, we mean: He had a hungry look that was cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, as is often the case with English grammar rules, be wary of when you use commas!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you are unsure about which adjectives to use, try using a sentence checker<\/a> to receive suggestions for improvement. If you want to ensure that your adjectives are used correctly and that your sentences flow naturally, use Wordvice\u2019s professional English proofreading and editing service<\/a> to make sure your final work is free of grammar and punctuation errors and clearly expresses your ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Adjectives Adjectives are words that modify nouns. They give more information about people, animals, places, and things. For example: The large man sitting beside me called for the flight attendant. The flight attendant was very attentive and polite.  Using adjectives is a powerful tool that makes your writing more vivid and descriptive. For example, compare the two sentences: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":42,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[11,12,13,14,15,6],"class_list":["post-38","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","category-academic-writing-resources","tag-adjective","tag-descriptive-writing","tag-editing","tag-grammar","tag-proofreading","tag-writing-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nAdjective Order Rules in English - Wordvice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to order adjectives in English. 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