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First, let me ask you this, which of these has the CORRECT adjective order?
- old, worn-out, undignified carpets
- worn-out, undignified, old carpets
- undignified, old, worn-out carpets
We’ ll come to this later.
Now, when we use two or more adjectives together to describe a noun, the order we put them in is called adjective order and it is important.
Let’s look at a dialogue.
Nikki: Joe! Come and sit on this sofa!
Joe: It's really uncomfortable.
Nikki: I know... but I've always wanted a big, old, leather sofa. My grandparents had one when I was little.
Joe: That's not a good reason to buy a horrible sofa! The one with the stripy blue cotton cushions looks a lot nicer.
Ok, so in this sofa example, first its size - so big, then age - old, and then material - leather. A big, old, leather sofa. And if you also want to describe its color, the color goes between age and material type. So we can say: a big, old, red, leather sofa.
Now, you may find it difficult to remember the adjective order, there is a good tip which is: the adjective with the meaning most closely related to the noun goes nearest to it.
And in our example, the material type - leather - is most closely connected to the noun. Big, old and red are more general. So: big, old, red, leather sofa. Ok, let’s move on to the Blue stripy cotton cushions. So cooler - blue, quality - stripy, and material type -cotton. Blue stripy cotton cushions.
Now, do you have the answer for the question in the beginning? So, we should say they are undignified, old, worn-out carpets. This is because the adjective order is opinion first, then age and then quality.
Vocabulary points to take away
Adjective order can be tricky, so it's useful to note down some examples. Writing adjectives before a noun, separated by categories, can be a good way to help you to remember the order. Here are some examples:
Size - age - color - material:
A big old red leather sofa
Opinion - color - material:
Some lovely pink and white silk curtains
Size - age - quality:
A big old smelly dog
OK, that’s for today. If you want to learn more English expressions that include animals, please give my class a try. I am very looking froward to seeing you!
See ya~
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