Most people who grow up speaking English put adjectives in the proper order in sentences without giving it much thought. In fact, many of you will probably be surprised to learn that there is a quasi-official proper order. Surprise! (Imagine Squiggly, Aardvark, and Grammar Girl jumping out from behind furniture and throwing confetti.)
Adjectives should go in the following order, with opinion first and purpose last:
These are examples of sentences with the adjectives in the correct order:
Squiggly's crazy, big idea stunned the audience. (opinion, size)
Aardvark threw his old, round, wooden ball at Squiggly. (age, shape, material)
Grammar Girl wanted to swim in the beautiful, small swimming pool. (opinion, size, purpose)
Adjectives should go in the following order, with opinion first and purpose last:
Opinion (ridiculous, crazy, beautiful)
Size (big, small)
Age (old, young)
Shape (round, square)
Color (yellow, blue)
Origin (American, British)
Material (polyester, styrofoam)
Purpose (swimming, as in "swimming pool"; shooting, as in "shooting range")
The first letters of the words spell something that almost sounds like a word: OSASCOMP.Size (big, small)
Age (old, young)
Shape (round, square)
Color (yellow, blue)
Origin (American, British)
Material (polyester, styrofoam)
Purpose (swimming, as in "swimming pool"; shooting, as in "shooting range")
These are examples of sentences with the adjectives in the correct order:
Squiggly's crazy, big idea stunned the audience. (opinion, size)
Aardvark threw his old, round, wooden ball at Squiggly. (age, shape, material)
Grammar Girl wanted to swim in the beautiful, small swimming pool. (opinion, size, purpose)
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