Adjective Order

When you use more than one adjective to describe a noun, the adjectives must go in a certain order to sound natural in English.

What You'll Learn

In this lesson, you will learn how to arrange two or three adjectives in the correct order before a noun.

• Put adjectives in the right order when describing something (e.g., "two big red balls")
• Know which types of adjectives come first and which come last
• Spot when adjectives are in the wrong order

When to Use

1. Describing with number + adjective: "She has three small kittens at home."
2. Describing with size + colour: "He wore a big yellow raincoat to school."
3. Describing with number + size + colour: "There are two tall green trees in the park."
4. Describing with opinion + colour: "She drew a pretty pink butterfly."

How to Form

The Basic Adjective Order

When you use more than one adjective, follow this order:

Putting It Together

Key Rules

1. Numbers always come first: When you use a number with other adjectives, the number goes at the very front. Say "three big dogs", not "big three dogs".

2. Size comes before colour: Size adjectives go before colour adjectives. Say "a big red bus", not "a red big bus".

3. Opinion comes before size and colour: Words that tell what you think go before words that describe size or colour. Say "a nice big room", not "a big nice room".

4. Do not use commas between different types: When adjectives are different types (size + colour), you do not need a comma. Write "a big red ball", not "a big, red ball".

5. Use commas between the same type: When two adjectives are the same type, use a comma. Write "a kind, gentle teacher" (both are opinion words).

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Number adjectives (always go first)

one, two, three, four, five, many, several, few

Opinion adjectives (go before size and colour)

beautiful, lovely, pretty, nice, ugly, wonderful, cute

Size adjectives (go before colour)

big, small, tiny, tall, short, long, huge, little

Colour adjectives (go near the noun)

red, blue, green, yellow, brown, white, black, orange, pink

Tip: Remember the order by thinking "How many? What do I think? How big? What colour?" -- numbers first, then opinions, then size, then colour!

Practice Tips

1. Ask the four questions: Before writing your adjectives, ask: How many? What do I think? How big? What colour? Then write them in that order.
2. Say it out loud: If the order sounds strange when you read it aloud, the adjectives are probably in the wrong order. "A red big ball" sounds odd, but "a big red ball" sounds right.
3. Check for numbers: If there is a number, make sure it is the very first adjective. Numbers always lead.
4. Swap test: Try swapping two adjectives. If it sounds worse after swapping, your original order was correct.

Quick Reference

Common Combinations