NAME:
ESL / EFL RESOURCES The Order of Adjectives
The general order of adjectives before a noun is as follows:
Opinion Size Shape
Age Age
Shape Colour Origin Material Purpose
Attitude/ Size/ Shape/
How old is it? How old
shape/weight/ What colour Where is it What is it What is it
observations height weight/length lengthis it? is it? from? made from? used for?
delicious big square
old old
square red Victorian glass sports
amazing tiny round
new new
round purple Chinese silver cooking
beautiful tall 8-year
long old 8-year-old
long green Spanish wooden hotel
A. Put the adjectives into the correct group.
shopping yellow little rectangular horrible French ancient kitchen nice gold
pretty triangular large young Dutch school silk blue small fat ceramic
curly 19th-century black plastic British lovely writing antique white Arabic
Opinion: ________________________________________________________________
Size: ________________________________________________________________
Shape: ________________________________________________________________
Age: ________________________________________________________________
Colour: ________________________________________________________________
Origin: ________________________________________________________________
Material: ________________________________________________________________
Purpose: ________________________________________________________________
B. Is the adjective order right or wrong?
Right Wrong
1. He was drinking from a lovely, old, ceramic, coffee cup.
2. Can you pass me that big red ball?
3. We travelled in a red, old, Chinese bus.
4. That restaurant has overpriced Japanese food.
5. It's a round, red, small fruit.
6. They live in an enormous old house.
7. I just signed up for a new, wonderful, English class.
8. That black, new, cool car was made in England.
9. She was wearing a beautiful, red, silk dress.
10. The man carried a small, black, old suitcase.
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ADJECTIVE ORDER
ESL / EFL RESOURCES The Order of Adjectives
C. Put the adjectives in the correct order.
1. The box was made of a _________________________ material. (metallic/green/strange)
2. It's a _________________________ brush. (narrow/long/plastic)
3. She was a _________________________ lady. (thin/American/tall/beautiful/young)
4. What an _________________________ vase! (old, Chinese, little, amazing)
5. L
ook at that _________________________ car! (sports, Italian, red, old)
6. I like your _________________________ table. (round, dining, small)
7. I bought a pair of _________________________ shoes. (leather, black)
8. Where did you buy that _________________________ clock? (German, old, wonderful)
9. T
he room contained six _________________________ chairs. (round, small, wooden)
10. I just bought some _________________________ bracelets. (silver, charming, Victorian)
D. Put the words in the correct order.
1. clouds at black look big those!
__________________________________________________________________________
2. small a trip boat beautiful we Japanese on a took sailing.
__________________________________________________________________________
3. blonde girl with pretty long Isabella is the hair.
__________________________________________________________________________
4. the carving the you from get new can steel kitchen knife?
__________________________________________________________________________
5. modern a work office large I in.
__________________________________________________________________________
6. plastic this button round never big press red!
__________________________________________________________________________
7. there students class the are new some in Chinese.
__________________________________________________________________________
8. phone get my you can? table on bedroom in old the wooden the it's square.
__________________________________________________________________________
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