Order of Adjectives In English: Meaning, Use of Commas, Chart

When we use more than one adjective to describe a noun, they need to follow a specific order to sound natural. This is known as the Order of Adjectives in English. Native speakers follow this order without even thinking, but for learners, it can be confusing. Understanding the correct placement of adjectives is important for clear and correct communication. In this blog, we will explore the Order of Adjectives in English, how to use commas, and share a helpful adjective order chart.

What is the Correct Order of Adjectives? 

When we describe something using multiple adjectives, we usually follow this order to easily and quickly understand the order of adjectives in English:

1. Quality of Opinion: This tells us what you think about something. It is your opinion or judgment.(e.g., beautiful, ugly, amazing)

            Sentence Examples: a beautiful dress, an amazing movie

2. Quantity or Number, and Size: This tells us how many things there are or how big or small something is. (eg, one, two, many, several, few) Size examples: big, small, huge, tiny, tall, short
   Example sentence: two big dogs, a small house
3. Age: This tells us how old something is. (eg, new, old, young, ancient, modern)

Example sentence: an old book, a young girl

4. Shape: This tells us the form or shape of something. ( eg, round, square, flat, long, short, narrow)

Example sentence: a round table, a long road

5. Color: This tells us what color something is. ( eg, red, blue, green, black, yellow, dark, light)

Example sentence: a blue shirt, a dark night

6. Origin: This tells us where something comes from – the country, city, or region. (eg, French, Indian, Chinese, American, African) 

Example sentence: an Indian curry, a French perfume

7. Material: This tells us what something is made of. ( eg, wooden, metal, cotton, silk, plastic, leather)

Example sentence: a wooden chair, a leather bag

8. Purpose: This tells us what the object is used for. These adjectives often come from verbs (with -ing). ( eg, running (shoes), sleeping (bag), cooking (pot), writing (desk)

Example sentence: a sleeping bag, a cooking pot

A simple way to remember this order is: OSASCOMP (Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose).

Examples For Order of Adjectives 

• A beautiful big old round wooden table.
• A tiny new black Italian leather bag.
• An elegant long silk evening dress. 

Now, let us compare some incorrect examples:

• A round old big beautiful wooden table. 
• A leather black tiny Italian new bag. 
• An evening elegant silk long dress. 

Note: Even though the incorrect sentences may still be understandable, they do not sound natural.

Also Read: All Types of Adjective Worksheet: Download Free PDF

Order of Adjectives Chart

Here’s a quick reference chart to help you remember the correct order:

Order	Type of Adjective	Examples	Question Answered
1	Opinion	beautiful, ugly, nice, boring	What do I think about it?
2	Size	big, small, tall, tiny	How big/small is it?
3	Age	old, young, new, ancient	How old is it?
4	Shape	round, square, flat, narrow	What shape is it?
5	Color	red, blue, green, yellow	What color is it?
6	Origin	Indian, American, Chinese, French	Where is it from?
7	Material	wooden, plastic, metal, cotton	What is it made of?
8	Purpose / Qualifier	sleeping (bag), running (shoes)	What is it used for?
9	Noun	bag, car, dress, shoes

Why do Adjectives Need to be in this Order?

Adjectives follow this order in English because it sounds natural to native speakers. This order helps people understand what is most important about the object being described.

Imagine if you said: ‘A leather Italian red small nice bag’ — it sounds confusing!

But if you say: ‘A nice small red Italian leather bag’ — it sounds smooth and correct.

Using the standard order of adjectives in English helps your sentence flow better and makes your meaning clearer.

Also Read: 99+ Examples of Sentences Using Adjectives

How does Sentence Position Affect Adjective Order?

To understand the order of adjectives in English, it is essential to know the placement of adjectives in a sentence with respect to nouns and verbs. Let us understand this with an example:

• Usually, adjectives come before the noun they describe.

For example: ‘It was a loud, crowded concert.’

            Here, ‘loud’ and ‘crowded’ describe the noun ‘concert.’

• But sometimes, adjectives come after a verb (like is, are, was, were).

For example: ‘The concert was loud and crowded.’

            In this case, the adjectives come after the verb (was), not before the noun.
            

            Thus, both versions are correct:

‘A loud, crowded concert.’

‘The concert was loud and crowded.’

Using Commas with Adjectives

You only use commas between adjectives if the adjectives belong to the same category (usually for opinion or size). These are called coordinate adjectives.

• Use a comma: She wore a long, elegant dress. (two opinions – same type)
• Don’t use a comma: He bought a small wooden table. (‘small’ = size, ‘wooden’ = material → different types)

Position of Commas in a Sentence Affecting Adjective Order

When adjectives come before the noun, you follow the normal comma rules: ‘It was a loud, crowded room.’ (comma between two adjectives from the same group)

But when adjectives come after a verb, the comma rules are different: ‘The room was loud and crowded.’ (no comma needed—just use ‘and’)

What if there are 3 or more adjectives?

If there are 3 or more adjectives in a sentence, the position of the comma depends on whether you use the Oxford comma (also called the serial comma).

• If you don’t use the Oxford comma:

Example: ‘The house was cramped, drafty and modern.’

• If you do use the Oxford comma:

Example: ‘The house was cramped, drafty, and modern.’

Both are correct! Just choose one style and stick with it.

Also Read: What are Proper Adjectives and How to Use Them?

Order of Adjectives Exercise with Answers

Rearrange the adjectives in the correct order to test your understanding of order of adjectives in English:

1. A (delicious, large, round, chocolate) cake.
2. A (beautiful, antique, golden, small) necklace.
3. A (comfortable, red, modern, leather) chair.
4. A (tiny, green, wooden, handcrafted) box.
5. A (shiny, fast, American, black) motorcycle.
6. A (wooden, big, beautiful, round, old) table.
7. A (metal, small, black, stylish) watch.
8. A (silk, long, elegant, red) dress.
9. A (new, fast, Japanese, sports) car.
10. A (French, small, tasty, fresh) croissant.

Correct Answers:

1. A delicious large round chocolate cake.
2. A beautiful small antique golden necklace.
3. A comfortable modern red leather chair.
4. A tiny handcrafted green wooden box.
5. A shiny fast black American motorcycle.
6. A beautiful big old round wooden table.
7. A stylish small black metal watch.
8. A elegant long red silk dress.
9. A fast new Japanese sports car.
10. A tasty fresh small French croissant.

Solve: Order of Adjectives Exercise

FAQs 

Check out other Adjective topics here:

What are Limiting Adjectives?	What is Numerical Adjective?
What are Comparative Adjectives?	What are Interrogative Adjectives?
What are Predicate Adjectives?	What are Compound Adjectives?
What are Article Adjectives?	What are Superlative Adjectives?

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