Adjective order
Adapted from [Link]
An adjective is a word that describes, identifies, modifies, or quantifies something (a noun or a pronoun). In the phrase,
"the black cat" the word black is an adjective because it describes the cat.
In English, an adjective usually comes before the noun it pertains to (for example, a red apple or a cute cat.).
Adjectives can be classified into many categories. In English, adjectives are generally used in the order: quantity--
>opinion-->size-->age-->shape-->color-->origin-->material-->purpose. Some of these categories are (roughly in the
order in which adjectives are used in English):
quantity - few, no, one, two, three, four, little, several, many, all, some, every, each, ...
opinion - good, better, best, bad, worse, worst, wonderful, splendid, mediocre, awful, fantastic, pretty, ugly,
clean, dirty, wasteful, difficult, comfortable, uncomfortable, valuable, worthy, worthless, useful, useless,
important, evil, angelic, rare, scarce, poor, rich, lovely, disgusting, amazing, surprising, loathesome, unusual,
usual, pointless, pertinent, ...
personality/emotion - happy, sad, excited, scared, frightened, outgoing, funny, sad, zany, grumpy, cheerful, jolly,
carefree, quick-witted, blissful, lonely, elated, ...
sound - loud, soft, silent, vociferous, screaming, shouting, thunderous, blaring, quiet, noisy, talkative, rowdy,
deafening, faint, muffled, mute, speechless, whispered, hushed, ...
taste - sweet, sour, acidic, bitter, salty, tasty, delicious, savory, delectable, yummy, bland, tasteless, palatable,
yummy, luscious, appetizing, tasteless, spicy, watery, ...
touch - hard, soft, silky, velvety, bumpy, smooth, grainy, coarse, pitted, irregular, scaly, polished, glossy, lumpy,
wiry, scratchy, rough, glassy, ...
size, weight - heavy, light, big, small, little, tiny, tall, short, fat, thin, slender, willowy, lean, svelte, scrawny,
skeletal, underweight, lanky, wide, enormous, huge, vast, great, gigantic, monstrous, mountainous, jumbo, wee,
dense, weighty, slim, trim, hulking, hefty, giant, plump, tubby, obese, portly, ...
smell - perfumed, acrid, putrid, burnt, smelly, reeking, noxious, pungent, aromatic, fragrant, scented, musty,
sweet-smelling,...
speed - quick, fast, slow, speeding, rushing, bustling, rapid, snappy, whirlwind, swift, hasty, prompt, brief, ...
temperature - hot, cold, freezing, icy, frigid, sweltering, wintry, frosty, frozen, nippy, chilly, sizzling, scalding,
burning, feverish, fiery, steaming, ...
Adjective order
Adapted from [Link]
age - young, old, baby, babyish, teenage, ancient, antique, old-fashioned, youthful, elderly, mature, adolescent,
infantile, bygone, recent, modern, ...
distance - short, long, far, distant, nearby, close, faraway, outlying, remote, far-flung, neighboring, handy, ...
shape - round, circular, square, triangular, oval, sleek, blobby, flat, rotund, globular, spherical, wavy, straight,
cylindrical, oblong, elliptical, zigzag, squiggly, crooked, winding, serpentine, warped, distorted, ...
miscellaneous qualities- full, empty, wet, dry, open, closed , ornate, ...
brightness - light, dark, bright, shadowy, drab, radiant, shining, pale, dull, glowing, shimmering, luminous,
gleaming, ...
color - pink, red, orange, yellowish, dark-green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, brown, tanned, pastel, metallic,
silver, colorless, transparent, translucent, ...
time - early, late, morning, night, evening, everlasting, initial, first, last, overdue, belated, long-term, delayed,
punctual, ...
origin/location - lunar, northern, oceanic, polar, equatorial, Floridian, American, Spanish, Canadian, Mexican,
French, Irish, English, Australian, ...
material - glass, wooden, cloth, concrete, fabric, cotton, plastic, leather, ceramic, china, metal, steel, silicon, ...
purpose - folding, swinging, work, racing, cooking, sleeping, dance, rolling, walking, ...
Using Hyphens for Compound Adjectives
Some adjectives are used as a group to provide a description; if the group of words form a single idea and are used
before the noun, they should be connected by hyphens to make their meaning clear. Common examples of hyphenated
adjectives include black-and-white, 6-foot-tall, 5-years-old, problem-solving, mother-in-law and fight-or-flight. A
wonderful example of hyphenated adjectives is George Orwell's description of being from the lower-upper-middle
class.
