Order Of Adjectives
Adjectives usually go before nouns. In this case, they are used attributively.
- He was a brave soldier. (Here the adjective brave goes before the noun soldier.)
- It was a terrible experience. (Here the adjective terrible goes before the noun experience.)
- That young woman is a scientist. (Here the adjective young goes before the noun woman.)
Adjectives can also go after be and other copular verbs.
- She looks beautiful. (Here the adjective beautiful goes after the copular verb looks.)
- I was happy. (Here the adjective happy goes after the verb be (was))
Sometimes we use several different adjectives to modify a noun. In this case, they have to be put in a specific order. It is not possible to give the exact rules; however, here are some guidelines.
Adjectives of colour usually go before adjectives indicating origin.
- Red Persian carpets
- Black American month
- White marble statue
- Brown leather travel bag
Adjectives indicating size, length and height usually go before every other adjective.
- A tall dark woman
- A small red plastic bottle
Numbers
Numbers usually go before other adjectives.
- We need ten large tables.
- Five young girls were selected for the program.
Commas
When several adjectives go before nouns, we usually separate them with commas especially if the sequence is long. We do not use commas to separate short adjectives before nouns.
