![]() ![]() We said before that the full rule for adjective order is quite complicated. In each case, the adjective with a more general meaning goes first, and the adjective with a more specific meaning goes second. I need to buy a really warm woolly hat.Īgain, we use two adjectives with each noun.We bought a new leather sofa for the living room.I love these old black-and-white films.If something is green, that’s quite a specific idea. On the other hand, adjectives like green, French or striped are more specific. So, we say a long, wooden table, not a wooden, long table.Ĭan you think of other adjectives which have a general meaning?Īdjectives like old, hot or small all have a general meaning, because they can be used with different meanings, to describe many different things. Generally, something can only be wooden if it is actually made of wood. Something can be physically long, a story can be long, you can have a long day, and so on. Many things can be long, in many different ways. ![]() Adjectives which have a general meaning go before adjectives which have a specific meaning.įor example, if you say a long, wooden table, the adjective long is more general.Here’s another simple rule from Oxford Online English which works well if you don’t know the correct word order: Rule Two: General Ideas Go Before Specific Ideas In all of these sentences, we use two adjectives before a noun, and you can see that the adjective of opinion goes first, and the adjective of fact goes second. She has an interesting new perspective on the economic situation.Why are you wearing those ugly purple trousers?.We had some delicious Korean food with some friends.They live in a beautiful old house on the edge of the city.Take a few seconds and try to think of some other adjectives which describe opinions and facts. Just because you describe something as delicious, it doesn’t mean that everyone will agree with you.Īdjectives like big, new, green or silk describe facts. Adjectives which describe an opinion go before adjectives which describe a fact.įor example, adjectives like nice, beautiful, useful or delicious describe opinions.However, there’s a simple rule which is very helpful: The full rules for adjective order, which you’ll see in a minute, are complicated, and not very practical to use. Rule One: Opinions Go First, Facts Go Second Let’s start with a simple rule which you can use: 1. If you want your English to sound natural, you need to use adjectives order in English correctly. It’s not a big mistake however, it is very noticeable when someone makes this mistake. Of course, your meaning will still be clear if you put the adjectives in the wrong order. When we use several adjectives before a noun, the adjectives have to go in a particular order. There is only one correct possibility, and it’s the second one: Strong black Italian coffee.ĭo you know why this is the right answer? Is there only one possibility, or can we choose what word order we use? Which word order sounds better to you? You want to use the words coffee, Italian, strong and black together. Let’s go back to the example I was having so many problems with. ![]()
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