39247 order of adjectives

How
much/m
any?

What’
s it
like?

How
big?

What
shape?

How
old?

What
colou
r?

What
’s the
patte
rn?

Wher
e’s it
from
?

Wha
t’s it
mad
e
of?

Wha
t is
it?

a/an

little

square

old

scarf

round

new

three

ugly

oval

mod
ern

some

clean

rectang
ular

antiq
ue

dark
blue

flower
ed

Germ
an

leath
er

car

a few

dirty

mediu
msize
avera
gesized
large

Frenc
h
Englis
h
Japan
ese

silk

small

pale
red
light
yellow
bright
green

check

one

beautif

ul
nice

pointed

brown

spotte Italian
d

gold

hous
e

several

cheap

big

triangul
ar

19th
cent
ury
1930
s

box

a lot of

expens
ive

meta
l
pape
r

black
white

stripe
d
plain

Roma
n
Parisi
an

cotto blous
n
e
wood desk
en

Exercise 1
Example:

A big, red, leather suitcase.

Put the three adjectives in the correct order before the noun.
1.

book - interesting – small – Spanish
……………………………………………

2.

picture - modern - ugly - rectangular
……………………………………………

3.

opinion - old - boring - American
……………………………………………


4.

apple - ripe - green - delicious ……………………………………………

5.

suit - woollen - large - black ……………………………………………

6.

house - beautiful - modern - small
……………………………………………

7.

car - German - expensive - modern
……………………………………………

8.

cap - cotton - funny - green ……………………………………………
Exercise 2 - Add these adjectives to the following
sentences:
The bear frightened the campers. (ferocious, big, black)
1. _____________________________________________________
Seamus came from a town. (quiet, peaceful, Canadian)
2. _____________________________________________________
My father was a Norwegian. (tall, honest, skinny)
3. _____________________________________________________
Geoff arrived in a pair of shoes. (running, ugly, old)
4. _____________________________________________________
Ruth was holding a baby. (chubby, new-born, pink)
5. _____________________________________________________
Steve hated the buildings in the city. (glass, enormous,
soulless)


6. _____________________________________________________

Vincent loves his gloves. (lovely, woollen, warm)
7. _____________________________________________________
My mother was proud of her floor. (linoleum, clean, beautiful)
8. _____________________________________________________

KEY

Exercise 1
1. An interesting small Spanish book.
2. An ugly modern rectangular picture.
3. An old boring American opinion.
4. A delicious green ripe apple.
5. A large black woollen suit.
6. A beautiful small modern house.
7. An expensive modern German car.
8. A funny green cotton cap.
Exercise 2


1. The big black ferocious bear.
2. Quiet peaceful Canadian town.
3. a tall skinny honest Norwegian
4. old ugly running shoes
5. chubby pink new-born baby.
6. enormous soulless glass buildings
7. lovely warm woollen gloves.
8. beautiful clean linoleum floor