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Commas between Adjectives: How to Recognize Coordinate
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Nancy Tuten
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14 February 2021
Commas between Adjectives: How to Recognize Coordinate Adjectives
The comma is perhaps the trickiest mark of punctuation to teach and to learn,
largely because we seem to have multiple exceptions for every rule.
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Elsewhere on this site we have written about the Oxford (serial) comma, a
usage issue hotly debated in both linguistic and legal circles. We have also
addressed the use of a comma before and when that conjunction (among
others) joins independent clauses.
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Another comma question that arises frequently is whether we need a comma
between two (or more) adjectives modifying the same noun.
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1. We were prepared for a long, tedious, planning session.
2. Allen owns several blue, wool sweaters.
3. In order to get home, we must travel two narrow, winding, treacherous
roads.
Only the last sentence is punctuated correctly.
What Are Coordinate Adjectives?
The rulebooks tell us to put commas between coordinate adjectives—that is,
adjectives that are equal in meaning—but it is not always easy to tell when
adjectives are coordinate. Apply two simple tests to be sure:
First, place the word and between the two adjectives.
Second, reverse them. If, in both instances, the resulting phrase still
sounds appropriate, we are most likely dealing with coordinate adjectives
and should use a comma between them.
Test the Method
Let’s try those two tests on sentence 1: We could say “a long and tedious
planning session” or “a tedious, long planning session.” Thus, we need the
comma between the words long and tedious. However, we could not say “a
tedious and planning session,” nor could we say “a planning, tedious session.”
Thus, we should not use a comma between the words tedious and planning.
Columbia Guide To Standard
American English
In sentence 2, we do not need a comma between the words blue and wool
because the two adjectives are not coordinate. It would sound illogical to say
“blue and wool sweaters” or “wool blue sweaters.”
The adjectives in sentence three—narrow, winding, and treacherous—are
coordinate with one another, so the commas are appropriate. The word and
would sound fine between those words (“the narrow and winding roads” or
“the winding and treacherous roads”), and we could easily rearrange the
three modifiers in any order.
Categories
Coordinate vs. Cumulative Adjectives
Native English speakers know intuitively that certain types of adjectives need
to appear in a particular order. These adjectives are not coordinate but
cumulative. While we sometimes make exceptions (surprise!), the order is
typically quantity, opinion, size, age, color, shape, origin, material, and
purpose.
Clarity and Precision Grammar Mechanics
Miscellany Modifiers
Nouns, Pronouns, and Verbs Other Topics
Punctuation Titles Word Usage Writing
Notice the order of the adjectives in the following sentence: “Henry baked
two large chocolate birthday cakes.” Those of us who have heard and spoken
English all our lives (or at least for a long time) know intuitively not to write or
say “. . . birthday chocolate large two cakes,” though we would be hardpressed to explain why not.
The order of cumulative adjectives is something we have internalized; it is
part of the subconscious grammar that native speakers learn at a very early
age but that second (and other) language learners can find frustrating and
arbitrary. (Voice of America has an excellent article on cumulative adjectives
here.)
It stands to reason that if the adjectives need to be in a certain order, then
typically they cannot be flipped; likewise, the word and would sound
inappropriate between them.
One Final Point
Remember, of course, that we never use a comma in front of the noun or
pronoun being modified or between adverbs and the adjectives they modify.
TEST YOURSELF: Which sentences need commas between coordinate
adjectives?
1. In the attic we found old thin paper cutouts we used to play with when we
were children.
2. The poster depicted a brown-haired blue-eyed child wearing a red denim
shirt.
3. For breakfast we ate two oversized blueberry muffins.
4. We bought two dozen boxes of mouth-watering peanut butter Girl Scout
cookies.
ANSWERS
1. In the attic we found old, thin paper cutouts we used to play with when we
were children. [Note: if the cutouts were made from thin paper, we could
employ a hyphen for greater clarity and would need no comma: “old thinpaper cutouts.” Note also the use of hyphens in sentences two and four.
For more on the use of the hyphen, see our article on hyphenated
adjectives.]
2. The poster depicted a brown-haired, blue-eyed child wearing a red denim
shirt.
3. For breakfast we ate two oversized blueberry muffins. [no commas]
4. We bought two dozen boxes of mouth-watering peanut butter Girl Scout
cookies. [no commas]
©2001 Get It Write. Revised 2021
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For nearly three decades, Dr. Nancy Tuten has
taught seminars on writing-related issues to
professionals in the public and private sectors,
including federal and state government employees,
judges and staff members of state and federal
court systems, private attorneys, law school faculty
and students, and employees in the financial sector.
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