Order of Adjectives
The order of adjectives in English is determiner, quantity, opinion,
size, physical quality, shape, age, color/colour, origin, material, type,
and purpose. There is a table below with lots of examples.
However, before we can talk about the order of adjectives in English,
we need to understand the difference between cumulative adjectives
and coordinate adjectives. The order of adjectives only applies to
cumulative adjectives. So, you cannot skip this part.
Cumulative Adjectives. Cumulative adjectives work together to
modify their noun. They cumulate (or combine together) as they get
nearer to the noun to create a more specific meaning. Cumulative
adjectives must appear in a specific order, and they cannot be
separated by commas or the word "and." Look at these examples:
a handmade mixing bowl
 those unsold goalkeeper gloves
 my first yellow taxi cab
As the order of these adjectives cannot be changed, they are
cumulative adjectives. As such, they cannot be separated by commas
or the word "and." Let's test this idea.


a mixing handmade bowl
(Changing the order stops the adjectives cumulating their
meaning as they get nearer to "bowl." That's why changing the
order sounds wrong.)

those unsold and goalkeeper gloves
(Adding "and" interrupts the adjectives cumulating their
meaning as they get nearer to "gloves." That's why adding
"and" sounds wrong.)

my first, yellow, taxi cab
(Using a "comma" interrupts the adjectives cumulating their
meaning as they get nearer to "cab." That's why adding
commas is wrong. However, these words still sound okay.
Therefore, to improve this test, instead of inserting a comma,
insert "and." If your phrase sounds awful, the commas are
wrong.)
Remember that cumulative adjectives cumulate as they get nearer the
noun. They demand a certain order, and they won't tolerate any
interruptions with commas or conjunctions (e.g., "and," "or," "but").
The Order of Cumulative Adjectives in English
Notice that this page started with the title "Order of Adjectives," but now we
have the title "The Order of Cumulative Adjectives." We've refined the title
because only cumulative adjectives demand this order:
Placement
Type of Adjective
Examples
1
 Article,
 Demonstrative
Determiner, or
 Possessive Determiner
 a, an, the
 this, that, those, these
 my, your, his, our
2
Quantity
one, three, ninety-nine
3
Opinion or Observation
beautiful, clever, witty, wellmannered
4
Size
big, medium-sized, small
5
Physical Quality
thin, lumpy, cluttered
6
Shape
square, round, long
7
Age
young, middle-aged, old
8
Colour/Color
red, blue, purple
9
Origin or Religion
French, Buddhist
10
Material
metal, leather, wooden
11
Type
L-shaped, two-sided, allpurpose
12
 Purpose, or
 Attributive Noun
 mixing, drinking, cooking
 service, football, head
Coordinate Adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are also multiple
adjectives that modify the same noun, but, with coordinate adjectives,
their order is far less important because they can be used individually
with the noun. In other words, they do not cumulate their meaning with
other adjectives. Also, coordinate adjectives should be separated with
commas or "and" to make it clear they're not cumulative adjectives.
 white, lumpy spots
 white and lumpy spots
 lumpy, white spots
 lumpy and white spots
(These are coordinate adjectives because they can be
reversed or separated with a comma or "and.")
The word "coordinate" means "equal in rank." Coordinate adjectives
can only come from the Placements 3-11 in the above table, but their
order isn't important. Often, they will come from the same category.
When this happens, it is normal to use "and" between them. For
example:
 sweet, black and yellow, sticky toffees
Be Careful with Recognized Things
Be careful with the precedence list. Sometimes, an adjective and a
noun are inseparable because they belong together as a single
semantic unit (i.e., a recognized thing). For example:

my wooden Spanish guitar
(As a "Spanish guitar" is a recognized thing, "Spanish" doesn't
take its place according to the precedence list. It cannot be
separated from "guitar.")

my Spanish wooden guitar
(This is also correct, but it's different. These are cumulative
adjectives taking their order according to the precedence list.
This could be a bass guitar made in Spain.)
Here are some more examples:



He was a deluded fat cat in City of London.
The rock ripped his expensive wet suit.
The gamble was a long shot.
(It doesn't matter what adjectives accompany these terms
(called compound nouns), the shaded words must always be
together. This is why purpose is the last category in the order
of adjectives. When you add an adjective like "mixing" to
"bowl," you create a recognized thing, "mixing bowl.")
Let Your Instinct Guide You
Rather bizarrely, native English speakers can order their adjectives
correctly without ever being taught this precedence list (or even being
aware that adjectives are meant to follow an established order). So, if
you're a native English speaker, you should let your instinct guide you.
Trust me. You know this list well enough, even if you don't know you
do.
Other Versions of This List
The list of precedence given on this page is not universally agreed,
but all versions are pretty similar. More specifically, you might find
other references that give physical quality, shape, and age in a
different order.
For example:
1. I love that really big old green antique car that always parked at the end
of the street.
2. My sister adopted a beautiful big white bulldog.
When there are two or more adjectives that are from the same group, the
word and is placed between the two adjectives:
1. The house is green and red.
2. The library has old and new books.
When there are three or more adjectives from the same adjective group,
place a comma between each of the coordinate adjectives:
1. We live in the big green, white and red house at the end of the street.
2. My friend lost a red, black and white watch.
A comma is not placed between an adjective and the noun.
Order of adjectives – examples
More examples:
1. I love that beautiful old big green antique car that always parked at the
end of the street. [quality – age – size – color – proper adjective]
2. My sister has a big beautiful tan and white bulldog. [size – quality – color
– color]
3. A wonderful old Italian clock. [opinion – age – origin]
4. A big square blue box. [dimension – shape – color]
5. A disgusting pink plastic ornament. [opinion – color – material]
6. Some slim new French trousers. [dimension – age – origin]
7. An amazing new American movie. [opinion – age – origin]
8. I bought a pair of black leather shoes. [color – material]
Order of adjectives exercises
1. Choose the best answer for each sentence.
A. The house is __________________.
o
large and white
o
white and large
o
large white
B. They live in a __________________ house.
o
large and white
o
white and large
o
large white
Answers: A – large and white B – large white
2. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. We took a ride on a blue, old Chinese bus.
B. We took a ride on a Chinese, old, blue bus.
C. We took a ride on an old, blue Chinese bus.
Answer: C
3. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. I’d like three good reasons why you don’t like spinach.
B. I’d like a good three reasons why you don’t like spinach.
C. I’d like good reasons three why you don’t like spinach.
Answer: A
4. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. I like that really big red old antique tractor in the museum.
B. I like that really big old red antique tractor in the museum.
C. I like that old, red, really big antique tractor in the museum.
Answer: B
5. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. My brother rode a beautiful big black Friesian horse in the parade.
B. My brother rode a beautiful Friesian big black horse in the parade.
C. My brother rode a big, black, beautiful Friesian horse in the parade.
Answer: A
6. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of
adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. My grandmother lives in the ________________________ house on the
corner
o
little blue, green and white
o
little blue and green and white
o
little, blue, green, and white
B. The store carries an assortment of _____________________ objects.
o
interesting new, old and antique
o
new, old, interesting and antique
o
interesting, old and new and antique
C. We went for a two-week cruise on a __________________________
ocean liner.
o
incredible brand-new, huge Italian
o
incredible, huge, brand-new Italian
o
Italian incredible, brand-new, huge
Answers: A – little blue, green and white B – interesting new, old and
antique C – incredible, huge, brand-new Italian
7. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of
adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. I bought a pair of _________________ boots.
o
new, nice, red rain
o
nice new red rain
o
red nice new rain
B. My dad was thrilled with his gift of ______________________ bowties for
his clown act.
o
three squirting new nice big polka-dotted
o
three polka-dotted nice new squirting
o
three nice big new polka-dotted squirting
C. Please put the marbles into that ______________________ box.
o
round little old red
o
little old round red
o
little old red round
Answers: A – nice new red rain B – three nice big new polka-dotted
squirting C – little old round red
8. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of
adjectives to fill in the blank:
A. I was surprised to receive a __________________ puppy for my birthday.
o
little, cute, eight-week-old golden retriever
o
cute eight-week-old little golden retriever
o
cute little eight-week-old golden retriever
B. Our work uniform consists of black pants, black shoes, and a
________________ shirt.
o
yellow baggy big polo
o
big baggy yellow polo
o
baggy yellow big polo
C. I’ve been spending a lot of time in antique shops looking for the perfect
_______________ clock.
o
little silver Italian cuckoo
o
little Italian silver cuckoo
o
silver little Italian cuckoo
Answers: A – cute little eight-week-old golden retriever B – big baggy
yellow polo C – little silver Italian cuckoo
9. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black and white stripes.
B. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black with white stripes.
C. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black, white stripes.
Answer: A
10. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
A. During my college years, I wore a red, white and black big hat to sporting
events.
B. During my college years, I wore a big red, white and black hat to sporting
events.
C. During my college years, I wore a big red white and black, hat to sporting
events.
Answer: B