Adjective Order

Adjective Order

1. Coordinate & Non-coordinate adjectives

   • If you have two or more adjectives in a sentence, there's a simple way to tell whether they're coordinate adjectives. Simply place the word AND between them.
     • If the sentence still makes sense, the adjectives are coordinate adjectives.
       • I shared my ice cream with my cute AND baby sister.
     • If the sentence does not make sense, the adjectives are non-coordinate adjectives.
       • I shared my ice cream with my cute baby sister.
   • Coordinate adjectives are adjectives that go together. You can arrange them in any order and they still make sense.
     • He was a happy, friendly child.
     • He was a friendly, happy child.

2. The order of adjectives

   • We usually put a general opinion in front of a specific opinion:
     • Nice tasty soup
     • a silly old man
     • those horrible yellow curtains
   • We usually put an opinion adjective in front of a descriptive adjective:
     • A nice red dress
     • A nasty uncomfortable armchair
     • A lovely intelligent animal