Have you ever wondered why we say a big red balloon instead of a red big balloon? That’s not just a random choice—there’s a clear pattern behind it. In English, adjectives follow a specific order, and using them correctly can make your speech and writing sound much more natural.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the order of adjectives step by step. We’ll look at each category—like size, color, origin, and more—with clear examples and helpful tips to make it easy to remember. We’ll also go over a few common mistakes and give you some practice to lock it all in.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to describe anything—from a beautiful old wooden chair to an adorable little white puppy—with confidence. Let’s jump in!
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Definition of Adjective Order
- Structural Breakdown: The DOSASCOMP Order
- Types of Adjectives
- Examples of Adjective Order
- Usage Rules and Exceptions
- Common Mistakes in Adjective Order
- Practice Exercises
- Advanced Topics
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Conclusion
Definition of Adjective Order
Adjective order refers to the conventional sequence in which multiple adjectives are placed before a noun in English. English speakers intuitively follow a specific order when using several adjectives to describe something.
This order isn’t arbitrary; it follows a general pattern that, when adhered to, makes your sentences sound more natural and fluent. Deviating from this order can result in sentences that sound awkward or even incorrect to native speakers.
Understanding and applying the rules of adjective order is essential for achieving clarity and precision in your writing and speech.
The primary function of arranging adjectives correctly is to enhance comprehension. By following the standard order, you provide the reader or listener with a structured and predictable flow of information.
This predictability makes it easier for them to process the description and form a clear mental image of the noun being modified. Furthermore, correct adjective order contributes to the overall aesthetic quality of your language, making your writing and speech more polished and professional.
The context in which adjectives are used can sometimes influence their order, although the DOSASCOMP rule (explained below) generally holds true. In creative writing, authors might occasionally deviate from the standard order for stylistic effect, but even these deviations are usually deliberate and carefully considered.
In most everyday situations, following the established order is the best way to ensure clear and effective communication.
Structural Breakdown: The DOSASCOMP Order
The most common mnemonic device for remembering the order of adjectives in English is DOSASCOMP. This acronym represents the following sequence:
- D – Determiner (articles like a, an, the; possessives like my, his; demonstratives like this, that; numbers like one, two)
- O – Opinion (beautiful, ugly, interesting, boring)
- S – Size (big, small, large, tiny)
- A – Age (old, new, young, ancient)
- S – Shape (round, square, oval, triangular)
- C – Color (red, blue, green, yellow)
- O – Origin (American, French, Italian, Chinese)
- M – Material (wood, metal, plastic, cotton)
- P – Purpose (writing, cooking, sleeping)
It’s crucial to remember that you don’t always need to use all these categories of adjectives in a single sentence. The DOSASCOMP order provides a framework for sequencing adjectives when you have multiple ones.
When using only two or three adjectives, you should still follow this order as closely as possible. For example, instead of saying “a metal old box,” you would say “an old metal box.”
The determiner always comes first because it specifies which noun is being referred to. Opinion adjectives are generally placed closest to the noun because they are considered more subjective and closely tied to personal perception.
Descriptive adjectives like size, age, shape, and color follow, providing more objective details about the noun. Finally, classifying adjectives such as origin, material, and purpose are placed furthest from the noun because they classify or categorize the noun.
Types of Adjectives
Understanding the different types of adjectives is essential for applying the DOSASCOMP rule correctly. Each category of adjective provides a specific type of information about the noun it modifies.
Opinion Adjectives
Opinion adjectives express a subjective judgment or personal feeling about the noun. These are often the most variable and context-dependent adjectives.
Examples: beautiful, ugly, delicious, terrible, interesting, boring, lovely, awful, fantastic, wonderful.
Size Adjectives
Size adjectives describe the physical dimensions of the noun. These adjectives provide information about how big or small something is.
Examples: big, small, large, tiny, huge, little, tall, short, wide, narrow.
Age Adjectives
Age adjectives indicate how old or new the noun is. These adjectives specify the noun’s age in relative terms.
Examples: old, new, young, ancient, modern, antique, recent, elderly, youthful, prehistoric.
Shape Adjectives
Shape adjectives describe the physical form or outline of the noun. These adjectives specify the noun’s shape.
Examples: round, square, oval, triangular, rectangular, circular, flat, curved, cylindrical, spherical.
Color Adjectives
Color adjectives specify the color of the noun. These adjectives provide information about the noun’s hue.
Examples: red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, purple, orange, pink, brown.
Origin Adjectives
Origin adjectives indicate the place of origin or nationality of the noun. These adjectives classify the noun based on its source.
Examples: American, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, British, Russian, Indian.
Material Adjectives
Material adjectives describe what the noun is made of. These adjectives specify the noun’s composition.
Examples: wood, metal, plastic, cotton, silk, wool, leather, paper, glass, stone.
Purpose Adjectives
Purpose adjectives describe the function or intended use of the noun. These adjectives classify the noun based on its purpose.
Examples: writing, cooking, sleeping, reading, gardening, sports, dancing, swimming, hiking, fishing.
Examples of Adjective Order
The following tables provide examples of adjectives used in the correct order, following the DOSASCOMP rule. Each table focuses on different combinations of adjective types to illustrate the principles in action.
The table below shows examples combining opinion, size, and age adjectives. Notice how the opinion adjective always comes first, followed by size, and then age.
| Example Sentence | Adjective Order |
|---|---|
| She has a beautiful big old house. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| He drives a terrible small new car. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| They live in a lovely tiny ancient cottage. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| That’s an awful large modern building. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| I saw a fantastic huge old tree. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| It was a wonderful little new cafe. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| She wore a beautiful small antique brooch. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| He found a terrible large recent stain. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| They bought a lovely tiny elderly dog. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| That’s an awful huge youthful cat. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| I read a fantastic little prehistoric book. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| It was a wonderful big modern painting. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| She has a beautiful small ancient vase. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| He drives a terrible large recent truck. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| They live in a lovely tiny elderly apartment. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| That’s an awful huge youthful elephant. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| I saw a fantastic little prehistoric bird. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| It was a wonderful big modern sculpture. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| She wore a beautiful small ancient ring. | Opinion, Size, Age |
| He found a terrible large recent mark. | Opinion, Size, Age |
This table provides examples combining shape, color, origin, and material adjectives. Note the sequence: shape, color, origin, then material.
| Example Sentence | Adjective Order |
|---|---|
| He bought a round red Italian leather bag. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| She has a square blue French silk scarf. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| They found an oval green Chinese paper lantern. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| It was a triangular yellow German wood toy. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| I saw a rectangular black Spanish metal box. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| He admired the circular white American cotton shirt. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| She received a flat purple British glass vase. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| They discovered a curved orange Russian plastic container. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| It was a cylindrical brown Indian stone pot. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| I painted a spherical grey Japanese wool ball. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| He crafted a round pink Canadian leather wallet. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| She designed a square silver Australian silk dress. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| They imported an oval gold Brazilian paper lamp. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| It was a triangular turquoise Mexican wood carving. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| I purchased a rectangular bronze Korean metal frame. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| He owned a circular cream Swedish cotton blanket. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| She displayed a flat ruby Dutch glass sculpture. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| They unearthed a curved beige Swiss plastic bottle. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| It was a cylindrical amber Irish stone pillar. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
| I found a spherical chartreuse Kenyan wool hat. | Shape, Color, Origin, Material |
This table combines opinion, color, purpose, and material adjectives to demonstrate more complex constructions. Notice how opinion leads, followed by color, then purpose, and finally material.
| Example Sentence | Adjective Order |
|---|---|
| She bought a beautiful blue writing wooden desk. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| He uses a terrible green cooking metal pot. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| They have a lovely red sleeping cotton bag. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| It was an awful yellow reading paper book. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| I found a fantastic black gardening plastic tool. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| She created a wonderful white dancing silk dress. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| He needed a beautiful purple swimming leather suit. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| They designed a terrible orange hiking metal pole. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| It was a lovely brown fishing wooden rod. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| I wanted an awful grey writing glass pen. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| She purchased a beautiful pink cooking stone bowl. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| He required a terrible silver sleeping wool blanket. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| They admired a lovely gold reading plastic frame. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| It was an awful turquoise gardening paper bag. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| I appreciated a fantastic bronze dancing metal statue. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| She considered a wonderful cream swimming cotton towel. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| He needed a beautiful ruby hiking leather boot. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| They discovered a terrible chartreuse fishing wooden box. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| It was a lovely amber writing glass table. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
| I enjoyed an awful beige cooking stone plate. | Opinion, Color, Purpose, Material |
Usage Rules and Exceptions
While the DOSASCOMP rule provides a solid foundation, there are nuances and exceptions to consider. Here’s a breakdown of important usage rules:
- Determiners are always first: Articles (a, an, the), possessives (my, your, his), demonstratives (this, that), and numbers (one, two) always precede other adjectives.
- Coordinate adjectives: When adjectives are of equal importance and modify the noun independently, they are separated by commas and are considered coordinate adjectives. These usually fall into the opinion or descriptive categories (size, age, shape, color). For example, “a kind, intelligent man” is correct because “kind” and “intelligent” are both opinions and can be reversed without changing the meaning. However, “a tall, green tree” is correct, but “a green, tall tree” sounds awkward because height and color are generally not considered coordinate.
- Compound adjectives: These are two or more words that act as a single adjective, often hyphenated. They usually come directly before the noun. For example, “a well-known author” or “a blue-eyed child.”
- Emphasis: Sometimes, for emphasis, you might deviate from the standard order, but this should be done sparingly and with careful consideration of how it affects the sentence’s flow and clarity.
- Native speaker intuition: Ultimately, relying on your ear and familiarity with the language is important. If a particular order sounds unnatural, it probably is.
Common Mistakes in Adjective Order
Here are some common mistakes learners make when using multiple adjectives, along with the correct versions:
| Incorrect | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| A metal old box | An old metal box | Age comes before material. |
| A red big ball | A big red ball | Size comes before color. |
| A French beautiful girl | A beautiful French girl | Opinion comes before origin. |
| A cooking new pot | A new cooking pot | Age comes before purpose. |
| The wooden old table | The old wooden table | Age comes before material. |
| A Italian round pizza | A round Italian pizza | Shape comes before origin. |
| A plastic small toy | A small plastic toy | Size comes before material. |
| A sleeping blue bag | A blue sleeping bag | Color comes before purpose. |
| An interesting French new movie | An interesting new French movie | Opinion, Age, Origin |
| A metal big red truck | A big red metal truck | Size, Color, Material |
Practice Exercises
Test your understanding of adjective order with these exercises. Rearrange the adjectives in the correct order to create grammatically correct sentences.
Exercise 1: Basic Adjective Order
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. She has a (red, big) car. | 1. She has a big red car. |
| 2. He found an (old, wooden) box. | 2. He found an old wooden box. |
| 3. They bought a (small, new) house. | 3. They bought a small new house. |
| 4. I saw a (blue, beautiful) bird. | 4. I saw a beautiful blue bird. |
| 5. It was a (French, delicious) meal. | 5. It was a delicious French meal. |
| 6. He wore a (cotton, old) shirt. | 6. He wore an old cotton shirt. |
| 7. She carried a (leather, small) bag. | 7. She carried a small leather bag. |
| 8. They planted a (round, green) tree. | 8. They planted a round green tree. |
| 9. I read a (interesting, new) book. | 9. I read an interesting new book. |
| 10. It was a (metal, big) table. | 10. It was a big metal table. |
Exercise 2: Intermediate Adjective Order
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. He owns a (Italian, old, car) sports. | 1. He owns an old Italian sports car. |
| 2. She lives in a (small, modern, apartment) comfortable. | 2. She lives in a comfortable small modern apartment. |
| 3. They found a (wooden, antique, box) beautiful. | 3. They found a beautiful antique wooden box. |
| 4. I bought a (silk, blue, scarf) new. | 4. I bought a new blue silk scarf. |
| 5. It was a (metal, large, sculpture) interesting. | 5. It was an interesting large metal sculpture. |
| 6. She wore a (dress, cotton, summer) white. | 6. She wore a white cotton summer dress. |
| 7. He needed a (writing, wooden, desk) new. | 7. He needed a new wooden writing desk. |
| 8. They built a (stone, ancient, wall) tall. | 8. They built a tall ancient stone wall. |
| 9. I saw a (painting, oil, old) beautiful. | 9. I saw a beautiful old oil painting. |
| 10. It was a (plastic, small, toy) red. | 10. It was a small red plastic toy. |
Exercise 3: Advanced Adjective Order
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1. She admired the (leather, Italian, handbag, brown, new). | 1. She admired the new brown Italian leather handbag. |
| 2. He found a (silk, French, scarf, blue, antique). | 2. He found an antique blue French silk scarf. |
| 3. They bought a (wooden, coffee, table, round, small). | 3. They bought a small round wooden coffee table. |
| 4. I saw an (metal, garden, sculpture, tall, modern). | 4. I saw a tall modern metal garden sculpture. |
| 5. It was a (cotton, summer, dress, white, beautiful). | 5. It was a beautiful white cotton summer dress. |
| 6. She needed a (reading, lamp, desk, new, small). | 6. She needed a small new desk reading lamp. |
| 7. He built a (stone, garden, wall, ancient, tall). | 7. He built a tall ancient stone garden wall. |
| 8. They discovered an (oil, portrait, old, interesting). | 8. They discovered an interesting old oil portrait. |
| 9. I played with a (toy, plastic, red, small, new). | 9. I played with a small new red plastic toy. |
| 10. It was a (writing, desk, wooden, antique, large). | 10. It was a large antique wooden writing desk. |
Advanced Topics
For advanced learners, consider these more complex aspects of adjective order:
- Stylistic variations: In creative writing, authors may intentionally deviate from the standard order to achieve a specific effect, such as creating a sense of disorientation or emphasizing a particular adjective.
- Adjective phrases: Sometimes, instead of single-word adjectives, you might use adjective phrases. These phrases usually come after the noun they modify. For example, “the book, full of interesting stories” or “the man, tired and weary.”
- Cultural differences: While the DOSASCOMP order is generally applicable to English, some subtle variations might exist in different dialects.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are some frequently asked questions about adjective order:
- Q: What happens if I don’t follow the correct adjective order?A: While your sentence might still be understandable, it will likely sound awkward or unnatural to native English speakers. Consistent use of the correct order improves clarity and fluency.
- Q: Do I always need to use all the adjective categories in the DOSASCOMP order?A: No, you only use the categories that are relevant to the description you are providing. The DOSASCOMP order is a guideline for sequencing adjectives when you have multiple ones.
- Q: Can I use commas between adjectives?A: Yes, but only between coordinate adjectives. Coordinate adjectives are of equal importance and modify the noun independently. For example, “a kind, intelligent man.” Non-coordinate adjectives do not take commas (e.g., “a big red ball”).
- Q: What if I have two adjectives from the same category, like two opinion adjectives?A: In this case, you can usually separate them with a comma or use a coordinating conjunction like “and.” For example, “a beautiful, elegant dress” or “a big and heavy box.”
- Q: Where do adjectival phrases go in relation to other adjectives?A: Adjectival phrases typically follow the noun they modify. For instance, “The book, filled with exciting adventures, was a bestseller.” The phrase “filled with exciting adventures” comes after “book.”
- Q: Does the order change if I am using adjectives after a linking verb (e.g., “is,” “are,” “was,” “were”)?A: When adjectives follow a linking verb, the order is less strict than when they precede a noun. However, it’s still generally best to place opinion adjectives first. For example, “The painting is beautiful and old” sounds more natural than “The painting is old and beautiful.”
- Q: Are there any exceptions to the DOSASCOMP rule?A: Yes, there are occasional exceptions, often for stylistic emphasis or in specific idiomatic expressions. However, the DOSASCOMP rule covers the vast majority of cases.
- Q: How can I improve my understanding of adjective order?A: The best way to improve is through practice and exposure to the language. Pay attention to how native speakers use adjectives in their writing and speech, and try to incorporate the correct order into your own communication.
Conclusion
Mastering the order of adjectives is a crucial step towards achieving fluency and accuracy in English. By understanding the DOSASCOMP rule and practicing its application, you can significantly improve the clarity and naturalness of your writing and speech.
While there are exceptions and nuances to consider, the guidelines provided in this article offer a solid foundation for using adjectives effectively. Remember to pay attention to the context, rely on your intuition, and continue practicing to solidify your understanding.
The key takeaway is that adjective order isn’t arbitrary; it’s a system that helps ensure clear and effective communication. By following the established rules, you can avoid awkward phrasing and convey your message with precision.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and practice, and over time, the correct order will become second nature. Keep practicing, keep listening, and keep learning!