Use of multiple adjectives in English

We use adjectives in English to describe objects, people and animals. However, in some cases an adjective alone may not be enough to accurately describe a noun. 

For this reason, in this case, it is necessary to use several attributes for correct transmission. Do not forget that in this case the order of the adjectives in English is very important.

Remember that although many adjectives can be put together, hearing more than two or sometimes three adjectives is not common in English. This note examines how adjectives are placed before nouns.

Arrangement of adjectives in English

The order of placement of adjectives in English is not a fixed thing. In fact, you may see or hear slight changes in everyday, real conversations. However, adjectives are often placed next to each other in a certain order. The order of adjectives in English is as follows:

• Number (remember that the definite article a / an is also a number):

The adjective refers to us when the noun is singular or plural and definite or indefinite.

a, several, five, twenty-two, some

• opinion and belief:

This type of adjective in English explains what we think. This adjective is usually our opinion, attitude or observation. These attributes always take precedence over other attributes.

lovely, funny, nice, interesting, awful

• Size:

These adjectives speak of the greatness and smallness of the noun.

huge, little, small, big, tiny

• Age:

Tells us how old a person or object is.

old, young, ancient, new, antique, aged

• the shape:

Talks about the shape of the body, whether it is long or short, and the weight of people and objects.

round, square, angular shaped, triangular

• Color:

blue, green, violet, red, orange

• Origin (lineage):

This type of adjective in English tells us where the noun belongs (where it came from).

Spanish, British, Australian, South African, European

• Gender:

metal, gold, silver, wooden

• Type or purpose:

artificial, natural

In this situation, sometimes a noun may be used instead of an adjective. To better understand this issue, pay attention to the following sentence:

bread knife, cleaning rag

• Asthma:

house, bike, plate, garden, tower

Examples of the order of adjectives in English

As mentioned, the speaker or author may place more emphasis on a particular feature of the noun. Therefore, do not follow the order of adjectives in English . For this reason, after learning the order of attributes in English when using them, you can rely on your sense if needed.

The point to keep in mind is that using more than 3 adjectives in a sentence is not normal. In fact, it is very rare to use 4 adjectives before a noun. To get acquainted with how to use adjectives in a sentence and how to place them, pay attention to the following examples:

An interesting old Indian rug.

In this sentence, as you can see, first the opinion, then the age, and finally the principle and installation of a carpet are mentioned.

Some comfortable black sleeping bags.

In this sentence, first the opinion, then the color and finally the type of bag are mentioned.

A big fat dog.

In this sentence, two adjectives are used, first the size and then the shape (weight) of the dog.

 

To practice between 3 sentences, select the sub-sentence in which the order of adjectives in English is observed. Compare your chosen sentence with the correct answer at the end of the note.

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.

Use and with adjectives

In some cases, the conjunction and and may be used to link adjectives in English. Such communication is usually possible in the following situations:

• Two or more attributes of a group:

She’s bought a beautiful red and blue dress.

As you can see in this sentence, the order of adjectives in English is observed. In addition, due to the use of two adjectives to describe color, the conjunction and is used.

his suit is tailored especially for the tall and slim man.

In this sentence, in order to use two adjectives to describe the size of the letter and is used.

Although the adjective must precede the noun, in some cases the adjective may be used after the noun. In this case, to be or other related verbs are placed between the noun and the adjective. The order of the adjectives in this case is the same as described above, but the last two adjectives are usually separated by and.

My friend’s house is big and spacious .

The cave we visited was deep , dark and cold .

Sample Answer Question: Sentence A