Practice: Unscramble the noun phrase.| III. Word Order of Adjectives and Series of Adjectives The two patterns for adjective order are (1) Adjective + Noun and (2) Subject + Linking Verb + Adjective. The adjective functions as the subject complement in the second pattern. Two or more adjectives may be used in each pattern. When two or more adjectives precede the noun, no coordinator is used. When two or more adjectives follow a linking verb, a coordinator is used. ♦ Afghanistan is a tribal society. ♦ Afghanistan is a conservative tribal society. ♦ To gun down a woman in the street is rare. ♦ To gun down a woman in the street is rare and shocking to many. The following table provides guidelines for the correct order of adjectives in a series. The purpose is not to use a lot of adjectives but to know idiomatic word order when using more than one. The Idiomatic Order of Adjectives Notes 1. Size, shape, age and color are all physical descriptors and are used in that order.2. Use commas only between adjectives that give an observation or opinion. Example: Safia Amajan was a dedicated, caring individual. |
| Determiner | Observation/ Opinion | Size | Shape | Age | Color | Nationality | Religion | Material | Qualifier/type | Head Noun |
| the | intelligent | young | Chinese | language | students | |||||
| an | ugly | slender | old | orange | glass | flower | vase | |||
| their | odd- | shaped | new | metal | computer | table | ||||
| a | beautiful | large | old | Russian | Orthodox | cross | ||||
| Maria's | cute | little | brown | English | terrier | |||||
| her | conservative | Islamic | cultural | tradition |
| Practice: Unscramble the noun phrase. | Write the noun phrase in the correct order. Do not use capital letters except for a proper noun or nationality. Hit enter or the tab key after typing your answer. If your answer is incorrect (red), type a ? in the frame. | 1. novel an spy British interesting |
| 2. torn blue his jacket old blue hunting | |
| 3. Loan's leather-bound Vietnamese new dictionary thick beautiful (noteVietnamese represents kind rather than nationality in this context.) | 4. troubled John's Puerto Rican stepbrother younger | 5. red-orange vivid leaves large autumn the | 6. new exciting culture the class Egyptian | 7. oval the pond large fishing | 8. Mai's little Asian face round cute | 9. a round tiny stool garden yellow wooden | 10. Mai's little Asian face round cute | 10. exceptional the African young player soccer team's |